In this episode of The Leader's Toolbox, Dr. Richard B. Gasaway talks with Plymouth, Minn., Fire Chief Rick Kline about the challenges of redefining the fire service culture to one that considers how things have changed, yet we struggled to adjust.
Chief Kline discusses how the fire service culture defines organizations and sets the expectations for behaviors. Chief Kline notes that changes in technology have helped, but firefighters are still dying at an unacceptable rate at structural fires.
Kline talks about the need to proactively change the culture and why it is so important to assess the hazards and take actions that are measured to the risk.
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.