On June 2, 2011, the San Francisco Fire Department suffered the tragic loss of 2 firefighters at 133 Berkeley Way. The department conducted an internal review of the incident and issued a 156-page report on their findings. Many of the lessons relate to situational awareness and it is from that perspective that I would like …
Five Situational Awareness Lessons from SFFD LODD Read More »
The med unit is responding to a report of a person down in a hotel room. While in route, dispatch notifies them that CPR is in progress. As they arrive a police officer meets them outside and tells them there now two victims and CPR is in progress on both. The officer further advises the …
During the week of January 23-27 the Indiana Department of Homeland Security sponsored the Company Officer Development Institute in South Bend, Indiana. I had the pleasure of co-facilitating the program along with Patrick Harper from the Indianapolis Fire Department. We had 41 exceptional leaders in the program from South Bend, Elkhart, Valpariso, Notre Dame, Mishawaka, …
Leadership Development Program in South Bend, Indiana Read More »
I am blessed to present at dozens of state, national and international conferences and fire schools each year. These opportunities are essential to my mission of improving first responder situational awareness. I have just returned from the 2012 Utah Winter Fire School. This is the second consecutive year I was invited to present. I was …
If you have attended one of my new Mental Management of Emergencies programs you have learned how stress is a game-changer when it comes to firefighter situational awareness and decision making quality. Most basic training programs focus on developing cognitive knowledge and physical skills. Far less address the impact of stress on situational awareness and …
I recently visited the University of Central Florida Institute for Simulation and Training where I had the opportunity to meet with Dr. David Metcalf and several members of his staff. The purpose of the visit was to improve my understanding of how advancements in simulation can benefit first responders. The visit was very impressive.
Welcome to Situational Awareness Matters! Whether you got here from a redirect from my existing website (www.RichGasaway.com) or you found this site through a web search or a link from another site, welcome. I’m glad you’re here. This is SA Matters. The “SA” is the acronym for Situational Awareness and in the context of the …
