The Leader's Toolbox: Safety, Training and Confrontational Firefighters

This month's topics include tackling an issue where training drills have turned stale, discouraging members from attending. A writer says that his department's culture on safety is non-existent and another listener is concerned by a firefighter who is always looking for a fight.
Nov. 28, 2012
2 min read

Dr. Richard B. Gasaway returns to the roots of this podcast series by taking questions from regular listeners of the podcast. This month's topics include tackling an issue where training drills have turned stale, discouraging members from attending. A writer says that his department's culture on safety is non-existent and another listener is concerned by a firefighter who is always looking for a fight.

A firefighter asks Gasaway about changing his department's stance on their "it's part of the job" mentality about firefighter safety and injuries. He offers the listener advice on how to capture information that can shape a positive change in their approach to injuries and overall firefighter safety.

Another question that he tackles is from a department that has lost their momentum when it comes to training. Gasaway shares tips on how to create effective and engaging training for firefighters. 

He wraps up the show discussing how one listener can deal with confrontational members of the station. The listener says that one member of the shift is always looking for a fight and Gasaway shares how podcast listeners can deescalate the hostile situations and create a better working and living environment.

If you have questions for Rich, please send them to: [email protected].

Gasaway will be presenting "Mental Management of Emergencies" and hosting a live recording of "The Leader's Toolbox" at Firehouse World in San Diego, Feb. 17-21. Click here to learn more.

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About the Author

Richard Gasaway

Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, CSP is an authority on human factors, situational awareness and the high-risk decision-making processes that are used in high-stress, high-consequence work environments. He served 33 years as a firefighter, EMT-paramedic, company officer, training officer, fire chief and emergency incident commander. Gasaway's doctoral research included the study of cognitive neuroscience to understand how human factors flaw situational awareness and affect high-risk decision-making. He authored six books, and his contributions on situational awareness and decision-making are featured and referenced in more than 400 publications. Gasaway's training programs have been delivered to more than 88,000 students.

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