A first-due officer’s primary responsibility upon arriving at an emergency scene is providing clarity — the ability to see through the chaos of an incident and drill down what needs to be done. This can be a challenge, and learning how to cut through the noise can sometimes come from unusual sources.
Case in point: A friend from Kauai recently sent me a book of Hawaiian-themed word search puzzles. Working my way through the book, I noticed a clear three-step pattern to my method:
Step 1: Identify what’s known. Some words or phrases are obvious; they jump out at you when you first look at the puzzle, and you’re naturally attracted to them first.
Step 2: Be aware of knowledge deficits. It’s easier to spot things that are familiar and predictable. For me, finding Hawaiian words was difficult since I have not been exposed to the language daily. But that’s probably not true for someone who grew up in Hawaii.
Step 3: Try again with fresh eyes. Sometimes you can’t see something no matter how hard you try. In that case, you may need to walk away and try again later.
All three of these principles also apply directly to initial scene size-up.
| BETTER EVERY SHIFT: Chief Dan Munsey talks visionary leadership
Approach scene size-up like a puzzle
While you wouldn’t think word search strategies would be applicable to fireground operations, the same method can work for both.
Step 1: You arrive at an emergency scene; amid the chaos, some things are obvious, so you identify what’s known:
- Flames are visible from a second story window
- Someone is balanced on a balcony, ready to jump
- There’s a strong chemical odor in the air
- Power lines are down
- A vehicle has rolled over with people trapped inside
You immediately notice these things and start to react. You set hoselines, begin extrication and initiate a rescue.
Step 2: But even as you act on these obvious priorities, there are likely other things going on you may not see due to knowledge deficits on scene:
- Hidden dangers. You know there is fire showing on the third floor but may not realize there is a second fire smoldering in the basement.
- Potential patients. You see the two critical patients in the wrecked vehicle, but don’t consider additional passengers may have been ejected from the car and could be lying out of sight in a roadside ditch.
- Unsafe conditions. You send firefighters into an older structure fire, not recognizing the building is full of low-density fiberboard – a serious risk for flashover.
It’s impossible to see everything at once, but when you don’t know what you don’t know, that can lead to very bad outcomes. It’s critical for firefighters to learn the art of identifying potential pitfalls they are less familiar with by:
- Training for the unknown. Practice response to specific scenarios in a controlled environment that includes elements members may not expect or routinely encounter.
- Investing in a checklist. Pilots use them, as do many surgeons. They act as insurance that nothing will be missed, no matter how many times you’ve completed a task.
Officers also need to learn and practice focusing on one thing at a time. This may seem counterintuitive when there is so much to do and multiple demands. But believing you can genuinely multitask, especially when under great stress, is a recipe for disaster.
Step 3: And, even with operational experience, comprehensive training and the right tools, one person still may not have the ability to see everything in a complex or chaotic scene. When you’re working on a tricky puzzle, the answer may be to walk away and come back later with fresh eyes. On an emergency scene, you don’t have that luxury. So, how can you get a different perspective? Bring in a different person — literally a “fresh” pair of eyes.
Asking a trusted colleague “What do you see? Am I missing anything?” is not a sign of weakness. Quite the contrary — the best leaders are aware they’re not invincible and understand the necessity of using all available resources. Different eyes see different things; if you’re open to listening to the perspectives of others as an incident commander, you increase your effectiveness by multitudes.
Lead with humility
Fully seeing and understanding the challenges firefighters face on the fireground is one of the hardest aspects of being a company officer. None of us will ever be perfect, but our abilities can be enhanced through training, experience, inclusion of others and even the random insight that may come from an unusual source.
