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CDM . . .Critical Decision Making

Bill PetersonFire Chief

Plano, Texas Fire - Rescue

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CDM References

An adaptation of human factors issues from the following aviation sources:

AC 60-22 Aeronautical Decision Making (from www.faa gov/avr/afs)

ADA 182549 Aeronautical Decision Making

for Student and Private Pilots (from National Technical Information Service Library, 1-800-759-4684)

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Critical Decision Making

CDM is a systematic approach to the mental process used by fire fighters to consistently determine the best course of action in response to a given set of circumstances.

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Critical Decision Making

Essential To Incident Scene Safety

Special Emphasis Item Careful Evaluation Throughout Practical Test

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Good Judgment

Once believed to be gained only as a natural by-product of experience.

Good judgment can be taught. Is harder to acquire if previous bad

decisions did not result in failure.

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CDM

Builds upon the foundation of conventional decision making . . .

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Firefighter Equipment Environment Operation

SITUATION

SelectResponse

TypeSkills/Procedures

Headwork Required

Change/EventOccurs

RecognizeChange

InadequateInadequate

MISHAPS!

Conventional Decision Making Process

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Steps For Good Decision Making

1. Identifying personal attitudes hazardous to safe incident scene operations.

2. Learning behavior modification techniques.3. Learning how to recognize and cope with

stress.4. Developing risk assessment skills.5. Using all resources in a multi-crew situation.6. Evaluating the effectiveness of one’s CDM

skills.

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Critical Decision Making Process

Firefighter Incident Environment Operation

SITUATION

SelectResponse

TypeSkills/Procedures

Attitude Management

StressManagement

Crew (if present)Management

HeadworkResponseProcess

CritiqueActions

RiskManagement

Event Change

HeadworkRequired

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All experienced fire fighters have fallen prey to, or have been tempted by, one or more of these dangerous patterns of tendencies or behavior in their fire service careers.

Operational Pitfalls

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Poor decision making based upon emotional response to peers rather than evaluating a situation objectively.

Peer Pressure

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The inability to recognize and cope with changes in the situation different from those anticipated or planned.

Mind Set

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Clouds the vision and impairs judgment by causing a fixation on the original goal of aggressive interior attack - combined with a total disregard for any alternative course of action.

“Get-in-there-itis”

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Tendency to continue an interior attack after the low air warning sounds on the SCBA.

Based on a belief that there is a built in “fudge” factor.

An unwillingness to admit defeat and exit the structure before extinguishing the fire.

Often occurs when IC calls for evacuation of interior crews.

“Just One More Minute” Syndrome

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Pushing the fire fighter and crew capabilities to the limit by trying to maintain interior operations under rapidly deteriorating conditions.

Getting Behind the Operation

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Often leads to spatial disorientation and eventually loss of direction and situational awareness.

Even more dangerous when operating alone or without a hose line or safety line.

Deteriorating Interior Conditions

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Allowing events or the situation to control your actions rather than the other way around.

Getting Behind the Incident

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not knowing where you are, an inability to recognize

deteriorating circumstances, and

the misjudgment of the rate of deterioration.

Loss of Situational Awareness

Another case of getting behind the incident which results in . . .

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Ignoring minimum air reserve requirements is generally the result of overconfidence, lack of incident action planning, or ignoring Standard Operating Procedures.

Operating W/O Adequate Air Reserves

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Unjustified reliance on the (usually mistaken) belief that the crew’s performance capability meets the demands imposed by the most experienced (usually overestimated) member’s skills.

Operating Outside the Envelope

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“OOPS!”

The “Oops” Factors”. . . Neglect of Incident Action Planning,

pre-plan documentation, or standard operating procedures

Unjustified reliance on the fire fighter’s short and long term memory, regular suppression skills, repetitive and familiar incidents, etc.

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Anti-authority (don’t tell me!). Impulsivity (do something quickly!). Invulnerability (it won’t happen to me). Macho (I can do it). Complacency ( just another routine response).

Hazardous Attitudes

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The Five Antidotes . . .

HAZARDOUS ATTITUDE ANTIDOTE

Anti-authority: “Don’t tell me.”“Follow the rules. They are usually right.”

Impulsivity: “Do something quickly.”

“Not so fast. Think first.”

Invulnerability: “It won’t happen to me.”

“It could happen to me.”

Macho: “I can do it.” “Taking chances is foolish.”

Complacency: “Another routine response.”

“Every fire is different.”

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Antidote Recall Exercise . . .

Hazardous Thought Antidote

Antiauthority:

Impulsivity:

Invulnerability:

Macho:

Complacency:

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Stress And Firefighting

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Stress is a term used to describe the body’s nonspecific response to demands placed on it, whether those demands are pleasant or unpleasant in nature.

Stress And Firefighting

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Major and minor stressors have a cumulative effect which constitutes your total stress-adaptation capability which can vary from year to year.

How Much Stress Is In Your Life?

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Is Stress Bad?

Stress is an inevitable and necessary part of life that adds motivation to life and heightens a fire fighter’s response to meet any challenge.

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Accidents often occur when fire fighting task requirements exceed an individual (least qualified or experienced) crew member’s capabilities.

Handling Stress In Fire Fighting

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The Margin Of Safety . . .

Pre-Incident Low Air Alarm

RehabEnroute Initial Attack

Task Requirements

Firefighter Capabilities

Eff

ort

Margin of Safety

At Scene

Time

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Handling Stress In Fire Fighting

Stress is insidious Stress is cumulative

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Signs Of Inadequate Coping

Emotional Physical Behavioral

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Life Stress Management

Become knowledgeable about stress. Take a realistic assessment of yourself. Take a systematic approach to problem

solving. Develop a lifestyle that will buffer against the

affects of stress. Practice behavioral management techniques. Establish and maintain a strong support

network.

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Fireground Stress Management

Avoid situations that distract you from controlling the operation.

Reduce your workload to reduce stress levels. If an emergency does occur, be calm! Maintain proficiency of your knowledge/skills. Know and respect your own personal limits. Do not let little mistakes build into a big

thing. Don’t let fire fighting add to your stress.

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Personal “Go/No-Go” Checklist

Do I feel well? Have I taken any medication in the last 12 hours? Have I had as little as one ounce of alcohol in the

last 12 hours? Am I tired? Am I under undue stress? Have I eaten a sensible meal? Am I dehydrated? Do I have proper personal protective equipment?

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Risk management is the responsibility of everyone involved in fire fighting.

RISK MANAGEMENT

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The Decide Model

Detect that change has occurred.

Estimate the need to react to the change.

Choose a desirable outcome for operation.

Identify actions which control the change.

Do take the necessary action.

Evaluate effect of action on the change.

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Identifying The Enemy

Most preventable accidents have one common factor - human error, rather than an equipment malfunction.

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Fire Fighting Is Rapidly Changing

CDM is designed to reduce the extremely long and sometimes painful process of learning how to make good judgment decisions based on experience alone.

Mistakes in judgment can be fatal.

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Personal Checklist

Fire Fighting while under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a never.

Fire Fighting with a known cardiac medical deficiency is never expedient.

Fire Fighting outside Standard Operating Procedures is never safe.

Fire Fighting with less than the required minimum air supply is never reasonable.

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Personal Checklist, Cont.

Interior Attack under deteriorating conditions is never justified.

Free Lancing is never justified. Casual neglect of any applicable

standard operating procedure is never justified.

Fatality accident statistics show that fire fighters should be conducting continuous evaluation on themselves as well as on the incident.

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The “I’m safe” Checklist

Illness. Any Symptoms? Medication. Prescription or OTC drugs? Stress. Psychological, money, health, family? Alcohol. Within 8 hours? Within 24 hours? Fatigue. Adequately rested? Eating. Proper foods for nourishment?

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How To Be A Safe Fire Fighter

A fire fighter does not have to be a genius to be a safe fire fighter.

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How To Be A Safe Fire Fighter

A fire fighter should be an emotionally stable person.

An experienced, mature fire fighter will accept and follow the rules and procedures which will benefit the whole community.

Some fire fighters break rules simply for the gratification of some emotional need.

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How To Be A Safe Fire Fighter

Existing rules would go a long way to remedy the accident rate.

Exhibiting one or more of the five hazardous attitudes or irrational behavior also exposes emotional weaknesses in personality.

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Developing Good Decision Making Skills

. . . but it CAN be done!

The development of good decision making skills is far more difficult than developing good fire fighting skills . . .

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Developing Good Decision Making Skills

Many fire fighters fail to make proper decisions when they really want to do something.

Not following safety-oriented information is similar to not following the advice of a doctor or lawyer.

The most important decision a fire fighter will make is to learn and adhere to published rules, procedures, and recommendations.

Fire Fighting has reached a new plateau.

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In summary . . .

CDM is critical to survival Be aware of operational pitfalls Be aware of hazardous attitudes Understand impact of stress on

firefighting Embrace risk management Follow the Personal Survival Checklist

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Something to think about . . .

How are critical decisions being made on your fire scene?

QUESTIONS ?