Definition
Typically, first responders (i.e., individuals who render aid at an emergency scene) include police officers, firefighters, rescuers, paramedics, emergency medical technicians (EMT), and any other individual responsible for emergency responses. Effective responses to emergency calls can play a critical role in the treatment of a victim, treatment of an arrestee, securing the scene, preserving the scene, and successful transfer of authority and responsibility of the scene to secondary responders.
Introduction
Initial actions undertaken by first responders set the stage for how emergencies and critical incidents are effectively managed. The main basic goals of responding first responders are to gain control of a site/situation and to manage available resources successfully (see Alison et al. 2015; Power and Alison 2017; Trenholm 2018). Further, there exist competing responsibilities of the first responder to render aid, avoid becoming a casualty, secure the scene, preserve...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Alison, L., Power, N., van den Heuvel, C., Humann, M., Palasinksi, M., & Crego, J. (2015). Decision inertia: Deciding between least worst outcomes in emergency responses to disasters. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 88(2), 295–321.
Correia, D., & Wall, T. (2018). Police: A field guide. London: Verso Books.
Gardner, R. M. (2011). Practical crime scene processing and investigation. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
Hu, Q., Knox, C. C., & Kapucu, N. (2014). What have we learned since September 11, 2001? A network study of the Boston marathon bombings response. Public Administration Review, 74(6), 698–712.
Power, N., & Alison, L. (2017). Offence or defence? Approach and avoid goals in the multi-agency emergency response to a simulated terrorism attack. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 90(1), 51–76.
Schulenberg, J. L. (2015). Moving beyond arrest and reconceptualizing police discretion: An investigation into the factors affecting conversation, assistance, and criminal charges. Police Quarterly, 18(3), 244–271.
Trenholm, S. B. (2018). Identifying the necessary components of a police decision-making model. Doctoral dissertation, Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Further Reading
Baudour, C., & Bergeron, J. (2016). Emergency medical responder: First on scene (10th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
LeMay, J. (2016). CSI for the first responder: A concise guide. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
Madigan, M. L. (2017). HAZMAT guide for first responders. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Panter, H. (2019). First Responders: Police. In: Shapiro, L., Maras, MH. (eds) Encyclopedia of Security and Emergency Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69891-5_145-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69891-5_145-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-69891-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-69891-5
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Law and CriminologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences