While driving, the tip of a downed tree along the side of the road broke the driver's side window and came through the cab, narrowly missing the driver's neck.
Risk Management
Not Knowing
We don’t know how to do everything, and surprises will occur. Both in the moment and afterward, not knowing is an opportunity.
The Likelihood of Learning from Incidents
The likelihood of a lesson influencing our behavior is greatly increased by how personal the source of the lesson is. We strive to increase the likelihood of learning for those farther removed through personalizing learning experiences.
‘Human Topography’ – A Concept We Can All Learn From
It is the nature of our job that we are thrown into high-risk operations with strangers. We have to quickly develop trust (or not), evaluate risk, and depend at least partly on strangers for our safety, which makes ours a strange and unique occupation.
Where is the Learning?
When you read reports, don’t expect the lessons to be spoon-fed to you on paper. That’s not where the learning is. Learning comes from the intentional interaction you engage in after the reading.
Insights on Learning from the Redding Hotshot Crew Superintendent
The culmination of our crew’s training is the South Canyon Staff Ride. That’s where a lot of tremendous lessons are learned up on that hill during this Staff Ride experience.
Transitions, Demob, and Reassignment
As the seasons change, so does the job of a wildland firefighter. How do you manage transitions, reassignment, or demob?
Fruit We Can Reach
"The language is messy." This was the mantra our professor would reiterate to emphasize how difficult it can be to talk about risk. Having just completed a master's level risk management program, I have a better appreciation for the complexities of risk analysis. Thankfully, as Travis Dotson offers in The Summer 2017 Two More Chains, … Continue reading Fruit We Can Reach
‘And Then What?’
I think the single-most dangerous thing for a Logistics Chief is indecision, the inability to make the uncomfortable decision with limited information.
Learning from the Bridger Foothills Entrapment and Shelter Deployment
Three members of a helitack crew are overrun by fire inside the meadow that serves as their helispot. Only two of the firefighters have fire shelters.