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| e-Newsletter: January 15, 2008
Firefighting-360Get to know CRMManaging multiple sources of input is the key to safer firefightingBy Billy SchmidtWe���ve come a long way in the fire service. We have better tools and technology. Our personal protective gear is safer. We���re better trained and educated, and we utilize safer and more effective processes to get the job done. All of this has improved our safety, efficiency and effectiveness when providing a variety of services to our communities. But one important element, something that should be the foundation for everything we do, still remains in the shadows: crew resource management (CRM). In recent years, the fire service has experienced an alarming number of firefighter injuries and deaths due to poor decision making, a lack of communication or the inability of firefighters to speak up when they see a safety issue. The National Firefighter Near-Miss Reporting System has reported that communication, decision making, human error, individual action and situational awareness are among the chief contributing factors for reported near-misses in 2006 (see graph).1Contributing Factors to Near-Misses in 2006
The aviation community was the first high-risk profession to recognize that human factors problems are usually the cause of tragic accidents and near-miss mistakes. Other high-risk professions, such as the military, healthcare organizations and wildland firefighters, have followed. They have all recognized that adopting a culture that practices CRM can result in significant improvements in crew performance and safety. What Is CRM? CRM is the effective use of all of our resources��� communication, followership, leadership, teamwork, situational awareness and workload management. Everything that we do, including our training and daily operations, should be ���seasoned��� with it. The primary focus of CRM is on the exchange of communication and information that flows in all directions. As Fire Chief Dennis Rubin has stated, ���The greatest opportunity to improve has just been placed in our hands with a new collection of human factor tools called ���Crew Resource Management��� (CRM).���2 The fire service must begin to understand the philosophy of CRM. We must revamp our general firefighting training, beginning in the recruit academy, to help firefighters manage the myriad of resources available to safely and effectively operate in an emergency environment. We must implement CRM into everything that we do. This is the first article in a continuing series that will take a broader look into the concept of CRM and how it can be applied to our training and operations. In each column, I���ll do my best to inform and encourage you to use a full circle of available sources, all 360 degrees, to prepare your firefighters and your leaders to be ready to operate safely and effectively at any intensity level, anywhere, anytime���and to return home alive. Why Firefighting-360? Let���s begin with a brief math and history lesson. Why is a circle divided into 360 degrees? Blame the ancient Babylonians. Their number system was based on the number 60. Why? Nobody really knows, but you will find that 360 is divisible by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 18 and 20. There are few other numbers as small as 360 that have so many different factors. This makes the degree a very nice unit to divide the circle into an equal number of parts. 120 degrees is 1/3 of a circle, 90 degrees is 1/4, and so on.3 It���s a simple process that addresses many different factors. How can we use the concept of 360 degrees to deliver a CRM message and increase our performance level? The term ���Firefighting-360��� refers to using all sources available (many different factors) that will provide the safest and best performance possible (keeping it simple). Typically, our training and performance on the emergency scene has been limited to a one-way process between firefighters and their supervisors (training instructors, company officers, chiefs, etc.). However, with an increased focus on personnel development, teamwork and safety, the emphasis has shifted to firefighters and supervisors receiving feedback from a full circle (360 degrees) of sources (see diagram below). This multiple-input/output approach to better performance can be called ���firefighting 360 degrees��� to represent that full circle. Firefighting 360 Degrees
The 360-degree circle of feedback (input/output) sources consists of communication, decision making, workload management, situational awareness, followership, leadership and teamwork, all encircling the firefighter. There should be no restrictions against using all sources available, in addition to the supervisor���s direction (chain of command), to increase our level of performance. CRM is a philosophy that will help firefighters observe what���s going on, orient available information, make informed decisions and quickly and safely act on those decisions. Research of other high-risk professions has shown that performance approaches that utilize multiple sources provide a more accurate and reliable operational outcome. For this reason, many high-risk professions, including the aviation community, the military and the healthcare industry, support the use of using multiple sources as an effective method for operating safely and effectively in their fields. This can best be accomplished by practicing and applying CRM. What���s to Come In future articles, Firefighting-360 will address various topics relating to CRM, including case studies, training management, human error, communication, judgment and decision making, accident prevention, situational awareness, followership, leadership, debriefing and after-incident reviews, task overload and workload management, attitudes and ongoing CRM research in the fire service and other high-risk professions. I hope to provide you with some insight into CRM and how it can enhance your operations and keep you and your crews safe. Throughout this column, I will provide references to other resources where you can explore CRM more thoroughly. To get started, read ���Young Men and Fire,��� by Norman Maclean. It���s an account of what went wrong on a wildfire (Mann Gulch, 1949) that ended in the deaths of 13 firefighters. We must remember that firefighting isn���t about technology, it���s about people. All elements of firefighting are designed by people, and all of the technology is operated by people. How people think and act will determine the safety and effectiveness of the operation. Studying CRM will introduce you to a variety of factors (degrees in the circle) that can affect your performance as a firefighter. I hope this column encourages you to learn more about CRM and to use it every day in your organization. I have no doubt that increasing your awareness about human factors will make you a safer and more effective firefighter. Until next time, get prepared, be ready and be safe! Billy Schmidt is a district chief assigned to the 3rd battalion with Palm Beach (Fla.) County Fire Rescue. An adjunct instructor for the department���s Training and Safety Division, he has a bachelor���s degree in Human Resource Management and an associate���s degree in Fire Science. REFERENCES |
