First responders have different worries

SCHAUMBURG, Ill., July 3 (UPI) -- While U.S. consumers rank crime as their top safety concern, first responders named natural disasters as their highest priority, a survey indicates.

An APCO-Motorola survey conducted earlier this year polled approximately 1,000 consumers nationwide and in another survey 200 local firefighters, police officers, EMTs and county officials to determine their needs and concerns.

An analysis of the two surveys found 59 percent of consumers said crime and drugs were immediate concerned compared to 19 percent who said 19 percent. Conversely, 65 percent said first responders picked natural disasters like hurricanes, fires and floods as their top threat.

The survey also found that consumer confidence in first responders' ability to coordinate and get help from colleagues ranked high. Eighty-five percent of consumers said their communities were equipped to obtain/coordinate help from other first responders such as federal agencies, state officials or other counties.

In addition, consumers believed their community was prepared to efficiently warn residents to evacuate in the event of a natural disaster with 43 percent ranking their communities as extremely or very prepared to do so.

The survey conduced April 18 to April 21 by Opinion Research Corporation of 1,009 U.S. adults has a margin of error of plus/minus 2 percentage to 3 percentage points.