Measuring the quality of emergency management programs in small British Columbia municipalities

Abstract

The purpose of this mixed method study was to explore the quality of the emergency management programs in smaller British Columbia municipalities and discover common issues to gain an overall view of emergency management programs in those municipalities. Academic literature on emergency management programs was reviewed to identify measurements for emergency management program quality. Thirty (30) indicators were identified and used develop a survey for municipalities to explore the current quality of emergency management programs. Semi-structured interviews provided a deeper understanding of factors that influence the quality of the emergency management programs. The analysis of data rated the quality of the emergency management program, developed common themes and examined the challenges and opportunities to understand the emergency management programs provided by local government in relation to provincial government expectations.