Situational Awareness: Catastrophically Important to First Responder Safety

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Rich Gasaway

I use this video to demonstrate the importance of situational awareness. Please do not judge this department, the responders, or the commander. Rather, seek to learn and understand WHY… the things they were doing at the moment in time that things went bad… made sense to them.

Those attending my Mental Management of Emergencies program and my Fifty Ways to Kill a First Responder program learn there are at least two dozen situational awareness barriers in play at this incident.

Unless you have a deep understanding of situational awareness – how you gain it, how you maintain it, how you lose it, and how you regain it after you lose it - you and the members of your department are vulnerable for similar outcomes.

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Thank you Stowe Fire Department

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Rich Gasaway
Situational Awareness and Decision Making program in Stowe

Stowe Fire Dept.

In 2011 I had the opportunity to deliver a Mental Management of Emergencies class for the Stowe Fire Department. The program focused on how to improve first responder situational awareness and decision making processes under stress. I have been afforded the wonderful opportunity to share this message with many fire departments over the years.

This visit, however, was especially notable for several reasons. It was very obvious to me how proud the members are of their department and how serious they take their safety. Their hospitality was exceptional. Chief Mark Sgantas and his wife, Judy, made me feel like family. I got a tour of the town and region, an amazing home cooked meal and a wonderful evening of fellowship in the chief’s home. Quite impressive. But that’s not where the story ends.

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Posted in Accountability, Complacency, Culture, Decision Making, Ego and Self-Esteem, firefighter situational awareness, Human Behavior, human factors, Incompetence, Neuroscience, Safety, Situational awareness | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Nine Dangerous Mindsets – Part 1: The Starter

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Rich Gasaway

One of the human factors influencing situational awareness is the mindset of the first responder. Mindset is based on beliefs, biases and self-perception. Mindset may also be influenced by organizational culture and peer pressure.

In this series I am going to explore nine potentially dangerous mindsets and share how they can impact emergency scene safety.

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Posted in Accountability, Decision Making, Ego and Self-Esteem, Fear, firefighter situational awareness, Human Behavior, human factors, Leadership, Safety, Situational awareness, Teamwork | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Five Situational Awareness Lessons from SFFD LODD

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Rich Gasaway

On June 2, 2011, the San Francisco Fire Department suffered the tragic loss of 2 firefighters at 133 Berkeley Way. The department conducted an internal review of the incident and issued a 156-page report on their findings. Many of the lessons relate to situational awareness and it is from that perspective that I would like to share my assessment on several of their findings.

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Noise Impacts Situational Awareness

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Rich Gasaway

This week I had the honor of visiting and receiving a tour of the Hong Kong Fire Department training center. Many of the props used there are similar to what I have seen in the United States.

However, there was one very noticeable difference in the maze they use to train firefighters. Noise! They use speakers to pump noise into the room as the firefighters maneuver their way through. Their reasoning makes perfect sense from a neuroscience perspective.

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Posted in Attention Management, Communications, Decision Making, Distractions and Interruptions, firefighter situational awareness, Information overload, Neuroscience, Safety, Situational awareness, Stress | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Every Building on Fire is in the Process of Falling Down

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Rich Gasaway

In my first responder situational awareness classes we talk about the need to predict the future. Based on the definition I use on my programs (offered by Dr. Mica Endsley), I am referring to Level 3 situational awareness – being able to project future events. This is catastrophically important to first responder safety. Many times the things that hurt and kill first responders are predictable IF you know what to look for and IF you see it in time to take appropriate action.

Sometimes the bad things on the horizon are obvious. Other times the clues are so subtle they can be overlooked. Taking a pessimistic view of the future can sometimes help. Let me explain…

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Posted in building construction, Decision Making, firefighter situational awareness, Safety, Situational awareness | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment