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Decision Making

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

Every Building on Fire is in the Process of Falling Down

In my first responder situational awareness classes we talk about the need to predict the future. Based on the definition I use on my programs (offered by Dr. Mica Endsley), I am referring to Level 3 situational awareness – being able to project future events. This is catastrophically important to first responder safety. Many times […]

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Episode 196 | Interview with Jason Bonney – Part 1

This episode is part one of a two-part interview with Assistant Chief Jason Bonney from the Central Jackson Fire Protection District.  Length: 53 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 195 | Crisis Response Journal Interview – Part 2

This episode is part two of an interview with Christo Motz, a board member for the Crisis Response Journal.  Length: 61 minutes Click the YouTube icon to listen to the full episode       __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational awareness and high-risk decision making to a higher level, check

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Don’t shoot the messenger

Situational awareness is developed by combining three component parts: perception, understanding and prediction. The first part, perception, is a process of gathering information – clues and cues – about what is happening in the environment around you. Some of those clues and cues are obvious. Others are subtle. Some happen right in front of you.

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Episode 194 | Crisis Response Journal Interview – Part 1

This episode is part one of a two-part interview with Christo Motz, a board member for the Crisis Response Journal.  Length: 59 minutes Click the YouTube icon to listen to the full episode   __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational awareness and high-risk decision making to a higher level, check out

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Divided Attention Test

In a recent Mental Management of Emergencies program, we were talking about multitasking. During the discussion I explained what happens when a person attempts to multitask the act of paying of attention – which is neurologically impossible by the way. This turned the discussion to a sobriety test administered by police officers called the Divided

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Episode 193 | Herd Mentality

In this episode we discuss the cognitive bias known as herd mentality (or herd behavior).  Length: 31 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 Academy. CLICK HERE for details, enrollment

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Dispatchers Role in Situational Awareness

One of the situational awareness best practices discussed during the Fifty Ways to Kill a First Responder program is the role played by the dispatcher during an emergency incident. As I have discussed this many times with first responders throughout the United States I have come to the conclusion that in some jurisdictions the dispatcher

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Episode 192 | Amtrak Train Derailment Interview with Larry Creekmore

This episode is an interview with DuPont Fire Chief Larry Creekmore. Chief Creekmore was the third-in unit to the December 18, 2017 Amtrak train derailment in Washington state.   Length: 56 minutes click the YouTube icon to listen           __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational awareness and

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Developing Situational Awareness in Novice Responders

One of the most frequent questions I get asked during the Mental Management of Emergencies and Fifty Ways to Kill a First Responder programs is: How can a novice responder develop expert knowledge when the number of fires are going down? It’s a great question and a great concern because so much of situational awareness

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