Our Mission
To proactively enhance the health and well-being of disaster responders through integrated systems of care, elevated behavioral health standards, and continuous support across every phase of disaster response, from pre-incident readiness through post-incident recovery and long-term wellness.
Our Vision
Every disaster responder returns from service not only having aided their community but having received deliberate, professional support for their personal, psychological, and physical recovery, preserving their capacity to serve with strength and purpose throughout their career and beyond.
The National Center for Disaster Responder Wellness (NCDRW) exists to support the people who respond when disaster strikes.
We focus on:
▪ Disaster responder wellness
▪ Behavioral health integration
▪ Long-term recovery support
▪ Operational readiness
▪ Sustainable systems of care
NCDRW was built to fill a critical gap: creating a professional, structured, and continuous care system for disaster responders before, during, and long after deployment.
Our approach combines:
▪ Operational experience
▪ Behavioral health expertise
▪ Evidence-informed practice
▪ National research partnerships
▪ Real-world responder culture
Qualifications and Experience
NCDRW is led by nationally recognized experts in disaster behavioral health, responder wellness, research, training, and emergency response operations.
Our leadership team brings more than three decades of experience supporting responders and communities before, during, and after disasters. Team members have played key leadership roles in many of the nation's most significant incidents, including 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Harvey, the Boston Marathon bombing, and Uvalde.
The team combines extensive operational experience with a strong foundation in science and evidence-based practice. Through partnerships supported by NIH, FEMA, and private foundations, our leaders have contributed to more than $30 million in research and authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications focused on first responder health, resilience, and wellness.
NCDRW leaders have helped shape responder wellness programs, training, standards, and policy through collaborations with organizations including the U.S. Fire Administration, NFPA, IAFF, NVFC, Texas Disaster Behavioral Health, and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
Our expertise spans disaster behavioral health, peer support, CISM, crisis communications, chaplaincy, emergency management, employee assistance programs, and fire service operations—bringing together the disciplines needed to support responders throughout the disaster lifecycle.
This work has been recognized through numerous national honors, including the TEEX Lifetime Achievement Award, the Arthur J. Glatfelter Distinguished Service Award, and the Chief Rick Lasky Leadership Award.
