decision making

Episode 223 | Interruptions Impact Situational Awareness.

Leave a Comment / Attention Management, Communications, Confusion, Emotions, Expectations, Human Behavior, Miscommunications, Perception, Prediction, SAMatters Radio, Selective Listening /

This episode discusses how interruptions can impact situational awareness.  Length: 16 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, […]

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Situational Awareness Matters

Multiple Awarenesses

1 Comment / Article, Attention Management, Crew Resource Management, Decision Making, Firefighter Situational Awareness, Human Behavior, Human Factors, Safety, Situational awareness /

The mission of this website and my personal passion for situational awareness is to help first responders see the bad things coming in time to change the outcome. Consistent with that mission, I try to help responders understand how various aspects of the job – from training, to human factors, to command competence and everything in

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Episode 222 | Doug Abernathy Interview – Part 2

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Assertiveness, Assumptions, Attention Management, Auditory exclusion, Automatic Action, Close Call, Communications, Complacency, Confusion, Crew Resource Management, Culture, Decision Making, Error Creep, Experience, Gut Feeling, Habits, Independent Goal Setting - Freelancing, Intuition, Invincible, Judgment, Lost Focus, Mayday, Mayday and RIT, Mindfulness, Miscommunications, Mission, Mission Myopia, Response Time Delays, Risk, Risk Assessment, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Size Up, Staffing, Standard Operating Procedures/Guidelines, Stress, Task Fixation, Teamwork, Training, understaffing /

This episode revisits Part 2 of an interview with Indianapolis Health & Safety Chief Doug Abernathy discussing his near-miss at the Athletic Club Hotel fire on February 5, 1992  Length: 53 minutes Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO         __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational

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Interruptions Can Be a Barrier To Situational Awareness

1 Comment / Article, Attention Management, Competency, Decision Making, Experience, Human Factors, Interruptions, Safety /

  Like many of you, I do my best work when I am not interrupted. Whether it’s someone trying to carry on a conversation, a phone ringing or a text message, an interruption disrupts the train of thought. And when the train of thought is disrupted, situational awareness can be adversely impacted.

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Episode 221 | Doug Abernathy Interview – Part 1

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Assertiveness, Assumptions, Attention Management, Auditory exclusion, Automatic Action, Close Call, Communications, Complacency, Confusion, Crew Resource Management, Culture, Decision Making, Error Creep, Experience, Gut Feeling, Habits, Independent Goal Setting - Freelancing, Intuition, Invincible, Judgment, Line of Duty Death, Lost Focus, Mayday, Mayday and RIT, Mindfulness, Miscommunications, Mission, Mission Myopia, Response Time Delays, Risk, Risk Assessment, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Size Up, Staffing, Standard Operating Procedures/Guidelines, Stress, Task Fixation, Teamwork, Training, Tunnel Vision, understaffing /

This episode revisits Part 1 of an interview with Indianapolis Health & Safety Chief Doug Abernathy discussing his near-miss at the Athletic Club Hotel fire on February 5, 1992  Length: 54 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 220 | John Lightly Interview – Part 2

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Assertiveness, Assumptions, Attention Management, Auditory exclusion, Automatic Action, Close Call, Communications, Complacency, Confusion, Crew Resource Management, Culture, Decision Making, Error Creep, Experience, Gut Feeling, Habits, Independent Goal Setting - Freelancing, Intuition, Invincible, Judgment, Lost Focus, Mayday, Mayday and RIT, Mindfulness, Miscommunications, Mission, Mission Myopia, Response Time Delays, Risk, Risk Assessment, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Size Up, Staffing, Standard Operating Procedures/Guidelines, Stress, Task Fixation, Teamwork, Training, understaffing /

This episode revisits Part 2 of an interview conducted September 15, 2014 with Captain John Lightly from the Youngstown (Ohio) Fire Department about his near-miss event.  Length: 76 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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Independent Actions Can Impact Team Situational Awareness

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Article, Crew Resource Management, Firefighter Situational Awareness, Personnel location, Safety, Situational awareness, Staffing, Standard Operating Procedures/Guidelines, Teamwork /

For some public safety agencies it is standard practice for the first arriving personnel (or crews of personnel) to deploy independently. Oftentimes these responders are highly trained, highly motivated and action oriented. What they are lacking is coordination of their efforts. The potential problem with this independent action is it may be unrealistic to think

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Episode 219 | John Lightly Interview – Part 1

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Assertiveness, Assumptions, Attention Management, Auditory exclusion, Automatic Action, Close Call, Communications, Complacency, Confusion, Crew Resource Management, Culture, Decision Making, Error Creep, Experience, Gut Feeling, Habits, Independent Goal Setting - Freelancing, Intuition, Invincible, Judgment, Lost Focus, Mayday, Mayday and RIT, Mindfulness, Miscommunications, Mission, Mission Myopia, Response Time Delays, Risk, Risk Assessment, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Size Up, Staffing, Standard Operating Procedures/Guidelines, Stress, Task Fixation, Teamwork, Training, understaffing /

This episode revisits Part 1 of an interview conducted September 15, 2014 with Captain John Lightly from the Youngstown (Ohio) Fire Department about his near-miss event.  Length: 55 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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Episode 218 | Sean Dolan Interview

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Assumptions, Automatic Action, Close Call, Communications, Confusion, Crew Resource Management, Decision Making, Denial, Disoriented, Emotions, Expectations, Goals, Human Behavior, Intuition, Judgment, Lost Focus, Mayday, Mayday and RIT, Miscommunications, Muscle Memory, Perception Of Reality, Pressure, Risk, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Size Up, Stress, Task Fixation /

This episode revisits an interview conducted on September 1, 2014 with Sean Dolan from the Aurora (Colorado) Fire Department about his near-miss event.  Length: 78 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

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Episode 217 | Overstaffing

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Attention Management, Attitude, Cognitive Memory, Command Location, Command Presence, Command Support, Communications, Confusion, Crew Resource Management, Decision Making, Expectations, Frustration, Human Behavior, Independent Goal Setting - Freelancing, Insubordination, Interruptions, Lost Focus, Over Staffing, Personnel location, Pressure, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Staffing, Stress, Teamwork, understaffing, Weather, Workload Management /

This episode explores how over staffing can impact situational awareness.  Length: 29 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

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