Hinging on the preparedness of first responders. A case study on the 2021 flood operations in Romania

In this study, we surveyed a sample of 1023 professional first responders involved in the rescue operations to the floods in the summer of 2021 in Romania, when over two hundred lives were lost and five hundred needed to be evacuated. Our goal was to assess the perceived preparedness of rescuers for disaster response in Romania. We tested the relationship between preparedness and perception of the operative intervention from a cognitive aspect and the problems encountered on effects in the psychological and attitudinal response. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the strength of relations systematically. Strong positive relations were measured between the perception of the flood operation 2021 and its perceived psychological effect, resulting in a certain attitude depending on job satisfaction and the motivation to provide future professional help. This outcome emphasizes the importance of time needed to be allocated to first responders after interventions to integrate stressful work experiences and recover after traumatic events. Keeping the optimal behavioral health of professional operational forces in disaster interventions is essential in preserving national security in times of crisis.