These are articles on the SAMatters blog.
Personnel Accountability Reports (PARs) are essential to helping commanders develop and maintain situational awareness. A quality PAR dials the commander into every crew’s size, their location and their progress. But the standard PAR has a fundamental flaw that can adversely impact the commander’s situational awareness. Here’s how…
A Walking PAR Can Improve Situational Awareness Read More »
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a live demonstration may be worth ten thousand words. In a recent situational awareness and decision making class, I was explaining to the participants the science behind why humans are such poor multitaskers. Of course, when I do this there is always someone in the class who,
Multitasking Impacts Situational Awareness Read More »
Situational Awareness is developed, maintained and erodes on three levels. The highest level of situational awareness is developed by being able to make realistic and accurate projections of the future events. The projections are sometimes called “mental models.” Projecting the future facilitates being able to see bad things coming… in time to change the outcome. If
Expectations are Important to Situational Awareness Read More »
I was invited to be an observer at a regional police tactical training exercise. The program was a multi-day event, starting with some classroom training and culminating in a series of simulations using mock weapons, flash-bangs and actors. The one thing that readily stood out to me was the tactical teams were not using radios
Radio Communications is Essential to Situational Awareness Read More »
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
You Can’t Handle the Truth! Read More »
Your highest level of 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. This is accomplished through mental models you develop that are founded in your training and experience.
Time to Task Completion is Critical Read More »
When I talk with first responders about situational awareness and what it takes to develop and maintain it, the program participants often use terms such as: “It’s important to pay attention.” Or, “You have to keep your head on a swivel.” Or, “It helps to look up, down and all around.” All of this is
Mission-induced Blindness Read More »
During a recent situational awareness program a participant was discussing something that went wrong at a routine call. As the story went, the crew had been to this address numerous times for the same (or similar) problem. Each time, the issue was resolved quickly and without incident. The call was, by his words, routine. So,
There is a growing body of research revealing that many human’s have an irrational obsession with loss. Or, perhaps more accurately, an irrational obsession with AVOIDING loss. This phenomenon is something I have seen played out in my evaluation of many casualty incidents. Ironically, the human trait to avoid loss is the same trait that
The Irrational Obsession With Loss Read More »
I have witnessed a rather disturbing trend in my situational awareness classes over the past year. I have added a video where firefighters are on a roof that is clearly self-venting. The video then leads us into discussions on assumed risk versus created risk and changing outcomes versus getting in the way of outcomes that
Five Tough Questions Read More »
