Sverige

kris och lärdom 15
disasters for centuries and lacks the long disaster-response
history of the UK for example and its response
to the bombing of Britain during the Second World
War. But in Sweden and in local Swedish communities,
there is also a culture of being able to mobilise
for various reasons, and this has strengthened the capacity
to establish an effective response.
Experience and lessons learned
Experience is a major contributor to effective disaster
response and crisis communications. A general
view held by the interviewed disaster professionals in
this study is that they and their agencies have gained
valuable knowledge from the outcomes of previous
disasters and that this has influenced both the forms
of response and the capacity to respond to different
disasters.
Three types of learning have been identified by
Boin, ’t Hart, Stern & Sundelius – experience, explanation
and skill-based learning. The first type of learning
refers to one’s previous experiences. The second
type is a critical scientific evaluation by “crisis auditors”.
The third type refers to using existing skills as
a basis for creating new crisis management techniques
(Boin, ’t Hart, Stern & Sundelius 2005:117f). The response
to old and new crises in this study is primarily
based on the principle of experience-based learning
in combination with skill-based learning. The second
type with special crisis auditors is rarely employed by
local authorities in Sweden.
Based on the cases studied, lessons are learned from
disaster response in two main ways: through exercises
and by working with disaster issues from previous extreme
events. Knowledge is also gained by studying
evaluations and research into other events, through
field trips and by taking part in disaster management
courses, etc.
Exercises are an important feature of disaster management
according to the interviewed disaster professionals
in this study. But there is no doubt that
personal experience in previous response operations
provides the most effective training. In other words,
learning by doing creates the best conditions for commanding
and responding to disasters.
In what way has experience been significant and
what are the lessons learnt Gathered historical knowledge
can lead to a more effective response in the various
phases of the management process. Testing response
alternatives is easier and decisions are made
more effectively. Experience plays a particularly significant
role in the initial phase of the response. Disaster
professionals with a disaster response history can
launch a response faster and easier than disaster professionals
without this experience. They know what
strings to pull – how to structure the operation, what
contacts to initiate, what practical problems can arise,
how these can be manoeuvred and what effects can
be expected from different decisions, etc. Communication
units know how different media/channels function
in disasters, what contact is needed with different
groups and what problems can arise in the distribution
process. Not surprisingly, experience of previous
disasters appears more important for administrative
officials than for those who normally handle different
types of incidents such as rescue operation managers
and medical professionals. Experience also appears to
be more significant in an extended organisation than
in an established organisation with regular tasks (Cp.
Dynes 1970).
In the communication area, experience has been incorporated
into established forms for media contact,
switchboard and information services, relations with
affected households and individuals and handling
inter-organizational contacts effectively in the acute
phase. This also includes realizing the benefits of overall
and coherent communication in terms of physical/