Some people call it “auto-pilot.” It’s that ability to arrive at a scene and immediately go to work.
That’s a learned skill, and it has a place on the fireground.
But another learned skill that may be even more important is the ability to analyze decisions before they’re made.
You may know it by a more familiar term, situational awareness.
Most firefighters believe they have it already, and many do. Some really don’t. But just like anything else, you can develop it, or improve on what you have.
The difference between situational awareness on the fireground and in other jobs is, of course, that people can hurt or die if it’s not done well on this job.
My guest today is an expert in helping firefighters build their situational awareness skills and he has some tips that may make yours a bit better.
Doctor Richard Gasaway is the President of Situational Awareness Matters, where he leads a team of expert instructors who train and consult on safety and leadership topics. He’s written 7 books on situational awareness, high-risk decision-making, and leadership. He served 33 years as a firefighter, EMT-Paramedic, company officer, training officer, fire chief, and incident commander.
If you’re a patron of Code 3, there’s another goodie waiting for you. This one’s a short discussion about aviation safety on the Code 3 Bull Sessions. If you’re not a patron, you can go to the website and sign up. For $10 a month, you support the show and you get the Code 3 Bull Session content, which is occasional exclusive material that didn’t make the show.
Resources:
Rich’s article: Situational awareness at structure fires: 4 questions to guide decision-making
Article: Situational awareness: The foundation for good decision-making
