Overlooked responders: Addressing the overlooked role of nonuniformed responders in emergency management

Emergency preparedness and recovery efforts are being stretched to their limits as the world faces an unprecedented convergence of crises demanding rapid, coordinated, and highly adaptive responses. Uniformed and nonuniformed responders such as construction, utility, and transportation personnel work side-by-side to recover and restore affected disaster zones. From increased burdens in mental strain post-response cataloged over two decades, we draw on the experiences of nonuniformed responders involved in the World Trade Center 9/11 rescue and recovery who have been disproportionately impacted. Interviews with 26 key informants with deep knowledge of the nonuniformed responder experience document a critical theme, of responders who felt systematically overlooked, invisible, and disenfranchised, offering insights for intervention. These learnings have implications for preparing, equipping, and training nonuniformed responders for emergency preparedness as well as ensuring adequate systems, supports, policies, and programs to protect nonuniformed personnel both during and after future crises.