Emergency response training practices for people with disabilities: Analysis of some current practices and recommendations for future training programs

Each year thousands of people are potentially affected by the types of emergency preparedness and response training plans practiced in their communities. Between 1998 and 2002, 3,000 counties in the United States declared disasters that have included floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, winter storms, thunderstorms, fires, ice storms, and earthquakes. Emergency preparedness for all people, including people with disabilities, may involve natural disasters that are the most likely to occur. For example, worldwide, nearly 3 million people have died in the past 20 years from natural disasters. More recently, Hurricane Katrina lashed the Gulf Coast in 2005. Disasters with casualties emphasize the urgent need for emergency workers to receive specialized training to assist people with disabilities during emergencies. As a framework for analyzing some current emergency training practices, we explore the scope of emergency personnel training practices to assist people with mobility impairments in 3 rural and 3 urban locations in Northeast Kansas. Among the analyses, we consider barriers and facilitators to specialized training as identified by emergency services administrators and firefighters within these areas. We also discuss broader recommendations upon which to base future training programs.