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Collective Conviction
The Story of Disaster Action
Synopsis
Collective Conviction tells the story of Disaster Action, a small charity founded in 1991 by survivors and bereaved people from the disasters of the late 1980s, including Zeebrugge, King's Cross, Clapham, Lockerbie, Hillsborough and the Marchioness. The aims were to create a health and safety culture in which disasters were less likely to occur and to support others affected by similar events. The founders could not have anticipated the degree to which they would influence emergency planning and management and the way people are treated after disasters.
Aware of the value of lessons learned over 22 years, the trustees felt that this corporate memory should be captured. Collective Conviction encapsulates that memory, so that it can be called upon by survivors, bereaved, government and others for years to come.
The book sets out the chronology of Disaster Action's history, with first-person accounts and case studies of disasters interweaved with chapters on the needs and rights of individuals, the treatment of bereaved and survivors, inquests and inquiries, the law, the media, memorials and commemorations, and the importance of corporate memory. Additionally, the book contains guidance notes for survivors and bereaved on dealing with a disaster, and best practice guidance for responders and the media.
This book is essential reading for those in a wide range of disciplines with an interest in: planning for, responding to, reporting on and dealing with the aftermath of disaster. And importantly, people affected by disaster should find solace and support in the personal stories of others.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
Disaster Action was created in 1991 as a consequence of the frequently appalling experiences of their survivors and bereaved families. It grew out the Herald Families Association, whose founders saw many common themes running through the terrible tragedies of the time. The charity was set up to campaign for improvements to health and safety culture and to support others affected by such events. This book tells its story and also offers advice to other people who might find themselves in the centre of tragic events in future. Shipping accidents are a recurring thread across many of the chapters and besides the Herald and the Marchioness, the book also covers the work of the Derbyshire Family Association, the sinking of the educational cruiseship Jupiter in 1988, and Piper Alpha. What comes across strongly is the need for those affected by such incidents to be treated much better - and not least through the provision of information in an honest, sensitive and transparent way. Many of the families and survivors involved in Disaster Action give compelling accounts of the way in which the aftermath of these accidents - and especially the consequent legal battles to get to the truth of their causes - was almost as traumatic, and left a lot of people feeling doubly victimised. Accountability is another strong theme, and the authors make clear their desire to see that lessons are not only learned, but also not forgotten as a result of short institutional memory spans.'A new generation needs to take on the mantle of ensuring that the rights and needs of those affected by disaster remain at the core of responding to and planning for emergencies,' they conclude. The book is packed with practical information for anyone affected by such accidents - ranging from dealing with the media, attending inquests and inquiries, and responding to the additional challenges of accidents overseas. These guidance notes offer a lasting legacy to keep the charity's core aim of providing support to address the human aspects of disaster as critically important as it was at the outset. Nautilus Telegraph The book is packed with practical information for anyone affected by such accidents - ranging from dealing with the media, attending inquests and inquiries, and responding to the additional challenges of accidents overseas. These guidance notes offer a lasting legacy to keep the charity's core aim of providing support to address the human aspects of disaster as critically important as it was at the outset. Nautilus Telegraph