Crew Resource Management

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Crew Resource ManagementThe Command Officer
Proven Tool for a Safer Scene Control
Bob Bartosz Photo
Partnering for Safe Leadership Ruidoso, NM May 7,
2008 Battalion Chief John Tippett Montgomery
County Fire Rescue Service (MD)
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What do we hope to accomplish today?

• Interactive discussion.
• Preserve good traditions.
• Acquaint you with new
• approach to command
• control.
• Provide tool you can
• use beginning today.

Safety Based Culture Non-Punitive Approach to
Error
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Is there a problem with the way we do business?
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Acceptable Losses?

• 105 fatalities to date
• 2006 Statistics
• 106 firefighters died while on duty in 2006. 77
  volunteer, 29 career.
• 6 multiple fatality incidents, 17 killed.
• 22 killed during brush, grass, or wildland
  firefighting.
• 36 died at the scene of a fire.
• 15 died responding to or returning from emergency
  incidents.
• 9 died engaged in training activities.
• 20 died after the conclusion of their on-duty
  activity.
• 50 died from heart attacks.
• 19 killed as a result of vehicle crashes.

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Reasons Costs

• Better protection, aggressive tactics, lighter
  weight construction and improved handling
  capabilities of heavy apparatus are putting
  firefighters at greater risk.
• Non-fatal firefighter injuries and prevention
  efforts cost anywhere from 2.8 billion to 7.8
  billion per year. (NIST Report on Consequences of
  Fire Fighter Injuries - 2005)

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Why isnt technology enough?
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Normalization of Deviance
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becomes our nemesis
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Error Management

• To err is human
• Marcus Tullius Cicero
• 106-43 B.C.

1 Fatality
10 Lost Time Injuries
100 Minor Injuries
1000 No Loss Accidents 10,000 UNSAFE ACTS!
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Human Factor Error CausesGordon Duponts Dirty
Dozen

• Lack of Communication
• Complacency
• Lack of Knowledge
• Distraction
• Lack of Teamwork
• Fatigue

• Lack of Resources
• Pressure
• Lack of Assertiveness
• Stress
• Lack of Awareness
• Norms

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Who Carries the Load?
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When Things Go Wrong . . .
How It Is Now . . .
How It Should Be . . .
You are human
You are highly trained
and
and
Humans make mistakes
If you did as trained, you would not make mistakes
so
so
Lets also explore why the system allowed, or
failed to accommodate your mistake
You werent careful enough
so
and
You should be PUNISHED!
Lets IMPROVE THE SYSTEM!
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Layers of Defense Trap Crew Errors
Use All Resources
Maintain Situational Awareness
Follow SOPs
High Level of Proficiency
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You may not know where the holes are
Use All Resources
Follow SOPs
Maintain Situational Awareness
High Level of Proficiency
James Reasons Swiss Cheese
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When the holes line up
Use All Resources
Follow SOPs
Maintain Situational Awareness
DISASTER!
High Level of Proficiency
James Reasons Swiss Cheese
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Crew Resource Management

• What it is
• Where it came from
• How it works
• Why we should use it
• How we know it works

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What Is Crew Resource Management?

• Force multiplier
• Uses all resources
• Enhances supervision
• Improves safety
• Raises level of
• awareness for
• those engaged

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• Crew Resource Management (CRM) is a tool created
  to optimize human performance by reducing the
  effect of human error through the use of all
  resources.

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Where Did It Come From?

• Aviation Community
• Air Crashes Dominated Industry Attention
• Technology Only Went So Far
• 1970s Dr. Robert Helmreich and CVRs

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Error Management

• Helmreichs Error Management Model

AVOID
TRAP
MITIGATE
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How Does It Work?

• Six Principles
• Communication
• Decision-Making
• Task Allocation
• Teamwork
• Situational
• Awareness
• Debrief

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(No Transcript)
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Communication

• Barriers and bias block effective communication
• Standard language benefits all
• Practice active listening
• Divide duties to prevent overload
• Minimize distractions
• Establish Inquiry/Advocacy patterns
• Clear, Concise, Complete
• Respectful
• Bishops Assertive Statement

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Communication

• Active Listening
• Face individual(s)
• Maintain eye contact
• Only one person speaks at a time
• Formulate reply after other person speaking
  finishes talking

• Distractions
• Turn down radio(s)
• Phones on vibrate
• No multi-tasking during periods of high stress
• Ambient noise
• Adjourn to quiet location

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Sterile Command Post

• Everyone needs to be all business when its
  time for business.
• IC sets the tone for the CP.

Photo by Carlos Alfaro
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Todd Bishops Assertive Statement

• How to talk up
• the chain of command
• If you are a subordinate
• use the technique
• If you are a supervisor
• LISTEN FOR THE PROCESS!

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5 Easy Steps

• Opening/attention (Call the supervisor by name or
  rank)
• State concern/owned emotion (Im concerned
  about)
• State the problem as you see it (Someone is going
  to get hurt if we)
• State a solution (I think we can do it another
  way)
• Obtain agreement (aka buy-in) (Does this make
  sense to you?)

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Critical Decision Making

• Recognize problems
• Continue to fight the fire
• Maintain SA
• Assess hazards
• Assess resources
• Solicit solutions
• Make a decision!

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Klein

• Method
• Recognition Primed
• Naturalistic
• Cue Based

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Decision Making

• Cue Based
• Compare existing knowledge base against situation
• Improve base through
• Training
• Experience
• Knowledge
• Case studies

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blink

• Rapid Cognition
• Thin-slicing
• Ability of the unconscious to find patterns in
  situations and behaviors based on very narrow
  slices of experience.
• Automated, accelerated recognition of
  identifiable patterns.
• Coup doeil - the power of the glance
• - Malcolm Gladwell

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Klein, Gladwell Todays Fire Officer
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Task Allocation

• Know your limits
• Know your crews limits
• Capitalize on strengths
• Seek out experts
• Eat the elephant one bite at a time

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Task Allocation Exercise

• What You Have
• 3 Story MFD
• Fire on 2 floors and through roof
• Type V Construction
• Wood Truss Roof

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Whos On the Way

• BC1
• 28 years, 6 as Ops BC
• 14 years in busiest areas
• EFO Grad
• Bachelors in Fire Protection

• EMS BC
• 16 years, 2 as EMS BC
• 12 years in Suppression ranks
• 2 years as Training Captain
• Associates Degree, EMS

• Fire Prevention AC
• 20 years
• 6 in Ops as FF, Remainder of time in Fire
  Prevention
• EFO Grad
• Bachelors in Fire Protection
• NIMS Instructor

• Operations AC
• 34 years, 2 as Ops Chief
• 12 as Training DC
• 4 as Arson BC
• 8 as Safety Captain
• Bachelors in Fire Service Management

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Who Gets the Job?

• Fire Attack
• Safety Officer
• Senior Advisor
• Roof Sector

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Teamwork

• Leadership
• Followership

Photo by Bob Bartosz, Camden Fire Department
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Teamwork

• Leadership
• Authority
• Mandated by rank
• Derived through respect
• Mentoring
• Lead by example
• Admit mistakes
• Be technically competent
• Share knowledge

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Teamwork

• Conflict Resolution
• Focus on issue
• Keep ego in check
• Listen

• Mission Analysis
• 1 Priority
• Continuous
• Risk vs Reward
• Evaluation

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Teamwork

• FOLLOWERSHIP
• Self Assessment
• Physical Condition
• Mental Condition
• Attitude
• Understands human behaviors

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Teamwork
Followership

• Respect authority
• Personal Safety
• Crew Safety
• Accepts authority
• Knows authority limits
• Leader success
• Good communication skills

• Learning attitude
• Ego in check
• Balance assertiveness/authority
• Accept orders
• Demand clear tasks
• Admit errors
• Provide feedback
• Adapt

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How Well Do You Team?
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Situational Awareness

• Point where perception and reality collide
• Reality always wins
• Beware of loss factors
• Ambiguity
• Distraction
• Fixation
• Overload
• Complacency
• Unresolved discrepancy

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Hazardous Attitudes

• Invulnerability
• Anti-authority
• Impulsivity
• Macho
• Resignation
• Air Show Syndrome
• Pressing

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Good Situational Awareness

• Good crew coordination
• Proper task completion
• Understanding
• Smooth ride
• Crisp and appropriate radio calls
• Use of checklists

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Preventing Loss of Situational Awareness

• Crew mental joggers
• What do we have here?
• Whats going on here?
• How are we doing?
• Does this look right?

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Preventing loss of Situational Awareness

• Personal mental joggers
• What do I know that they need to know?
• What do they know that I need to know?
• What do we all need to know?

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Debrief

• Pre-Brief
• Topic
• Decorum
• Facilitate
• Analyze
• Operations
• Human Behaviors

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Why Should We Use CRM?

• Error is a fact of all performance
• Command becoming more complicated
• Command successes are a function of teamwork
• Proven success in multiple industries with
  similar structure

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How Do We Know It Works?

• 5th Generation in Aviation Industry
• U. S. Marine Corps Adopting as Basic Philosophy
• Significant Reductions in Injuries and Error
• Commercial Aviation Industry
• U.S. Coast Guard
• U.S. Navy
• U.S. Air Force
• Veterans Administration Hospital System

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Review

• What CRM is
• Where it came from
• How it works
• Why we should use it
• How we know it works

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For More Information

• http//www.iafc.org/associations/4685/files/CRM20
  Manual.pdf (downloadable manual)
• Okray and Lubnau, Crew Resource Management for
  the Fire Service. Penwell Publishing

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Contact Information

• john.tippett_at_montgomerycountymd.gov
• jtippett_at_iafc.org
• 240-832-6563

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• QUESTIONS?