Logo for a course for First Responders using volunteers at a Mass Casualty Incident

Who Can Help

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A team from Harvard’s executive leadership program, the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative, is developing a simple curriculum, appropriately named “Who Can Help?”, to train first responders to manage Spontaneous Volunteers within the first few minutes of a MCI. Starting with the simple question “Who can help?” begins a cascading sequence that empowers first responders to lead volunteers. The primary goal of this initiative is to educate first responders, including police, firefighters, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and hospital professionals, to leverage Spontaneous Volunteers as force multipliers during an emergency or Mass Casualty Incident. This curriculum can be easily incorporated into current training programs, providing first responders with the leadership tools they need to quickly assess a situation and delegate tasks to save lives and minimize suffering.

Emergency Services