SGER: The October 2006 Federal Disaster in Buffalo, NY: An Investigation of First and Second Responder Operations

这项探索性研究小额赠款（SGER）项目的目的是检查第一和第二响应者的经验，在2006年10月纽约州布法罗前所未有的早期暴风雪之后，努力为这一重要而严重未被研究的主题的灾难文献做出贡献。在此过程中，我们还将审查一个对准备和支持有效减灾至关重要的问题，而在以前的研究中对这个问题的研究很少：灾害期间第一反应者的心理健康和功能可能会受到严重损害，就像反应者试图帮助的灾难受害者一样，特别是当他们对自己和家人的安全深感担忧时。这次自然灾害提供了一个独特的时间限制的机会来检查和了解不同的第一反应者群体之间的差异。将对受影响的第一反应者与未受影响的第一反应者以及国民警卫队等第二反应者进行心理痛苦测量和对减轻灾害的有效决策的影响的比较。第一个目标是研究情感和行为。通常，灾难级响应模式除了现场响应外，还需要更高级别的协调模式和响应管理。第二个目标是确定第一响应者和支持第一响应的基础设施如何以及何时从正常的简单事件响应模式转变为灾难级模式。这将从技术、过程和人（认知、行为和社会群体和团队动力学）的角度来看待。在灾难发生前的几个月里，研究小组根据纽约西部地区第一响应者对影响减灾的关键因素的看法，开发了一个基于经验的因果模型。先前的研究表明，没有经历过重大灾害的人群往往认为他们比易发灾害地区的同龄人更不容易受到伤害，也更有准备。然而，当这些人群遭遇灾难性事件时，他们的看法会发生什么变化，我们知之甚少。因此，第三个目标是测试第一响应者的认知是否发生了变化。这将通过管理来完成，在灾难发生前进行的相同的调查，对纽约西部的同一组第一响应者，现在和六个月后。这项研究的信息还将有助于灾害反应文献中目前的应用知识体系，并可能有助于有关第一响应者如何能够对自然灾害作出反应和从自然灾害中恢复的问题的政策实施。结构方程模型将用于分析路径和因果关系。差异分析采用方差分析、协方差分析、t检验和生长曲线分析。这项研究的结果将解决有关遭受灾害的后果如何影响那些受托减轻灾害的人的理论和实践问题。这项研究将对人们对不脆弱性和应急准备的看法和信念的变化提供有益的见解。在学术方面，将为资讯保障和业务连续性规划课程开发详细介绍应急反应和准备评估问题的讲座模块。这项工作将产生的出版物将针对顶级期刊和学科领域杂志。该项目还将成为一名博士生的论文。结果将通过焦点小组会议分发给纽约西部的第一反应者和第二反应者社区。

The purpose of this Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) project is to examine first and second responder's experiences, in the aftermath of the unprecedented early snow storm in Buffalo, New York, in October 2006, in an effort to contribute to the disaster literature on this important and seriously understudied topic. In doing so, we shall also examine an issue critical to preparing for and supporting effective disaster mitigation that has been marginally examined in prior research: the mental health and functioning of first responders during a disaster can be significantly impaired, like the victims of the disaster who the responders are trying to help, particularly when they are consumed with worry about their own safety and the safety of their families. This natural disaster provides a unique time-limited opportunity to examine and understand the differences between the different groups of first responders. First responders who were affected will be compared with those not affected, as well as with the second responders such as the National Guard on measures of psychological distress and the effect on effective decision making for mitigation of the disaster. The first goal here is to study affect and behavior. Typically disaster level response patterns require much higher levels of coordination patterns and response management in addition to onsite response. A second goal is to determine how and when first responders and the supporting first response infrastructure shifted from normal simple incident response patterns to disaster level patterns. This would be viewed from technology, process, and people (cognitive, behavioral and social- group and team dynamics) perspective. In the months immediately preceding the disaster, the research team had developed an empirically grounded causal model based on perception of first responders in the Western NY region regarding the critical factors affecting disaster mitigation. Prior research has shown that populations that have not experienced major disasters tend to believe they are less vulnerable and better prepared than their peers in disaster prone areas. However, less is known about what perceptions change if these same populations encounter a disastrous event. A third goal therefore is to test if there is a change in perception among first responders. This would be accomplished by administering, the same survey that was administered prior to the disaster, to the same group of first responder in Western NY, now and six months later. The information from this research will also contribute to the current body of applied knowledge in the disaster response literature and may contribute to policy implementation regarding questions of how first responders are able to respond to and recover from natural disasters. Structural equation modeling will be used to analyze paths and causal relationships. Analysis of variance and analysis of covariance, t-tests, and growth curve analysis would be used to analyze differences.Findings of the research will address theoretical and practical questions about how the consequences of an exposure to disasters affect those who are entrusted to mitigate the disaster. The study will provide useful insight on changes in perception and beliefs of non-vulnerability and emergency preparedness. On the academic front, lecture modules will be developed detailing the emergency response and preparedness assessment issues for Information Assurance and Business Continuity Planning classes. Publications that will result from this work will be targeted to top-tier journals and subject area magazines. The project will also result in the dissertation of one PhD student. The results will be disseminated to the first responder and second responder communities in Western New York through focus group meetings.