safety

Episode 187 | Standards May Harm Decision Making

Leave a Comment / Decision Making, Expectations, Judgment, SAMatters Radio, Training /

  This episode discusses how training employees to written standards may actually harm decision making. Length: 27 minutes click the YouTube icon to listen         _____________________________________________________ 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. […]

Episode 187 | Standards May Harm Decision Making Read More »

Episode 186 | You Can’t Handle the Truth

Leave a Comment / Cognitive Memory, Confabulation, Confusion, Decision Making, Human Behavior, Human Factors, Information overload, Miscommunications, Overload, Progress Reports, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Stress /

  This episode discusses some of the strange consequences of stress, including how employees may say untruthful things without knowing it. Length: 36 minutes click the YouTube icon to listen         _____________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational awareness and high-risk decision making to a higher level, check out

Episode 186 | You Can’t Handle the Truth Read More »

Episode 185 | St. Charles Fire Department Near Miss – Part 3

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Assumptions, Auditory exclusion, Automatic Action, Close Call, Command Location, Communications, Complacency, Confusion, Crew Resource Management, Decision Making, Denial, Disoriented, Emotions, Expectations, Experience, Judgment, Mayday, Miscommunications, Mission Myopia, Near Miss, Over Confident, Perception Of Reality, Personal Protective Equipment, Personnel location, Radios, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Size Up, Teamwork, Vigilance /

This episode is part 3 of a 3-part interview with two members of the St. Charles Fire Department (Missouri) discussing a near-miss where four firefighters were overrun by rapidly changing conditions at a residential dwelling fire. Length: 48 minutes Click the YouTube icon to listen   _____________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of

Episode 185 | St. Charles Fire Department Near Miss – Part 3 Read More »

Episode 184 | St. Charles Fire Department Near Miss – Part 2

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Assumptions, Auditory exclusion, Automatic Action, Close Call, Command Location, Communications, Complacency, Confusion, Crew Resource Management, Decision Making, Denial, Disoriented, Emotions, Expectations, Experience, Judgment, Mayday, Miscommunications, Mission Myopia, Near Miss, Over Confident, Perception Of Reality, Personal Protective Equipment, Personnel location, Progress Reports, Radios, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Size Up, Teamwork, Vigilance /

This episode is part 2 of a 3-part interview with two members of the St. Charles Fire Department (Missouri) discussing a near-miss where four firefighters were overrun by rapidly changing conditions at a residential dwelling fire. Length: 45 minutes click the YouTube icon to listen

Episode 184 | St. Charles Fire Department Near Miss – Part 2 Read More »

Episode 183 | St. Charles Fire Department Near Miss – Part 1

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Assumptions, Auditory exclusion, Automatic Action, Close Call, Command Location, Communications, Complacency, Confusion, Crew Resource Management, Decision Making, Denial, Disoriented, Emotions, Expectations, Experience, Judgment, Mayday, Miscommunications, Mission Myopia, Near Miss, Over Confident, Perception Of Reality, Personal Protective Equipment, Personnel location, Progress Reports, Radios, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Size Up, Teamwork, Vigilance /

This episode is part 1 of a 3-part interview with two members of the St. Charles Fire Department (Missouri) discussing a near-miss where four firefighters were overrun by rapidly changing conditions at a residential dwelling fire. Length: 56 minutes Click the YouTube icon to listen     _____________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding

Episode 183 | St. Charles Fire Department Near Miss – Part 1 Read More »

Complacency: A Killer of First Responders

1 Comment / Accountability, Article, Complacency, Safety, Situational awareness /

Curiosity killed the cat. But it’s not curiosity that is killing first responders. It’s complacency contributing to flawed situational awareness. What does it mean to be complacent? I could offer you the Webster’s dictionary definition. Instead, I’d like to offer you a definition based on my observations of those who suffer from the affliction. Complacent:

Complacency: A Killer of First Responders Read More »

Episode 182 | Colorado Springs FD Interview – Part 2

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Automatic Action, Cognitive Memory, Communications, Competency, Crew Resource Management, Culture, Decision Making, Expectations, Firefighter Situational Awareness, Human Behavior, Insubordination, Judgment, Leadership, Mayday and RIT, Risk Assessment, SAMatters Radio, Size Up, Teamwork /

This episode is part 2 of an interview with three members of the Colorado Springs Fire Department discussing recruit training, using science to teach firefighting and more. Length: 50 minutes Click the YouTube icon to listen       _____________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational awareness and high-risk decision making to

Episode 182 | Colorado Springs FD Interview – Part 2 Read More »

Episode 181 | Colorado Springs FD Interview – Part 1

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Automatic Action, Cognitive Memory, Communications, Competency, Crew Resource Management, Culture, Decision Making, Expectations, Firefighter Situational Awareness, Human Behavior, Insubordination, Judgment, Leadership, Mayday and RIT, Risk Assessment, SAMatters Radio, Size Up, Teamwork, Training /

This episode is part 1 of an interview with three members of the Colorado Springs Fire Department discussing recruit training, using science to teach firefighting and more. Length: 55 minutes click the YouTube icon to listen  

Episode 181 | Colorado Springs FD Interview – Part 1 Read More »

Episode 180 | Accountability

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Benchmarks, Checklists, Cognitive Memory, Communications, Crew Resource Management, Leadership, Miscommunications, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Staffing, Workload Management, Worksheets /

  This episode explores how accountability can improve situational awareness. Length: 37 minutes click the YouTube icon to listen             _____________________________________________________ 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,

Episode 180 | Accountability Read More »

Come down off the high perch of judgment

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Article, Assumptions, Communications, Decision Making, Distractions and Interruptions, Human Behavior, Incompetence, Judgment /

At the start of the Flawed Situational Awareness program I share a story about my early years as a company officer and subsequently as a command-level officer. Even in those days (more than 30 years ago), I held a deep desire to learn from failure and catastrophe. I read every near-miss and casualty report I

Come down off the high perch of judgment Read More »

© 2025 SAMatters.com. All rights reserved.

Created by: Torrch