The fire service is struggling with recruiting and retention. It’s also challenged by a mental health crisis and a growing apathy within the profession. The good news is, we have the power to fix it. Working in a team environment provides job satisfaction, psychological safety, and a feeling of community. Fire service leaders have the responsibilit…

In this episode, Dr. Gasaway discusses how to accelerating leadership growth and impact with Sean Glaze, author of Rapid Teamwork, The 10 Commandments of Winning Teammates, and Staying Coachable. Sean Glaze is a leadership speaker, teambuilding facilitator, and author who delivers engaging experiences that ignite your team’s performance. Sean has w…

In this interview, Dr. Gasaway talks with Jeff Dill about the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance and their work to reduce firefighter suicides. In 2010, Jeff Dill founded Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FBHA). And since 2021, Jeff has served full time as the Behavioral Health Administrator for Las Vegas Fire & Rescue in Nevada. Jeff tra…

In this interview, Dr. Gasaway talks with George Esbensen, President of the Minnesota Firefighter Initiative (MnFIRE) about the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program. During his 32 years in the fire service, George Esbensen served in many roles, from firefighter to chief. Today, he volunteers as Board President of the Minnesota Firefighter Initiative …

In this interview, Dr. Gasaway talks with Vicki Quint and Rick Nickerson about PFAS, foam exposure and the risk to firefighters. The Foam Exposure Committee Mission Statement - - To reduce firefighter / first responder exposures to perfluorinated chemicals used in firefighting foams in order to protect their health and lives. We will recommend a li…

In this interview, Dr. Gasaway talks with Jeff Snider about the NIOSH 5 – or the five most often cited contributing factors in Line of Duty death investigations and lessons for leaders. Jeff Snider has served with the Canadian military as a Special Forces Operator (3 CDO), a Correctional Officer at a maximum-security facility, and 28 years in the F…

On January 06, 2018, Lt. Matthew LeTourneau, a 42-year-old male and 11-year veteran of the Philadelphia Fire Department (PFD), died after becoming trapped from an interior structural collapse while engaged in interior firefighting operations. Two additional firefighters were injured during the collapse and one civilian occupant of the dwelling, who…

This episode is part 1 of a 2-part interview where Dr. Gasaway talks with retired Philadelphia Deputy Chief Vince Mulray and Battalion Chief Bobby Kennedy about conducting a Line-of-Duty After Action Review following the death of Lieutenant Matthew LeTourneau on January 6, 2018. After Action Review-Line of Duty Death On January 06, 2018, Lt. Matthe…

Dr. Gasaway, along with some special guests, celebrates the milestone of reaching our 400thepisode. Description The Situational Awareness Matters Show debuted on May 12, 2014. This episode highlights the journey Dr. Gasaway has taken to educate first responders about situational awareness and high-risk decision making. About the Host Richard B. Gas…

In this episode, Dr. Gasaway interviews Vince Mulray, retired Philadelphia Deputy Chief, discussing the 2015 derailment of Amtrak Train #188 traveling from Washington DC to New York City. On May 12, 2015, at approximately 9:20pm, Amtrak Train #188 traveling from Washington D.C. to New York City derailed and crashed on the Frankford Junction curve o…

In this episode, Dr. Gasaway talks with Phil Jose about tactical decision games. Phil Jose, Deputy Chief, (Ret.), 30 years in Seattle Fire Department. He chaired the SOG and PIA committees. Chief of the Year 2013. FDIC Instructor 19 years with the highest attended class in 2023: The Art of Reading Smoke. FDIC 2008 Tom Brennan Training Achievement A…

In this episode, Dr. Gasaway talks with Retired Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy about how he quickly went from being a volunteer firefighter to career fire chief. Tom DeSorcy joined the fire service in 1983 and became the first paid firefighter in his hometown of Hope, B.C., when he became fire chief in 2000. This followed a career in broadcasting in local …

In this episode, Dr. Gasaway talks with Dr. Burton Clark on the topic of Dyslexia in the fire service. Dr. Burton A. Clark, EFO has been in the fire service for 53 years. He’s known he was a Dyslexic since early childhood and is passionate about reducing the stigma around firefighters with Dyslexia. Dr. Clark was the Management Science Chair at the…

In this episode, Dr. Gasaway is interviewed by Ed Mann, Director of Training and Education for Provident Insurance about the SAMatters Online Academy and why this training is so important for first responders. Description Ed Mann, Director of Training and Education for Provident Insurance interviewed Dr. Gasaway on the Provident Podcast. This episo…

In this eposide, Dr. Gasaway sits down with Andrew Bozzo, Co-Founder of the Tablet Command Incident Management software. Tablet Command is a mobile incident command and response solution that increases situational awareness, speeds incident response, streamlines incident management and improves firefighter accountability. With Tablet Command, an in…

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is proven, effective treatment to help first responders suffering from Post-Traumatic Event Brain Injuries. This episode is provides first responders a look into a treatment option for Post Traumatic Event Brain Injuries called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Dr. Deborah Kor…

Captain Saul burned while searching for a trapped child in a row home fire in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Captain Jeremy Saul, a Situational Awareness Matters Certified Master Instructor shared a harrowing story about being burned while searching for a three-year old child trapped in a row home fire in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The interview includes…

Chief Ron Warren shares the valuable information about drone services provided by the North Central Pennsylvania Unmanned Emergency Services Department While presenting a situational awareness program for the Fireman’s Association of Tioga County, Pennsylvania, one of the participants was Ron Warren. Ron is the founder and Department Chief of North…

Captain Eric Wappel shares a tale of complacency and how he faced it head-on with his department. On January 3, 2022, the North Judson – Wayne Township Fire Department was dispatched for the second time to the same residence for a “furnace smoking.” Captain Eric Wappel wasn’t available for the first response, but responded to the second call. He re…

Dr. James Densley is Professor and Department Chair of Criminal Justice at Metro State University, part of the Minnesota State system. He is also co-founder of The Violence Project Research Center, best known for its mass shooter database. Dr. Densley is the author or co-author of seven books, including the acclaimed, The Violence Project: How to S…

Emergency services provide an invaluable service to communities and cities around the world. Research has shown these professionals encounter significant acute psychological stress throughout their work shifts. Acute stress has been shown to impact human performance in various realms, from increased risk-taking to cognitive decline. While the actua…

This interview is with Bob Bemis, a retired Pennsylvania State Trooper who was struck and severely injured while attending to a vehicle fire on I-81 in eastern Pennsylvania.By Richard B. Gasaway

This interview is with Magnum Bower, a heavy duty tow truck operator who survived being struck on a roadway incident, resulting in him becoming a quadriplegic.By Dr. Richard B. Gasaway

Eugene-Springfield crews were dispatched to a report of a residential fire with multiple callers confirming a residential dwelling fire. As the officer on the first-in engine was conducting his primary size-up from the front seat of the engine, a gunman opened fire on the engine, striking it several times. Firefighters were already advancing lines …

Eugene-Springfield crews were dispatched to a report of a residential fire with multiple callers confirming a residential dwelling fire. As the officer on the first-in engine was conducting his primary size-up from the front seat of the engine, a gunman opened fire on the engine, striking it several times. Firefighters were already advancing lines …

Merry Christmas everyone! I know everyone’s feeling particularly festive this time of year and ole Santa is feeling the situational awareness love. Surely, you’ve heard of the “Twelve Days of Christmas.” – You know – Partridge in a Pear Tree and all that other stuff that no one really needs or wants, perhaps with the exception of five golden rings,…

Lieutenant Alden is a paramedic and operations officer for the Akron (OH) Fire Department. He has 17+ years of experience as a firefighter and 15 + years as a paramedic. He is also a member of the SWAT Tactical Medic program. Alden has a master of arts degree in applied behavioral sciences from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and a baccala…

Lieutenant Alden is a paramedic and operations officer for the Akron (OH) Fire Department. He has 17+ years of experience as a firefighter and 15 + years as a paramedic. He is also a member of the SWAT Tactical Medic program. Alden has a master of arts degree in applied behavioral sciences from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and a baccala…

John Gonzalez is a past District Chief of Toms River Fire District 1 in Ocean County, NJ and has been an active volunteer firefighter for over 30 years. Chief Gonzalez served as a fire officer for 15 years, including 6 at Chief level for one of the largest all volunteer departments in the state of New Jersey. Additionally, Chief Gonzalez served as …

On September 4, Grayhawk bass player, Darin Wall, stopped a potential mass shooting by preventing a man from gaining entry into a private party at an event where the band had played earlier in the evening. Wall thought the man was acting strange, so he confronted him. The man pulled a gun and in the scuffle, Wall was shot in the leg. The man was qu…

Stan Mettinger was setting up a training scenario that involved setting vehicles on fire. He was using diesel fuel to ignite hay inside the vehicle when the vapors flashed and set Stan on fire resulting in first, second and third degree burns.By Richard B. Gasaway

On May 26, 2021, Monte Fronk, native American and Emergency Manager for the Mille Lacs Bank of Ojibwe received the most unimaginable news a father could receive. His daughter had been violently murdered. This episode, dedicated to Monte’s daughter, Nada, chronicles the events surrounding her murder, the fire department’s response and the traditions…

On May 26, 2021, Monte Fronk, native American and Emergency Manager for the Mille Lacs Bank of Ojibwe received the most unimaginable news a father could receive. His daughter had been violently murdered. This episode, dedicated to Monte’s daughter, Nada, chronicles the events surrounding her murder, the fire department’s response and the traditions…

In the early days of decision making research, most of the studies were conducted in college classrooms and laboratories. These settings were nothing like the high-risk, high-consequence environments faced by public safety providers. Nonetheless, the traditional decision making process does have its place and we’ll discuss where. Contact us www.SAM…

Under the best of conditions there can be miscommunications. When you add stress, uncertainty, changing conditions, and risk, communications can become very challenging. The first level of developing situational awareness is capturing the clues and cues from the environment. This includes capturing verbal clues and cues from dispatchers and respond…

Challenges to a decision maker’s situational awareness from issues related to staffing were among the most significant findings from my research. I can make this bold statement for several reasons. First, from the multiple card sort exercise, forty‑three percent of the cards selected by commanders were for issues that related to staffing. Second, w…

Flawed situational awareness (SA) is one of the leading contributing factors to first responder near-miss and casualty events. In fact, it is nearly impossible to find a line-of-duty death investigation report that does not implicate flawed SA, or one of the barriers that flaw SA, as contributing to the tragedy. As often as flawed SA is implicated …

Your highest level of situational awareness is formed when you are able to make accurate predictions about future events. In neuroscience, this is called projection and it simply means you are able to predict, or project, the future events. This is accomplished through mental models you develop that are founded in your training and experience. Cont…

Your highest level of situational awareness is formed when you are able to make accurate predictions about future events. In neuroscience, this is called projection and it simply means you are able to predict, or project, the future events. This is accomplished through mental models you develop that are founded in your training and experience. Cont…

Complacency is a dangerous affliction and a very challenging barrier to situational awareness for workers in high-risk environments. When a worker becomes complacent they let their guard down. What does that mean? It’s a cliché – to let your guard down. It means the worker is no longer paying attention to the dangerous environment they are in. Cont…

Along a worker’s journey toward envisioning, developing, and implementing their plan to guide their (hopefully) successful outcome, they are likely to encounter two situational awareness barriers that can quickly derail their focus. Distractions and interruptions occur for different reasons but have the same result. Both can draw a worker’s attenti…

Short-term memory can create a formidable challenge to situational awareness. Long-term memory is huge, some might argue it’s limitless. Short-term memory, not so much. The capacity of the average person’s short-term memory is about seven pieces of unrelated information, give or take a few. We’ll discuss this challenge and some tips for how to work…

Dr. Donnie explores the health and wellness qualities that make for successful firefighters and other first responders at work and home. He teaches how and why firefighters and first responders need to put their physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs first. Dr. Donnie educates first responders that the greater they care for themselves…

Dr. Donnie explores the health and wellness qualities that make for successful firefighters and other first responders at work and home. He teaches how and why firefighters and first responders need to put their physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs first. Dr. Donnie educates first responders that the greater they care for themselves…

John Moore lives in Southwest Ohio with his wife of nearly 15 years and their two children (ages 7 and 9). He attended Sinclair Community College directly out of high school and earned his firefighter 2, fire inspector, and paramedic certifications. He worked part-time for Clearcreek Fire District before being hired by the City of Kettering Fire De…

John Moore lives in Southwest Ohio with his wife of nearly 15 years and their two children (ages 7 and 9). He attended Sinclair Community College directly out of high school and earned his firefighter 2, fire inspector, and paramedic certifications. He worked part-time for Clearcreek Fire District before being hired by the City of Kettering Fire De…

This Q&A session addresses questions from recent live situational awareness programs. Much of the inspiration for the blog posts come from participant questions but this may be the first podcast episode dedicated to questions asked during live events. The three questions we address include: What can I do to improve my intuition? What can I do as fi…

The red flags discussed in the episode are clues and cues that provide conscious (overt) awareness of what is going on or subconscious (covert) awareness of what may be going on. The red flags are clues and cues that indicate things may not be right for an interior entry. Contact us www.SAMatters.com www.RichGasaway.com 612-548-4424 (office) Let’s …

I get asked a lot of questions about what the first arriving company officer should do at a working structure fire. Specifically, the debate revolves around two basic premise. Should the first arriving company officer assume a fixed command position outside the structure and coordinate the activities of incoming units? Or, should the first arriving…

First responders spend a lot of time together, on calls, in the station, and in many cases in social settings outside of work. All of this interaction builds relationships that allow responders to trust their lives to each other. We’ll discuss how peer pressure can be beneficial and detrimental to first responder safety. Contact us www.SAMatters.co…