Training the Authorities for Earthquake Emergency Response: Challenges and Opportunities

Past earthquakes, particularly in developing countries, have proved that the disaster knowledge and experience of the authorities in controlling and managing the “emergency response” has not been professionally adequate. Therefore, it is likely that difficulties may show up in future earthquakes especially in urban areas. In fact, although a high-level manager such as the president or the vice-president of a country is an authoritative body for controlling and management of the routine problems and daily issues of the country, but in situations such as a “major emergency”, particularly a seismic catastrophe, there is a need for specific background knowledge and experience in disaster issues. In this paper, an attempt has been made to clarify the measures for consideration in planning and implementation of training courses in earthquake emergency response, which is believed to be essential for the authorities in various levels. The existing challenges, such as insufficient time to train the authorities due to their daily involvement, the lack of appropriate and adequate background knowledge and experience in emergency management and other related issues are discussed. Consequently, possible innovative ways for achieving successful programmes and training of the authorities are then proposed in detail.