Situational awareness

These are articles related to situational awareness.

Unexpected information can be a barrier to situational awareness

Leave a Comment / Assumptions, Decision Making, Experience, Human Factors, Intuition, Situational awareness, Size Up, Training /

One of the foundations of situational awareness development is being able to make accurate predictions of future events. Making (accurate) predictions is a fairly complex neurological process that relies heavily on gathering information, comprehending the meaning of the information, tapping into your stored knowledge of past experiences, trusting your intuition and using your imagination to

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Unpredictable staffing: A barrier to situational awareness

1 Comment / Perception, Prediction, Situational awareness, Staffing /

The process of developing situational awareness starts with capturing information using the five senses. Then, the information must be understood. And finally, once the information is understood, a prediction is made about future outcomes. This process can be challenged when staffing is unpredictable.

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Episode 38 – Interview with Dr. Burt Clark

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Communications, Competency, Culture, Decision Making, Fear, Firefighter Situational Awareness, Gasaway Consulting Group, Human Behavior, Leadership, Mayday and RIT, Risk Assessment, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Situational awareness, Situational Readiness, Teamwork /

In this episode I interview Dr. Burt Clark, author of the recently released book “I can’t save you but I’ll die trying: The American fire culture” shares his passion for firefighter safety and the need to change our culture.   Length: 79 minutes click the YouTube icon to listen       _____________________________________________________ If you

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Episode 37 – Interview with Dr. Chad Weinstein

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Communications, Culture, Decision Making, Expectations, Firefighter Situational Awareness, Leadership, Risk Assessment, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Situational awareness, Teamwork, Training /

In this episode I interview Dr. Chad Weinstein the author of “Thinking Aloud: Reflections on Ethical Leadership.” Dr. Weinstein works with fire departments to achieve extraordinary results through ethical leadership. Join us as we discuss the role of ethics in creating a safety culture and bringing accountability to an organization. Length: 49 minutes click the

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Episode 36 – PART 2 Interview with Close Call Survivor Lionel Crowther

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Building Construction, Close Call, Communications, Crew Resource Management, Culture, Decision Making, Emotions, Firefighter Situational Awareness, Human Behavior, Human Factors, Intuition, Line of Duty Death, Mayday and RIT, Multitasking, PAR, Personal Protective Equipment, Personnel location, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Situational awareness, Size Up, Staffing, Standard Operating Procedures/Guidelines, Teamwork, Time Distortion, Training, Tunneled Senses /

This episode is PART 2 of a two-part interview with Winnipeg Firefighter Lionel Crowther. Listen in as Firefighter Crowther recounts his close call survivor story about an incident where he sustained 2nd and 3rd-degree burns and two of his comrades lost their lives while fighting a dwelling fire.   Length: 65 minutes Click the YouTube icon

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Episode 35 – PART 1 Interview with Close Call Survivor Lionel Crowther

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Auditory exclusion, Building Construction, Close Call, Communications, Complacency, Crew Resource Management, Culture, Decision Making, Emotions, Expectations, Fear, Firefighter Situational Awareness, Human Behavior, Human Factors, Intuition, Line of Duty Death, Mayday and RIT, PAR, Personnel location, Risk Assessment, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Situational awareness, Size Up, Staffing, Standard Operating Procedures/Guidelines, Teamwork, Training, Weather /

This episode is PART 1 of a two-part interview with Winnipeg Firefighter Lionel Crowther. Listen in as Firefighter Crowther recounts his close call survivor story about an incident where he sustained 2nd and 3rd degree burns and two of his comrades lost their lives while fighting a dwelling fire.   Length: 65 minutes click the

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Episode 34 – Firefighting: A whole new ballgame

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Close Call, Communications, Crew Resource Management, Culture, Decision Making, Emotions, Fear, Firefighter Situational Awareness, Human Behavior, Leadership, Multitasking, Personnel location, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Situational awareness, Size Up, Staffing, Standard Operating Procedures/Guidelines, Teamwork, Workload Management /

This episode discusses the long-term impact of the economic downturn of 2008 on fire department staffing and how firefighting strategy and tactics should be adjusted to the “new normal.” In the near-miss segment, we discuss freelancing at a residential dwelling fire and one officer’s actions directed toward correcting the misbehavior. Length: 43 minutes click the

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Episode 33: A double close call at a residential dwelling fire

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Attention Management, Building Construction, Close Call, Communications, Complacency, Crew Resource Management, Culture, Decision Making, Firefighter Situational Awareness, Multitasking, Personnel location, Risk Assessment, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Situational awareness, Size Up, Staffing, Standard Operating Procedures/Guidelines, Teamwork, Workload Management /

Wadesville Fire Department Deputy Chief Adam Farrar recounts a residential dwelling fire that resulted in two close call events for members operating at the scene.     Length: 43 minutes click the YouTube icon to listen     _____________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational awareness and high-risk decision making to a

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Episode 31: Out of air! A Close Call Survivor Story

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Building Construction, Close Call, Communications, Crew Resource Management, Culture, Decision Making, Fatigue, Firefighter Situational Awareness, Human Behavior, Human Factors, Mental Models, PAR, Personal Protective Equipment, Personnel location, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Situational awareness, Size Up, Staffing, Standard Operating Procedures/Guidelines, Teamwork /

On Wednesday, February 18, 2009, Elyria Fire Captain Joe Pronesti experienced a close call when he responded to a fire alarm activation call on a college campus. The first arriving engine reported heavy smoke coming from multiple buildings. In search of the source of the smoke, crews would learn the fire was in a tunnel

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Episode 30: Brooklyn Park Fire Department Carbon Monoxide Close Call

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Close Call, Communications, Complacency, Crew Resource Management, Culture, Decision Making, Equipment, Firefighter Situational Awareness, Intuition, Personal Protective Equipment, Risk Assessment, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Situational awareness, Size Up, Standard Operating Procedures/Guidelines, Tacit Knowledge, Teamwork /

On Saturday, September 13, 2014, the Brooklyn Park Fire Department was dispatched to a medical call that had the potential to be catastrophic for the members of their department, their EMS transport provider and their police department. Length: 41 minutes click the YouTube icon to listen       _____________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking

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