Emergency first responders face elevated risks of injury, illness, and psychological distress compared with the general population—risks that intensify during disaster response and recovery operations. In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, one of the deadliest storms in the past 50 years, North Carolina’s first responders played a crucial role in rescue, recovery, and restoration efforts while facing a range of emerging physical and psychosocial hazards.

This NIEHS-funded project applies a TWH framework to identify and characterize hazards encountered by firefighters, emergency medical services (EMS), and government emergency management personnel during disaster response. The study combines interviews and focus groups with first responders from both mountain and coastal regions to understand risks, training needs, and organizational factors that influence responder safety, health, and well-being.

Study Highlights

Impact + Next Steps

This project will generate timely insights into the physical and psychosocial risks faced by first responders during large-scale disasters. Results will guide the development of evidence-informed training and preparedness strategies that protect responder health while strengthening community response capacity across North Carolina and the Southeast. Recruitment is ongoing, and data collection will begin soon.