Dr. Terri Adams-Fuller
Faculty-Student Team Examines Responsiveness of First Responders in Catastrophies
The faculty-student team of graduate student Nicole Branch (left), Dr. Terri Adams-Fuller (center), and undergraduate Leigh Anderson (right) of Howard University studied the responsiveness of public safety officers during the Hurricane Katrina crisis. The research, undertaken at Johns Hopkins University, was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
In disasters such as category-five hurricanes or terrorist attacks, why do some police officers fail to report to duty? Why do other officers always show up?
These are questions that Dr. Terri Adams-Fuller and her research team—graduate student Nicole Branch and undergraduate student Leigh Anderson—explored in their research this summer at the DHS National Center for the Study of Preparedness and Catastrophic Event Response at Johns Hopkins University.
The team was part of the DHS Summer Research Team Program for Minority-Serving Institutions, administered by ORISE. They applied for the nationally competitive program by submitting a research proposal to study issues related to the role of public safety officers during crisis events.
They specifically examined the degradation of the New Orleans Police Department’s duty and command structure during Hurricane Katrina.
“Most of us are aware that a number of police officers did not show up for duty during the Hurricane Katrina crisis and that some actually quit, but what we need to better understand is why some officers responded to the call of duty and why others did not respond,” said Adams-Fuller, a professor at Howard University.
“While we have been preparing as a nation for catastrophic events, most of the simulation models presuppose that first responders will respond. However, first responders are sometimes personally impacted by such events and do not respond as expected,” Adams-Fuller explained. “We need to better understand what we can expect when those we rely upon in the midst of a disaster are torn between preservation of self and family and professional responsibility.”