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Mental Management of Emergencies – Live Training

The Mental Management of Emergencies: Improving first responder situational awareness and decision making under stress. Format: Interactive Seminar Length: 2 days Since the inception of the National Firefighter Near-Miss Reporting System in 2005, the leading contributing factors to near-miss events are NOT strategy, tactics, equipment, procedures or training. The leading contributing factors are flawed situational […]

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Episode 135 | Meta-awareness

    In this episode, we discuss the importance of meta-awareness as a technique to help improve first responder safety.   Length: 32 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 higher level, check out the

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Episode 133 | The Devil’s Advocate

In this episode, we discuss the role of the devil’s advocate on emergency scenes and how the advocate can help when there is a flawed perception of reality. Length: 27 minutes click the YouTube icon to listen       _____________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational awareness and high-risk decision making

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Episode 131 | Best practices for managing mental workload

    In this episode, we discuss five best practices for managing mental workload under stressful working conditions. Length: 26 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 higher level, check out the Situational Awareness Matters Online

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Four Size-up Priorities to Improve Situational Awareness

During an open conference call recently, I had the opportunity to discuss situational awareness challenges and opportunities (which, by the way… was really enjoyable) I had a chief officer from Wisconsin (thanks Lance) ask a question about company officer priorities on sizing up a residential dwelling fire. It’s a question I get asked often and have built

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Completing the 360-Degree Size-Up

Situational awareness starts with capturing clues and cues in your environment (perception) and then understanding what those clues and cues mean (comprehension). At a structure fire the process of capturing information should involve a complete 360-degree size-up of the scene. Many departments have policies that stipulate the completion of a 360-degree size up. Yet, for

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Ten Things to Develop Situational Readiness

This website is dedicated to improving situational awareness of first responders. The precursor to situational awareness is situational readiness. I define situational readiness as: Having the ability to anticipate what things need to be in place to be well-prepared for an emergency response; and then, taking the steps necessary to ensure those things are done

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Situational Awareness – It’s More Complex Than “Pay Better Attention”

If you want to improve your situational awareness, just pay better attention! Really? Oh my goodness.  No, it is hardly that simple. I just read an article where the author was giving advice about how to improve situational awareness. He said that situational awareness can be improve by paying better attention. At the very most

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Penalties and Discipline Will Not Improve Safety

I read with great interest (and concern) an article recently published about how the San Francisco Fire Department is being fined $21,000 by state investigators for violations to safety laws that led to the deaths of two firefighters on June 2. My concern for this action is not an attempt, in any way, to diminish

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The Five Step Assertive Statement Process

You’re a firefighter assigned to a roof job. It’s a flat metal roof and there’s a lot of water on it. (Set aside for a moment all your judgement about why you’re on the roof in the first place). Your situational awareness is strong and you’re getting a gut feeling that’s causing you concern for

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