The role of community connection in the practice of trauma-informed emergency management.

Abstract

Trauma-informed practice in emergency management can aid professionals in addressing inequity and building trusting relationships with vulnerable and marginalized communities. As the field of emergency management begins to utilize principles of trauma-informed practice used by adjacent fields, it is useful to explore the benefits of cultivating a strong and positive psychological sense of community (PSOC) with engaged community partners, particularly those who have past experience with structural or systemic inequity, prejudice, and/or discrimination. Crafting trauma-informed policies and activities at every point in the emergency management cycle, practiced in active collaboration with community members, will help build a trusted community connection that can lead to smoother response and recovery efforts with communities that have historically struggled with equitable access. This paper reviews the elements of a strong, positive PSOC and principles of trauma-informed practice as they can be applied by emergency managers. These principles can further be applied to internal agency policies to support emergency managers who may themselves also experience trauma or burnout in the course of their careers.