Emergency Management Readers Tell Us What They Want

Toward the end of 2007, we sent out a survey to gauge your interests and priorities, and to learn what you want from us here at Emergency Management.

The response was overwhelming.

Four hours after sending out the form online, we received 500 completed surveys, and ended up with nearly 900 overall.

We asked what stories you found most interesting on a scale of one to five - five being "very interested."

Forty-four percent of respondents noted being "very interested" in articles on EM preparedness. And 45 percent of you answered the same about articles on EM response.

When it came to EM prevention and recovery, however, the majority of you answered with a three and four on the scale. Though you're somewhat interested preparedness and response, the two "sexier" phases of emergency management are what really pique your interest. Prevention and recovery may not be as glamorous, but they're equally as important, so this year we're bringing you more stories about the two phases.

We're also including a funding feature in each issue of Emergency Management this year. Nearly 60 percent of you rated your interest in funding stories as a four or five. Through our research and interviewing, we'll cover as much information as possible about applying for and securing funds in the future.

I also read through every written comment, many of which ask for more focus on smaller cities and counties - that not everything happens to "the big guys" - and our future issues will reflect this focus.

You mentioned public health preparedness, the emotional and mental impacts of responding to emergencies, and campus security as areas you'd like to see us cover more - and we will. Campus security is the focus of two stories this issue, in fact.

You also want to see more stories written by your peers. Starting this issue, Eric Holdeman, former emergency manager of King County, Wash., will have a regular column.

Keeping in tune with this - and with your high level of interest in education and training (75 percent of you gave it a four or five in the survey) - an emergency management educator will write an EM education story for each issue this year.

Overall, it appears you like Emergency Management, and we want to keep it that way. More importantly, we want to make our publication as useful and relevant to you as possible, so thank you for your valuable feedback. And please, tell us what you think - e-mail me at jjones@govtech.com and tell me personally what you'd like to read about or how we can improve. We're here for you.