Who Should Be Included in the National Emergency Response System?
There is little common appreciation of all the personnel and services comprising the national response capabilities that could be called on to deal with a terrorist attack. A term in common usage, first responders, usually refers to law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical personnel.1 These responders, however, are not the only assets that may be required in the aftermath of a strike on the homeland. In contrast, the more appropriate term, emergency responders, comprises all personnel within a community that might be needed in the event of a natural or technological (man-made) disaster or terrorist incident.2 The Homeland Security Act of 2002 defines emergency response providers as including “federal, state, and local public safety, law enforcement, emergency response, emergency medical (including hospital emergency facilities), and related personnel, agencies, and authorities.”3 These responders might include hazardous materials response teams, urban search and rescue assets, comm
