# First Responders

A first responder is a person with specialized training who is among the first to arrive and provide assistance or incident resolution at the scene of an emergency. First Responders typically include: law enforcement officers (commonly known as police officers), emergency medical services members (such as EMTs or paramedics), and fire service members (such as firefighters, search and rescue members, technical/heavy rescue members, etc.) In some jurisdictions, emergency department personnel, such as doctors and nurses, are also required to respond to disasters and critical situations, designating them First Responders; in other jurisdictions, military and security forces may also be authorized to act as First Responders. In a medical context, certified first responder is an individual who has received certification to provide pre-hospital care in a certain jurisdiction.