New Members for CRJ's Editorial Advisory Panel 

We are delighted to welcome three new Members to our Editorial Advisory Panel

Major General Rashid Thani Rashid Al Matroushi is Commander in Chief of the UAE Civil Defence. 



With a professional career beginning with the Armed Forces of the UAE, the Major General progressed through the ranks undertaking more senior managerial roles and was transferred to a strategic role with the Dubai Police Rescue Corps, where he displayed a passion for the emergency response sector. His abilities and talents secured him a new role as Director General of the Dubai Civil Defence.

As the dynamics of Dubai evolved, he planned future capabilities while providing an effective Fire & Rescue Service. His initiatives include ensuring all commercial buildings in Dubai have a 24/7 monitoring status, the introduction of new UAE Fire & Life Safety Codes of Practice and UAE Standard Operating Procedures.

The Major General has introduced various fire safety campaigns aimed at risk awareness and reassuring all sectors that the Civil Defence is a highly skilled and motivated entity, driven by the latest technologies and apparatus, with a commitment to be always accessible for anyone at all times.

Dubai Civil Defence is a leading agency for emergency response and is often used as a 'benchmark' for the GCC Region. These efforts culminated in the Major General being made Commander in Chief of the entire UAE Civil Defence forces.

The Major General previously worked as Director of Transportation & Rescue Department at Dubai Police GHQ. He also holds the memberships of Permanent Higher Committee for Crisis & Disaster Management, UAE; Crisis & Disasters Management Team, Dubai; National Fire Protection Association, UAE; Police Operations Higher Committee, UAE; Health & Occupational Safety Committee, Dubai; Higher Committee for Framing National Polices & Strategies, UAE; Police Commanders Council, Ministry of Interior, UAE; and Centre for Ambulance Services Board of Management, Dubai.

Helen Braithwaite, OBE

Helen Braithwaite OBE is Head of Resilience, Department of Communities and Local Government

Helen was appointed Head of Resilience when the DCLG Resilience and Emergencies Division (RED) was established in March 2011. Helen is responsible for working with nine Local Resilience Forums across the West and East Midlands and East of England. Prior to this Helen was the Director of Regional Resilience in the Government Office for the West Midlands a post she held from May 2003. Helen has a wide range of experience and has been involved in co-ordinating multi agency planning, response and recovery, linking local responders to Whitehall and briefing Ministers.

Events have included the Pope's visit to the UK in 2010, numerous flooding incidents, the London bombings of July 7, 2005, civil disorder, severe weather, transport and industrial accidents.

Prior to this, Helen worked for West Mercia Police where she was responsible for Contingency and Emergency Planning arrangements within Specialist Operations. She was also a member of the Project Team involved in running a National Counter Terrorist Exercise with Staffordshire and Warwickshire Police. In 2001, Helen was seconded from Worcestershire County Council to the Home Office, and then Cabinet Office, to work on the National Review of Emergency Planning, which resulted in the Civil Contingencies Act. Helen was awarded the OBE in the Queens Birthday Honours List 2011.

Denise DP Thompson, PhD, is Assistant Professor at the Department of Public Management, John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, USA.

Her doctorate is in Public Administration, and she is also an expert in public management, public policy, organisation theory and emergency preparedness.

Denise is a reviewer for Advances in Research Journal and sits on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Public Management and Social Policy.

She is currently engaged in the following areas of research: Learning and theorising about disaster management; Disaster relief logistics - eg examining different logistical models and developing logistical frameworks that can help small island developing states; Novel disasters; Comparative international assessments in sustainable development with a focus on disaster management; Special circumstances, for example small island states vs continental territorial organisation for disasters, social vulnerability, mega cities and their vulnerabilities, sustainability and organising for disasters; and Social network analysis in disaster management, paying particular attention to the important role of peripheral players in terms of mitigation and recovery capacity.