These are the first responder situational awareness and decision making issues and opportunities related to human behavior.
The topic of situational awareness is growing in popularity in the fire service and this is a good thing. For decades the casualty reports have revealed that flawed situational awareness leads to poor decision making and has contributed to tragic fireground outcomes. I am honored to see many of the teachings being shared here on […]
Situational Awareness is a Complex Topic Read More »
I recently received an email from a SAMatters community member asking for tips to improve size-up, situational awareness and decision making while training in a flashover simulator. It was a great question (thank you Captain Scott Byers from the Tracy Fire Department)! I offered Scott a number of ideas and thought it would be good
Situational Awareness and Decision Making Tips for Training Read More »
Recently I received a phone call from a fire captain in Colorado. He wanted to discuss some training ideas I inspired during my recent Training for Failure program his department hosted. One of the topics we addressed was teaching firefighters how to speak up when they have concerns. Teaching how to do this is especially
The Art of Speaking Up Read More »
This episode discusses how positive and negative clues and cues influence the development of situational awareness. Length: 22 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 level, check out the Situational Awareness
Positive & Negative Clues and Cues (Episode 274) Read More »
As you traverse through life, you are constantly gathering and assessing information. This is accomplished though sensory input (seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting and smelling). The senses are always on, always capturing data. Sometimes you are aware of the data being captured and sometimes you’re not. Sometimes you’re able to readily recall stored data and sometimes
This episode discusses the importance of radio discipline in developing and maintaining situational awareness. Length: 19 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 level, check out the Situational Awareness Matters
Radio Discipline (Episode 272) Read More »
This episode discusses what situational awareness is and why it is so important in the workplace. Length: 30 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 level, check out the Situational Awareness
What is SA and Why Does it Matter? (Episode 271) Read More »
This episode discusses how pre-conception can impact situational awareness. Length: 19 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 level, check out the Situational Awareness Matters Online Academy. CLICK HERE for details, enrollment
Pre-Conception (Episode 270) Read More »
This episode discusses the connection between time distortion and situational awareness. Length: 20 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 level, check out the Situational Awareness Matters Online Academy. CLICK HERE for
Time Distortion: A Barrier to Situational Awareness (Episode 269) Read More »
During a recent Flawed Situational Awareness program I conducted an exercise to show just how stubborn our brains can be. Without going into too much detail here, the exercise is designed to demonstrate the consequences of relationship biases. The results of the exercise are quite predictable and consistent. Whether we like it or not, our
Relationship Bias – A Barrier to Situational Awareness Read More »
