Emergency Capacity of Small Towns to Endure Sudden Environmental Pollution Accidents: Construction and Application of an Evaluation Model

Sudden environmental pollution accidents (SEPAs) in small towns are characterized by high uncertainty, complex evolution, and fast spread speed, and they cause serious harm to a wide geographic range. Thus, SEPAs greatly challenge the emergency management systems of enterprises and governments. Therefore, improving the emergency capacity of small towns (ECST) to withstand SEPAs deserves more attention. In this study, the evolution mechanism of SEPAs is systematically analyzed, revealing the interactions among various situational elements in the SEPA occurrence process. Then, an evaluation index system of the ECST response to SEPAs is constructed based on four dimensions: monitoring and early warning capacity, preparedness and mitigation capacity, response, and recovery capacity. The system includes 68 indicators and covers the key stages of the SEPA life cycle. Finally, an evaluation model of the ECST to SEPAs is proposed based on the analytic network process method, and the small town of Jiangyin City is selected as a case study for empirical evaluation. The proposed evaluation model considers the interactions and interdependent feedback between indexes, effectively improving the accuracy and scientific nature of the evaluation results. Thus, this model provides a solid decision-making reference for governments and a quantitative theoretical basis for the formulation of measures targeted at SEPAs.