Samatters Radio

  On this episode we’ll talk about…     1. The importance of completing a 360 degree size-up.     2. We’ll share a near-miss event where a combination of inexperience, freelancing, and assumptions led to a loss of accountability.     3. And we’ll address a community member’s question about how to develop expert knowledge in younger officers who are seeing less fires.     FEATURE TOPIC     Situational awareness starts with capturing clues and cues in your environment. It’s really quite a simple premise. To capture clues and cues requires seeing or hearing them. At a structure fire, the visual clues and cues occupy a finite environment- the building and the space around the building. I am nothing short of astounded by the number of firefighters telling me they don’t complete a 360° size up of a structure fire before making entry. I was inspired for this podcast topic from two recent accounts shared with me.   Into the basement we went   The first account came to me by way of a firefighter sharing a near-miss ev