Situational awareness matters

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 […]

Episode 221 | Doug Abernathy Interview – Part 1 Read More »

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

Episode 220 | John Lightly Interview – Part 2 Read More »

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

Episode 219 | John Lightly Interview – Part 1 Read More »

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

Episode 218 | Sean Dolan Interview Read More »

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

Episode 217 | Overstaffing Read More »

Episode 216 | Task Fixation – A Barrier to Awareness

Leave a Comment / Assumptions, Attention Management, Auditory exclusion, Crew Resource Management, Human Factors, Hyper Vigilance, Lost Focus, Meta Awareness, Mindfulness, Perception, Preoccupation, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Selective Listening, Task Fixation, Teamwork, Tunnel Vision, Tunneled Senses /

This episode examines how task fixation can impact situational awareness while working in high-risk environments.  Length: 30 minutes click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO of this interview!         __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational awareness and high-risk decision making to a higher level, check out

Episode 216 | Task Fixation – A Barrier to Awareness Read More »

I Woke Up Today With Nothing To Do!

5 Comments / Accountability, Article, Attention Management, Automation, Checklists, Culture, Decision Making, Emotions, Experience, Goals, Gut Feeling, Human Behavior, Intuition, Mindfulness, Perception, Safety /

If you have visited SAMatters before, you know the mission of the site is to help first responders improve situational awareness by “Helping you see the bad things coming in time to change the outcome.” Something happened today that I didn’t see coming and I’d like to share the story with you. Thank you for

I Woke Up Today With Nothing To Do! Read More »

Episode 215 | Dave Beauregard Interview – Part 2

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Assumptions, Attention Management, Automatic Action, Building Construction, Close Call, Communications, Complacency, Confusion, Decision Making, Denial, Disoriented, Expectations, Habits, Intuition, Judgment, Lost Focus, Mindfulness, Over Confident, Perception Of Reality, Pre Arrival Lens, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Situational awareness, Size Up, Task Fixation /

This episode is Part 2 of a two-part near-miss interview with Chicopee Fire Department Deputy Chief Dave Beauregard.  Length: 50 minutes click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO of this interview!         __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational awareness and high-risk decision making to a higher

Episode 215 | Dave Beauregard Interview – Part 2 Read More »

Episode 214 | Dave Beauregard Interview – Part 1

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Assumptions, Attention Management, Automatic Action, Building Construction, Close Call, Communications, Complacency, Confusion, Decision Making, Denial, Disoriented, Expectations, Habits, Intuition, Judgment, Lost Focus, Mindfulness, Over Confident, Perception Of Reality, Pre Arrival Lens, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Situational awareness, Size Up, Task Fixation /

This episode is Part 1 of a two-part near-miss interview with Chicopee Fire Department Deputy Chief Dave Beauregard.  Length: 47 minutes click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO of this interview!         __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational awareness and high-risk decision making to a higher

Episode 214 | Dave Beauregard Interview – Part 1 Read More »

Episode 213 | Jim Woolf Interview – Part 2

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Assumptions, Attention Management, Automatic Action, Building Construction, Close Call, Communications, Complacency, Confusion, Decision Making, Denial, Disoriented, Expectations, Habits, Intuition, Judgment, Lost Focus, Mindfulness, Over Confident, Perception Of Reality, Pre Arrival Lens, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Situational awareness, Size Up, Task Fixation /

This episode is Part 2 of a two-part interview with Twinsburg (Ohio) Fire-Medic Jim Woolf.  Length: 44 minutes   click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO of this interview!         __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational awareness and high-risk decision making to a higher level, check

Episode 213 | Jim Woolf Interview – Part 2 Read More »

© 2025 SAMatters.com. All rights reserved.

Created by: Torrch