SAMatters Radio

In this episode I interview Ryan Pennington who runs the website ChamberOfHoarders.com. Ryan has a passion for helping first responders understand the challenges of fighting fires in hoarded environments. In this episode you’ll learn:

1. Why Ryan prefers to call hoarded conditions “Heavy Content” and how that term applies to more than cluttered residential conditions.

2. How to use Ryan’s shortcut of: Identify, Confirm, Orient and Control to improve safety while operating at Heavy Content incidents.

3. Ryan shares the tactical considerations for operating at Heavy Content Incidents.

4. He discusses the challenges of keeping oriented during searches and discusses why it’s never a good idea to climb over the pile.

5. Finally, he shares some advice for how to remove victims from the Heavy Contents Environments.

Thank you to our sponsor:

Midwest Fire: MidwestFire.com

Intro music

Safety Dance (1982)

Men Without Hats

GMC - Virgin Records

Guest Contact Information: Ryan Pennington

www.ChamberOfHoarders.com @JumpseatViews (on Twitter)

[email protected] 304-545-6336

Situational Awareness Matters! website

www.SAMatters.com

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/

Contact Rich Gasaway

www.RichGasaway.com

[email protected]

612-548-4424

I recorded the featured content of this episode a few weeks back so you’ll notice the difference in the sound quality because I was using my standard podcasting microphone.

This episode was inspired by a long conversation I had with some firefighters about challenges they are facing with their station alerting system so I decided to dedicate an episode to this potential situational awareness barrier.

During this episode I discuss:

1. The impact loud noises can have on stress levels.

2. How noise triggers primal defenses.

3. The long-term impact of noise exposure.

4. The need to upgrade station alerting systems.

Thank you to our sponsor:

Midwest Fire: MidwestFire.com

Intro music

Safety Dance (1982)

Men Without Hats

GMC - Virgin Records

Situational Awareness Matters! website

www.SAMatters.com

This episode is an interview with Dr. Burt Clark, author of the recently released book “I can’t save you but I’ll die trying: The American fire culture.” Dr. Clark shares his passion for firefighter safety and the need to change our culture.

During this interview we discussed the themes in his book, including:

1. The Firefighter’s Genes: Fast, Close, Wet, Risk, Injury, Death

2. Seatbelts save lives. So why don’t we wear them?

3. Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Know when to call it.

4. Best Practices

5. The Pursuit of Higher Education

6. His list of the best fire departments in America (from research he conducted based on criteria in the book: In Search of Excellence.

Thank you to our sponsors:

Midwest Fire: MidwestFire.com Branding Iron Marketing: BrandingIron.com

Intro music

Safety Dance (1982)

Men Without Hats

GMC - Virgin Records

Dr. Burt Clark

[email protected]

Premium Press America www.PremiumPressAmerica.com

800-891-7323 615-353-7902615-353-7905 fax

Situational Awareness Matters! website

www.SAMatters.com

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/

Contact Rich Gasaway

www.RichGasaway.com

[email protected]

612-548-4424

Dr. Charles “Chad” Weinstein is the founder and president of Ethical Leaders in Action, a firm that exists to empower ethical leaders to achieve extraordinary results. He works primarily with leaders in public safety, healthcare, and business organizations.

Dr. Weinstein recently authored a book – Thinking Aloud. Reflections on Ethical Leadership.

During this interview we discussed:

Dr. Weinstein’s three guiding principles of ethical leadership.- Excellence in service.

- Sound stewardship.

- Fairness.

- How Dr. Weinstein works with fire departments to identify opportunities to achieve excellence in leadership.

Dr. Weinstein’s new book – a collection of essays that can be used to inspire conversations about leadership best practices and the connection of safety, culture and ethical leadership.

Thank you to our sponsors:Midwest Fire: MidwestFire.comBranding Iron Marketing: BrandingIron.com

Intro musicSafety Dance (1982)Men Without HatsGMC - Virgin Records

Guest Contact InformationDr. Charles “Chad” Weinstein|www.EthInAct.comTwitter: @ChadWeinstein651-646-1512

Situational Awareness Matters! websitewww.SAMatters.com

Upcoming Events Schedulehttp://www.samatters.com/programs-keynote/eventschedule/

Books and Videos (Store)http://www.samatters.com/store/

Firefighter Near Miss Reporting Systemhttp://www.firefighternearmiss.com/

Contact Rich Gasawaywww.RichGasaway.com[email protected]

612-548-4424

This is part 2 of a 2-part Interview.

Feb. 4, 2007, is the day that changed the lives of Lionel and Joanna Crowther forever. A firefighter with the Winnipeg, Manitoba, Fire Department, Lionel was off duty when he got called in for an overtime shift. Early into the shift his company, Engine 101 was dispatched to a reported residential dwelling fire.

Within minutes of responding to the call, a flashover occurred. Flames engulfed the entire house, trapping several firefighters on the second floor. Lionel managed to escape by jumping out of a second-story window.

When the smoke cleared and the flames were extinguished, two fire captains had been killed and four firefighters, including Lionel, were severely burned.

Take aways from this two-part interview include:

1. Department members received RIT training but were not trained on how or when to call a mayday, a missing component that would prove critical to the outcome of this incident.

2. The importance of being a student of every fire.

3. The need to acknowledge our own weaknesses and see where we have opportunities to improve.

4. The importance of not judging others, regardless of their opinions.

5. The value of learning from LODD reports and near-miss reports.

6. How many little mistakes add up and lead to catastrophe.

7. How brain function changes under stress and how our apparent “common sense” will be non-existent.

8. The impact of tragedy on family members.

9. Tragic outcomes can happen to any of us… ANY of us!

Thank you to our sponsors:

Midwest Fire: MidwestFire.comBranding Iron Marketing: BrandingIron.com

Intro music

Safety Dance (1982)

Men Without Hats

GMC - Virgin Records

Guest Contact Information

Lionel Crowther[email protected]

The Phoenix Society for Burn Survivorshttp://www.phoenix-society.org/resources/entry/lionel-and-joanna-crowther

Ontario Professional Firefighters Association Magazine Articlehttp://digital.imedianorthside.com/i/111487/44

Situational Awareness Matters! website

www.SAMatters.com

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/

Contact Rich Gasaway

www.RichGasaway.com

[email protected]

612-548-4424

This is part 1 of a 2-part Interview.

Feb. 4, 2007, is the day that changed the lives of Lionel and Joanna Crowther forever. A firefighter with the Winnipeg, Manitoba, Fire Department, Lionel was off duty when he got called in for an overtime shift. Early into the shift his company, Engine 101 was dispatched to a reported residential dwelling fire.

Within minutes of responding to the call, a flashover occurred. Flames engulfed the entire house, trapping several firefighters on the second floor. Lionel managed to escape by jumping out of a second-story window.

When the smoke cleared and the flames were extinguished, two fire captains had been killed and four firefighters, including Lionel, were severely burned.

Take aways from this two-part interview include:

1. Department members received RIT training but were not trained on how or when to call a mayday, a missing component that would prove critical to the outcome of this incident.

2. The importance of being a student of every fire.

3. The need to acknowledge our own weaknesses and see where we have opportunities to improve.

4. The importance of not judging others, regardless of their opinions.

5. The value of learning from LODD reports and near-miss reports.

6. How many little mistakes add up and lead to catastrophe.

7. How brain function changes under stress and how our apparent “common sense” will be non-existent.

8. The impact of tragedy on family members.

9. Tragic outcomes can happen to any of us… ANY of us!

Thank you to our sponsors:

Midwest Fire: MidwestFire.com Branding Iron Marketing: BrandingIron.com

Intro music

Safety Dance (1982)

Men Without Hats

GMC - Virgin Records

Guest Contact Information

Lionel Crowther [email protected]

The Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors http://www.phoenix-society.org/resources/entry/lionel-and-joanna-crowther

Ontario Professional Firefighters Association Magazine Article http://digital.imedianorthside.com/i/111487/44

Situational Awareness Matters! website

www.SAMatters.com

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/

Contact Rich Gasaway

www.RichGasaway.com

[email protected]

612-548-4424

Situaitonal Awareness WebcastFirehouse.comhttps://event.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1044687

Thank you to our sponsors:

Midwest Fire: MidwestFire.com Branding Iron Marketing: BrandingIron.com

Intro music

Safety Dance (1982)

Men Without Hats

GMC - Virgin Records

Situational Awareness Matters! website

www.SAMatters.com

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/

Contact Rich Gasaway

www.RichGasaway.com

[email protected]

612-548-4424

On January 14, 2010 the Wadesville Fire Department was dispatched to a residential dwelling fire. Deputy Chief Adam Farrar served as the incident commander.

During the incident, a crew on the interior attack nearly fell into the basement through a burned out floor and then a second narrowly escaped off the roof before it gave way under the strain of fire in the attic.

Some takeaways from the interview include:

1.The need to complete a thorough 360-degree size-up to form situational awareness about what is burning and where the fire is located.

2.Ensuring haste does not compel a firefighting crew to rush into a situation that could otherwise prove catastrophic.

3.The need for a strong commander who is willing and able to order a crew out of a structure… when the crew may not want to come out.

4.The need to evaluate near-miss events and learn from the mistakes and then to adjust policies and procedures to fix existing issues.

Thank you to our sponsors:

Midwest Fire: MidwestFire.com Branding Iron Marketing: BrandingIron.com

Intro music

Safety Dance (1982)

Men Without Hats

GMC - Virgin Records

Guest Contact Information

Deputy Chief Adam Farrar

Wadesville Fire Department

[email protected]

Situational Awareness Matters! website

www.SAMatters.com

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/

Contact Rich Gasaway

www.RichGasaway.com

[email protected]

612-548-4424

Here is my Twelve Ways to Situational Awareness wish list. I hope you have all of them on Christmas day and every day throughout the year.

12: Communications skills: This includes both listening and speaking skills. Flawed communications is a significant barrier to situational awareness. I’ve written about this in numerous articles, including some suggestions for how to improve communications. Click on the “Categories” box on the right hand side of the page and enter “Communications” to see the articles on this topic. In the early days, they used to communicate by banging drums. Now we have handheld computers. Yet we’re still plagued by communications challenges. There are many opportunities for improvement in this arena.

11. Vigilance: To be vigilant is to be on-guard. Always on-guard. Your imagination isn’t good enough to think of all the ways this job can kill you. Being alert, even when it seems like things are routine. That is the mindset of a survivalist. Nero may have fiddled while Rome burned and eleven pipers may have piped for Christmas. Play whatever instrument you want. Just be sure you do it with your guard up. Always!

10. Avoiding judgment: The judging mind cannot learn. When you jump to conclusions about how firefighters are getting hurt and killed you miss some very important lessons about how things unfolded around them – why things made sense at the moment things went wrong. This Christmas season the lords may be leaping. But keep your feet planted firmly on the ground. No jumping to conclusions.

9. Ask the hard questions: When your department has a near miss or a casualty event, don’t dance around the issue. Address the issues head-on. Near miss casualty events are wonderful learning opportunities. If you’re going to do any dance, make it a safety dance, not the denial dance. The moves for the safety dance result in learning, enlightenment and change. The moves for the denial dance produce anger, resentment and blame.

8. Debrief: There is a lesson to learn after every incident. Even when things go well there are lessons to be learned. Milk every opportunity to learn and share. If you can’t think of one, come up with a “what-if” scenario to discuss – discussing how things might have turned out if the circumstances were just slightly different. Don’t be shy. Grab the teat and give it a squeeze.

7. Know your limitations: Understand and respect the limits of your conscious awareness: The average person can only capture, process, comprehend and recall 7 pieces (+/- 2) of unrelated information. Unless something happens fast to get the information on the fast track to long-term storage, it will be quickly forgotten. As you plan how to assess emergency scenes, think about the 5-7 most critical pieces of information you need to make a good decision.

6. Practice: To be proficient at hands-on skills, you need to practice them. A lot. Muscles learn from muscle movement. They don’t learn from verbal instructions. The Geese may be laying, but if you want to improve your safety (and your skill set) you can’t do it laying around. Get off your rumps and train.

5. Recipe from Hell’s Kitchen: There is a predictable pattern of events I have seen play out time and time and time again, resulting in first responder fatalities. Avoid the five C’s that make up the Recipe from Hell’s Kitchen (enter the term in the search box to find the article): Complacency ->No Consequence -> Over Confidence -> Cocky Attitude -> Catastrophe.

4. Adopt an attitude of safety. It makes me sick to hear people say we’re being too safe or too cautious in our approach to this job. Yes, it’s a dangerous profession, but MANY of the ways firefighters are dying are preventable – VERY preventable. Pause right now and think of four people whose lives would be forever changed if you died on the job. Be sure that the risks you take on this job are worth the potential consequences on the lives that will be forever changed if you die.

3. Crawl-Walk-Run: All too often we want to train on advanced skills without mastering the basic skills. I encourage you to adopt the three part Crawl-Walk-Run approach to training. Start with a slow crawl through the basic movements of an activity, discussing the how and why in detail. Then walk through the sequence of events in segments. Stopping along the way to make course corrections if needed. Then, once the first two steps are mastered. Run! Run the full evolution beginning to end. If you get it right, run it again, and again. If you don’t get it right, back up to the walk phase and make corrections in the segments. It’s as simple as 1-2-3: Crawl-Walk-Run.

2. Use Command Teams: Firefighting crews always work in teams of at least two. But the commanders are often left to fend for themselves – working alone in a very high-stress environment. This is a set-up for failure. Strive to ensure command runs in teams of at least two as well.

1. Conduct 360-degree size ups: The thorough 360-degree size-up is the foundation of incident situational awareness. It allows you to figure out what the problem is before you go throwing solutions around. It can be very helpful to find out the solution you are planning to implement isn’t going to fix the problem… before things go wrong.

On February 18, 2009, Elyria Fire Captain Joe Pronesti responded to a fire alarm activation call on a college campus. The first arriving engine reported heavy smoke coming from multiple buildings. In search of the source of the smoke, crews would learn the fire was in a tunnel that connected multiple buildings on the campus.

Captain Pronesti was involved in advancing a hoseline and fighting the underground fire. While approximately 300’ inside the tunnel on the attack, his low air alarm started ringing. He ran out of air before making it completely out, disconnected his regulator and breathed products of combustion. Upon exiting, he provided a briefing to his commander and without warning, or his knowledge, collapsed to the ground (from smoke exposure and exhaustion). This occurred just a few minutes after exiting the structure. Had he collapsed in the smoke filled tunnel, the results could have been catastrophic.

On a side note, at the time of the fire, the Elyria Fire Department was undergoing an evaluation of the fire department budget and staffing. There was an outside consultant on premise when the fire alarm activation came in and, to say the least, the crews were worried and distracted. Some might even speculate they were frustrated and perhaps feeling betrayed by the city.

When you are worried, it can weigh on your mind and on your situational awareness because part of what is on your mind is the concern of cutbacks. This can occupy some of the space that might otherwise be used to form situational awareness at an emergency scene. While Joe only makes a brief mention of this, during our extensive conversation off-line, it was evident that he was distracted by the concerns over fire department cutbacks.

Some takeaways from the interview include:

1.The first arriving engine reported heavy smoke from multiple buildings. Captain Pronesti noted the size up “didn’t make sense in his mind.” This can happen when we receive visual or audible information that is outside our norm. They don’t see many large building fires in Elyria, let alone multiple large building fires all at the same time at the same location. This caused confusion among responders.

2.Relaxed inspections and code enforcement led to the tunnels becoming a storage location for extra furniture and supplies, providing fuel for the fire.

3.The department was used to handling fires with their on-duty staff and were on the mindset they could handle this fire as well, though they would end up calling mutual aid from several other communities.

4.Captain Pronesti went through four SCBA bottles and was fatigued. But he pressed on because his mindset was he needed to be on the attack line.

5.When he ran out of air, he was, by his estimate, at least 10 minutes into the tunnel, with less than five minutes of air left.

6.As happens so often when smaller departments experience an unusually large fire, the responders can get tricked into treating the big fire like it’s a routine house fire. A fire in a 300+ foot tunnel with no other way out is anything but routine and nothing like a house fire.

7.As Captain Pronesti shared… Ego eats brain… and he was caught up on the perceived need to be in the middle of the action at all costs.

Thank you to our sponsors:

Midwest Fire: MidwestFire.com Branding Iron Marketing: BrandingIron.com

Intro music

Safety Dance (1982)

Men Without Hats

GMC - Virgin Records

Guest Contact Information Captain Joe Pronesti

Elyria Fire Department

[email protected]

Situational Awareness Matters! website

www.SAMatters.com

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/

Contact Rich Gasaway

www.RichGasaway.com

[email protected]

612-548-4424