During an open conference call recently, I had the opportunity to discuss situational awareness challenges and opportunities (which, by the way… was really enjoyable) I had a chief officer from Wisconsin (thanks Lance) ask a question about company officer priorities on sizing up a residential dwelling fire. It’s a question I get asked often and have built […]
Four Size-up Priorities to Improve Situational Awareness Read More »
In this episode, Beaver Dam Fire & Rescue Chief Alan Mannel shares the details of a shootout incident that occurred while he was serving as a police officer in Illinois. Length: 57 minutes click the YouTube icon to listen _____________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational
Episode129 | Interview with Beaver Dam Fire & Rescue Chief Alan Mannel Read More »
Situational awareness starts with capturing clues and cues in your environment (perception) and then understanding what those clues and cues mean (comprehension). At a structure fire the process of capturing information should involve a complete 360-degree size-up of the scene. Many departments have policies that stipulate the completion of a 360-degree size up. Yet, for
Completing the 360-Degree Size-Up Read More »
In this episode, I interview Norfolk Fire Lieutenant Jarrod Sergi as he discusses how sleep inertia impacted his awareness and decision making skills at a late-night fire. Length: 58 minutes click the YouTube icon to listen _____________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational awareness and high-risk decision
Episode 128 | Sleep inertia: An interview with Norfolk Fire Lieutenant Jarrod Sergi Read More »
This website is dedicated to improving situational awareness of first responders. The precursor to situational awareness is situational readiness. I define situational readiness as: Having the ability to anticipate what things need to be in place to be well-prepared for an emergency response; and then, taking the steps necessary to ensure those things are done
Ten Things to Develop Situational Readiness Read More »
In this episode, we discuss the challenges of teaching responders how to speak up when they think something is going wrong. As we will see, it goes way beyond telling them to speak up if they see something. Length: 39 minutes click the YouTube icon to listen _____________________________________________________ If you are
Episode 127 | Teaching responders how to speak up Read More »
Part of the process to develop and maintain situational awareness at an emergency scene is having the ability to predict the future of the event. It’s called projection and it’s the highest level of situational awareness. [tweet this] To be good at projecting the future, it is necessary to have expectations about the future events.
Safety Trumps Self-Esteem In Good Decision Making Read More »
In this episode, I interview Birmingham Assistant Fire Chief Floyd (Buddy) Wilks, Jr. who served as the incident commander during a mayday at a residential dwelling fire. Length: 68 minutes click the YouTube icon to listen _____________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational awareness and high-risk decision making to
Episode126 | Interview with Birmingham Assistant Fire Chief Floyd (Buddy) Wilks, Jr. Read More »
Research has shown that fatigue can impact situational awareness in disturbing ways. [tweet this] Some responders think if they take a “safety nap” it will help. In a small way, it may, as any rest is better than no rest. However, a nap does not resolve systemic fatigue. Rest is a critical component to brain function and
Fatigue Impacts Situational Awareness Read More »
In this episode we look at the top 12 reasons why first responders are so hesitant to discuss their near-miss events and the lessons they learned from them that could save the lives of other responders. Length: 34 minutes click the YouTube icon to listen _____________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking
