Review of Cultural Competency for Emergency and Crisis Management: Concepts, Theories and Case Studies, edited by Claire Connolly Knox and Brittany “Brie” Haupt

The effective management of natural hazards requires culturally competent practices that reflect the needs of marginalized and socially vulnerable populations. Seeking to strengthen the cultural competencies of those responsible for hazard risk reduction and disaster response, Claire Connolly Knox and Brittany “Brie” Haupt provide insights into the education of emergency management professionals in their edited volume Cultural Competency for Emergency and Crisis Management. Designed for use by undergraduate or graduate students, as well as practitioners, this book explores the meaning and importance of “cultural competence” in emergency management contexts. The book also includes a set of instructor-facilitated real-world case studies that invite students to explore crisis and emergency management scenarios where the lack of cultural competency may have a negative impact on outcomes. While focused on emergency management, the techniques and case studies covered in the book can be applied to a variety of disciplines, including engineering, computer science, and homeland security.

The first part of the book provides readers a foundation for understanding cultural competency and its various dimensions. In Chapter 1, Knox and Haupt provide contextual data about major disaster events, highlight changing national and global demographic trends, and outline the structure of the book and the case studies. In Chapter 2, Haupt explores the historical background of the cultural competency concept and its gradual integration into academic programs. According to Haupt (p. 12), cultural competency is the process of “developing knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) with a focus on the interaction of cultural backgrounds and the reflective outputs from an individual and/or organization to better serve their diverse demographic.” Practitioners and organizations that have cultural competency, Haupt argues, are better equipped to serve diverse populations with empathy and relatability. To develop cultural competency, current and future administrators and practitioners must examine their lives and the times they have been designated as the “other” (p. 17). Chapter 3 shifts the focus and addresses the importance of cultural competency for the emergency management profession and the evolution of the emergency management curriculum offered by academic programs.

The core of the book’s first section is Chapter 4, which reviews the steps faculty can take to support the development of cultural competency in their students. Drawing on their personal experiences, Haupt and Knox highlight the challenges that can impede conversations between individuals from different cultural backgrounds. To help faculty overcome these challenges, Haupt and Knox review a series of techniques that can be used to facilitate difficult conversations, whether in person or online, between different cultural groups. Designed “to promote and exemplify the processes of listening, understanding, and validating the voices in the room,” Haupt and Knox (p. 46) cover techniques such as active listening, conversation diversion, the use of reflection time, the fostering of understanding, staying on track, and the engagement of difficult comments. The success of these techniques depends on the establishment of ground rules, which must be agreed before the start of a difficult conversation. Considered together, the ground rules and techniques covered in Chapter 4 establish the foundations and expectations for the participants who navigate the book’s case studies. They also establish the foundations and expectations for conversations that can occur in the real world.

The second part of the book is comprised of 11 case studies that address issues of cultural competency in the domains of public administration, disaster management, homeland security, and environmental and urban planning. These cases studies, and the situations they invite students to engage in, amplify the value of the book. For example, in Chapter 5, Mark Landahl and Stephen Carter present an active shooter event at a school that has a high population of students with hidden access and functional needs. In Chapter 6, Alessandra Jerollerman and Jerry Graves explore the plight of undocumented Latin American immigrants and the challenges they face in terms of their citizenship status, feelings of isolation, and lack of access to information after Hurricane Katrina. Similarly, in Chapter 13, Frannie Edwards explores the importance of cultural competency for emergency management staff who deliver postdisaster services to non-English-speaking individuals and undocumented immigrants. In Chapter 10, students are asked to consider the needs of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). As Keith Revell (p. 125) notes, “children with disabilities have a harder time taking protective action, escaping danger, and responding to rescuers. Additionally, families are often excluded from disaster preparedness planning … and disasters also disrupt the social support arrangement that families rely upon.” In Chapter 11, Abdul Samad, Revell, and N. Emel Ganapati present a case study that details how food preparation, religious expression, personal hygiene, and medical care can create challenges and a sense of “otherness” for religious minorities who seek shelter from hurricane events.

The cases presented in the book involve various groups and demographics, which enables emergency managers, current and future, to fine-tune their ability to interact with and serve disadvantaged and marginalized populations. According to Knox and Haupt (p. 6), the case studies “stimulate discussion, debates, strategic planning, reflection, and theory to practice learning, while enhancing critical thinking skills” in traditional and nontraditional students. To encourage learning, each case study provides a set of ground rules, unique learning outcomes, relevant definitions, guidelines for group breakdowns, supplemental questions, a specification of the scenario or situation, and the roles of the participants. While I was unsure about the repetition of the ground rules in each case study, this turned out to be positive because I could recite them (a central component of cultural competency) by the time I reached the end of the book. The book also includes surveys that participants can take to assess their understandings of, and attitudes toward, cultural competency before and after they navigate each case study.

The book Cultural Competency for Emergency and Crisis Management is a great read and a creative vehicle for increasing the cultural competency of emergency managers. Once I started to read the book, I found I could not put it down. The book is well written, and its structure is conducive for use as a textbook in courses that address topics related to emergency and disaster management. Unlike some textbooks, students will enjoy working with case studies that enable them to navigate real-world disaster conditions. The case studies also have a strong connection to the trends that our communities are experiencing today, especially with climate change, the increased frequency and veracity of disasters, and the coming together of different cultures and races. Given its value for the profession, Cultural Competency for Emergency and Crisis Management is an urgent read for anyone interested in the management of natural and human-made hazards.