I seem to be getting asked a lot lately about what the first arriving company officer should do at a working structure fire. Specifically, the debate revolves around two basic premise. Should the first arriving company officer assume a fixed command position outside the structure and coordinate the activities of incoming units? Or, should the […]
Working Command and Situational Awareness Read More »
A free Situational Awareness conference call was held on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 (during International Fire/EMS Safety & Health Week). Thank you to Tiger Schmittendorf (Erie County, New York), Ryan Pennington (Charleston, West Virginia) and Will Ball (Williamsport, Maryland) for being my guests panelists as we took caller questions and discussed topics that included:
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Utah Winter Fire School: 117 more first responders are now “in the loop!” On January 13 I presented two sessions of Fireground Safety: Mistakes and Best Practices at the 2012 Utah Winter Fire School. There were 117 attendees in the two programs. The programs focused on 10 common mistakes and 10 best practices to fix
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Thank you to Battalion Chief Rick Davis from the Loveland Fire Rescue Authority for sharing this article he wrote for Situational Awareness Matters. I had an opportunity to deliver a situational awareness program in Loveland for the North Range fire departments. When it comes to understanding the importance of firefighter situational awareness, Loveland Fire Rescue
SA Matters to the Loveland Fire Rescue Authority Read More »
If you have attended one of my new Mental Management of Emergencies programs you have learned how stress is a game-changer when it comes to firefighter situational awareness and decision making quality. Most basic training programs focus on developing cognitive knowledge and physical skills. Far less address the impact of stress on situational awareness and
You Can’t Handle The Truth! Read More »
I recently visited the University of Central Florida Institute for Simulation and Training where I had the opportunity to meet with Dr. David Metcalf and several members of his staff. The purpose of the visit was to improve my understanding of how advancements in simulation can benefit first responders. The visit was very impressive.
Quality Simulations Build Situational Awareness Read More »
Welcome to Situational Awareness Matters! Whether you got here from a redirect from my existing website (www.RichGasaway.com) or you found this site through a web search or a link from another site, welcome. I’m glad you’re here. This is SA Matters. The “SA” is the acronym for Situational Awareness and in the context of the
Welcome to SA Matters Read More »
What is situational awareness and why does it matter? Program length: 1 to 4 hours Appropriate for: First responders Industrial workers Safety professionals Utility workers Medical providers Transportation workers Military personnel Program Description Most workers know, intuitively, that strong situational awareness is an important aspect of safety. However, many do not understand what situational awareness is,
What is situational awareness and why does it matter? – Live Training Read More »
Fifty Ways to Kill a First Responder: Improving emergency scene situational awareness. Format: Interactive Seminar Length: 2 days This program is based on the findings of Dr. Gasaway’s research on emergency incident decision making. In his review of hundreds of near-miss reports, case studies, line-of-duty death reports and videos he continually found himself being frustrated
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