EAGER: Decision Making in Emergency Responders: Innovation in Naturalistic Decision Making Research

Iowa State University, Ames IA

Investigators

Abstract

The research objective of this EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) is to study decision making in emergency responders; specifically, firefighters. This study will result in a Virtual Reality Environment and a method to capture how firefighters make decisions. The results of this study will help explain how emergency responders make real-life decisions. Approximately 100 U.S. firefighters lose their lives each year in the line of duty. Firefighter injuries number in the tens of thousands per year. Additionally, 3,000 civilian deaths and over $10 billion in property damage result from fires annually. Poor decision making is often the cause of this loss of life and property. Classic theories of decision making have been unsuccessful in explaining real-world decisions. New theories on how these decisions are made have not been tested in natural conditions. The results will be used to create education programs for firefighters, emergency responders, and the public. Once this project is completed, other emergency response issues (e.g., search and rescue, flood response, response to WMD threats, etc.) could be studied with little additional effort.