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Emergency Services and Response

First responders—including police, paramedics, firefighters, and public health agencies—must react to all manner of emergencies, from terrorism to natural disasters. RAND research supports private-sector and government agencies at the federal, state, and local levels that are charged with responding to, mitigating the effects of, and recovering from natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other emergencies.

Journal Article

Who Receives Naloxone from Emergency Medical Services? Characteristics of Calls and Recent Trends

Administration of naloxone by emergency medical services personnel is increasing faster than opioid-related deaths.

Sep 17, 2019
Journal Article

Reaching Vulnerable Populations in the Disaster-Prone US Gulf Coast: Communicating Across the Crisis Lifecycle

This article discusses results from a 2016 survey of Gulf Coast residents to explore potential vulnerabilities and resilience-building capacities in the region.

Aug 21, 2019
Blog

RAND Researchers Visit Puerto Rico After Hurricane Maria

A small team of RAND researchers went to Puerto Rico two weeks after the island was struck by Hurricane Maria. They are compiling their observations into a series of studies for the Army, with recommendations to smooth its response to future disasters.

Dec 19, 2017
Commentary

How to Be Safer in the Arctic

The Arctic is more accessible than it once was, but it's still a formidable place to travel. An emergency involving a cruise ship or a downed plane could stress the search-and-rescue system. But modest investments and planning measures can make a big difference.

Oct 3, 2016
Journal Article

Journal Article

The Promise of Direct-to-Consumer Telehealth for Disaster Response and Recovery

This paper discusses several potential uses of direct-to-consumer telehealth during disaster response and recovery while noting the logistical, legal, and policy challenges that must be addressed to allow for expanded use.

Sep 12, 2016
Report

Which Countries Could Become Disease Hot Spots?

Identifying and focusing on vulnerable countries that could become hot spots for infectious disease could help in the fight against future outbreaks.

Sep 12, 2016
Report

Report

Collaborative Disaster Preparedness: Vietnam, the United States, and Regional Experiences (Proceedings from Da Nang, Vietnam, August 18–20, 2015)

This report summarizes the workshop on Collaborative Disaster Preparedness that was conducted in August 2015 in Da Nang, Vietnam, and hosted by the Collaborative & Adaptive Security Initiative.

May 19, 2016
Journal Article

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
Commentary

Ebola Shows America Needs Better Disaster Preparedness

Crafting an effective, whole-community strategy to respond to Ebola could stop the spread of the disease now and lay groundwork for responses to future outbreaks and other emergencies. In the long run, this could make public preparedness and resilience valuable assets for the U.S.

Nov 7, 2014
Q&A

Your Questions on Ebola, Answered

Melinda Moore, a RAND public health physician and senior researcher, hosted an “Ask Me Anything” session on Reddit to answer questions about Ebola, including whether a U.S. travel ban would help prevent the spread of the deadly disease.

Oct 21, 2014
Commentary

Declaring War on Ebola

Operation United Assistance, which includes the deployment of 3,000 U.S. military personnel to West Africa to respond to the Ebola crisis, is a welcome recognition of the range of missions the military is increasingly able to tackle, particularly in disaster-management assistance.

Oct 10, 2014
Commentary

Ebola Outbreak: Putting the Public Back in Public Health

Medical and public health systems are crucial to controlling the transmission of Ebola and treating patients. But the public's role in becoming aware and engaged, both in West Africa and the United States, cannot be overstated.

Oct 9, 2014
Testimony

Testimony

Applying Lessons Learned from Past Response Operations to Strengthening National Preparedness: Addendum

Document submitted on July 11, 2014 as an addendum to testimony presented before the House Homeland Security Committee on June 18, 2014.

Jul 11, 2014
Commentary

An Enduring Need for Better Measures of Emergency Preparedness

In an era of fiscal austerity, the need for measurement and assessment becomes manifold. Tied to good government goals and responsible stewardship of public funds, measurements are also necessary to educate the public about what it should—and should not—reasonably expect when disaster strikes.

Jun 25, 2014
Testimony

Lessons from Past Response Operations Can Help Strengthen National Preparedness

For the nation to be prepared for large-scale events, the national preparedness system needs to effectively support the initially local responders who will always be the first on the scene.

Jun 18, 2014
Report

Report

How Do We Know What Information Sharing Is Really Worth? Exploring Methodologies to Measure the Value of Information Sharing and Fusion Efforts

This report discusses the challenges of evaluating information-sharing efforts that seek to achieve multiple goals simultaneously; reviews past evaluations of information-sharing programs; and lays out a path to improving the evaluation of such efforts.

Jun 18, 2014
Commentary

Fighting Fires From Above

A newly deployed airborne firefighting resource is helping the United States Forest Service (USFS) battle wildfires, while at the same time providing valuable lessons on the utility and cost effectiveness of water-dropping scooper aircraft.

May 15, 2014
Commentary

Death Is Never Far When You Are at Sea

The U.S. marine safety record is impressive, arguably the best in the world. Yet, as the heartbreaking example of the Sewol demonstrates, the United States must never become complacent.

May 12, 2014
Report

Report

Wireless Emergency Alerts: Mobile Penetration Strategy

This report characterizes the factors that affect wireless emergency alert (WEA) coverage, identifies barriers to public access to WEA alerts, and suggests options for increasing mobile penetration (adoption) of WEA nationwide.

Feb 12, 2014
Commentary

Investing in Firefighting

While the U.S. Forest Service has not completely agreed with RAND's proposal to transition to a fleet dominated by water-dropping scooper aircraft for fighting fires, they have leased one CL-415 scooper aircraft. It might be more cost-effective for the USFS to simply purchase it outright.

Dec 30, 2013

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