FLORIDA FIRE SERVICE May 2017 26 • It’s 3 a.m., and and you’re heading for a structure fire. You hear a loud bang, the glass shatters, and your officer is hit by a bullet. • You are conducting simulated training in an IDLH and the SCBA gauges are off. Since its training, the situation is ignored. • You are responding to an unconscious overdose patient, and as you rush in, another individual comes from a side room with a gun in their hand. • You have family members insisting that their loved one must be hurt inside their home because they aren’t answering their phone. So you make entry into the home and shots are fired. All of the above incidents have occurred to firefighters across the nation. In some instances, the firefighters were lucky and only received minor injuries. In others, firefighters lost their lives. Regretfully, investigations list communications and situational awareness as contributing factors. Firefighter are familiar with the term, “situational awareness” and swear they are always vigilant and it won’t happen to them. So, were the above “victims” bad firefighters? Of course not; they simply overlooked situational awareness. A lack of situational awareness can be caused by several factors. One factor is complacency and, closely related, tunnel vision. Firefighters tend to forget the key concept, “I did not create the problem; I will not become part of the problem.” When there is an emergency and lives are at stake, firefighters rush in to save the day. Regretfully, we may become complacent. If the citizens call us for help, then why would a firefighter suspect that this could be a setup. In the unconscious overdose patient scenario, responders may rush in without surveying the scene. We have learned over time that responders must constantly survey the scene to look for people who may do us harm. Responders know that the patient may wake up and be violent, but they don’t stop to think about family members or other people in the household. If family members insist that firefighters need to force entry into a relative’s home, the firefighters need to stop and realize that this is not their responsibility. Forcible entry into a home that is on fire is an emergency, but for medical calls, law enforcement need to be present and do the entry. One argument is that this is an emergency and that entry is the fire department’s responsibility. However, nowhere does it say that firefighters must risk being shot at or stabbed by bystanders. When you are conducting training, the adage, “Train as you play; play as you train” should be followed. If a piece of equipment is not operating, then stop the evolution and correct it. If you allow your personnel to cut corners on PPE and normal procedures, then what is to stop them from cutting corners on a true emergency. Of course, 99 out of a 100 times it will work out okay. But what about the 100th time? Situational awareness can also by influenced by interpretation. Florida has a two-in two-out rule. If there is a known emergency, the two-in two-out rule does not have to be followed. So, firefighters have interpreted this to mean that a structure fire at 3 a.m. must have people inside because that is when people sleep. Firefighters have also been known to say they believed there was a rescue when there was a zero survivability profile. Another area of interpretation comes into play with standards. NFPA standards often rely on the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) to make a determination. This can be a slippery slope depending on who is doing the interpretation if they do not clearly understand the standard. Interpreting a “shall” as a “should” can also get personnel in trouble. If your SOP states that you shall stage until law enforcement arrive, then you must stage. Failure to interpret a situation or overriding SOPs can lead to improper situational awareness with the potential for injury. Another contributing factor is a lack of training. How many of your training personnel are familiar with current issues such as firetrucks and firefighters being shot at? Has your department stressed situational awareness in all circumstances, not just high risk ones such as domestics, overdoses, and shootings? During training do you have an out of the ordinary situation occur to assure that SOPs are followed and personnel have situational awareness and know what to do to protect themselves? The final contributing factor is that of “ignoring.” Notice, I did not say ignorance, but ignoring. Officers are trained to acknowledge their gut feelings. The correct terminology is recognition primed decision making. All of the past calls are stored in your memory. When you come upon a scene, your memory searches to find similar instances and lets you know when something bad is about to happen (the gut feeling) or what was done to obtain a positive outcome. Knowing that this exists, don’t ignore that feeling that something isn’t right. Use that feeling as a sign to heighten observations and situational awareness. Along with that is ignoring your first impressions. As you walk into a home, you see broken glass and overturned items. This may very well be clues that a fight has occurred, and you may be walking into a tumultuous scene. First impressions are your body’s way of telling you that something isn’t right. Don’t ignore them. And finally, don’t ignore the rules and regulations that your department has established. The SOPs/SOGs have been established to provide for each member’s safety. The procedures have been created as a result of incidents with bad outcomes. These incidents may not have occurred in your department, but we learn from what others face. Situational awareness should not be a term used in basic training. Every member is responsible for being vigilant and observing the scene for possible safety issues. Firefighting is a team sport, and everyone needs to be part of the team. Speak out if you feel something isn’t right. Make sure your observational skills are used before entering the apparatus until you’re back at the station after the call. Stay safe and watch out for each other. As a reminder, I hope to see each of you at the Mental Health Symposium on May 5 at the Florida State Fire College. Situational Awareness Susan Schell • B u r e a u of Fire Standards & T r a i n i n g • By Susan Schell, Safety Program Manager, Bureau of Fire Standards & Training