May 30, 2014
On this episode we’ll talk about…
1. The role of emotions in decision making.
2. I’ll share a report about a first responder who had a near-miss with a chain saw.
3. And we’ll talk about why so few first responders and industrial workers are being taught about situational awareness.
FEATURE TOPIC
How you decide to do something… or not do something is a complex process that involves multiple brain regions. Are decisions made with the rational brain or the intuitive brain? The answer, surprisingly, is both.
Rational judgment allows you to process facts and data essential to good decision making. Intuition allows you to tap into past training and experiences and quickly glean the lessons of your successes and failures – lessons seeded deep into memory by… emotions.
The role of emotions
Some think that the best decisions are rational decisions, devoid of all emotion. This is a fallacy. In fact, it would be impossible to make a good decision if you were somehow able to shut off the emotional control center of your brain.
The role of the emotional control center on decision making was well documented in misfortune of Phineas Gage.
On September 13, 1848, Gage was directing a work gang blasting rock while preparing the roadbed for a railroad outside the town of Cavendish, Vermont. Setting a blast involved boring a hole deep into an outcropping of rock; adding blasting powder, a fuse, and sand; then compacting this charge into the hole using the tamping iron. Gage was doing this around 4:30 p.m. when (possibly because the sand was omitted) the iron "struck fire" against the rock and the powder exploded. Rocketed out of the hole, the iron "entered on the [left] side of [Gage's] face ... passing back of the left eye, and out at the top of the head." In the process, his prefrontal cortex suffered heavy damage.
My Lesson, Sans the Brain Jargon
During the Mental Management of Emergencies program I spend a great deal of time demystifying the process for how we make decisions under stress. But I don’t try to impress attendees with a bunch of neuroscience terminology. The lessons are way to important for that. While I’ve intensely studied brain science, I am first, and foremost, a first responder. My 30+ years on the line allows me to apply the science in a way that practitioners, like yourself, can easily understand and relate to.
Metacognition
One of the “jargon” terms used by Lehrer in his book “How We Decide” is metacognition. What does that mean? Merely this: Metacognition means being consciously aware of your own thought processes. As it relates to the Mental Management of Emergencies, it means having a conscious awareness of:
1. How you make decisions under stress
2. How you develop and maintain situational awareness at emergency scenes
3. The barriers that can impact your situational awareness
4. How to know you’re losing your situational awareness before it’s too late
5. How to regain your situational awareness if you are losing it
As first responders the more conscious awareness you have about your decision making and situational awareness processes and the barriers that can impact your situational awareness, the better you can be at managing and overcoming the challenges. That is what my mission is all about.
“Get in the Loop” Tour
In 2012 I launched the “Get in the Loop” situational awareness tour to get this critical message out to first responders and industrial workers who make high-stress, high consequence decisions. To date, the Tour has stopped on four continents and the message has been delivered to more than 38,000 program attendees.
Why did I call it the “Get in the Loop” tour? Because first responders and industrial workers are, for the most part, out of the loop when it comes to understanding the how the brain makes decisions and we form situational awareness. Most people don’t have the time (or perhaps the interest) to read up on all the research. No worries though. I’ve done it for you. My program is designed to get you “Into the Loop” in way that’s strives to be both entertaining and educational.
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS NEAR MISS LESSON LEARNED
This lesson comes to us from the Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System, where lessons learned become lessons applied.
TURNOUT PANTS DAMAGED WHILE USING CHAIN SAW
NEAR-MISS EVENT, WITH PROPERTY DAMAGE ONLY
Monday, July 29, 2013
Engine [1] responded to a motor vehicle collision with injuries. Upon arrival, there was a large tree branch that had fallen on a mid- size SUV. The tree was completely blocking access to the road. It was estimated to be approximately 20-25" in length, and up to three feet in diameter. The driver walked inside a nearby residence with minor injuries. EMS assessed the patient and obtained a patient refusal. A Battalion Chief arrived on scene, and asked the officer to evaluate the branch to see if engine [1]’s crew could remove it or if landscape services would be needed. The decision was made to remove the branch utilizing engine [1]’s personnel.
A firefighter started the chainsaw and the officer was positioned behind the firefighter as a Safety. The firefighter began cutting the smaller branches, and worked back towards the base of the tree. The firefighter was applying the chain brake between cuts earlier in the incident. It was dark, and flashlights were used to illuminate the working area. Approximately half of the branch was removed from the road way, when the officer felt something strike his left leg. The officer thought it was a branch and continued working. The tree branch was completely removed, and the road access was opened. The crew of engine [1] removed all of the pieces of wood from the road and placed the wood in the yard from which the tree fell. The crew also raked and swept the roadway removing the remaining debris. Engine [1] went available and returned to quarters.
Next shift, the officer was placing his gear on the truck when he noticed cuts on the outside liner of his bunker pants. The cuts were on the left pant leg and were consistent to the area that was struck while removing the tree. The pants were taken out of service. Safety was notified, and administrative paper work was completed.
LESSONS LEARNED
- To allow Landscape Services to continue in and complete the cutting operation instead of the engine crew
- The scene should have been better illuminated for a safer operation utilizing quartz or tower lighting.
- Allow the cutter a 10" safety perimeter, and only the cutter announces when it is to be entered after chain brake is applied.
- Minimum use of turnout pants for all members involved in cutting event. Administration is currently determining if chaps should be placed on fire apparatus.
- Training video on chain saw safety was recorded to be distributed throughout the department for transparency and increased awareness
You can visit them at www.FirefighterNearMiss.com
And you have experienced or witnessed a near miss and would like to be interviewed on this show, visit my companion site:
www.CloseCallSurvivor.com and click on the “contact us” link. Thank you, in advance, for sharing your lessons learned so others may live.
INFORMATION
If you’re interested in attending a live event, you can check out the Situational Awareness Matters Tour Stop schedule at: SAMatters.com. Click on the Program and Keynotes tab just below the header, then click on the “Events Schedule” tab. If I’m in your area, I hope you’ll consider attending a live event.
If you’re not able to attend a live event, consider signing up for the SAMatters On-Line Academy. The Academy contains videos and articles that cover the same content as a three-day live tour event, delivered in 14 modules you can go through at your own pace, from your own computer. The Academy Plus version of the Academy includes four books that are referenced throughout the Academy. The Plus version is a great bargain because the tuition simply covers the cost of the books… making the Academy free!
Just click on the link below the header on the SAMatters home page titled “On-Line Academy.”
SAMatters COMMUNITY Question
This question comes from a reader whose department hosted a Situational Awareness Matters Tour Stop in 2012.
QUESTION: Recently, several members of my department attended a wildland firefighting program. On the first day the instructors never said a thing about situational awareness even though the topic is covered in the curriculum. On the second day the lead instructor asked the question: “What is situational awareness.” The room fell silent and then the instructor proceeded to explain situational awareness in a way that was lame and confusing and then promptly moved on to another topic.
The members from my department in the program asked several questions about SA. The instructors not only could not answer the questions, they seemed perturbed that we asked them any questions at all. How can we improve instructors' understanding of situational awareness?
ANSWER: The problem with teaching situational awareness is it's not exactly a simple concept to learn, yet alone teach. Many instructors haven't taken the time to learn the neuroscience essential to be a good instructor on the topic. It has taken me seven years of intense study to even begin to understand the complexities of situational awareness and I am learning new things daily. Sadly, some instructors simply won't say they don't know the answer. Or worse, they teach SA inappropriately.
I recently had a student tell me he was taught situational awareness at a conference by an instructor who was an attorney. The student told me it was disastrous and he left the session confused and angry. Unfortunately I have seen and heard of similar accounts to this one far to often. One of the goals of the Situational Awareness Matters! website is to help fix this problem. There is a huge gap between what most first responders and industrial workers know about situational awareness and what they need to know. I am trying to close that knowledge gap. While there are some educational materials for sale on my website, there are also more than 200 free articles on a wide range of situational awareness topics.
CLOSING
That it! Episode 5 is complete. Thank you for sharing some of your valuable time with me today. I sincerely appreciate your support of my mission.
If you like the show, please go to iTunes, and search for SAMatters Radio and subscribe to the podcast and leaving your feedback and a 5-star review. This will help others find the show.
You can also sign up for the free SAMatters monthly newsletter by visiting www.SAMatters.com and clicking the red box on the right side of the home page.
Be safe out there. May the peace of the Lord, and strong situational awareness, be with you always.
You’ve been listening to the Situational Awareness Matters Radio show with Dr. Richard B. Gasaway. If you’re interested in learning more about situational awareness, human factors and decision making under stress, visit SAMatters.com. If you’re interested in booking Dr. Gasaway for an upcoming event, visit his personal website at RichGasaway.com
Situational Awareness Matters! website
On-Line Academy
http://www.samatters.com/situational-awareness-matters-academy/
Upcoming Events Schedule
http://www.samatters.com/programs-keynote/eventschedule/
Books and Videos (Store)
http://www.samatters.com/store/
Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System
http://www.firefighternearmiss.com/
Close Call Survivor Website
Contact Rich Gasaway
612-548-4424