SAMatters Radio

Scott Gieselhart served 24 years as a firefighter in Frazee, Minnesota. Along the way, several incidents contributed to Scott developing a Post Traumatic Stress Injury that resulted in him becoming a meth addict and attempting suicide.  Then Scott found help and through a treatment known as EMDR, his PTSI was healed and how he serves as a mental health counsellor.     Contact Us www. SAMatters.com...

Scott Gieselhart served 24 years as a firefighter in Frazee, Minnesota. Along the way, several incidents contributed to Scott developing a Post Traumatic Stress Injury that resulted in him becoming a meth addict and attempting suicide.  Then Scott found help and through a treatment known as EMDR, his PTSI was healed and how he serves as a mental health counsellor.     Contact Us www. SAMatters.com...

Throughout his 43-year career, retired fire chief Jim Arie had experienced multiple near-miss events.  He'll discuss a few of them but none were as sobering as the one that occurred in March 2020, when Jim and his wife were held-up at gunpoint in their driveway and their car was stolen.    Contact Us www. SAMatters.com   www. RichGasaway.com   612-548-4424 (office)   Let's Get connected   Facebook...

Throughout his 43-year career, retired fire chief Jim Arie had experienced multiple near-miss events.  He'll discuss a few of them but none were as sobering as the one that occurred in March 2020, when Jim and his wife were held-up at gunpoint in their driveway and their car was stolen.    Contact Us www. SAMatters.com   www. RichGasaway.com   612-548-4424 (office)   Let's Get connected   Facebook...

While there are more than 100 barriers that can flaw situational awareness, this episode focuses on 7 that can be particularly challenging to first responders.     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_Matters Youtube: Subscribe t...

You might think that by now the importance of completing a 360-degree size-up would be second nature for firefighters.  But it's not.  In fact, failing to complete a proper size-up remains one of the most often cited contributing factors in NIOSH Line-of-Duty death reports.  There are lots of reasons why proper size-ups are not completed. Here we will explore 10 of them.   Contact Us www. SAMatter...

The pandemic has been tough on everyone, especially first responders who have stepped up to the task.  But for many first response agencies, the worst is yet to come as the economic fallout will likely create budget shortfalls that will, in turn, cause fire departments to reduce staffing and services.  This show looks at the impact of reduced staffing on safety. www. SAMatters.com www. RichGasaway...

Bravado is defined as "a bold manner or a show of boldness intended to impress or intimidate."  A co-worker or boss displaying bravado can be dangerous because their need to impress or intimidate can cause them to miss critical clues and cues and flaw their situational awareness.   www. SAMatters.com   www. RichGasaway.com   612-548-4424 (office)   Let's Get connected   Facebook: Follow SAMatters...

There are three component parts to situational awareness – perception, understanding and prediction.  There are barriers that can impact awareness on all three levels. The application of best practices can help incident commanders reduce the impact of barriers.   Contact Us www. SAMatters.com www. RichGasaway.com 612-548-4424 (office)   Let's Get connected   Facebook: Follow SAMatters LinkedIn: Fo...

The fear of public speaking consistently ranks near the top of the list in fear surveys.  This won't come as a surprise for many.  But the consequences of not speaking up can be catastrophic for organizations and for the individual gripped by this fear. This episode explores the fear of public speaking and offers some solutions.     Contact Us www. SAMatters.com   www. RichGasaway.com   612-548-44...

Misty Worrell and her partner on Cypress Creek EMS responded to a medical call that would result in two fatalities and the EMS crew being exposed to deadly Methyl Bromide.  Because there is no cure for Methyl Bromide poisoning, Misty, a mother of five children, was instructed to get her affairs in order as she could be dead within 2 weeks. Contact Us www. SAMatters.com   www. RichGasaway.com   612...

Misty Worrell and her partner on Cypress Creek EMS responded to a medical call that would result in two fatalities and the EMS crew being exposed to deadly Methyl Bromide.  Because there is no cure for Methyl Bromide poisoning, Misty, a mother of five children, was instructed to get her affairs in order as she could be dead within 2 weeks.     Contact Us www. SAMatters.com   www. RichGasaway.com  ...

The mission of the Operational Mindset Foundation is to mentally, physically and emotionally prepare those who choose to place themselves in harm's way every day for the benefit of others… and give them the opportunity to experience what safe feels like when they return home. Contact Us www. SAMatters.com   www. RichGasaway.com   612-548-4424 (office)     Let's Get connected   Facebook: Follow SAM...

Situational awareness barriers block a worker's ability to perceive, understand or predict. I have uncovered and researched more than a hundred barriers to awareness. This episode talks about two of the barriers – sensory conflict and mind drift. We also briefly discuss the process for predicting future events.   Contact Us www. SAMatters.com   www. RichGasaway.com   612-548-4424 (office)     Let'...

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. SAMatt...

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. SAMatt...

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. SAMatt...

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...

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'r...

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...

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   Fa...

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 in...

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.

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 R...

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 addi...