Social Network Analysis and Communication in Emergency Response Simulations

In this article, social network analysis (SNA) is applied on two emergency responses, involving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives (CBRNE) simulations. However, SNA has seldom been used in the literature to explain communication breakdowns, leading to the question of “can it?” To examine the applicability of SNA when assessing communication, the SNAs of two CBRNE simulations are compared and the structural differences are related to instances of ineffective communication. Study 1 has two tiers in the response (commanders and first responders) and Study 2 has three tiers, where operations officers are added between the commanders and first responders. A higher percentage of communication breakdowns is found in Study 2, possibly as a result of the additional layer. SNA provides researchers with a convenient representation and summary of team functioning. However, basic SNA does not help researchers distinguish between effective communication and breakdown. Breakdowns are attributed to long multi-hop communications, attributable to larger networks.

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