Importance of Situational Awareness in the Firehouse

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Firefighters are keenly aware of how crucial situational awareness is on the fire ground, but what part does it play inside the firehouse? Three Battalion Chiefs with the Rancho Cucamonga Fire Protection District recently gave a presentation on this topic at CFEDWest 2010, calling it "Developing a Culture of Awareness Throughout Your Organization."

According to Battalion Chief Mike Costello (Rancho Cucamonga FPD, A-Shift), the topic of situational awareness is very broad and sometimes subjective.  In their presentation at CFEDWest the discussion between he and his two colleagues, Battalion Chief Ivan Rojer (B-Shift) and Battalion Chief James Curatalo (C-Shift) centered around the question, "How does situational awareness impact our organization and our culture?'" The Chiefs' main goal is to instill a set of shared values within their department, so that there is virtually no difference between the Rancho Cucamonga Fire Protection District's three shifts.

Costello explains how that cohesion must take place throughout an entire organization when he says, "If it's taking place in a operations meeting or in the firehouse, it's gonna translate to the fire ground, and ultimately our goal is to have good, quick awareness on the fire ground. To rapidly be able to identify things is the goal for any fire department."

Battalion Chief Ivan Rojer expresses that fire chiefs want fellow fire personnel to become aware of things they are not currently aware of by looking for blind spots and wood blocks, and also to think about the actions that they are about to perform, because for every action, there is a reaction. Rojer wants firefighters to anticipate the outcomes of their actions.

"That discipline, you don't just turn it on when the bell rings. It is a mind set," states Battalion Chief (C-Shift) James Curatalo. That mind set can help firefighters in their job, especially they are in tune with what is going on around them.

The Chiefs also discussed crew resource management, a concept that came from the airline industry, which allows everyone to give input to the pilot. Chief Rojer claims that crew resource management applies to first responders in their business, in that they can only see so much at any given time, so they depend on "good, sound information from others" to help them come up with a plan.

Another topic discussed at CFED West 2010 was the fallacies of logic that affect decision making, one of those being confirmation bias. As stated by Chief Costello, fire personnel tend to look for things that validate whatever plan they have initiated. He claims that first responders sometimes tend to become anchored to their discussions, which can lead to problems on the fire ground.

Costello also explained that once a responder is repeatedly performing a task the same way, and nobody is stepping back to gain a broader awareness, "Things can go wrong real quick." Chief Rojer adds that this principle "applies to your life if you really think about it." He stressed the importance of taking the time to become aware and looking at all of your options before making a decision when faced with a situation.

"It's having that sense of higher purpose when you work. And it's also recognizing that leadership is not a rank or position. It's a way of thinking, it's a way of acting," states Battalion Chief Curatalo, "The whole concept of taking charge of your job, and not just your portion of the job, but to the success of the team because as firefighters, you are always a part of a team."



Author:Barbara Brooks - Video, Renée Marquart - Text