Assumptions

These are the first responder situational awareness and decision making issues and opportunities related to assumptions.

My life changed forever in a split second. The John Moore Story Part 2 – SAM 364

In this episode, Firefighter-Paramedic John Moore continues the story of how his life was changed forever after an off-duty accident resulted in a permanent paralyzing spinal cord injury.  John Moore lives in Southwest Ohio with his wife of nearly 15 years and their two children (ages 7 and 9). He attended Sinclair Community College directly […]

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My life changed forever in a split second. The John Moore Story Part 1 – SAM 363

In this episode, Firefighter-Paramedic John Moore shares the story of how his life was changed forever after an off-duty accident resulted in a permanent paralyzing spinal cord injury. John Moore lives in Southwest Ohio with his wife of nearly 15 years and their two children (ages 7 and 9). He attended Sinclair Community College directly

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Contact with a 33kV Electric Line. The Sioux Falls Fire Department Story – SAM 357

This episode interviews four members of the Sioux Falls (South Dakota) Fire Department who experienced a near-miss event when the platform on Truck 7 came into contact with a 33 kV transmission line during a routine truck check at the station.    First responders spend a lot of time together, on calls, in the station,

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Information Overload – SAM 355

This episode explores the capacity of the human brain to process sensory stimuli into short-term memory and the impact it can have on situational awareness. The San Francisco Fire 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

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Five Situational Awareness Lessons from a LODD Incident – SAM 354

On June 2, 2011, the San Francisco Fire Department suffered the tragic loss of 2 firefighters at 133 Berkeley Way. The episode shares some valuable situational awareness lessons from this tragic incident. The San Francisco Fire Department conducted an internal review of the incident and issued a 156-page report on their findings. Many of the

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The Overconfident Incompetent – SAM 351

In this episode discusses the process for competency development and introduces the Dunning-Kruger Effect, a cognitive bias whereby unskilled people suffer from the illusion of having superior skills and knowledge.   Description         This discussion includes the four steps in the progression of competency: Step 1: Unconscious incompetence – being unaware of what you do

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The John Vanatta Story. Part 2 – SAM 350

This episode is Part 2 of a 2-part interview with Deputy Chief John Vanatta discussing a training exercise that went wrong and resulted in two firefighter injuries after falling 10 feet  on to concrete. Deputy Chief John Vanatta discussing a training exercise that went wrong and resulted in two firefighter injuries. Part 2 The Denver

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The John Vanatta Story. Part 1 – SAM 349

This episode is Part 1 of a 2-part interview with Deputy Chief John Vanatta discussing a training exercise that went wrong and resulted in two firefighter injuries after falling 10 feet  on to concrete. The Denver Drill that John discusses had been performed all week using two ladders and two firefighters at the sill.  But

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The Myth of Multitasking – SAM 346

This episode explores the challenges workers face while operating in dynamically changing conditions that require sharing attention to multiple, concurrent activities – a.k.a., multitasking.  If you are the type of person who can work on your notebook, listen to music on your iPod, talk on your cell phone and text message at the same time,

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The Rick Mehaffey Story. Flashback to Episode 142 – SAM 344

In this episode, Captain Ricky Mehaffey from the Waynesville NC Fire Department chronicles his near-miss survival story where 3 firefighters almost died at a “routine” chimney fire. At the time of the fire, Rick Mehaffey served as an engineer for the Waynesville Fire Department, is combination department that runs 2500 calls a year out of

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