decision making

Preview of the Auditory Exclusion Chapter of My New Smart Workers Book (Episode 288)

Leave a Comment / Assumptions, Attention Management, Auditory exclusion, Cognitive Memory, Command Location, Communications, Confabulation, Confusion, Decision Making, Distractions and Interruptions, Equipment, Expectations, Human Behavior, Human Error, Human Factors, Information overload, Lost Focus, Mindfulness, Miscommunications, Overload, Overwhelm, Perception Of Reality, Pre Arrival Lens, Radios, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Selective Listening, Sensory Conflict, Shared Mental Models, Standard Operating Procedures/Guidelines, Technology, Tunneled Senses, Vigilance /

In this episode, I preview the chapter on Auditory Exclusion from my new book, How Smart Workers Use Situational Awareness to Improve Safety. Length: 27 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 […]

Preview of the Auditory Exclusion Chapter of My New Smart Workers Book (Episode 288) Read More »

Situational Awareness Matters!

The Two Headed Incident Commander

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Article, Attention Management, Communications, Crew Resource Management, Decision Making, Firefighter Situational Awareness, Human Factors, Leadership, Safety, Situational awareness, Teamwork, Workload Management /

A subscriber to the Situational Awareness Matters newsletter sent me a photograph of an emergency incident scene that caused me to reflect on a very important situational awareness lesson. This lesson, unfortunately, is often overlooked and is often implicated as a contributing factor to near-miss and casualty events. Let’s spend a little time examining workload

The Two Headed Incident Commander Read More »

Thirty Seconds from Death – The Randy Hanifen Story (Episode 287)

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Assertiveness, Assumptions, Attention Management, Attitude, Automatic Action, Close Call, Communications, Complacency, Confusion, Decision Making, Excited, Experience, Goals, Judgment, Mindfulness, Near Miss, Personal Protective Equipment, Personnel location, Pre Arrival Lens, Preoccupation, Radios, Risk, Risk Assessment, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Situational awareness, Size Up, Stress, Task Fixation, Tunnel Vision, understaffing, Vigilance /

In this episode, West Chester Captain Randy Hanifen shared the details of a near-miss inside a residential dwelling fire where, if circumstances were just slightly different, he might have been killed in a flashover. Length: 54 minutes Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO     __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your

Thirty Seconds from Death – The Randy Hanifen Story (Episode 287) Read More »

Teaching Decision Making to Firefighters

1 Comment / Accountability, Article, Assumptions, Decision Making, Experience, Firefighter Situational Awareness, Leadership /

In a recent class, I engaged in a discussion with an officer who took exception with my recommendation that firefighters should be taught how to use situational awareness to make good decisions. His contention was that the fire service is a paramilitary organization and firefighters should not be decision-makers. Further contention was firefighters should obediently

Teaching Decision Making to Firefighters Read More »

A Near-Miss While Responding – The Brian Collins Story (Episode 286)

Leave a Comment / Assumptions, Attention Management, Close Call, Complacency, Confusion, Culture, Decision Making, Equipment, Expectations, Experience, Fear, Mindfulness, Near Miss, Personal Protective Equipment, Personnel location, Preoccupation, Risk, Risk Assessment, Routines, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Technology, Vigilance /

In this episode, Brentwood Battalion Chief Brian Collins shares a story about how he almost died when the door on the apparatus he was riding in unexpectedly opened while responding to a call. Length: 40 minutes Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO     __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding

A Near-Miss While Responding – The Brian Collins Story (Episode 286) Read More »

Coffee Talk with Carl Potter from The Safety Institute (Episode 285)

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Assumptions, Attitude, Benchmarks, Biases, Cognitive Memory, Communications, Competency, Complacency, Crew Resource Management, Culture, Decision Making, Emotions, Equipment, Expectations, Experience, Goals, Gut Feeling, Human Behavior, Human Error, Human Factors, Judgment, Leadership, Mental Models, Mindfulness, Miscommunications, Mission, Multitasking, Muscle Memory, Near Miss, Optimism, Over Confident, Overload, Overwhelm, Perception Of Reality, Personal Protective Equipment, Personnel location, Risk, Risk Assessment, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Shared Mental Models, Situational awareness, Staffing, Standard Operating Procedures/Guidelines, Stress, Task Fixation, Task Saturation, Teamwork, Technology, Time Distortion, Training, Tunnel Vision, Tunneled Senses, Vigilance, Workload Management /

In this episode, I am interviewed on the Coffee Talk Show with Carl Potter, founder of The Safety Institute.  The Safety Institute is a resource for organizations that want to create workplaces where it’s difficult to get hurt. Length: 68 minutes Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO     __________________________________________________ If you

Coffee Talk with Carl Potter from The Safety Institute (Episode 285) Read More »

Using the Simulation Environment to Improve Situational Awareness

11 Comments / Article, Communications, Crew Resource Management, Decision Making, Human Behavior, Human Factors, Information overload, Mental Models, Neuroscience, Safety, Simulation, Situational awareness, Stress, Technology, Training, Workload Management /

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 »

Mindset of Aggressiveness – Chris Tobin Interview (Episode 284)

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Assumptions, Attitude, Bravado, Complacency, Culture, Decision Making, Emotions, Experience, Judgment, Leadership, Line of Duty Death, Mission, Near Miss, Neuroscience, Over Confident, Risk, Risk Assessment, SAMatters Radio, Staffing, Training /

In this episode, I interview Firefighter Chris Tobin as we discuss the need to have a mindset of aggressiveness. Length: 51 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

Mindset of Aggressiveness – Chris Tobin Interview (Episode 284) Read More »

Situational Awareness: Catastrophically Important to First Responder Safety

Article, Decision Making, Firefighter Situational Awareness, Safety, Situational awareness /

This video serves as an example of the importance of situational awareness. Please do not judge this department, the responders, or the commander. Rather, seek to learn and understand WHY… the things they were doing at the moment in time that things went bad… made sense to them. Those attending the Mental Management of Emergencies

Situational Awareness: Catastrophically Important to First Responder Safety Read More »

© 2024 SAMatters.com. All rights reserved.

Created by: Torrch