BY JOHN M. BUCKMAN III
In his book Blink (Little, Brown and Company, 2005), author Malcolm Gladwell discusses a new theory incident commanders (ICs) can use. The theory is called “adaptive unconscious,” and it helps to explain why we sometimes believe we make decisions without thinking. It is that instinctive sense that ICs can use to make fireground decisions that won’t haunt them.
As IC, record the first words that go through your head when you observe a set of facts such as at the scene of a working structure fire. These first words are the basis for why your brain reacts to the facts presented. The process is referred to as fast and frugal. Our brain reaches conclusions without telling us it has reached conclusions. Our unconscious brain is making decisions way ahead of and faster than our conscious brain. It is a weirdly indirect channel, but it is sound.
When making command decisions, the IC is presented with a set of facts and, based on his experience, training, and intuition, makes strategic and tactical decisions. On the path to a conclusion, he does not weigh every conceivable issue. He weighs his decision by what he considers he can take in at a glance. Some part of the brain did some instant calculations and fed the information to the part that takes action. These calculations took place before any kind of conscious action took place. Most ICs involved in bad situations say they felt something; they were not sure what it was, but they felt something that made them hesitate.
The brain helped them through an intuitive process. Did they know why they knew? Not at all, but they knew. The adaptive unconscious part of the brain quickly and quietly processes information. An example of this action would be when you step into the street in front of an oncoming truck and you immediately jump back. You didn’t have time to think about it: You reacted to a set of facts, made a conclusion, and took action.
An individual will toggle back and forth between conscious and unconscious decisions without knowing it. One purpose in writing this article is to encourage firefighters, officers, chiefs, and ICs to rely on their intuitive decision-making process and trust it.
USE FOR COMMAND AND CONTROL
How can you use these two seconds in command and control operations? I have often told commanders in training sessions that they should rely on their instincts in making command decisions. If it looks bad, it is. Don’t try to convince yourself that it is not bad, because your instinct is right.
I recently worked a house fire. The structure involved was a two-story log cabin; fire was coming out the west end. I was going to be on the nozzle as I rode in on the engine. A young competent officer had command and was implementing the command process. The house fire was in a very rural area that required tankers for the water supply, but water was not the problem-instinct was the problem. I stood in front of that structure while my backup readied, and I said to myself, “This is a bad fire.” I also said to myself, “This is not a fire to die on.” I have never thought that or said those things to myself before.
As I opened the front door, it rapidly sucked in and I knew what this indicated: Backdraft and/or flashover was about to occur. Even though I knew it was a bad fire and one that made me question our strategy, I still wanted to go in and see what the fire was doing. I overrode my instincts for survival. It almost cost me my life.
As the door slammed against the wall, I crawled inside the structure. It was hot, and the smoke was a yellowish/brown color. I was about eight feet inside the front door when I saw the smoke lift and the fire at the top of the vaulted ceiling. I saw the fire grow rapidly, and I turned to rapidly make my way out the door through which I had entered. I made it as fire was filling the door from the top to the bottom and blowing flames out the door onto the porch about 10 feet. We rapidly turned our 1 3/4-inch handline onto the fire. It took two 1 3/4 -inch handlines to control that fire and knock it down.
DEVELOP A SOUND DECISION-MAKING PROCESS
Making rapid decisions before considering all the facts in the decision-making process does not guarantee a good decision, nor does it guarantee a bad decision. For intuitive thinking to be successful, ICs’ training and experience must be ongoing. The training must be consistent with accepted strategy and tactics. Bad training is almost guaranteed to result in bad decisions. Good training does not guarantee good decisions, but the odds are better.
Our internal computer will not always be right. That is why an IC must have a strong experiential background. Making snap judgments without processing information can be controlled through discipline. The power of knowing in the first two seconds is not a natural gift but an ability we can all cultivate for ourselves. It takes time to develop the intuitive decision-making process, and it takes training. The individual must want to shape, manage, and educate the unconscious reaction process.
To make the right decisions consistently, you must develop a sound decision-making process based on sound strategy and tactical processes.
I offer the following process for ICs to use:
Before taking any action, determine the appropriate strategy. You will have about two seconds to make the strategy choice. Two choices are available to the IC: offensive and defensive. Some people will tell you that you can do a marginal defensive operation while preparing for an offensive operation. This is true, but most fire departments are not staffed adequately to do both at the same time.
The IC has two initial choices in developing and implementing a plan at a structure fire. He can send firefighters inside with mobile handlines or keep firefighters outside and mount an aggressive operation. The decision to do one or the other is based on a set of facts. Some of the facts are consistent and don’t change much, such as building construction, access, layout, and fire suppression equipment. The size and location of the fire are factors to consider and do change the IC’s decisions.
The IC should try to get a picture of the entire building that includes all six sides. The number of personnel is a critical factor in determining offensive or defensive operations. The amount of water available to the IC is a significant factor in the decision-making process regarding offensive or defensive operations. Time of day and day of week may be issues in the occupancy and may be an issue in volunteer departments. These factors are part of the size-up process. If an IC is to become better at completing a fast size-up that produces good decisions, then his brain must be trained and given consistent information to make the right intuitive decision in the first two seconds.
It is again important to note that the IC must determine the strategy and accompanying objectives before committing personnel. He should communicate the strategy to all responders. If the strategy changes, he should communicate the changes.
After selecting the strategy and the objectives, the IC chooses and implements the tactics to support the plan.
TACTICAL STEPS
Twelve steps in the size-up process relate to tactics; 10 of the steps are analyzed below in numerical order, and two of the steps are assigned at the appropriate time based on factors.
Life Safety: firefighters first, civilians second.
Accountability: Can we account for our personnel? Number? Location?
Resources (personnel, apparatus): Do we have enough people to implement the strategy and the apparatus and equipment to support the tactical needs?
Water supply: Fires usually go out because water is applied at the right time, in the right location, and in the amount needed to absorb the Btus from the fire.
Exposures (interior, exterior): Remember, in most cases, assign the first hoseline to where the fire is going, not where the fire is. Failure to protect exposures may result in the IC’s having to decide where to stop the fire-at the building of origin or at the block of origin.
Utility control: Utilities impact firefighter safety; control the electricity and the gas supply.
Locate the seat of the fire: It is not always where you see the flames. You may need to remind the firefighters on the hoseline that they need to be at the seat of the fire to extinguish the fire.
Confine the fire: Surround the fire so that it does not spread. Fires in walls and other concealed spaces will come out; if you did not plan for such events, the fire will get away from you.
Extinguish the fire: You extinguish the fire after you acquire adequate resources (including water) and select the proper hoseline and place it appropriately. If you immediately go to this step in suppressing the fire, you may find out that the fire will win and overcome your forces.
Overhaul: Making sure you got all the fire in all the places is the final step in suppressing the fire.
The IC assigns the next two steps when there is a need and staffing is available. They can be done early or late, depending on the IC.
Salvage: Extinguishing the fire saves as much property as possible; other times, personnel will have to protect the contents by deploying salvage covers.
Ventilation: Vertical, horizontal, natural, mechanical, positive, negative, and hydraulic are all options for removing the smoke and gases from the building. The IC must decide which tool is appropriate to pull from the toolbox.
If the IC is going to make good decisions, those decisions will require some logical thought process that will help the IC make the right choices in those first two seconds.
