In the early morning hours of January 17, 2016, Chesterfield County Fire & EMS responded to a residential fire on Wicklow Lane that would result in fire civilian fire fatalities, including 2 children. This three-part interview chronicles the event, the situational awareness challenges and the lessons learned from the first-in captain and the first arriving battalion chief. Contact Us www.SAMatters.com www.RichGasaway.com 612-548-4424 (office) Let’s Get connected Facebook: Follow SAMatters Li...
Apr 28, 2020•37 min•Ep. 318
Episode 315 focused on the process for developing and maintaining situational awareness. The program was very engaging and there were over 40 questions asked. This episode is part 2 of a 2-part episode addresses the questions. During this Pandemic, I have heard the term situational awareness spoken more times than I can ever remember. Media pundits, medical experts, emergency managers – they’re all telling us it’s important to maintain situational awareness. In one respect, this warms my heart b...
Apr 21, 2020•59 min•Ep. 317
Episode 315 focused on the process for developing and maintaining situational awareness. The program was very engaging and there were over 40 questions asked. This episode is part 1 of a 2-part episode addresses the questions. During this Pandemic, I have heard the term situational awareness spoken more times than I can ever remember. Media pundits, medical experts, emergency managers – they’re all telling us it’s important to maintain situational awareness. In one respect, this warms my heart b...
Apr 14, 2020•44 min•Ep. 316
During this Pandemic, I have heard the term situational awareness spoken more times than I can ever remember. Media pundits, medical experts, emergency managers – they’re all telling us it’s important to maintain situational awareness. In one respect, this warms my heart because situational awareness has been my passion topic for more than 15 years. But in other respects, it causes me to worry because most people have very little understanding about what situational awareness is or how to develo...
Apr 07, 2020•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 315
During this Pandemic, you might experience three types of stress: Acute stress, episodic acute stress and chronic stress. This episode explores how stress can impact your situational awareness and, equally concerning, how stress can have devastating long-term impacts on your health and wellness. Contact Us www.SAMatters.com www.RichGasaway.com 612-548-4424 (office) Let’s Get connected Facebook: Follow SAMatters LinkedIn: Follow Rich Gasaway Twitter: Follow Rich Gasaway Instagram: Follow SA_Matte...
Mar 31, 2020•26 min•Ep. 314
The world made a major shift in March, 2020. Very quickly and unexpectedly, I lost 44 scheduled programs and now have no work scheduled until September. But I am not alone. This new world order, if we can even call it order, is impacting everyone. This episode will address some of my concerns about the situational awareness impact when there is so much worry, anxiety, frustration, confusion and information overload.
Mar 24, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 313
While attending the Maryland Fire & Rescue Institute’s National Fire Service Staff & Command School I had an opportunity to interview Washington, D.C. Fire Lieutenant, Jeff Dickey. Jeff was on the second alarm assignment to a structure fire incident where a firefighter fell through the floor and died. Jeff’s crew was able to locate and remove the fallen firefighter.
Mar 17, 2020•59 min•Ep. 312
Contact Us www.SAMatters.com www.RichGasaway.com 612-548-4424 (office) 651-331-8518 (cell) Get connected with SAMatters Facebook: Follow SAMatters LinkedIn: Follow Rich Gasaway Twitter: Follow Rich Gasaway Instagram: Follow SA_Matters Youtube: Subscribe to SAMattersTV Itunes: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio Stitcher Radio: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio Google Play: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio iHeart Radio: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio Premier Sponsor Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com Associate Sponsor C...
Mar 10, 2020•56 min•Ep. 311
Laverne Friesen was a guest on Episodes 301 and 302, talking about his mental health near-miss. Upon the completion of the recording, he mentioned to me that his wife has a powerful story to share about how this journey has impacted her and their relationship. This is their joint mental health mayday story. You may want to also go back and listen to his previous interview which contains many additional details not included in this interview. Show Notes Contact Us www.SAMatters.com www.RichGasawa...
Mar 03, 2020•52 min•Ep. 310
This interview with Battalion Chief Troy Elmore, Firefighter/Acting Captain Brian Oullette, and Firefighter/EMT Jason Shuck shares their powerful story and lessons learned from becoming victims of carbon monoxide poisoning while operating on the scene of an EMS call on September 11, 2019. Contact Us www.SAMatters.com www.RichGasaway.com 612-548-4424 (office) 651-331-8518 (cell) Get connected with SAMatters Facebook: Follow SAMatters LinkedIn: Follow Rich Gasaway Twitter: Follow Rich Gasaway Inst...
Feb 25, 2020•49 min•Ep. 309
This interview with Battalion Chief Troy Elmore, Firefighter/Acting Captain Brian Oullette, and Firefighter/EMT Jason Shuck, shares their powerful story and lessons learned from becoming victims of carbon monoxide poisoning while operating on the scene of an EMS call on September 11, 2019. www.SAMatters.com www.RichGasaway.com 612-548-4424 (office) 651-331-8518 (cell) Get connected with SAMatters Facebook: Follow SAMatters LinkedIn: Follow Rich Gasaway Twitter: Follow Rich Gasaway Instagram: Fol...
Feb 18, 2020•43 min•Ep. 308
The fire service continues to be plagued by occupational health risks that have been directly related to the rigors of firefighting. The author has written about and published on these extensively terming it the three-legged stool. The three legs of the stool are fire service cardiovascular deaths and disability, occupational cancer threats and behavioral health disorders including suicide. Sadly, all three of these occupational risks can be minimized but are often not through annual early detec...
Feb 11, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 307
The IAFC’s Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System has been undergoing substantial changes in 2019 to improve functionality and provide better services to its users and stakeholders and 2020 looks to be no different. With a new technology partner, Envisage Technologies that oversees the Acadis Portal and FirstForward Training and Exposure Tracking, new deliverables are in the works to allow a better learning experience from near miss reports. The Near Miss Program also is looking to further promo...
Feb 04, 2020•45 min•Ep. 306
The IAFC’s Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System has been undergoing substantial changes in 2019 to improve functionality and provide better services to its users and stakeholders and 2020 looks to be no different. With a new technology partner, Envisage Technologies that oversees the Acadis Portal and FirstForward Training and Exposure Tracking, new deliverables are in the works to allow a better learning experience from near miss reports. The Near Miss Program also is looking to further promo...
Jan 28, 2020•48 min•Ep. 305
On July 3, 2019, the Atascocita Fire Department responded to a commercial building fire at Coach’s Sports Bar. First arriving units reported heavy smoke showing. This interview is with incident command staff: Fire Chief Mike Mulligan, Battalion Chief David Roark, and Battalion Chief Brian Mulligan. The interview is supported by dashcam video. The episode is dedicated to the memory of Lieutenant Jared Snell, the officer on the first-in company. Tragically, Lt. Snell died in a motor vehicle accide...
Jan 21, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 304
On July 3, 2019, the Atascocita Fire Department responded to a commercial building fire at Coach’s Sports Bar. First arriving units reported heavy smoke showing. This interview is with incident command staff: Fire Chief Mike Mulligan, Battalion Chief David Roark, and Battalion Chief Brian Mulligan. The interview is supported by dash cam video. The episode is dedicated to the memory of Lieutenant Jared Snell, the officer on the first-in company. Tragically, Lt. Snell died in a motor vehicle accid...
Jan 14, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 303
Laverne Friesen spent his career in a variety of first responder positions in Alberta, Canada. His experiences include healthcare, volunteer firefighter and a sworn law enforcement officer. This has exposed him to the best and worst of what people do to themselves and to others. After his battle with mental illness, Laverne committed himself to starting conversations to destigmatize mental illness in first responders, which has led to the realization that the issues plaguing the emergency servic...
Jan 07, 2020•56 min•Ep. 302
Laverne Friesen spent his career in a variety of first responder positions in Alberta, Canada. His experiences include healthcare, volunteer firefighter and a sworn law enforcement officer. This has exposed him to the best and worst of what people do to themselves and to others. After his battle with mental illness, Laverne committed himself to starting conversations to destigmatize mental illness in first responders, which has led to the realization that the issues plaguing the emergency servic...
Dec 31, 2019•53 min•Ep. 301
Ryan Pennington is the Lieutenant-Paramedic currently serving with the Charleston WV. Fire Department. Ryan is assigned to Ladder 456 in the Kanawha City area of Charleston. He has over 22 years of fire-EMS experience serving in various types of departments and has been serving the Charleston WV Fire Department for 11 years. Ryan has lectured and trained thousands of firefighters and fire departments from across the United States and internationally both at their departments and at large confere...
Dec 24, 2019•57 min•Ep. 300
Midwest Fire has been the Platinum sponsor of our show since 2014 and this episode showcases their company and allows our listeners and viewers to learn more about this amazing fire apparatus builder. Contact Us www.SAMatters.com www.RichGasaway.com 612-548-4424 (office) 651-331-8518 (cell) Get connected with SAMatters Facebook: Follow SAMatters LinkedIn: Follow Rich Gasaway Twitter: Follow Rich Gasaway Instagram: Follow SA_Matters Youtube: Subscribe to SAMattersTV Itunes: Subscribe to SAMatters...
Dec 17, 2019•58 min•Ep. 299
Roree Payment has just completed his first year as the Chief of the Clearview Fire and Emergency Services. Prior to that he was the Deputy Fire Chief for the department for the previous 5.5yrs. Having a love for the fire service and being blessed with many great opportunities his 20-year career has taken him through 3 different departments including paid-on-call, composite and career. He is strongly supported by his family, all 5 ladies and very thankful for the people who have taken chances on ...
Dec 10, 2019•51 min•Ep. 298
Roree Payment has just completed his first year as the Chief of the Clearview Fire and Emergency Services. Prior to that he was the Deputy Fire Chief for the department for the previous 5.5yrs. Having a love for the fire service and being blessed with many great opportunities his 20-year career has taken him through 3 different departments including paid-on-call, composite and career. He is strongly supported by his family, all 5 ladies and very thankful for the people who have taken chances on ...
Dec 03, 2019•47 min•Ep. 297
In this episode, we review the Overconfidence chapter of my new book, How Smart Workers Use Situational Awareness to Improve Safety. Really smart and talented workers can drift over into a minefield of overconfidence – a place the organization really doesn’t want them to be. Unfortunately, the worker may not even realize they’ve drifted onto this dangerous minefield. What causes the drift? From my observation of hundreds of casualty events it is this: Shortcutting best practices while being rewa...
Nov 26, 2019•28 min•Ep. 296
Stress can have a significant, and undesirable impact on a worker’s memory and recall. This 2-part episode from a live presentation explains and demonstrates the undesirable impacts of stress
Nov 19, 2019•34 min•Ep. 295
Stress can have a significant, and undesirable impact on a worker’s memory and recall. This 2-part episode from a live presentation explains and demonstrates the undesirable impacts of stress.
Nov 12, 2019•30 min•Ep. 294
At the time of the call, Mike Beutler responded as a volunteer firefighter with the Happy Valley Fire District (Oregon) to a commercial structure fire in a strip mall in the neighboring community of Damascus. Upon arrival, they found a True Value Hardware store fully involved with flames through the roof and blowing out the front windows. While operating a hand line from the exterior, Mike stepped under the mansard overhang to advance to the front windows of the now fully involved auto parts sto...
Nov 05, 2019•35 min•Ep. 293
At the time of the call, Mike Beutler responded as a volunteer firefighter with the Happy Valley Fire District (Oregon) to a commercial structure fire in a strip mall in the neighboring community of Damascus. Upon arrival, they found a True Value Hardware store fully involved with flames through the roof and blowing out the front windows. While operating a hand line from the exterior, Mike stepped under the mansard overhang to advance to the front windows of the now fully involved auto parts sto...
Oct 29, 2019•32 min•Ep. 292
Ron Hunter is a Lieutenant with the Spartanburg (South Carolina) Fire Department, working out of the Southside station. He has been with the City for 23 years, starting out as a firefighter and advancing to the driver of the Rescue, to shift training coordinator, to the driver of the truck company, to his currently held Lieutenant position. He is the recipient of the department’s life-saving awards in 1998 and 2005 and was named firefighter of the year in 1997. Contact Us www.SAMatters.com www.R...
Oct 22, 2019•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 291
The AskRail mobile app is a safety tool that provides first responders immediate access to accurate, timely data about what type of hazardous materials a railcar is carrying so they can make an informed decision about how to respond to a rail emergency. AskRail® is a backup resource if information from the train conductor or train consist is not available. AskRail® was designed to give first responders immediate information about railcars carrying hazardous materials and be an invaluable tool fo...
Oct 15, 2019•36 min•Ep. 290
I wrote the book “How Smart Workers Use Situational Awareness to Improve Safety to help front-line workers, supervisors, safety managers, and executives understand how to develop and maintain situational awareness and how to use situational awareness to improve high-risk decision making. Contact Us www.SAMatters.com www.RichGasaway.com 612-548-4424 (office) 651-331-8518 (cell) Get connected with SAMatters Facebook: Follow SAMatters LinkedIn: Follow Rich Gasaway Twitter: Follow Rich Gasaway Insta...
Oct 08, 2019•33 min•Ep. 289
