Safety

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

Situational Awareness Matters!

Technology Can Help AND Hurt Situational Awareness

You don’t have to look far and wide to locate clever marketing campaigns that make outrageous claims to improve our lives or solve our problems. I’ve been noticing this trend now as it relates to products claiming they “create” situational awareness. I was recently at a conference and had an opportunity to have a discussion […]

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Episode 238 | Ken Prillaman Interview

  This episode is a flashback episode where Fire Chief Ken Prillaman shared his near-miss story where complacency at an EMS call almost resulted in a catastrophe. Length: 45 minutes   Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO         __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational awareness

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Positive and Negative Clues and Cues

As we train our leaders to improve situational awareness it is important the lessons include a list of both positive and negative clues and cues. In the context of developing situational awareness, positive and negative does not mean good and bad. Rather, positive and negative means present and absent. Let me explain.

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Episode 237 | Brian Schaeffer Interview

  This episode is a flashback episode where Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer shared his near-miss story at a commercial building fire in Spokane, Washington. Length: 56 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

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Positive Reinforcement of Undesirable Behavior

In this article I am taking on a topic often discussed in my leadership programs more often than in my situational awareness programs – motivation. I’m not going to get in to depth on the topic of motivation as it takes me a solid four hours in a classroom session to demystify the topic and

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Episode 236 | John Dantuono Interview

  This episode is a flashback episode where Firefighter John Dantuono shared his near-miss story where he was saved from falling though a roof by his SCBA bottle. Length: 43 minutes   Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO         __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational

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Episode 235 | Richard Marcus Interview

This episode is a flashback episode where Firefighter Richard Marcus recounts the day the apparatus he was riding in struck a tree while returning from a call. Length: 44 minutes     Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO         __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational

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Mission Myopia: A situational awareness barrier

The primary mission in all emergency situations is to save lives and property. In some agencies when a new member is inducted into the organization they take an oath of office that includes pledging their commitment to this mission. The mission is an important – even noble – calling. But what happens when a responder

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Episode 234 | The Dirty Dozen – Killer Situational Awareness Barriers

This episode discusses some of the most challenging barriers to situational awareness while working in high-risk, high-consequence environments.  This is part 2 so if you missed part 1 – Episode 233 – be sure to check it out first and that will help you understand the challenges we are going to discuss here. Length: 36

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Situational Awareness Matters

Nine Dangerous Mindsets: Part 9 – The Synergist

Welcome to this, the last of the nine part series on dangerous mindsets. From the feedback I’m getting, this series hit some chords with readers. I appreciate the kind words about my observations and the advice I’ve dispensed throughout this series. In this installment I’m going to talk about the Synergist – the person who

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