Experience

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

Mental Health Near-Miss: The Scott Gieselhart Story – Part 1 (Episode 333)

Scott Gieselhart served 24 years as a firefighter in Frazee, Minnesota. Along the way, several incidents contributed to Scott developing a Post Traumatic Stress Injury that resulted in him becoming a meth addict and attempting suicide.  Then Scott found help and through a treatment known as EMDR, his PTSI was healed and how he serves […]

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Sharing multiple near-miss experiences including being held-up at gunpoint. The Jim Arie Story – Part 2 (Episode 332)

This episode is Part 2 of a 2-part interview where we learn about multiple near-miss events experienced by retired Fire Chief, Jim Arie throughout his 43-year career and he’ll discuss the situational awareness lessons from being held-up at gunpoint in March, 2020. Length: 40 minutes Click the YouTube icon to watch the full video.  

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Sharing multiple near-miss experiences including being held-up at gunpoint. The Jim Arie Story – Part 1 (Episode 331)

This episode is Part 1 of a 2-part interview where we learn about multiple near-miss events experienced by retired Fire Chief, Jim Arie throughout his 43-year career and he’ll discuss the situational awareness lessons from being held-up at gunpoint in March, 2020. Length: 41 minutes Click the YouTube icon to watch the full video.  

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The Impact of Understaffing (Episode 328)

The pandemic has been tough on everyone, especially first responders who have stepped up to the task.  But for many first response agencies, the worst is yet to come as the economic fallout will likely create budget shortfalls that will, in turn, cause fire departments to reduce staffing and services.  This show looks at the

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Bravado – A barrier to situational awareness (Episode 327)

Bravado is defined as “a bold manner or a show of boldness intended to impress or intimidate.”  A co-worker or boss displaying bravado can be dangerous because their need to impress or intimidate can cause them to miss critical clues and cues and flaw their situational awareness. Length: 12 minutes Click the YouTube icon to

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What we fear most Part 2 (Episode 325)

The fear of public speaking consistently ranks near the top of the list in fear surveys.  This won’t come as a surprise for many.  But the consequences of not speaking up can be catastrophic for organizations and for the individual gripped by this fear. This episode explores the fear of public speaking and offers some

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Unexpected Information Can Be a Barrier to Situational Awareness

One of the foundations of situational awareness development is being able to make accurate predictions of future events. Making (accurate) predictions is a fairly complex neurological process that relies heavily on gathering information, comprehending the meaning of the information, tapping into your stored knowledge of past experiences, trusting your intuition and using your imagination to

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Responders Overcome by Carbon Monoxide – The Mukilteo Fire Story – Part 2 (Episode 309)

This interview is part 2 of a 2-part interview with three members of the Mukilteo Fire Department who were overcome by carbon monoxide on an EMS call. Length: 49 minutes Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO         __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational awareness and

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Responders Overcome by Carbon Monoxide – The Mukilteo Fire Story – Part 1 (Episode 308)

This interview is part 1 of a 2-part interview with three members of the Mukilteo Fire Department who were overcome by carbon monoxide on an EMS call. Length: 43 minutes Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO         __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational awareness and

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The Firefighter Near-Miss Reporting System – Part 2 (Episode 306)

Today’s episode is Part 2 of my 2-part interview with John Russ, Program Director for the IAFC Firefighter Near-Miss Reporting System. Length: 45 minutes Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO         __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational awareness and high-risk decision making to a higher

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