Critical aspects of early-phase response work and its consequences for digital event-log systems

Paper in proceeding, 2011

This paper reports from a study focusing on documentation practice in emergency and crisis response work. Specific focus is put on how information is produced and used in the time-critical setting of a situation room part of a command center at a local fire and rescue services. The study uncovers critical aspects of early-phase response work and its potential consequences for digital event-log systems for supporting documentation and reporting. The findings show that fundamental and important information are produced outside of the formal event-log based documentation systems and not as an embedded and integrated activity of using these systems. The analysis shows existing information technology in use lack important functionality in order to contribute to an event-log based system design as suggested in the DERMIS-framework