Maui's top disaster response official is defending his choice NOT to sound the Island's emergency sirens during the wildfires, saying it wouldn't have saved more people and could have caused confusion.

The controversy is inviting questions of what makes for effective and efficient emergency response, and how to make the best decision in a high-stakes environment.

To answer those questions and more, KCBS Radio's Margie Shafer and Eric Thomas spoke with Natalie Simpson, Professor of Operations Management, and an expert in emergency response operations and successful management in disorganized environments at the University At Buffalo, part of the State University of New York system