Category Archives: Information overload
Radio Traffic Can Improve or Destroy Situational Awareness
When it comes to first responder radio traffic I am reminded of the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. You may recall that in the story Goldilocks samples three bowls of porridge. One is too hot. One is too … Continue reading
Posted in Attention Management, Auditory exclusion, Communications, Complacency, Decision Making, Distractions and Interruptions, Emotions, Fear, firefighter situational awareness, human factors, Information overload, Neuroscience, Safety, Situational awareness, Stress, Training, Tunneled Senses
Tagged decision making, dispatch, emergency management, EMT, fire, fire command, fire command training, fire training, firefighter safety, firefighter situational awareness, fireground command, fireground command decision making, fireground commander, fireground safety, haz-mat, hazardous materials, officer safety, paramedic, patient care, police officer safety, public safety, radio communications, rescue, responder safety, safety, Situational awareness matters, tactical decision making, technical rescue
Leave a comment
Using the simulation environment to improve situational awareness
Many first responder training programs use simulation in the development of decision making competencies. Simulation exercises help develop skills in setting strategy and tactics, in applying policies and procedures and in developing critical thinking skills. But how can simulations be … Continue reading
Posted in Communications, Crew Resource Management, Decision Making, Human Behavior, human factors, Information overload, Mental Models, Neuroscience, Safety, Simulation, Situational awareness, Stress, Technology, Training, Workload Management
Tagged decision making, decision making under stress, fire service leadership, firefighter safety, firefighter situational awareness, high reliability organizations, leadership, mental models, mindfulness, problem solving, resiliency, resilient problem solving, safety, sense making, Simulation, situational awareness, Situational awareness matters, staffing, teamwork, training
9 Comments
Twelve Ways to Situational Awareness
Ho, Ho, Ho. Merry Christmas everyone! I know everyone’s feeling particularly festive this time of year and I have caught the Christmas spirit in a very situational awareness sort of way. Surely you’ve heard of the “Twelve Days of Christmas.” … Continue reading
Posted in Communications, Complacency, Culture, Decision Making, Gasaway Consulting Group, human factors, Incompetence, Information overload, Safety, Situational awareness, Situational Readiness, size-up, Staffing, Stress, Teamwork, Training, Workload Management
Tagged communications, decision making under stress, firefighter casualties, firefighter safety, fireground command, public safety, safety, situational awareness, staffing, teamwork, training, vigilance
2 Comments
Technology can help and hurt situational awareness
You don’t have to look far and wide to locate cleaver marketing campaigns that make outrageous claims to improve our lives or solve our problems. I’ve been noticing this trend now as it relates to products claiming they “create” situational … Continue reading
Posted in Computers, firefighter situational awareness, Information overload, Mental Models, Safety, Situational awareness, Technology, Workload Management
Tagged decision making under stress, firefighter safety, firefighter situational awareness, incident command, information management, information overload, situational awareness
8 Comments
Complex Communications
We have many traits that make us uniquely human. Among them is our ability to engage in complex communications. We can look at black ink squiggled on a piece of bleached paper and derive meaning from those symbols. We call … Continue reading
Posted in Attention Management, Auditory exclusion, Communications, Decision Making, firefighter situational awareness, Human Behavior, human factors, Information overload, Mayday and RIT, Safety, Situational awareness, Standard Operating Procedures/Guidelines, Stress
Tagged accountability, communications, complexity, decision making, dispatchers, firefighter safety, firefighter situational awareness, incident command, judgment, leadership, LUNAR, mayday, miscommunications, radio communications, situational awareness
2 Comments
Dispatchers role in situational awareness
One of the situational awareness best practices discussed during the Fifty Ways to Kill a First Responder program is the role played by the dispatcher during an emergency incident. As I have discussed this many times with first responders throughout … Continue reading
Posted in Communications, Crew Resource Management, Decision Making, Equipment, firefighter situational awareness, Information overload, Mayday and RIT, Personnel location, Safety, Situational awareness, Standard Operating Procedures/Guidelines, Teamwork, Training, Workload Management
Tagged 9-1-1, command support, command team, coordination, decision making, dispatch center, dispatchers, elapsed time notification, ETN, firefighter safety, firefighter situational awareness, incident command, mayday, mayday policy, PAR, personnel accountability report, radio channels, radio communications, rapid intervention teams, situational awareness, stress, training
Leave a comment
High Reliability Organizations – Processes
Last month I wrote a piece on the traits of high reliability organizations (HROs) and received a lot of very positive feedback. Thank you! This article will focus on the processes used by HROs. These processes definitely provide some valuable … Continue reading
Posted in Accountability, Communications, Decision Making, firefighter situational awareness, Human Behavior, Information overload, Leadership, Safety, Situational awareness, Situational Readiness, Teamwork, Training, Workload Management
Tagged decision making, firefighter safety, firefighter situational awareness, high reliability organizations, HROs, resilient organizations
2 Comments
High Reliability Organizations – Traits
There’s a lot being talked about these days about the concept of high reliability organizations. The concept is being embraced by many hospitals throughout the United States and, arguably, for good reason. The principles of highly reliable organizations have direct … Continue reading
Posted in Accountability, Communications, Culture, Decision Making, firefighter situational awareness, Human Behavior, Information overload, Leadership, Safety, Situational awareness, Situational Readiness, Teamwork, Training, Workload Management
Tagged decision making, firefighter safety, firefighter situational awareness, high reliability organizations, HROs
Leave a comment
Noise Impacts Situational Awareness
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 … Continue reading
Posted in Attention Management, Communications, Decision Making, Distractions and Interruptions, firefighter situational awareness, Information overload, Neuroscience, Safety, Situational awareness, Stress
Tagged decision making, decision making under stress, firefighter safety, firefighter situational awareness, noise
Leave a comment
