Evaluation of new first response initiatives in emergency services

By training and equipping human resources from other public service sectors than emergency response, to act as first responders, it is possible to reduce the first response times at a low cost. Before launching such an initiative, it is however important to evaluate the potential benefits. In this work, a method for doing this kind of evaluation is developed and applied to a potential initiative, utilizing fire service day personnel as new first responders. By developing a smartphone application and performing an experiment, sending alerts to potential first responders, and combining this with expert reviews of the possible value of their contribution, it is possible to estimate the response time reductions, as well as the monetary benefits of the initiative. The results show that there is a monetary benefit, even with a low number of new first responders, but that it is highly dependent on how quickly they can start travelling towards the emergency site. © 2020 Elsevier LtdAccepted version has been self-archived on author´s home page:https://sc9-prod-cm.ad.liu.se/dfsmedia/dd35e243dfb7406993c1815aaf88a675/42110-source/options/download/granberg2020-selfarchFunding: Norrkoping fund for research and development; Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency through the Center for Advanced Research in Emergency Response (CARER)