EFFIS - We'll analyze data on fire occurrences, spread patterns, and recovery times. The mean number of fires per year and the median area affected will be calculated to show central tendencies and infer probabilities of future incidents.We access data for the past decade on wildfires in the Sicilian region. The average number of significant fires per year is 15, with a median affected area of 50 hectares per fire. This data will be presented in a line graph, highlighting the increasing trend of fire occurrences and affected areas over the years.

Local Municipal Records - Data on emergency response times, types of emergencies, and resources used in past events will be vital. We'll present this data in a table format, showcasing how an EOC could improve response efficiency. Upon examination, we discover that the average emergency response time is 30 minutes, to reduce it to 10 minutes. A bar chart will compare response times before and after the implementation of EOCs in similar regions, demonstrating potential improvements.

ISTAT - Socio-economic and demographic data will help assess community vulnerability and the impact of emergencies on different population segments. This will be displayed using pie charts and demographic maps. Demographic data indicates that 20% of the population is over 65, which is significant as older populations are more vulnerable in emergencies. A demographic map can visualize population densities and age distributions across the village.

 

 

Primary Goals and Committee's Role:

The EOC aims to centralize emergency response efforts, enhance communication among agencies, and facilitate effective resource allocation. Each committee member will play a role:

Citizens and Business Owners will provide community insight and validation for the EOC's strategic direction.

Builders and Developers will ensure that the EOC's design is sustainable and integrates well with the local infrastructure.

The local Emergency Planning Committee will  DO comprehensive response plans and integrate them with the EOC's operations.

The Fire Department Representative will offer front-line perspectives on emergency response and resource needs.

Support and Opposition:

The proposal will likely be supported by citizens, business owners, and emergency responders who understand the value of improved safety and emergency management. Opposition might come from those concerned about the potential displacement or those who have to bear the financial cost, such as local taxpayers or landowners where the EOC might be built.

 

Community Engagement and Justification:

The community needs to understand the value of the EOC. By presenting statistical data on past emergencies and potential future risks, the proposal can demonstrate the EOC's potential to save lives, reduce property damage, and improve overall community resilience.

 

Location and Timeline:

The EOC should be situated in an area with high accessibility for emergency vehicles and visibility for the public. The timeline will be presented in phases: planning, funding, construction, and operation, with a projected operational date.

 

Community Impact:

The new EOC's location could have a significant impact on property values, traffic patterns, and public safety perception. Therefore, a thorough impact assessment will be conducted and included in the proposal.

 

The proposal to build and man a new Emergency Operation Center (EOC) in Enna, Sicily is complex and requires a multitude of resources. The community will need to come together on decisions that will have lasting impacts on the area and community. Due to these decisions, it would be best if the group uses an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP).
The proposal to build a new EOC will require the use of the AHP. Before any emergency service has been decided on one must select the best location for the new center, the best contractor to head the construction up, along with a multitude of other aspects. AHP provides a structured approach by breaking down the decision problem into a hierarchy. This means the decisions can be made on community-accepted criteria rather than simply the lowest cost. This group proposes to select the perfect site for an EOC, some of the sensitivities that we must deal with are the mountainous area that has deep valleys, dense agricultural land, dry hot summers, and seasonal flooding. Protecting the environment as well as the people in it is most important.
Some decisional criteria must be: (1) building cost of the center; (2) site accessibility; (3)
dangerousness; (4) environmental impact; (5) communications quality at the site.
Current Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data indicates that Sicily, Italy is the most threatened region of Italy. According to data from GWIS the Enna area of Sicily is primarily croplands that are a major source of income for the Sicilian population (GWIS, 2022).
This data lends to the need for additional emergency centers in the area that can help provide immediate aid and direction of emergency services.
With the contribution of other models and GIS, we can easily detect in real time the strategic areas that will require intervention in the Sicilian community. Through the phases of decision-making, planning, and authorization, which involve the assessment of social, economic, and environmental impacts. These models will allow us to detect certain areas of our EOC process to be replaced, for example, such as the type of fire protection equipment needed to control each major hazard. The model will allow us to make sure that the new EOC is not constructed in a residential zone or a business zone so that it can handle the traffic it will receive during emergencies.
GIS data will and must be a critical part of any proposal to create a new EOC. This data shows areas that are at high risk of continued wildfires. This data provides the owners of cropland reasons on why they should back a proposal to build. Additional help would be to provide data on an area before a new EOC was built and data after the EOC was built. 

 

 

Group 2 proposes the construction of a new Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in a Sicilian village to centralize emergency response efforts, enhance communication amongst local agencies, and facilitate effective resource allocation. We believe our proposal would be supported by local citizens, business owners, and emergency service providers who understand the value of improved safety and emergency management. Potential opposition may come from individual parties particularly concerned with the costs and possibly the location options for building the EOC facility.

As part of our proposal, we will develop a thorough Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) for the consideration of important details such as funding, contractors, equipment, and a timeline for construction. Additionally, we will need to be prepared with considerations for zoning issues, building standards and regulations, and sites of historical importance potentially impacted by any development project.

The first step of the CBA process is to conduct a risk assessment.  Potential risks associated with the project might include construction delays caused by weather, site challenges, or permit delays. Cost overruns due to unexpected expenses or changes, environmental impacts, technological failures, or other operational challenges such as staffing, training, and maintenance of the new EOC. Each of these risks will need to be assessed for their likelihood of occurrence, the potential consequences of their occurrences, and strategies for mitigating these risks. By conducting a thorough risk assessment, we will have the best information for decision-making and planning for contingencies.

The next step is to identify assumptions, costs, and benefits. Key assumptions we may be able to project include categories of information such as population growth or change, and future emergency response needs. Data for these assumptions are collected in the third step of the CBA. Other items to identify are the exact costs for each step of the project from planning, through construction and development, to staffing and operation. Identifying the benefits will also be of critical importance since they are the primary justification for the proposal. Projected benefits may include reduced response times during emergencies, improved communications, and enhanced public safety, all of which will support economic and environmental goals for the locality. Some benefits will be identifiable by their monetary value, while others may be qualitative. In the third step of collecting data for the CBA, gathering the most relevant reports and statistics about each item identified in step two will help to support our claims. Beyond reports and statistics, it may be helpful to solicit expert consultation for insight into specific elements of the project proposal.

The fourth step is the calculation of all the costs and benefits. This may require adjusting future costs and benefits according to their present values and considering inflation or other economic factors. Finally, a comparison of the net benefit weighed against the net cost will be a clear way to promote and justify our proposal, assuming the findings in our data collection are positive and supportive of the effort. One tool we could use to help with this process is the Benefit-Cost Analysis calculator published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. (FEMA, 2023).

The final step is a careful analysis of the results. This means interpreting the data to evaluate the overall viability of the project to conclude its feasibility. We must remember that our proposal must be engaging and compelling for stakeholders who will be impacted by and involved in the development of the project. The analysis must be projected for long-term sustainability since the construction of a new EOC is a serious investment. Our end goal is to create improved public safety for the local community in the present and well beyond.

QUESTIONS:

Give your thoughts on the final project PROPOSAL and share with each other your perspective in your "role" and how your opinion of the project may have changed from the beginning of thE PROJECT  to the end.

As you went through the entire process, did you change your mind on the proposal? Why or why not? Support what you write with back up, yes, that means cite your sources.