SAMatters Radio

On Dec. 19, 2016 at 1:05pm, the Virginia Fire Department responded to a report of an apartment building fire in the 700 block of 5th Avenue South.  Noting a change in smoke conditions, the incident commander ordered an evacuation just moments before a smoke explosion rocked the building and it was all caught on video (link to the video below).     Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com   Virgin...

  In this episode, we discuss the Synergist - the person who seeks others who are like-minded and tends to side with their compatriots point of view regardless of the presence of mounting evidence that refutes the position of those who are like-minded. Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com   Intro music Safety Dance (1982) Men Without Hats GMC - Virgin Records Licensed by BMI Music   Situation...

  In this episode, we discuss the Slacker: A person who avoids work or effort. I think we all knew that already. The slacker does the least amount of work possible to remain employed. They are a minimal contributor and seem to be content in their mediocrity. Getting them to get enthusiastic about work is like trying to get a lazy dog to fetch a stick. Or, less generously, it is like trying to teac...

  In this episode, we discuss the super hero dangerous mindset. You might think of this as the person who sees him or herself as unstoppable, bullet proof, invulnerable or invincible. The super hero can leap tall buildings in a single bound, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to run faster than a speeding bullet. In other words, they think they have super powers and super abilities. The onl...

  This episode discusses the history of SAMatters and Dr. Gasaway shares his background and the work he has done to improve first responder situational awareness and high-risk decision making.   Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com   Intro music Safety Dance (1982) Men Without Hats GMC - Virgin Records Licensed by BMI Music   Situational Awareness Matters! website www. SAMatters.com   Firefig...

The silent individual members, for whatever reason, may not speak up even if something is going horribly wrong. This can have devastating consequences on first responder safety because the Silent member may see something very important for the safety of personnel operating at the scene, and yet, never say a word. Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com   Intro music Safety Dance (1982) Men Witho...

  In this episode, we discuss the stubborn – an individual that is set in their ways, closed minded and perhaps even defiant. Their narrowed view can impact relationships and, more importantly, their situational awareness. Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com   Intro music Safety Dance (1982) Men Without Hats GMC - Virgin Records Licensed by BMI Music   Situational Awareness Matters! website...

  This episode discusses the boss who lets his or her authority get the best of their judgment or that boss who suffers from feelings of inadequacy (inferiority) that results in a dangerous mindset that can harm the safety of first responders.     Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com   Intro music Safety Dance (1982) Men Without Hats GMC - Virgin Records Licensed by BMI Music   Situational Aw...

This episode is part three of a nine-part serious on dangerous mindsets that first responders can develop and I offer some advice for dealing with each. This week we talk about the Specialist, (a.k.a. The Know-it-all).   A specialist is someone who takes the effort to acquire a higher level of training on a specialty topic. A specialist can be a tremendous asset, especially when an incident occurs...

This episode is part two of a nine-part serious on dangerous mindsets that first responders can develop and I offer some advice for dealing with each.      Last week we started off the series by talking about the starter mindset… the mindset of the brand-new responder. This week we talk about the Subordinate. __________________________________________________________________ Our sponsor: Midwest F...

Everyone of us should be able to relate to this mindset. We have all been there, albeit some more recently than others. Being the new responder can be a scary ordeal. I recall how intimidated I was just learning how to properly don my turnout gear. In fact, when I first joined I did not know what I did not know. And that's what this episode explores – the mindset of the starter.   Our sponsor: Mid...

Have you ever driven your vehicle somewhere, arrived at your destination and wondered to yourself "How did I get here?" If so, you have experienced mind drift. This can happen when you're driving your car, sitting in a classroom, or performing a high-risk activity. And when it happens, it can have a catastrophic impact on your situational awareness.   Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com   In...

James Johnson is a Firefighter for Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  He is currently assigned to Firehouse 1 and is part of the Special Operations Technical Rescue Team, as well as Canada Task Force One USAR Team. James is a certified Fire Service Instructor II and teaches at the Justice Institute of British Columbia in the Fire and Safety Division. Before...

First responder training is often conducted in topical segments. One week it might be fire attack. The next week the training might focus on search and rescue and the next week on forcible entry. There is a reason a football team conducts a scrimmage, or why actors in a play conduct a full-dress rehearsal. This episode discusses the value of putting all the training segments together into one comp...

Fear is one of two emotions that drive all human behavior. The other is desire.  Whatever a first responder chooses to do, or not do, is based on one of these two emotional drives.  This episode discuses how fear can compel responders to do undesirable, and sometimes dangerous, things at emergency scenes. Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com   Intro music Safety Dance (1982) Men Without Hats...

There's no doubt that in dynamically changing, high-risk, high-consequence environments someone could be called upon to perform many varied tasks, some at the same time. When staffing levels are low, the likelihood of this situation can increase significantly. The problem this creates is the brain does not perform well when task saturated, especially in stressful situations.   Our sponsor: Midwest...

We see with our brains, not with our eyes.  The eyes are simply a tool to gather photons of light. The processing of images happens in the visual cortex (in the back of your brain). There is also an interesting thing that happens as we listen to information. We also draw pictures in our brain. This is what I call the pre-arrival lens and it can set a responder up for success or it can cause some s...

There are two types of memory we will discuss in this episode, short-term and long-term. Both play important roles in helping first responders develop and maintain situational awareness. Here, we will explain how.   Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com   Intro music Safety Dance (1982) Men Without Hats GMC - Virgin Records   Situational Awareness Matters! website www. SAMatters.com Situationa...

At the time of the fire, Rick Mehaffey served as an engineer for the Waynesville Fire Department, a combination department that runs 2500 calls a year out of two stations. (He has since been promoted to Captain.) At the time of the near miss event the staffing levels was 1 person on-duty at each of two stations, supplemented by roughly 30 volunteers. At 0759 the fire department was dispatched to a...

Confabulation is a fascinating phenomenon where a person's brain can make up its own reality and the individual it happens to will not realize that what they believe to be fact is, indeed, a figment of their imagination. Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com   Intro music Safety Dance (1982) Men Without Hats GMC - Virgin Records   Situational Awareness Matters! website www. SAMatters.com Situa...

In this episode, Madison Firefighter Cameron Gasaway shares his observations about why it is so hard for a new firefighter to speak up when they think something is going wrong. We also share a real-life experience Cameron had when he was presented with an opportunity to speak up. In his words, it was one of the worst feelings he'd ever had.   Our sponsor: Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com   Intro music...

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 Withou...

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 carefu...

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.   Ou...

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   Situa...