SITUATIONALAWARENESS

SITUATIONAL AWARENESSAS DEFINED BY THE US COAST GUARD

IT IS THE ABILITY TO IDENTIFY, PROCESS, AND COMPREHEND THE CRITICAL ELEMENTS OF INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE TEAM WITH REGARDS TO THE MISSION

IF YOU HAVE SITUATIONAL AWARENNESS YOU CONSTANTLY KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING AROUND YOU AND WHERE YOU ARE IN RELATION TO THREATS

SITUATIONAL AWARENNESS IS TAUGHT IN MANY WARRIOR CIRCLES

SO WHY SHOULD WE NOT TEACH IT TO THE FIRE SERVICE

AS FIREFIGHTERS THE NEED TO MAINTAIN SITUATIONAL AWARENESS SHOULD BE OBVIOUS.

WE OPERATE IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THREATS CAN COME FROM ANY DIRECTION, LEFT AND RIGHT, IN FRONT AND BEHIND AND ABOVE AND BELOW

WE MUST KNOW WHERE WE ARE WITH-IN THE “BATTLE SPACE” WHICH IS THE FIRE BUILDING

WE MUST KNOW WHERE WE ARE IN RELATION TO THE SEAT OF THE FIRE

WE MUST KNOW WHERE THE OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR CREW, AND THE LARGER SUPPRESSION TEAM ARE

FOR A FIREFIGHTER THE LOSS OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS MEANS THAT HE NO LONGER IS AWARE OF WHERE HE IS IN RELATION TO THE “BUBBLE”

THE 360 DEGREE “BUBBLE” THAT WE OPERATE IN AT EVERY STRUCTUAL FIRE

YOU WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO ACCURATELY INTERPRET THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOUR ACTIONS, NOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SUPPRESSION AND RESCUE EFFORTS AS A WHOLE

A LOSS OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS CAN LEAD DIRECTLY TO DISORIENTATION

CAN WE TEACH SITUATIONAL AWARENESS?

YES! IT IS A COGNITIVE SKILL AND CAN BE TAUGHT

DEPENDING ON YOUR FIRE SERVICE EXPERIENCE YOU MAY ALREADY BE USING AN EFFECTIVE MEANS OF TEACHING SITUATIONAL AWARENESS

THE WILDLAND FIREFIGHTING COMMUNITY IS VERY EFFECTIVE AT DEVELOPING SKILLS IN SITUATIONAL AWARENESS

FOR STRUCTURAL FIREFIGHTERS WE CAN START TEACHING THE SKILLS IN A CLASSROOM

WE NEED TO BEGIN WITH EXAMINING THE ELEMENTS THAT LEAD TO MAINTAINING OR LOOSING

“THE BUBBLE”

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE WE HAVE AS FIREFIGHTERS IS WE NEED TO DO THIS OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM FOR REAL IN STRESSFULL FIREFIGHTING CONDITIONS

THINK ABOUT THE GUY IN PUMP OPS CLASS THAT KNOWS THE NUMBERS INSIDE AND OUT BUT WHEN HE GETS TO HIS FIRST FIRE HE IS OVERWHELMED

THE THREE ELEMENTS TO SITUATIONAL AWARENESS

PERCEPTION

COMPREHENDTION

PREDICTION

PERCEPTION

WE NEED TO PRECEIVE A THREAT

LACK OF PERCEPTION IS ANOTHER WAY TO DESCRIBE “TUNNEL VISION”

LACK OF PERCEPTION CAN HAPPEN AT ANYTIME DURING FIREFIGHTING OPERATIONS. DISPATCH, ARRIVAL ON SCENE, OR MIDDLE OF OPERATION

PRECEPTION IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO PHYSICAL

FITNESS

COMPREHENDTION

WE CAN PRECEIVE ALL WE WANT BUT IF WE DON’T COMPREHEND A THREAT WHAT GOOD IS OUR PRECEPTION

WE HAVE “COMBAT SENSES” BUT BECAUSE WE ARE DOING MORE EMS OR OTHER TECHNICAL STUFF AND LESS STRUCTURAL FIREFIGHTING WE ARE LOSING WHAT THOSE SENSES ARE AND ARE ABILITY TO COMPREHEND A THREAT

ALL ASPECTS OF OUR JOB ARE IMPORTANT BUT WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT THE HIGH RISK/LOW FREQUENCY SKILLS OF FIREFIGHTING ARE PRACTICED MORE FREQUENTLY IN A BURNING STRUCTURE.

PREDICTION

THIS IS THE FINAL ELEMENT AND IT IS TAKING THE PERCEIVED THREATS AND COMPREHENDING THEM AND THEN PREDICTING WHAT THE POTENTIAL EFFECTS WILL BE

EVERYTHING WE DO ON THE FIREGROUND OR AT AN INCIDENT SCENE IS ABOUT MAINTAINING “RELATIVE SAFETY”

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS WILL ALLOW YOU TO CHOOSE A COURSE OF ACTION THAT WILL HELP YOU MAINTAIN “RELATIVE SAFETY”

THE BOYD LOOP

OBSERVE

ORIENT

DECIDE

ACT

BY USING THE BOYD LOOP YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CHOOSE THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION TO MITIGATE THE IMMEDIATE THREAT AND CONTINUE ON WITH YOUR MISSION

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS IS THE SKILL SET THAT ALLOWS YOU TO PERFORM THE OBSERVE AND ORIENT FUNCTIONS OF THE BOYD LOOP

TRAINING SITUATIONAL AWARENESS

TO MAINTAIN THE ABILITY OF HAVING SITUATIONAL AWARENESS WE RELY ON OUR TRAINING, OUR JUDGMENT AND OUR PERSONAL CONDITION

A LACK OF COMPETENCY, OR EVEN A TEMPORARY LACK OF FOCUS CAN LEAD TO A CHAIN OF EVENTS THAT MAY BE CATASTROPHIC OR EVEN FATAL

JUDGMENT

THE PROCESS OF FORMING AN OPINION OR EVALUATION BY DISCERNING AND COMPARING

THE ABILITY TO CHOOSE THE BEST OPTION TO RESPOND TO A GIVEN SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES.

MAKING GOOD “TACTICAL DECISSIONS” OR JUDGMENTS USE TO COME FROM EXPERIENCE BUT WITH THE TREND OF DWINDLING STRUCTUAL FIRES WE NEED TO GIVE OUR FIREFIGHTERS THE ABILITY TO DEVELOP EXPERIENCE THROUGH REALISTIC, LIVE FIRE TRAINING

PERSONAL CONDITION

WE NEED TO BE MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY PREPARED TO PERFORM THE JOB

IF YOU ARE DISTRACTED BY SITUATIONS AND CIRCUMSTANCES YOU ARE PLACING YOURSELF AND OTHERS AT RISK

IF YOU ARE NOT PHYSICALLY FIT YOU ARE DOING THE SAME

EFFECTIVELY TRAINING OUR FIREMEN TO MAINTAIN SITUATIONAL AWARENESS REQUIRES THAT WE ENGAGE IN RELISTIC, SCENARIO BASED TRAINING. WE MUST PUSH THEM TO CONFRONT EXPERIENCES THAT ARE DIFICULT, THAT SCARE THEM, SO THAT THEY CAN DEVELOP THE ABILITY TO MANAGE NOT ONLY CRITICAL FIRE GROUND TASKS, BUT ALSO THE INEVITABLE ANXIETY REACTIONS THAT OCCUR. IF YOU CANNOT KEEP YOURSELF CALM AND FOCUSED, ANXIETY WILL LEAD TO A LOSS OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS.

A LOSS OF SITUATIONAL AWARENNESS CAN LEAD TO FIREFIGHTER FATALITY