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Applying the Social Vulnerability Index as a Leading Indicator to Protect Fire-Based Emergency Medical Service Responders’ Health

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  • Emily J. Haas

    (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, Pittsburgh, PA 15236, USA)

  • Alexa Furek

    (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, Pittsburgh, PA 15236, USA)

  • Megan Casey

    (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA)

  • Katherine N. Yoon

    (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, Pittsburgh, PA 15236, USA)

  • Susan M. Moore

    (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, Pittsburgh, PA 15236, USA)

Abstract

During emergencies, areas with higher social vulnerability experience an increased risk for negative health outcomes. However, research has not extrapolated this concept to understand how the workers who respond to these areas may be affected. Researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) merged approximately 160,000 emergency response calls received from three fire departments during the COVID-19 pandemic with the CDC’s publicly available Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) to examine the utility of SVI as a leading indicator of occupational health and safety risks. Multiple regressions, binomial logit models, and relative weights analyses were used to answer the research questions. Researchers found that higher social vulnerability on household composition, minority/language, and housing/transportation increase the risk of first responders’ exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Higher socioeconomic, household, and minority vulnerability were significantly associated with response calls that required emergency treatment and transport in comparison to fire-related or other calls that are also managed by fire departments. These results have implications for more strategic emergency response planning during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as improving Total Worker Health ® and future of work initiatives at the worker and workplace levels within the fire service industry.

Suggested Citation

  • Emily J. Haas & Alexa Furek & Megan Casey & Katherine N. Yoon & Susan M. Moore, 2021. "Applying the Social Vulnerability Index as a Leading Indicator to Protect Fire-Based Emergency Medical Service Responders’ Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-18, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:15:p:8049-:d:604735
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sara L. Tamers & L. Casey Chosewood & Adele Childress & Heidi Hudson & Jeannie Nigam & Chia-Chia Chang, 2019. "Total Worker Health ® 2014–2018: The Novel Approach to Worker Safety, Health, and Well-Being Evolves," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-19, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Peng Cui & Zhiyu Dong & Xin Yao & Yifei Cao & Yifan Sun & Lan Feng, 2022. "What Makes Urban Communities More Resilient to COVID-19? A Systematic Review of Current Evidence," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-15, August.
    2. Sara L. Tamers & Jessica M. K. Streit & Casey Chosewood, 2022. "Promising Occupational Safety, Health, and Well-Being Approaches to Explore the Future of Work in the USA: An Editorial," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-7, February.

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