Safety

These are the first responder situational awareness and decision making articles related to first responder safety.

Situational Awareness Matters

The Perfect Storm

In one of my recent Mental Management of Emergencies classes a participant was describing an incident that resulted in several first responder casualties. As he shared the details, he described the unfolding of events as “The Perfect Storm.” This article will discuss the origins of that phrase and share why we should consider changing our […]

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Electrocuted by a falling power line – The Tom Ehler’s Story – Part 1 (Episode 260)

Listen in as firefighter Tom Ehlers and fire chief Wesley Cole share their story about a fire incident where Tom was struck by a falling 14k volt power line on the scene of a fire. Length: 54 minutes   Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO     __________________________________________________ If you are interested in

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Safeguards – It’s a fair question

I had the opportunity recently to talk with a very progressive fire chief about situational awareness. I really enjoy my conversations with him because I always learn something. He was telling me that his department just hired 17 new paid-on-call members. He shared with me that during the hiring process he visits the home of

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Sneak Peek into a Live Situational Awareness Training Program (Episode 259)

The Situational Awareness Matters signature program was presented live at the Ponderosa Fire Department in Houston Texas. This episode is a sneak peek into a segment of the program. Click HERE to see all the programs I offer! Length: 47 minutes Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO     __________________________________________________ If you

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Thornton Fire Mayday Story – Part 3 (Episode 258)

This interview is part 3 of a 3-part series detailing the events surrounding Thornton Fire-Medic Roy Lapid mayday call, rescue from the basement and lessons learned. Length: 65 minutes     Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO     __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational awareness and high-risk

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Noise Impacts Situational Awareness

Some time ago I had the honor of visiting and receiving a tour of the Hong Kong Fire Department training center. Many of the props used there are similar to what I have seen in the United States. However, there was one very noticeable difference in the maze they use to train firefighters. Noise! They

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Thornton Fire Mayday Story – Part 2 (Episode 257)

This interview is part 2 of a 3-part series detailing the events surrounding Thornton Fire-Medic Roy Lapid mayday call, rescue from the basement and lessons learned. Length: 57 minutes     Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO     __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational awareness and high-risk

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Nine considerations when evaluating incident command software

As you attend conferences that have vendor display areas, pay attention to how many incident management software vendors claim to have programs that can “develop situational awareness” in first responders. This claim is often founded on the belief that as the software is able to capture, assemble and display layers and layers of data that,

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Thornton Fire Mayday Story. Part 1 (Episode 256)

This interview is part 1 of a 3-part series detailing the events surrounding Thornton Fire-Medic Roy Lapid mayday call, rescue from the basement and lessons learned. Length: 68 minutes     Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO     __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational awareness and high-risk

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Stress: The Nemesis of Situational Awareness

Thank you for coming along for the ride as I discussed the impact stress has on  situational awareness and decision making. This series reads like the chronicles of a virtual chamber of horrors. First responders, emergency responders or people working in dangerous, highly stressful situations, focus a lot of attention on tactical training and skill

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