Expert answer:Final research Proposal
Solved by verified expert:Please look at the attachment, it has all the material needed for this work including previous tasks for final proposal. the topic is spontaneous (unaffiliated) volunteer in disaster, i will upload the articles ( about 15 ) or provide you with the link in google doc.
comments_for_lierature_reivew_.docx
internal_validity_and_reliability.docx
literature_review_.docx
proposal_outline.docx
typical_sections_of_a_research_proposal.doc
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Good literature review on the benefit of spontaneous volunteers, though I see no
discussion of the hurdles they cause, their ‘cost’ to the operation. I also saw no
methodology citations. Fix the methodology issue by the time of the final proposal,
please.
Topic: Spontaneous Volunteers, and How They Impact a Disaster Scene
Research Question: What is the proportion of victims assisted by spontaneous volunteers in a given
disaster scene?
Validity, and Reliability of Data Collection
To ensure internal validity purposive sampling, and vetting of spontaneous volunteers will
be carried out so as to isolate their impact from that of other organized volunteers, and government
rescue missions. The impacts of the organized/government rescue mission will also be measured
alongside that of the spontaneous volunteer so that a comparison is made to determine the level,
and type of impact each category makes. For the purpose of external validity, an adequate sample
of victims in the study area will be achieved through reliable sampling formula such that the
resultant percentage of victims helped by spontaneous volunteers can be generalized to the whole
population, or all disaster scenes.
Pilot testing will be done on the interview schedules, and questionnaires to ensure the
respondents can accurately interpret the questions so as to give valid, and reliable responses. After
the study, data cleaning will be done, and respondents contacted for further clarification in case
incorrect, or invalid data was entered, or if a new perspective that is not well understood is
presented in the response.
Several disaster instances will be randomly sampled, and separately studied with the same
tools for the purpose of triangulation, to compare the impacts of spontaneous volunteers in each
case of disaster. Use of more than one primary data source will help achieve reliability. Both
spontaneous volunteers, and victims in the different disaster scenes will be studied separately to
compare data, for the purpose reliability, and internal validity.
Data to be Collected
Data about the number of respondents who were victims, and received assistance from
spontaneous volunteers will be sought alongside the nature of assistance, and the victim’s
perception of the assistance. This will be accompanied by the data on the number of victims
assisted by organized, or government rescue groups, and the nature of such assistance. Data on the
response time for both the spontaneous, and the organized, or government rescue teams will also
be sought from them.
How Data Will be Collected
By use of a survey administered as a questionnaire, randomly sampled victims of past
disasters will be interviewed to determine the numbers of victims who were helped by the
spontaneous volunteers, and those assisted by the organized, or government rescue teams. The data
on response time, and the nature of assistance given will be collected through conducting
structured interviews with the spontaneous volunteers, government rescue teams, and victims.
Data Analysis, and Interpretation
Numbers of victims helped by various teams will be expressed into percentages then a
comparison made to determine which group assisted a higher percentage of victims, and if indeed
the spontaneous volunteers rescued a significant number. The numbers will be compared across
the disaster instances studied, and a generalization made about the proportion of victims that
spontaneous volunteers can help. The data on response time will be averaged to find the mean
response time that will help explain the percentage of victims assisted, and the nature of help.
Training of Collectors
Literate people with fair knowledge in disaster management will be taken through
induction training. They will be trained on how to interpret the questions in the interview guides,
how to approach the respondents, and how to record response. They will participate in pilot testing
of questionnaires to familiarize themselves with the tools.
Survey Guide/Questionnaire
1) In which of the following categories are you?
a) Victim
b) Unaffiliated (spontaneous volunteer)
c) Other volunteers/rescue teams
2. If (a) above;
i) Did you get assistance from anybody to recover?
(a)yes (b) no
ii) If yes, who assisted you to recover from the disaster?
a) Spontaneous volunteers
b) Government rescue teams
c) Other (specify)
iii) What kind of assistance did you receive?
3. If (b, or c) above,
i) What was your response time?
ii) What was your method of assistance?
Running head: SPONTANEOUS VOLUNTEER IN DISASTER
Spontaneous Volunteers in Disaster Management
1
SPONTANEOUS VOLUNTEER IN DISASTER
2
Disasters are inevitable circumstances which affect the well-being of individuals in a
given setting. Many states in the current generation have swift emergency response agencies
which hugely aid in handling the disastrous situations such as earthquakes, and hurricanes which
may affect the nation. Despite the presence of the rapid response teams, ordinary citizens are
usually the first persons to arrive at the accident scenes. With their presence, they usually aid in
saving the casualties, securing the area, and also calling for assistance in case the situation
becomes overwhelming. The citizens who volunteer in such circumstances may offer either
positive, or negative support basing on the role they chose to partake in the entire case.
Convergent volunteers are a special type of volunteers who play a huge role in the provision of
help in a disastrous situation. Therefore, this essay seeks to assess the methods which
organizations deal with convergent volunteers in a disaster scene.
Spontaneous volunteers are described as a fundamental group of individuals who provide
exceptional help to people affected by an unexpected accident. Skar further adds that even
though they do not work for any organization, and in most cases, they lack the basic knowledge
on how to handle the crisis they play their role in being there for the casualties (Skar, and
Sydnes, 2016). Such volunteers help in debris removal, saving the people stuck in the debris, and
rescuing other individuals affected by a given crisis. Hence, to properly channel their
effectiveness, organizations come up with programs which can aid in increasing the efficiency of
such individuals in an accident scene. Harnessing the energy, and the spirit of the volunteers is
essential in effecting the overall aim of saving lives. Hence, being a spontaneous volunteer is
necessary for backing the efforts which are put forward by the emergency response units.
Albahari points out that many organizations provide a team which aids in guiding the
convergent volunteers in a crisis setting. He further adds that special teams organized by
SPONTANEOUS VOLUNTEER IN DISASTER
3
agencies are kept in place to supervise the spontaneous volunteers who are available in the place
where the disaster has occurred (Albahari, and Schultz, 2017). The action is undertaken with the
aim of ensuring that the spontaneous volunteers are maximally utilized in the process of
providing help to the casualties in a crisis. Friendly corrections also act as some of the methods
which the organizations tend to apply while dealing with the convergent volunteers. Swygard in
his assessment notes that organizations frequently send individuals who have proper public
relations, and skills in the affected areas to provide sound advice which can aid in increasing the
efficiency of the spontaneous volunteers (Swygard, and Safford, 2009). The guidance offered
also goes ahead to highlight some of the things they should not do which can make them become
part of the causalities.
Organizations also work to ensure that they aid in familiarizing the spontaneous
volunteers with the required standards, and regulations of providing help to a disaster casualty.
According to Harris, educating the volunteers on the specific requirements in the process of
providing help to victims of a disaster is an important step in the provision of positive help
(Harris et al., 2017). Many of the convergent volunteers are involved with the airing of a warning
response, schemes of evacuation, and offering self-protective actions. Organizations have wellset mechanisms, and rules which govern the safety, and well-being of the persons involved in an
accident. There are also standard first aid procedures which should be strictly followed to
increase the probability of survival. Hence, in this case, Rivera highlights that the set
conventional procedure can be shared by the citizens, and the society at large to increase the
response speed in the face of a crisis (Rivera, and Wood, 2016). From this, one can firmly state
that the advocation, and education of the spontaneous volunteers will help in increasing the
output on their side thus reducing the instances of cluelessness.
SPONTANEOUS VOLUNTEER IN DISASTER
4
Advocating for programs which aim to increase the knowledge of the volunteers is one of
the ways which organizations use to incorporate the hardworking individuals. Sauer writes that
the programs work to guide the volunteers on the specific issues which they should handle in a
crisis scene (Sauer, 2014). Soon after, the volunteers become valuable members of the
community as they act as the first response team in instances where there is a disaster in the
society. On the other hand, the programs help in reducing a company’s costs because most of the
times the volunteers help the firm to reduce the number of individuals which they would require
in the mission. Additionally, by enrolling them in the specific programs, they help in increasing
the number of individuals of the society who are aware of their roles in the face of a disaster
(Debchoudhury, Welch, Fairclough, Cone, Brackbill, Stellman, & Farfel, 2011). Therefore, this
is apparent that the organizations play a fundamental role in ensuring the volunteers are welltrained, and are aware of the issues which they are supposed to handle in a given disaster setting.
Despite the positive role they impact in saving lives in a disaster, some of the volunteers
are also perceived as a hindrance in the rescuing process. Lodree, and Davis in their assessment
point out that some of the spontaneous volunteers act as an impediment in the rescue mission
especially in a situation where the volunteers are clueless about their role in the situation
(Lodree, and Davis, 2016). The statement implies that some volunteers lack the basic knowledge
of handling a given situation, and thus they block the rescue team from performing their
responsibilities. Whittaker further notes that clueless volunteers might also increase the number
of injured individuals in the crisis (Whittaker, McLennan &Handmer, 2015). Therefore, the
organizations work to remove the volunteers in harm’s ways, and provide them with other tasks
which can be beneficial in the entire rescue mission. Even though the group harbors some
SPONTANEOUS VOLUNTEER IN DISASTER
5
negative attributes, it is overally apparent that the merits outweigh the demerits brought about by
the team just as Harris points out (Harris, Shaw, Scully, Smith, and Heike, 2017).
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine publication notes that in the
preparation of the future of volunteerism, individuals and institutions must be organized
(National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2017). The role and conduct of
volunteers is analyzed as well as their motives motivation in such cases. It is important that this
is conceptualized in research because the actions of volunteers matter but also the motives
behind these actions. The article notes that some of the factors that are behind actions are
volunteer spirit, the chance to give back, while others are simply observing the ethos of kindness
and volunteerism.
Conclusively, it is evident that convergent volunteers play a unique role in the entire
emergency activity. Through their actions, lives are saved, and thus the community benefits from
their swift, and determined role in ensuring the safety, and well-being of all the individuals in the
society. From the review, it is evident that adequate training programs are beneficial in imparting
the necessary skills in individuals, which they can apply in safeguarding the welfare of the
people in the society. In this case, the engagement of the organization is critical in funding, and
controlling the programs to instill the basic concept of providing help to casualties in a given
disaster in the society.
SPONTANEOUS VOLUNTEER IN DISASTER
6
References
Albahari, A., & Schultz, C. H. (2017). A qualitative analysis of the spontaneous volunteer
response to the 2013 Sudan floods: Changing the paradigm. Prehospital, and Disaster
Medicine, 32(3), 240. Doi: 10.1017/S1049023X17000164
Debchoudhury, I., Welch, A. E., Fairclough, M. A., Cone, J. E., Brackbill, R. M., Stellman, S.
D., & Farfel, M. R. (2011). Comparison of health outcomes among affiliated, and lay
disaster volunteers enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Registry. Preventive
medicine, 53(6), 359-363.
Harris, M., Shaw, D., Scully, J., Smith, C. M., &Heike, G. (2017) The Involvement/Exclusion
paradox of spontaneous volunteering: New lessons, and theory from winter flood
episodes in England. Nonprofit, and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 46(2), 352-371. Doi:
10.1177/0899764016654222
Lodree Jr, E. J., & Davis, L. B. (2016). Empirical analysis of volunteer convergence following
the 2011 tornado disaster in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Natural Hazards, 84(2), 1109-1135.
Doi: 10.1007/s11069-016-2477-8
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2017). Preparing for the Future of
Disaster Health Volunteerism: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. The National
Academies Press.https://www.nap.edu/catalog/24859/preparing-for-the-future-ofdisaster-health-volunteerism-proceedings-of. Doi: https://doi.org/10.17226/24859.
SPONTANEOUS VOLUNTEER IN DISASTER
7
Rivera, J. D., & Wood, Z. D. (2016). Disaster relief volunteerism: Evaluating cities’ planning for
the usage, and management of spontaneous volunteers. Journal of emergency
management (Weston, Mass.), 14(2), 127-138.
Sauer, L. M., Catlett, C., Tosatto, R., & Kirsch, T. D. (2014). The utility of, and risks associated
with the use of spontaneous volunteers in disaster response: a survey. Disaster medicine,
and public health preparedness, 8(1), 65-69.
Skar, M., Sydnes, M., &Sydnes, A. K. (2016). Integrating unorganized volunteers in emergency
response management. International Journal of Emergency Services, 5(1), 52-65
Swygard, H., & Stafford, R. E. (2009). Effects on health of volunteers deployed during a
disaster. The American Surgeon, 75(9), 747-753
Whittaker, J., McLennan, B., & Handmer J. (2015). A review of informal volunteerism in
emergencies, and disasters: Definition, opportunities, and challenges. International
journal of disaster risk reduction, 13, 358-368.
Running head: CONVERGENT VOLUNTEERS AT THE DISASTER SCENE
How Organizations Deal with Convergent Volunteers at the Disaster Scene
Dr.
Course
Institutional Affiliation:
Due Date
1
CONVERGENT VOLUNTEERS AT THE DISASTER SCENE
2
Introduction to The Problem
In many instances, disasters are inevitable circumstances which cannot be easily
controlled by human will. In many cases, the accidents are unpredictable, and as a result several
individuals usually lose their lives. The impact of the disaster is felt more in nations which lack a
well-organized response team, thus the casualties are not provided with immediate medical
attention. Statistics point out that if there is lack of disaster preparedness mechanisms, then the
level of damage, and loss of lives tends to escalate more as compared to nations which have a
properly structured response team to handle such events. It is valuable to note that the presence
of spontaneous volunteers who have worked to ensure that the number of individuals who
perished in a disaster reduces by a considerable percentage. Hence, in this case, organizations
have tried to come up with mechanisms which can aid in equipping the volunteers with skills on
how to handle the casualties in the scene of the disaster. Furthermore, the research takes an indepth assessment of the specific roles played by organizations while incorporating the help of the
convergent volunteers in an accident mainly in the response phase.
Background (Purpose)
Disasters are unfortunate occurrences which affect the well being of individuals in the
society. Atlay, and Green in their disaster management assessment, note that catastrophes
directly affect the individuals in the community, and this is the reason that led to the rise of
spontaneous volunteers (Atlay, and Green, 2006). The increased number of disasters in the
society is the core reason for the increased number of volunteers in the emergencies. It is worth
noting that in the beginning, spontaneous volunteers, even though they had the goodwill to save
the individuals caught up in debris, their presence somehow brought chaos, and confusion to the
CONVERGENT VOLUNTEERS AT THE DISASTER SCENE
3
rescue mission. Clary points out that a more significant fraction of the spontaneous volunteers
lacked the basic knowledge of providing help to an individual caught up in a disaster (Clary,
Trainor, Torres, and Aguirre, 2007). The chaos brought about by the individuals brought more
harm to the rescue process, and in turn, would result in increased number of deaths. With the
change in the emergency response in many parts of the globe, organizations have chipped in, and
tried to coordinate the spontaneous volunteers into a curriculum that aid to increase their
efficiency in a disastrous situation. Therefore, in the present society, major organizations are
playing a huge role in training the spontaneous volunteers on the best actions to partake when
faced with severe conditions
Guiding Questions
Some of the essential guiding questions in this research include;
1.
Does the presence of the spontaneous volunteers in the disaster scene impact on the overall
rescue mission?
2.
Does the involvement of organizations with the spontaneous volunteers help to reduce the
casualties in the disaster?
3.
What management strategy can be put by the organization to ensure there are no rogue
volunteers, and the convergent volunteers do not become a liability?
CONVERGENT VOLUNTEERS AT THE DISASTER SCENE
4
Objective
The primary objective of the study is to determine the specific ways through which
institutions deal with convergent volunteers in a disaster scene.
Limitations of The Study, And Delimitations of The Study
Carrying out the research will be faced with various challenges which may affect the
overall outcome of the study. Webber notes that the success of any given study is proven by the
resilience of the researcher when faced with tough times (Webber, and Jones, 2011). In this case,
the primary problem faced in the course of the study is finding the research participants for the
study. Additionally, authenticating the data collected from the participants is also a challenge
which puts the credibility of the entire process to task.
For the study, the data which is collected should be formed from legitimate sources, and
hence can be verified. Additionally, the research should strictly concentrate on the use of raw
data, and avoid any instances of plagiarism. It is also essential to correctly outline the
assumptions which will be made in any part of the research process.
Significance of The Study
Through carrying out the study, a clear definition of the roles of the organizations, and
the spontaneous volunteer can be clearly outlined. Additionally, the study will provide more
insight of the conduct of convergent volunteers in the place where the disaster has occurred. It is
also vital to note that the study will help to ease the mode of emergency response as the role of
the con …
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