Attacks offer insights for first responders.

• Position: Terrorism - Brief article

When terrorists strike, emergency workers who have the proper training, information access, and a positive work environment will make better decisions, according to research from the University at Buffalo (N.Y.) School of Management. The study was prompted by the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, on Nov. 26, 2008, that killed 166 people and often are referred to as India's 9/11.

The research, coauthored by H. Raghav Rao, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor in the Management Science and Systems Department, focuses on understanding the motivation and decisionmaking process of first responders during the attacks.

"An officer in the police department, whether in the control room or in the field, makes many critical decisions during a situation like the Mumbai terrorist attacks," says Rao. "Each of these decisions is driven by a motivation, which is usually derived from knowledge of the situation at hand."

The researchers analyzed the information gathered during surveys and interviews and offer the following recommendations to prepare first...