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Emergency Responders

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Firefighters, police, and paramedics play a critical role in protecting people and property during fires, medical emergencies, terrorist acts, and natural disasters. RAND has examined the risks that emergency responders face—physical injury, traumatic stress, and hazardous exposures—and has offered guidelines to better protect them, beginning with an integrated approach to safety management that includes cooperation among local and state agencies, improved training, and careful planning.

Report

Suicide Prevention Hotlines in California Could Improve Services

Jul 12, 2016

Suicide prevention hotlines in California respond to callers in need and reduce caller distress. But they could improve their services and reach more users by expanding digital offerings such as chat services and establishing better programs to monitor and improve the quality of their services.
Commentary

Lessons for First Responders on the Front Lines of Terrorism

Jul 10, 2017

Given the persistent risk of terrorist attacks, it is critical to learn from past incidents to prepare for future ones. Medical and nonmedical first responders need more training in basic lifesaving skills. Open communication lines such as a dedicated radio frequency could help responders better coordinate. Disaster drills are also essential.

Explore Emergency Responders

Research Brief

Promising Practices from Community Corrections Organizations' COVID-19 Response: Ensuring Safety in the Community

This brief highlights the challenges that the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic posed for community supervision organizations, how they adapted to those challenges, and a discussion of which adaptations might hold promise after the pandemic.

Apr 30, 2021
Research Brief

Promising Practices from Law Enforcement's COVID-19 Response: Protecting the Public

This brief highlights the challenges that the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic posed for law enforcement agencies, how they adapted to those challenges, and a discussion of which adaptations might hold promise after the pandemic.

Apr 30, 2021
Research Brief

Promising Practices from the Court System's COVID-19 Response: Ensuring Access to Justice While Protecting Public Health

This brief highlights the challenges that the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic posed for the court system, how courts adapted to those challenges, and a discussion of which adaptations might hold promise after the pandemic.

Apr 30, 2021
Research Brief

Promising Practices from the Institutional Corrections System's COVID-19 Response: Managing Safety and Security on the Inside

This brief highlights the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic created, shows how corrections agencies adapted to the challenges, describes which adaptations may hold promise, and provides evaluations to demonstrate the efficacy of such adaptations.

Apr 30, 2021
Research Brief

Promising Practices from Victim Services Providers' COVID-19 Response: Protecting Victims and Those Who Serve Them

This brief highlights the challenges that the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic posed for victims services providers, describes how they adapted to those challenges, and discusses which adaptations might hold promise after the pandemic.

Apr 30, 2021
Report

Lessons Learned from the Justice System's Pandemic Response

Incarcerated populations, corrections staff, court personnel, and law enforcement were hit hard by COVID-19. At the same time, national protests after the killing of George Floyd and other Black Americans increased pressure for criminal justice reform. Insights from this time could help the justice system prepare for future challenges.

Apr 8, 2021
Commentary

Planning for a COVID-19 Hurricane

What if Hurricane Katrina had hit during a pandemic? Emergency planners can prepare for this scenario by evaluating current response system capacity, evacuation and sheltering procedures, food and supply issues, and more.

May 4, 2020
Commentary

The Justice System and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Resources for Policymakers

From closed courts to increased risk for first responders, the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced new challenges for the justice system. RAND research provides insights that may be helpful as decisionmakers try and address some of these issues.

Apr 20, 2020
Report

The Frequency and Economic Impact of Musculoskeletal Disorders for California Firefighters: Trends and Outcomes over the Past Decade

The authors update analyses from a 2010 study on firefighters in California and consider the impacts of the 2013 workers' compensation reforms and the economic shocks of the late 2000s on outcomes for firefighters with musculoskeletal disorders.

Jan 31, 2020
Report

The Benefits and Drawbacks of Early Assistance After Disasters

After human-made disasters, early assistance from potentially responsible parties can sometimes fill gaps that are not always addressed by NGOs and first responders. But is providing such assistance a good strategy in terms of reducing future litigation or improving public opinion?

Nov 14, 2019
Journal Article

Diffusing Portable Radiation Detectors Among First Responders

This article discusses police technology adoption and the ability to diffuse portable radiation detectors. Other impacts related to community resilience are discussed.

Jul 3, 2019
Report

Understanding the Economic Benefit Associated with Research and Services at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health: An Approach and Three Case Studies

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) asked the RAND Corporation to develop an approach for estimating the economic benefit of NIOSH research, using three case studies. A new report details findings and recommendations.

Jan 2, 2018
Journal Article

Geo-targeting Performance of Wireless Emergency Alerts in Imminent Threat Scenarios: Volume 1: Tornado Warnings

This study examines how Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) can be used to warn the public in three potentially deadly scenarios: --A large destructive earthquake; --A Tsunami ; and --A terrorist detonation of nuclear weapon in an urban area.

Oct 5, 2016
Journal Article

Geo-targeting Performance of Wireless Emergency Alerts in Imminent Threat Scenarios: Volume 2: Earthquake, Tsunami and Radiation Warnings

This study examines how WEA can be used to warn the public in three potentially deadly scenarios: A large destructive earthquake; A Tsunami ; and A terrorist detonation of nuclear weapon in an urban area.

Oct 5, 2016
News Release

Suicide Prevention Hotlines in California Could Expand Digital Offerings and Partnerships with Health Systems to ...

Suicide prevention hotlines in California respond to callers in need and reduce their distress. They could reach more people and improve services by expanding digital offerings such as chat and establishing programs to monitor and improve quality.

Jul 12, 2016
Journal Article

Wireless Emergency Alerts: Mobile Penetration Strategy

The objective of this analysis was to independently assess the coverage and penetration of the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system.

Jan 5, 2016
Journal Article

Exploring the Effect of the Diffusion of Geo-Targeted Emergency Alerts: The Application of Agent-Based Modeling to Understanding the Spread of Messages from the Wireless Emergency Alerts System

This report examines the effect of the diffusion of geo-targeted emergency alerts.

Nov 23, 2015
Report

Improving the Recruiting and Hiring of Los Angeles Firefighters

The city of Los Angeles should revise its hiring process for firefighters in ways that increase diversity among highly-competitive applicants, minimize processing demands on the city, and create greater transparency for applicants in minimum qualifications and selection criteria.

Jan 22, 2015

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RAND Topic:
Emergency Responders

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