firefighter

First responder fatigue

Sleep and Situational Awareness

The work schedule, along with the physical and mental demands placed on first responders and people working in high risk environments, can quickly cause brain fatigue. Most responders know that fatigue can have an impact on critical thinking and mental acuity. This, in turn, can have a significant impact on situational awareness. Situational awareness is […]

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What is SA and Why Does it Matter? (Episode 271)

This episode discusses what situational awareness is and why it is so important in the workplace. Length: 30 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

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Pre-Conception (Episode 270)

This episode discusses how pre-conception can impact situational awareness. Length: 19 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, enrollment

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Time Distortion: A Barrier to Situational Awareness (Episode 269)

This episode discusses the connection between time distortion and situational awareness. Length: 20 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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Firefighter Through the Floor – The Matt Marlow Story (Episode 266)

In this interview, Matt Marlow shares how his late arrival on a structure fire led to a complacent mindset and caused him to fall through the floor at a residential structure fire. Length: 78 minutes   Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO     __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding

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Situational Awareness on the Roadway

There are an untold number of incidents in which responders have been struck by vehicles while working on roadway incidents. The roadway is one of the more dangerous work environments for emergency responders to operate in because conditions can go from being totally benign to total chaos in just a matter of seconds.  

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Virtual Reality Simulations – The Paul Speight Interview. (Episode 263)

During this interview, Paul Speight from the Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service in the United Kingdom shares how his department is developing virtual reality simulations to train first responders. Length: 72 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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Room for Improvement

I recently read an investigation report where a firefighter died and it made me sad. First, as we see so often in after action reviews, it appears as though the tragedy may have been preventable. The second thing that made me sad about this investigation report was the inaccurate and incomplete recommendations about situational awareness.

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No Cost Hosting: How to Host a Program for Free. (SAM 262)

If you have the ambition to host a program on situational awareness for your department or region, this is a must-watch episode.  We will share the secret sauce for how you can host a one or two-day event that costs your department nothing. Length: 62 minutes   Click the YouTube icon to watch the full

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Pre Arrival Lens and Situational Awareness

The pre-arrival lens is a neurological phenomenon that can both help and hinder situational awareness. The “lens” is your mental view of the incident you are responding to, developed prior to your arrival,  and based on the triangulation of three primary data sources – dispatch information (shared via radio), past experience and imagination. This article

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