OJS (University of Applied Sciences Velika Gorica)
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Cooperation of rescue coordination centers in the event of an aircraft accident
No full textIntroduction
In the wake of an aircraft accident, the seamless coordination of rescue efforts among various entities is paramount to minimize loss of life and mitigate damages. The main point of this coordination is between in land rescue coordination centre and maritime rescue coordination centre, which plays critical roles in managing emergencies both on land and at sea. This paper delves deeper into the functions of these coordination centers and the collaboration required between them to ensure effective response and rescue operations.
Rescue Coordination Centers in land (RCC), serve as coordination hub for managing emerency response activities following an aircraft accident. These center typically involve a multitude of stakeholders, including national, regional and local level authorities, emergency services, medical teams and aviation authorities. One of their primary functions is to facilitate emergency response coordination in the aircraft search and rescue operations, ensuring that various agencies work together seamlessly to address the search and rescue operation.
Communication lies at the heart of land coordination center, acting as a vital conduit between different response teams and agencies involved in the rescue operation. With the established and maintained communication channels to enable the exchange of crucial information, coordinate efforts, and disseminate updates to all relevant parties involved in the rescue operation.
Logistical support is another key responsibility of land coordination center. By overseeing the deployment of personnel, equipment, and resources to the accident site it is ensured that the necessary assistance reaches the affected area promptly and efficiently. This involves managing transportation logistics, coordinating with external organizations for additional support, and addressing any logistical challenges that may arise during the rescue operation.
Information management is also a critical aspect of land coordination center function. Gathering, processing and disseminating accurate information about the accident to various stakeholders, including families of the victims, media outlets and relevant authorities are crucial elements. This ensures that everyone involved has access to timely and reliable information, helping to coordinate efforts effectively and manage crisis communication regarding the incident.
Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) is specifically tasked with managing maritime aspects of rescue operations, particularly in cases where the aircraft accident occurs over sea or in close proximity to coastlines. These center plays a crucial role in coordinating search and rescue efforts at sea, deploying vessels, aircraft and specialized teams to locate and assist survivors.
Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre is the primary function of search and rescue operations in maritime environments, coordinating the deployment of resources and personnel to conduct search efforts efficiently and effectively. This may involve collaborating with other maritime agencies, such as coast guards and naval forces, to leverage their capabilities and assets for the rescue operation. They are also provide navigational support to vessels and aircraft involved in the rescue operation. This includes monitoring maritime traffic, providing guidance on safe navigation in the vicinity of the accident site and coordinating with relevant authorities to ensure the safety and security of rescue assets operting at sea.
This paper will provide insight into collaboration between Rescue Coordination Center and Maritime Rescue Coordination Center which is essential for maximizing the effectiveness of search and rescue operations in aircraft accidents. This collaboration implies information sharing as the key aspect to ensure to both centers to have access to relevant and up - to - date information about the accident. This includes details such as the location of the accident, the number of survivors and any specific resource needs that may arise during the rescue operation.
Joint planning and decision-making enable both centers to develop coordinated response strategies and make critical decisions regarding resource allocation, operational priorities and overall coordination of rescue efforts. This involves holding joint planning sessions, conducting regular briefings and maintaining open lines of communication between the two centers.
Mobilization of the resources is facilitated through the jurisdiction of each coordination center. By pooling their resources and coordinating their efforts, they can ensure that the necessary personnel, equipment and assets are deployed to the accident site in a timely and efficient manner.
Continuous communication is essential to maintain effective coordination between centers throughout the duration of the rescue operation. This involves establishing and maintaining communication channels that enable real-time updates, information sharing and coordination of efforts as well as with other relevant stakeholders involved in the rescue operation.
In conclusion, effective collaboration between centers is essential for maximizing the chances of successful outcomes in aircraft search and rescue operations. By working together seamlessly and leveraging their respective expertise and resources, these centers ensure a swift, coordinated and effective response to emergency, ultimately saving lives and mitigating damages in the aftermath of an aircraft accident.
Methodology
For the purpose of this paper, methodology which will be use is literature review, data collection and data analysis in order to develop new operating procedure for mutual communiction between rescue coordination centers
Using the gRPC protocol in the context of crisis management
No full textSpeed, stability, and efficiency are key parameters in inter-service communication during crisis management. Traditionally, REST, an architectural style based on HTTP protocol principles was used in microservice architecture due to its simplicity and broad support. However, with the increasing number of requests to and between microservices, the gRPC protocol is becoming an increasingly attractive alternative. This paper presents the technical advantages of the gRPC protocol over traditional REST in the context of inter-service communication in crisis conditions, focusing on several key parameters: low latency, efficiency, data streaming capability, and support for distributed transactions. This paper demonstrates the gRPC protocol through the Go programming language, which is also recognized as a very efficient, reliable, and scalable, making it acceptable for microservices development
Challenges of crisis management in educational institutions of the Republic of Croatia
No full textIn recent years, educational institutions in Croatia have increasingly encountered various crises, sparking heightened concerns among stakeholders, particularly institution principals, regarding the challenges of crisis management. This paper presents the findings of a qualitative research study that delved into the perspectives of stakeholders within educational institutions regarding crisis management and crisis communication, conducted through interviews. The research aimed to elucidate the characteristics of crisis situations, as well as the potential and constraints associated with implementing crisis management and crisis communication strategies in Croatian educational institutions. The results of the study indicate that the current crisis management system is inefficient. While certain protocols and regulations exist at the national level for addressing specific crisis situations, their implementation and effectiveness largely hinge on institutional leadership. Consequently, while opportunities for implementing crisis management strategies in educational institutions have been identified, various limitations have also been acknowledged.
INTRODUCTION
Crisis is a concept encountered almost daily, manifesting in various forms and yielding diverse consequences. Successfully navigating and responding to different types of crises hinges on effective crisis management systems. Such systems encompass a series of activities geared towards preventing crises, managing them effectively, and ultimately facilitating recovery. The efficacy of crisis management is contingent upon an understanding of key crisis characteristics, including threat, urgency, and uncertainty. According to numerous authors, crisis communication plays a pivotal role in crisis resolution. Inevitable in crisis situations, crisis communication can be proactive or reactive. Beyond crisis resolution, effective crisis communication can bolster an organization's reputation. Despite being perceived as sanctuaries, educational institutions have demonstrated vulnerability to escalating social, health, and financial pressures in the past decade. The global surge in both frequency and severity of school crises underscores the pressing need for the integration of crisis management into the daily administration of educational institutions.
AIM
The aim of this paper was primarily to determine the characteristics of crisis situations, followed by exploring the possibilities and limitations of implementing crisis management and crisis communication in educational institutions in the Republic of Croatia.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The perspectives of stakeholders within educational institutions concerning the implementation of crisis management and crisis communication in the Republic of Croatia were investigated through semi-structured interviews. The study encompassed representatives from the Ministry of Science and Education, school principals, teaching and non-teaching staff, kindergarten educators, as well as final-year high school students and parents of children attending educational institutions.
RESULTS
The research findings indicate that both the national and local levels of the education system in the Republic of Croatia exhibit inefficiencies in crisis management, despite the existence of protocols and regulations outlining procedures for specific crisis situations. Educational institutions are revealed to be ill-equipped to handle crises effectively, with success largely contingent on the leadership of the institution, particularly the principals. Furthermore, the research underscores the necessity of trained personnel for crisis situations, as well as the establishment of crisis resolution teams within institutions tasked with regularly practicing pre-prepared crisis plans and communication strategies. The study identifies various opportunities for the implementation of crisis management and communication strategies, ranging from the development of clear action plans for diverse crisis scenarios to fostering effective communication across all levels of the educational hierarchy and forming crisis teams within institutions. Recognizing education as paramount, the potential for further research in the realm of crisis management and communication within Croatia's education system is emphasized. This includes the proposal for mandatory courses in crisis management within postgraduate specialist studies for principals, as well as integration into the curriculum for early childhood educators, teachers, instructors, and educational professionals, alongside programs focused on pedagogical-psychological-didactic-methodological training. However, several limitations are identified, including a lack of theoretical-practical knowledge in crisis management, inconsistent policies, insufficient financial investment in the education system, ineffective top-down communication, and inadequate autonomy of principals in decision-making processes. Addressing these limitations will be critical in enhancing the resilience of educational institutions to crises and ensuring the safety and well-being of students and staff.
CONCLUSION
In recent years, educational institutions have faced a growing array of crises, navigating them to the best of their abilities. The efficacy of their crisis response hinges significantly on the marketing and communication skills of the institution's leadership, coupled with the degree of preparedness. Numerous studies underscore the pivotal role of crisis management in successfully navigating such challenges, as it enables swift and effective responses. However, experts caution against relying solely on the existence of crisis management frameworks and theoretical models for effective crisis management. Instead, they emphasize the importance of regular practice and ongoing supplementation of crisis management strategies
Spatial analysis and identification of suitable landing zones for aerial evacuation from the congested urban areas
Get PDFIntroduction:
According to the latest estimates to 2023, about half of the Bosnia and Herzegovina population lives in concentrated urban areas (CEIC, 2023). Considering congested or inadequate road communications in the urban areas, unfavorable steep relief and other potential obstacles, the issue of urgent evacuation becomes problematic, especially in the case of a widespread emergency. Using the municipal areas of Sarajevo and Banja Luka as the sites with a high level of risk for natural disasters and/or incidents caused by the human factor, we have attempted to identify the potential zones from which it would be possible to organize and carry out the aerial evacuation of the affected population on a larger scale than previously analyzed (Smailbegovic & Mahmutovic, 2024).
Methodology:
Considering the potential causes and epicenters of disasters (earthquake, flood, industrial incidents, terrorism), population density, road infrastructure, geomorphological and other terrain and land cover elements, we made a selection of potential aerial evacuation points from the congested urban areas (Erskine et al. 2022). The analysis consisted of two elements: 1. a semi-quantitative automated, integrative spatial-matching model that analyzes the available geospatial data (e.g. population, proximity to the epicenter, terrain coverage) and assigns an overall suitability score for the particular landing site (Walter and Fritsch, 1999; Mertova, 2021) and 2. qualitative-expert evaluation of selected landing sites by the pilots qualified and trained for evacuation from such complex areas (Scherer at al. 2010). The intent was to filter the various levels of geospatial data using the automated method and qualify or disqualify the potential sites by its overall matching score (i.e. open space, obstructions, accessibility, spatial correlation). The qualified areas were evaluated by the expert pilot and assessed upon experience and suitability of sustaining the evacuation operations with the available equipment.
Results:
The results of the bi-level analysis suggest that the urban areas of Sarajevo and Banja Luka each have at least three ideal and five acceptable locations which could sustain large-scale emergency evacuation of affected residents. The ideal areas have exhibited the automated matched score of at least 90 percent and unanimous approval from the three expert aviators. The acceptable landing zones have scored at least 75 percent match and two thirds approval from the expert aviators. The choice of locations and their viability depends on the type of potential disaster, but according to the available data, it is realistic to expect that the selected locations would withstand and remain partially usable in the majority of possible emergencies.
Concluding remarks:
Given congestion of urban areas and lack of overall planning towards evacuation in an emergency, it is encouraging that suitable aerial evacuation sites exist in the major municipal areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina even though they were not planned for that exact purpose. The combined automated and expert-validated method shows potential in determining other suitable landing zones for aerial evacuation in the complex terrain
Compensation as a tool for attracting employees to the military organization
Get PDFEvery company aims to attract employees who can contribute to its success. However, in today's business environment, simply posting job ads isn't enough to secure top talent. Instead, companies need to target specific candidates, advertise job openings effectively, and leverage their marketing efforts to highlight the opportunities they offer. One potential strategy is to enhance the compensation package to attract skilled candidates.
While attracting for military organizations wasn't a significant challenge in the past, factors like technological advancements, competition from civilian sectors, and the stress of combat operations have made it increasingly difficult to attract new recruits, especially those with specialized skills. Furthermore, the lack of soldiers and officers candidates has become a serious problem in the execution of the missions of military organization.
To address this, military organizations are exploring ways to offer more appealing benefits and incentives to potential candidates.
Regarding everything previously mentioned, the paper investigates the impact of elements of compensation on attracting employees to the military organization. Accordingly, the research goal is to explore and analyze the impact of compensation on the attraction of employees to a military organization. Based on this aim, a fundamental hypothesis is formulated for this study, and it states: compensation and its aspects have a significant influence on the attraction of employees to a military organization.
To explore the aforementioned hypothesis and fulfill the research goals, various scientific research methods were employed in this study. Initially, the descriptive method was used to describe and explain variables related to the hypotheses. Additionally, the comparative method was applied to compare the subject variables, processes, phenomena, and relationships. Throughout the study, methods such as generalization, specialization, analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, abstraction, and concretization were also utilized to deepen the understanding of the research subject.
The results obtained from the research show that, in addition to traditional direct financial elements such as salaries, some other indirect financial elements such as benefits have an impact on the increased interest in entering a military service. In addition, the results indicate that individual countries have more closely been studying the reasons for a decreased interest joining military forces, while trying to create short-term and long-term strategies to overcome that situation. The paper also considers attracting employees to civil firms
Importance of the 2020 Croatia Earthquakes GIS-based Building Usability Database
Get PDFThe 2020 Petrinja Earthquake caused many negative consequences, but also some positive effects on the future of the disaster risk reduction system in Croatia. One of them was to highlight the importance of the Croatian Centre for Earthquake Engineering and its elements, such as the 2020 Petrinja Earthquake GIS-based Building Usability Database.
Initially, the database was used only by the Croatian Centre for Earthquake Engineering for internal use during Building Damage and Usability Assessment, as well as for reporting on the status of building damage in the area affected by the disaster, but gradually it proved to be a very valuable source of information for all stakeholders involved in the post-earthquake response and recovery.
This led to the need for a more advanced database, which resulted in the creation of the 2020 Croatia Earthquakes Building Usability Database. This new comprehensive database enabled the continuous tracking of the real-time usability of buildings in the earthquake-affected area in correlation to the reconstruction process and other factors. Not only were the changes entered into the database daily, but the status of each building had to be checked daily as the numerous processes utilized the database as a relevant source of information.
Three years after the 2020 Croatia Earthquakes, the importance of the database is still very high. Therefore, this database can serve as a case study for exploring the possible role of similar databases in the future that increase overall disaster resilience
The role of the Civil Protection System in managing the crisis caused by the Covid-19 disease epidemic
Get PDFIntroductionFrom the very beginning of the emergence and spread of the coronavirus in the city of Wuhan in China, the Civil Protection Directorate, through the Civil Protection Operations Center, together with the relevant international and national institutions, monitored and was involved in information exchange processes and undertook preparatory activities in the event of the emergence of the virus in our country.The appearance of the first patient in Croatia was a sufficient signal for the prompt reaction of the Government of the Republic of Croatia and the active involvement of the Civil Protection Directorate of the Ministry of Interior and the entire civil protection system, which with its daily continuous actions supported the health system in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus.
MethodologyThis paper elaborates the role of the civil protection system in the management of the crisis caused by the epidemic of the disease COVID-19, whereby the emphasis is placed on: activating the national and local headquarters of civil protection, the establishment of the logistics center of the Civil Protection Directorate, participation in setting up and equipping additional capacities for the needs of medical institutions , distribution of vaccines and implementation of vaccinations, timely and transparent crisis communication, continuous supervision over the implementation of measures prescribed by the Decisions of the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia and international cooperation in the framework of civil protection (bilaterally and through the Union civil protection mechanism).The paper was prepared with the aim of presenting the chronology of the development of the epidemic in Croatia from the beginning in January 2020 until the official end of the pandemic worlwide as well as in the Republic of Croatia. The key question is how and in what way Croatia approached the epidemic and what were its responses, which took place in several cycles.
Conclusion Aware of the fact that this was a crisis of global proportions, the activities and efforts of the civil protection system were undertaken in accordance with the Decisions of the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia, based on the opinion and assessment of the health profession, with the primary goal of protecting the health and lives of citizens, but also maintaining the functioning of the economyThe mutual cooperation of national and local bodies, civil protection headquarters, professional working groups and other experts is of key importance for a successful fight against the coronavirus
Climate change in Europe: How to adapt our higher education curricula and involve the students and the teachers
No full textClimate change has become the most pressing problem today. This will have an impact on human health. Therefore, health and environmental policies must aim to prevent their negative effects, and policy makers, educational institutions, have a crucial role to play in this regard World Health Organization (2021).
To respond to a need to incorporate environmental and sustainability issues in the higher education curricula, four European higher education institutions decided to joint their competences to build five ECTS international, collaborative, and multidisciplinary online course modules focused on environment, sustainability, and health.
A French study concludes that incorporating environmental and sustainability issues into the initial and higher training become a need in the education systems. There is also a need to train the teachers (Bortzmeyer, 2021).
The final report of the association “Shifters Belgium” gives the conclusion of an analysis of curricula in Higher Education and a survey of the expectations of the students to achieve Carbon neutrality in 2050 regarding the European Green Deal. This survey shows that 80% of the students are worried about climate change. 87% of them think that Universities and University Colleges must organize modules on climate change (The Shifters, 2022).
The four partner institutions received an Erasmus+ subvention, for 3 years to develop this online course. The higher education institutions are Brussels-Brabant University College (Belgium), University of Applied Sciences Velika Gorica (Croatia), Polytechnic of Coimbra (Portugal) and Tartu Health Care College – Tartu (Estonia).
The aim of the course is to enhance the students' interest and develop the scientific, technological, and socio-political foundations in the field of environment, sustainability, health as well as communication, English and crisis management skills. The process involves the teachers and students in a co-construction way and, through a situated learning environment (Slock, C., Netanyahu, S. (2021).
To construct together this courses-module, each year, the partners develop a part of the module in a collaborative way with teachers and students of the four partner institutions. As the courses are different, the contributions of each institution and each teaching team are complementary. The partners bring specialist skills in science, technology, safety and crisis management, health, as well as language and communication.
It will take 3 years to create, improve and validate the module. Concretely, the collaborative moments occur twice a year in the form of online courses in November and mobility activities in February. Three different topics will be developed: year 1: energy crisis in the partner countries, year 2: analysis methods in the field of environment, year 3: green smart factories.
To improve interculturality, activities are spent each year in another country. The first year, the face-to-face activities took place in Estonia. The second year will take place in Portugal and the third year in Belgium.
40 students and 12 teachers took part in the face-to-face activities.
The aim of this paper is to present the methodology and the partial results after one year, based on quantitative and qualitative indicators
Advancing earthquake preparedness: a survey on public perception of Earthquake Early Warning Systems in Croatia
No full textEarthquakes are rare and unpredictable events that strike suddenly and without warning, precluding the issuance of alerts common to other natural or anthropogenic hazards. Due to the widespread unpreparedness of the population, even moderate-intensity earthquakes may pose a significant threat to human health and safety. A crucial advancement in reducing such seismic risks, especially in densely populated areas, are Earthquake Early Warning Systems (EEWS), which operate by monitoring the ongoing seismic activity in real time. By detecting the initial, faster, yet less destructive primary (P) seismic waves, EEWS can provide a warning before the arrival of the slower, but more devastating secondary (S) waves, thereby enabling people to undertake at least basic personal and automated protective actions.
While the effectiveness of the EEWS has been proven in various contexts worldwide, their implementation in Croatia faces unique challenges. The proximity of the seismogenic faults to the urban areas, exemplified by the 2020 Zagreb earthquake’s epicentre being just 7 km from the city centre, significantly reduces the warning times, thus undermining the utility of the EEWS. Beside the geographical challenges, the implementation of EEW systems require also significant material investments and technical expertise, factors dependant on the society's ability and willingness to invest in the necessary infrastructure and to support the initiative.
In this contribution, a survey on public perception regarding EEWS was conducted through a 27-item questionnaire, distributed online (via Google forms) among various Croatian demographic sectors. Responses from 121 participants, a majority of whom (87%) have experienced significant seismic activity, were analysed. The survey reveals that, prior to the study, only about half of responders were aware of EEWS, with a mere 5% having utilized earthquake warning applications. Despite being informed about their reduced effectiveness in Croatia, most of the respondents still expect that early warnings, if available, would enhance their sense of safety. Furthermore, while the majority think they would react appropriately to early warnings, there is nevertheless a strong advocacy among the participants for public educational initiatives to improve earthquake preparedness and knowledge about personal protection measures.
The overall survey results suggest a general-public support for investments aimed at mitigating seismic risks in Croatia. While seismographic conditions limit the utility of early warnings mostly to post-event information, the integration of such systems within broader crisis-management frameworks may aid in organizing post-earthquake emergency responses and reducing confusion and panic among the population
Water crisis and security challenges in the era of climate change
No full textThe water crisis and climate change are global issues affecting billions of lives on Earth. Extreme weather conditions such as heatwaves, floods, hurricanes, and droughts, resulting from climate change, lead to the extinction of plant and animal species. All these changes drastically alter the supply and quality of drinking water, crucial for agriculture, human consumption, industrial production, and nature conservation. When the supply of drinking or technical water exceeds demand, a water crisis occurs. Hunger, conflicts, diseases, and migrations are possible outcomes of such a crisis. To better cope with climate change and water crises, measures need to be taken at all levels of government, from local to national, as well as internationally. The paper explores the connection between climate change and water crisis and how global warming, precipitation changes, and extreme weather conditions shape the availability and quality of water, especially in arid regions. Special emphasis is placed on the necessity of adaptation and efficient water resource management to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change on water supply, agriculture, ecosystems, and human health. Through concrete examples from different parts of the world, current challenges and approaches to addressing the water crisis in the context of increasingly pronounced climate change are investigated