Abstract
We discuss the role of part-time firefighters as a resource for local emergency management
in Norway. Informal social relations, the trust between practitioners and the social capital of the
organization, has been recognized as a resource for emergency management, particularly as it contributes
to improvisation and coordination between actors belonging to different professional groups. Likewise,
social capital, the trust among citizens, has been identified as a resource for societal resilience in crises. We
discuss a combination of these forms, how the social embeddedness of the emergency practitioners in the
community and the multiplexity of roles is important for community resilience. These professionals know
each other through several different social roles, and have resources beyond the formal capacities their
position should suggest. Thus, role multiplexity and social networks provides a functional redundancy
and is a resource for resilience in the management of incidents and emergencies. These abilities are hard
to make visible in a work plan and challenging to include in exercises. Moreover, these abilities are affected
by recent developments towards professionalization of and centralization
in Norway. Informal social relations, the trust between practitioners and the social capital of the
organization, has been recognized as a resource for emergency management, particularly as it contributes
to improvisation and coordination between actors belonging to different professional groups. Likewise,
social capital, the trust among citizens, has been identified as a resource for societal resilience in crises. We
discuss a combination of these forms, how the social embeddedness of the emergency practitioners in the
community and the multiplexity of roles is important for community resilience. These professionals know
each other through several different social roles, and have resources beyond the formal capacities their
position should suggest. Thus, role multiplexity and social networks provides a functional redundancy
and is a resource for resilience in the management of incidents and emergencies. These abilities are hard
to make visible in a work plan and challenging to include in exercises. Moreover, these abilities are affected
by recent developments towards professionalization of and centralization