The human cost of being a ‘first responder’

Abstract

It is curious that among all the literature published on emergency planning and business continuity, the impact on those individuals tasked with dealing with the human cost of disasters is rarely considered. Emergency service personnel are certainly considered a vital component of any response; heroes when outcomes are successful, valiant when they do their best but fail, and occasionally incompetent when the media think it makes a good story. This paper argues that human suffering carries a cost for both responders and society.