The researchers who study expertise have concluded it can take roughly 10,000 hours of training and practice to achieve expert-level knowledge and performance skills. The bad news is, that could take responders over a decade to acquire. The good news is, the process of expertise development can be accelerated. Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com Intro music Safety Dance (1982) Men Without Hats GMC - Virgin Records Situational Awareness Matters! website www.SAMatters.com Situational Awarene...
Dec 20, 2016•22 min
As you attend conferences that have vendor display areas, pay attention to how many incident management software vendors claim to have programs that can “develop situational awareness” in first responders. This claim is often founded on the belief that as the software is able to capture, assemble and display layers and layers of data that, somehow, situational awareness will be improved. Be careful, as you may be sold a product that does not do what it claims to do. Our sponsor: Midwest Fire Mid...
Dec 13, 2016•31 min
When it comes to first responder radio traffic I am reminded of the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. You may recall that in the story Goldilocks samples three bowls of porridge. One is too hot. One is too cold. And the third is just right. This lesson applies directly to first responder situational awareness and the role radio communications plays in helping to develop and maintain SA. Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com Intro music Safety Dance (1982) Men Without Hats GMC - Virgin ...
Dec 06, 2016•30 min
The Situational Awareness Matters Online Academy officially opens its doors in January. SAMatters Radio podcast episode #132 was dedicated to explaining the features of the Academy. This episode is dedicated to questions and answers I’ve fielded over the past couple of weeks. Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com Intro music Safety Dance (1982) Men Without Hats GMC - Virgin Records Situational Awareness Matters! www.SAMatters.com Situational Awareness Matters Online Academy www.SAMatters.com...
Nov 29, 2016•24 min
One of the ways to improve your situational awareness is to develop a conscious awareness about your awareness. Developing and maintaining situational awareness can be challenging while operating in high stress conditions. Being aware of this and using techniques to ensure you remain in the moment can improve safety. Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com Intro music Safety Dance (1982) Men Without Hats GMC - Virgin Records Situational Awareness Matters! website www.SAMatters.com Firefighter ...
Nov 22, 2016•32 min
It is important for a commander to have situational awareness about the resources available and to use that knowledge to drive decisions. Setting strategy without consideration to the quantity and quality of resources can be very risky. This episode explores how to develop situational awareness about resource availability. Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com Intro music Safety Dance (1982) Men Without Hats GMC - Virgin Records Situational Awareness Matters! website www.SAMatters.com Firefi...
Nov 15, 2016•25 min
One of the problems that can happen while working in high stress, time compressed environments is a person can develop a flawed perception of reality. When this happens, they will not realize it until something happens that allows them to see their perception was flawed. This is where the devil’s advocate can help. This episode explains how. Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com Intro music Safety Dance (1982) Men Without Hats GMC - Virgin Records Situational Awareness Matters! website www.S...
Nov 08, 2016•27 min
One of the most common pieces of feedback received from live events is “Everyone in my department needed to hear this message.” I could not agree more. I realized with this feedback came a challenge to create a convenient, affordable way for every department to train every member. From that inspiration came the Situational Awareness Matters Online Academy. Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com Intro music Safety Dance (1982) Men Without Hats GMC - Virgin Records Situational Awareness Matters...
Nov 01, 2016•22 min
The research I have conducted on the neuroscience of situational awareness and high-risk decision making has been fascinating and extremely enlightening to me. Over the past 9 years, it has been very rewarding to take the lessons of research and apply them for the benefit of first responders. For those who have attended one of my programs, you know these lessons are always shared in friendly ways (i.e., avoiding all the heady terminology of brain science). One of the findings of my research led ...
Oct 25, 2016•26 min
A person suffering from auditory exclusion will experience temporary hearing loss. While it is most often identified and associated with individuals who are working in high stress environments, the truth is it can happen to any of us at any time. We will discuss how it happens and how it impacts situational awareness. Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com Intro music Safety Dance (1982) Men Without Hats GMC - Virgin Records Situational Awareness Matters! website www.SAMatters.com Firefighter...
Oct 18, 2016•35 min
Beaver Dam (WI) Fire Chief, Alan Mannel, was working as a police officer in Crete, Illinois where a suspect opened fire on officers while they were attempting to apprehend him following a shooting incident in a neighboring Park Forest. Then-patrolman Mannel, ended up discharging his weapon three times, though he only remembered shooting twice. He also described experiencing a mild form of auditory exclusion where sounds – including not hearing the multiple shots fired by officers and by the assa...
Oct 11, 2016•57 min
Lieutenant Jarrod Sergi attended one of my situational awareness programs in Virginia earlier this year and during the program we discussed, among many other topics, the impact of sleep inertia on awareness and decision making. A few months after the class Lieutenant Sergi and his crew were responding to a late-night residential dwelling fire and he experienced the impact of sleep inertia. This compelled him to contact me and to share his experience. He agreed to come on to the podcast and to te...
Oct 04, 2016•58 min
It is not uncommon for responders to be told: “If you see something that is causing you a concern, speak up.” And everyone nods their heads in the affirmative. But when it comes right down to it… will they? From the discussions I’ve had with first responders I don’t think the answer is as cut and dried as you might think. In this episode we will explore why and I’ll offer some suggestions for how to get them to speak up. Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com Intro music Safety Dance (1982) M...
Sep 27, 2016•39 min
On February 14, 2014 the Birmingham Fire Department was dispatched to a residential dwelling fire at 0130. On arrival the first-in company reported heavy fire conditions on the CD corner of the house. There were two vehicles on the property, one of the vehicles had three car seats in it. This gave the IC a strong indication there were people still in the house, including children. Despite the challenging conditions, crews entered with the mission of fire containment and search and rescue. As con...
Sep 20, 2016•1 hr 8 min
One of the best ways we can learn how to be safer is to learn from our mistakes. Truly, haven’t we all said “I’ve learned more from the mistakes I’ve made in life than the things I’ve done right.” The same thing can be said about our service as first responders. There is a lot to learn from mistakes – ours and others. That’s assuming the mistakes that resulted in near-miss events and lessons learned are shared with others. Unfortunately, many times they are not. I will discuss why they are not s...
Sep 13, 2016•34 min
Your chances of getting killed in a commercial airline accident while traveling with one of the top 20 U.S. carriers is roughly 1:87 million. As a researcher and practitioner of first responder safety this incredible safety statistic causes me to contemplate how the airlines have been able to create such an impeccable safety record. In this episode we explore how a facilitated debriefing can help first responder agencies improve safety. Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com Intro music Safet...
Sep 06, 2016•33 min
As we train first responders to improve situational awareness it is important the lessons include a list of both positive and negative clues and cues. Clues and cues are another way of saying “information”… the information you gather and process that forms your situational awareness. In the context of developing situational awareness, positive and negative clues and cues does not mean good and bad information… Rather, positive and negative means present and absent. The positive clues and cues ar...
Aug 30, 2016•30 min
Locus of control is a psychological principal that refers to the extent to which a person feels they are in control of the events that can affect their life, well-being or success. It is often associated with how a person views what happens to them in life and who is responsible for their successes and failures. I recently came across some research on the topic of locus of control that got me wondering about the correlation it may have to first responder safety and risk taking. Our sponsor: Midw...
Aug 23, 2016•23 min
First responders can experience three types of stress: Acute stress, episodic acute stress and chronic stress. This episode explores how stress can impact a first responder’s situational awareness and, equally concerning, how stress can have devastating long-term impacts on a responder’s health and wellness. Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com Intro music Safety Dance (1982) Men Without Hats GMC - Virgin Records Situational Awareness Matters! website www.SAMatters.com Firefighter Near Miss...
Aug 16, 2016•33 min
Instructor John Dixon discusses the normalization of deviance, complacency, groupthink and more. He offers ideas about how to recognize the problem and recommends best practices for individuals and organizations for how to overcome this challenging – and potentially deadly – phenomenon. Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com Intro music Safety Dance (1982) Men Without Hats GMC - Virgin Records Guest Information John Dixon InstructorJohnDixon.com Twitter: @InstructorDixon Facebook: Instructor ...
Aug 09, 2016•1 hr 3 min
On January 19, 2009 the West Metro Fire Department responded to a well-involved, wind-driven residential dwelling fire. This multiple alarm fire was their second for the evening. Previously, the same companies had worked a multiple alarm garden-style apartment building fire. During this interview, Division Chief Dan Phannenstiel discusses what happened at both fires and the near-miss event that gave rise to him completing a lessons learned evaluation. Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com In...
Aug 02, 2016•47 min
On January 19, 2009 the West Metro Fire Department responded to a well-involved, wind-driven residential dwelling fire. This multiple alarm fire was their second for the evening. Previously, the same companies had worked a multiple alarm garden-style apartment building fire. During this interview, Division Chief Dan Phannenstiel discusses what happened at both fires and the near-miss event that gave rise to him completing a lessons learned evaluation. Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com In...
Jul 26, 2016•51 min
On May 22, 2010, John Glaser, a 33-year-old career fire fighter died while conducting a primary search of a residential house fire. Firefighter Glaser vomited in his SCBA face piece and then removed it, causing him to inhale products of combustion. The fire was reported by automatic alarm at 8:55 p.m. Saturday at 13408 W. 75th Court, according to fire officials. When firefighters arrived, they found the home burning out of control. Neighbors told firefighters they thought two people and a dog we...
Jul 19, 2016•59 min
On May 22, 2010, John Glaser, a 33-year-old career fire fighter died while conducting a primary search of a residential house fire. Firefighter Glaser vomited in his SCBA face piece and then removed it, causing him to inhale products of combustion. The fire was reported by automatic alarm at 8:55 p.m. Saturday at 13408 W. 75th Court, according to fire officials. When firefighters arrived, they found the home burning out of control. Neighbors told firefighters they thought two people and a dog we...
Jul 12, 2016•1 hr 2 min
This episode explores two near-miss events involving vehicle fires. The first comes from a Situational Awareness Matters member and the second from the National Near-Miss reporting system. In both cases if circumstances were just slightly different there could have been a significant catastrophic outcome. Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com Intro music Safety Dance (1982) Men Without Hats GMC - Virgin Records Situational Awareness Matters! website www.SAMatters.com Firefighter Near Miss Re...
Jul 05, 2016•34 min
A few years ago I had the honor of presenting at a conference called Fire Asia. It was hosted in Hong Kong and brought together fire professionals from Asia, Europe and Australia. While there, I received a tour of the Hong Kong Fire Department training center. One of the things that stood out to me is how they use noise to impact awareness while training responders. This episode shares my observations from the Hong Kong Fire Service and what we can learn from their use of noise during training. ...
Jun 28, 2016•30 min
The red flags discussed in the episode are clues and cues that provide conscious (overt) awareness of what is going on or subconscious (covert) awareness of what may be going on. The red flags are clues and cues that indicate things may not be right for an interior entry. Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com Intro music Safety Dance (1982) Men Without Hats GMC - Virgin Records Situational Awareness Matters! website www.SAMatters.com Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System http://www.firefigh...
Jun 21, 2016•30 min
There is a three stage process to develop and maintain situational awareness that starts with perception and then advances to understanding and, finally, culminates with prediction – the ability to anticipate future events before they happen. In this episode, I provide a framework for how to predict outcomes. Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com Intro music Safety Dance (1982) Men Without Hats GMC - Virgin Records Situational Awareness Matters! website www.SAMatters.com Firefighter Near Mis...
Jun 14, 2016•27 min
If you are a student of near-miss and casualty reports then you know, without a doubt, that flawed communications is a major contributing factor when things go wrong and flawed communications is often a factor when the quality of situational awareness erodes. In fact, flawed communications was the second most frequently cited barrier to flawed situational awareness in my research, second only to staffing issues. But how does communications get so messed up at emergency scenes? This episode explo...
Jun 07, 2016•37 min
This Q&A session addresses three questions from recent live situational awareness programs. Much of the inspiration for the blog posts come from participant questions but this may be the first podcast episode dedicated to questions asked during live events. The three questions we address include: What can I do to improve my intuition? What can I do as first responders to combat information overload? How can I tell when my perception of reality is flawed? Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire...
May 31, 2016•51 min
