Category Archives: Workload Management
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
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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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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
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Administrative chiefs and emergency responses
I recently received an email from a firefighter asking for my opinion as to whether or not the administrative chief officers in his department should respond to reported structure fires. My initial response was: “Well, Duh! Yes!” But then I … Continue reading
Posted in Accountability, Crew Resource Management, Decision Making, Ego and Self-Esteem, firefighter situational awareness, Incompetence, Safety, Situational awareness, Staffing, Standard Operating Procedures/Guidelines, Teamwork, Workload Management
Tagged fire chief, firefighter safety, firefighter situational awareness, fireground safety, ICS, incident command, incident management, situational awareness, strategy and tactics
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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
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Begin With The End In Mind
One of the essential components of well-developed situational awareness is being able to accurately predict the future. This prediction should be made during the initial scene size up and then it should be updated often as the incident progresses. In … Continue reading
Posted in Attention Management, Decision Making, firefighter situational awareness, Leadership, Safety, Situational awareness, size-up, Training, Workload Management
Tagged begin with the end in mind, comprehension, decision making, firefighter safety, firefighter situational awareness, incident command, judgment, leadership, perception, projection, situational awareness, standard predictable outcomes
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Working Command and Situational Awareness
I seem to be getting asked a lot lately about what the first arriving company officer should do at a working structure fire. Specifically, the debate revolves around two basic premise. Should the first arriving company officer assume a fixed … Continue reading
Posted in Accountability, Attention Management, Communications, Crew Resource Management, Culture, Decision Making, firefighter situational awareness, Safety, Situational awareness, size-up, Stress, Teamwork, Workload Management
Tagged decision making, firefighter safety, firefighter situational awareness, incident command, judgment, leadership, mobile command, situational awareness, working command
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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
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The Two Headed Incident Commander
A subscriber to the Situational Awareness Matters newsletter recently sent me a photograph of an emergency incident scene that caused me to reflect on a very important situational awareness lesson. This lesson, unfortunately, is often overlooked and is often implicated … Continue reading
Posted in Accountability, Attention Management, Communications, Crew Resource Management, Decision Making, firefighter situational awareness, human factors, Leadership, Safety, Situational awareness, Teamwork, Workload Management
Tagged crew resource management, decision making, firefighter safety, firefighter situational awareness, fireground command decision making, incident command, judgment, leadership, shared decision making, shared mental models, situational awareness
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Time to Task Completion is Critical for Situational Awareness
The highest level of your situational awareness is formed when you are able to make accurate predictions about future events. In science we call this projection and it simply means you are able to predict, or project, the future events. … Continue reading
