On May 1, my department responded to an accident involving a pickup, an SUV and a tree. Medics were in the pickup working on the patient while firefighters were removing the roof. One of my firefighters used a window punch and popped the window. The passenger door window fell out, and the medic shouted. Glass from the window had gone down the medic’s shirt. He was not a happy camper, and neither was I. I could not believe one of my firefighters had done that.

After the extrication (but before I had the opportunity to speak to the firefighter), the medic approached me to voice his displeasure. When I asked my firefighter about what happened, he said, “I laid a sheet over him and told him I was going to pop the window; he took the sheet off, and I went ahead and popped the glass.” A few discussions later, we found the problem. The medic was focused on the patient; my firefighter was focused on the extrication. My firefighter failed to fully ensure that the medic understood what was about to happen.

When we put somebody at risk, we must ensure that they fully understand what’s about to happen. It’s easy to do: Simply ask if the person understands what’s about to happen. In this case, the firefighter should have put his hand on the medic and said, “James, I’m going to cover you with this sheet, so the glass doesn’t go all over you.” The firefighter should have refrained from doing anything until James acknowledged that he understood that glass was about to rain down on him. Problem solved. Now to solve the problem of why the firefighter went ahead and took that glass out after he saw the medic pull the sheet off...