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Leadership

These are the first responder situational awareness and decision making issues and opportunities related to leadership.

The John Vanatta Story. Part 1 – SAM 349

This episode is Part 1 of a 2-part interview with Deputy Chief John Vanatta discussing a training exercise that went wrong and resulted in two firefighter injuries after falling 10 feet  on to concrete. The Denver Drill that John discusses had been performed all week using two ladders and two firefighters at the sill.  But […]

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The Impact of Understaffing (Episode 328)

The pandemic has been tough on everyone, especially first responders who have stepped up to the task.  But for many first response agencies, the worst is yet to come as the economic fallout will likely create budget shortfalls that will, in turn, cause fire departments to reduce staffing and services.  This show looks at the

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What we fear most Part 2 (Episode 325)

The fear of public speaking consistently ranks near the top of the list in fear surveys.  This won’t come as a surprise for many.  But the consequences of not speaking up can be catastrophic for organizations and for the individual gripped by this fear. This episode explores the fear of public speaking and offers some

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Situational Awareness Thoughts and Observations About Covid-19 (Episode 313)

In this episode, I share situational awareness thoughts and observations about the COVID-19 Pandemic and address 25 situational awareness barriers that are causing me concern. Length: 65 minutes   Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO     __________________________________________________ All of our live event topics are now available, virtually. CLICK HERE for details, enrollment

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Tracking of Personnel

Accountability: A critically important component of emergency scene safety when personnel operates in a hazardous environment. From the perspective of situational awareness, accountability plays several roles. The obvious role is personnel accountability facilitates the rapid deployment of rescue teams if something goes awry. Command knows the crew sizes and where they are operating and can

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Mental Health Mayday – The Verne and Chancy Friesen Story – Part 2 (Episode 311)

  This interview is part 2 of a 2-part interview with Laverne Friesen and his wife, Chancy, talking about his mental health near miss and how they are working through the challenges together. Length: 56 minutes   Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO     __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your

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Mental Health Mayday – The Verne and Chancy Friesen Story – Part 1 (Episode 310)

This interview is part 1 of a 2-part interview with Laverne Friesen and his wife, Chancy, talking about his mental health near miss and how they are working through the challenges together. Length: 51 minutes Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO         __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your

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Big Data Could Spell Big Trouble

There is a lot being written these days about how “big data” can help emergency scene commanders improve situational awareness and, subsequently, make better decisions. While information (data) is critical to the formation of situational awareness, it is very easy for a commander to become overwhelmed with data. I say this often during my Mental

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Commanders in Turnout Gear

I recently read, with great interest, a very long thread on Facebook about whether or not an incident commander should wear turnout gear at a fire scene. As my focus and passion is improving first responder situational awareness, I would like to address this issue from that perspective. The feedback on Facebook was, as expected,

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Commercial Building Mayday. The Atascocita Fire Story – Part 2 (Episode 304)

Today’s episode is Part 2 of my 2-part interview with three command officers from the Atascocita Fire Department in Houston, Texas, sharing a story of a commercial building fire that resulted in a mayday. Length: 63 minutes   Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO     __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking

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