Your highest level of situational awareness is formed when you are able to make accurate predictions about future events. In science, we call this projection and it simply means you are able to predict, or project, future events. This is accomplished through mental models you develop that are founded in your training and experience. But […]
Time to Task Completion is Critical for Situational Awareness Read More »
You may or may not know there are researchers who dedicate their lives to understanding what makes someone an expert and how long it takes for them to acquire the knowledge to be an expert. One of the pioneers in the field of expert knowledge research is K. Anders Erickson. The findings of Dr. Erickson’s
You Can’t Rush Expertise Read More »
I dedicate a lot of time during my situational awareness programs ensuring that first responders understand how clues and cues serve as the foundation for developing and maintaining good situational awareness. We also spend considerable time making the connection of how strong situational awareness becomes the foundation for good decision making. For the most part,
What You Don’t See Can Save You Read More »
Flawed situational awareness (SA) is one of the leading contributing factors to first responder near-miss and casualty events. In fact, it is nearly impossible to find a line-of-duty death investigation report that does not implicate flawed SA, or one of the barriers that flaw SA, as contributing to the tragedy. As often as flawed SA
Situational Awareness: Think Past, Present & Future Read More »
In this article, we discuss three types of stress: Acute stress, episodic acute stress, and chronic stress. First responders can, and often do, experience all three. Stress can impact firefighter situational awareness and, equally concerning, stress can have devastating long-term impacts. As I was writing this article I recalled various times during my thirty years
Three types of stress Read More »
The foundation for developing situational awareness is perception – using your senses to gather information about what is happening around you. In lay terms, we call it paying attention. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to develop strong situational awareness if you are not paying attention to what is happening around you. For better
Weapons of Mass Distraction Read More »
Understaffing can have a big impact on first responder safety. We all know that. But it can also have a huge impact on first responder situational awareness… more than I ever imagined. I have experienced understaffing issues many times throughout my career but I never gave much thought to how my situational awareness was being
Understaffing Impacts Situational Awareness Read More »
I get asked often about the role of fatigue in situational awareness. Sometimes the question is based on general curiosity. Sometimes the inquiry is a result of someone seeking support for (or against) an extended work schedule. I sure don’t want to get caught in the middle of that debate but the question is a
Tired Brains (fatigue) and Situational Awareness Read More »
Many first responder training programs use simulation in the development of decision-making competencies. Simulation exercises help develop skills in setting strategy and tactics, in applying policies and procedures and in developing critical thinking skills. How can simulations be used in the development of situational awareness skills? The answer lies, in part, in understanding what situational
Using the Simulation Environment to Improve Situational Awareness Read More »
August 29, 2019 Gasaway Safety Solutions has been contracted to present the keynote session at the 2019 Colorado Traffic Incident Management Conference in Loveland, Colorado. “The number of first responders and ancillary support personnel are being struck on highway incidents is extremely alarming. It seems as though the motoring public is either unaware or uncaring
