February 25, 2022 Dr. Richard Gasaway has been contracted has been contracted to conduct a present a full-day program for the University of Maryland’s Fire & Rescue Institute in Annapolis, Maryland on March 8, 2022. “This is my twenty-second year presenting at the National Fire Service Staff & Command Program. This program brings together a […]
Dr. Richard B. Gasaway slated to present for University of Maryland Read More »
This interview is with Bob Bemis, a retired Pennsylvania State Trooper who was struck and severely injured while attending to a vehicle fire on I-81 in eastern Pennsylvania. Sergeant (Ret.) Robert Bemis retired in 2017 as a Supervisor in the Operational Training Division at the Pennsylvania State Police Academy in Hershey. With over 30 years
Trooper Down on the Roadway. The Bob Bemis Story – SAM 387 Read More »
Before you get too upset and refuse to read this article, I’ll ask you to give me just two minutes to explain the situational awareness lesson behind this statement. The first premise is: We must acknowledge (and accept) that it is easy for drivers to get distracted and have their situational awareness impacted while talking
Hands-Free Driving Laws are a Bad Idea Read More »
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
Tracking of Personnel Read More »
Some of the least appreciated members of the emergency response team are the communications specialists (in some venues, termed dispatchers). How do I know this? First, I served as a communications specialist (my job title was “dispatcher”) early in my career and I was routinely subjected to criticism and ridicule from responders because the information
The Communications Specialist Role in Forming Situational Awareness Read More »
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
Big Data Could Spell Big Trouble Read More »
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
Commercial Building Mayday. The Atascocita Fire Story – Part 2 (Episode 304) Read More »
One of the primary purposes of a Personnel Accountability Report (PAR) is to ensure the incident commander and safety officer know where crews are and that all members are accounted for. In the event of a rapid change in conditions or an unforeseen turn of events, the PAR can be used to quickly account for
Physical Condition Assessments Improve Situational Awareness Read More »
Today’s episode is Part 1 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: 67 minutes Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking
Commercial Building Mayday. The Atascocita Fire Story – Part 1 (Episode 303) Read More »
It is amazing how many articles and videos I have watched lately in which they are talking about decision making based on “gut feel.” It is also disheartening how many first responders I have interviewed who have admitted to me that they have dismissed their gut feelings and proceeded to do things that resulted
Where Does Intuition Come From? Read More »
