Category Archives: Risk Assessment
Firefighting: It’s a whole new ballgame
There is little doubt the recent recession has had a significant impact on the nation’s fire service. Hardly a day goes by where there’s not some news about an organization that had downsized, rightsized or capsized. There are all kinds … Continue reading
Posted in Accountability, Complacency, Crew Resource Management, Culture, Decision Making, Emotions, Fear, Human Behavior, Leadership, Mayday and RIT, Personnel location, Risk Assessment, Safety, Situational awareness, Situational Readiness, Staffing, Standard Operating Procedures/Guidelines, Stress, Teamwork, Training, Workload Management
Tagged decision making, decision making under stress, fire service leadership, firefighter safety, firefighter situational awareness, high reliability organizations, leadership, organizational culture, problem solving, resiliency, resilient problem solving, safety, situational awareness, staffing, teamwork, training
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Seeing the bad things coming in time to change the outcome
The mission of Situational Awareness Matters! is “Helping responders see the bad things coming… in time to change the outcome.” That is often easier said than done. In fact, the lessons that sharpen our situational awareness often comes after the … Continue reading
Posted in Complacency, Decision Making, firefighter situational awareness, Personal protective equipment, Personnel location, Risk Assessment, Safety, Situational awareness, size-up, Tunneled Senses
Tagged decision making, decision making under stress, firefighter safety, firefighter situational awareness, line of duty death, near-miss reports, situational awareness
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A Recipe From Hell’s Kitchen – Part 2
In this segment of the Recipe From Hell’s Kitchen series, I share the second step of the recipe – consequence. Rather, the lack of consequence and the impact this may have on firefighter situational awareness. One of the outcomes you … Continue reading
Are you assuming risk or creating risk?
I recently read an article where the author was taking exception to the risk management maxim: ‘We will risk a lot to save a lot and risk little to save little.’ There are several variations on this maxim, including: ‘Great … Continue reading
Ten explanations for unsafe actions and a bad outcome
I recently had a situational awareness conversation with a firefighter who shared the details of an incident that made him both proud and disappointed. His company officer decided to do an exterior attack at a residential dwelling fire because the … Continue reading
Risk Versus Reward
At 2:04 am the fire department was dispatched for a fire in a commercial building. Upon arrival the first engine reports a working fire and commences with interior fire attack. Upon entry, the engine crew reports high heat conditions and … Continue reading
