One of the natural enemies to situational awareness is tunnel vision. For the purposes of discussion I will define tunnel vision is the concentration on one particular item at the exclusion of all others. Many firefighters reading this post have responded to an accident scene and found a car that struck a pole in the middle of an open field. This scenario is a good example of tunnel vision. As the driver lost control and left the roadway they began to focus on the pole. It didn’t take long for the pole to become their singular focus and in many cases a fatal mistake. The same thing can happen on the fireground. Firefighters and officers concentrate on a large body of fire. They put all their focus on this, sometimes called the ”Moth-to-Candle Syndrome” and block out concerns for the heat, smoke and building conditions that can signal a drastic situation.
Understanding the dangers of tunnel vision is fine, but firefighters and officers need to be prepared with the skills to prevent tunnel vision. I like to use a technique called the “720 Degree World”. This concept emphasizes the total picture prospective of firefighting. In employing this concept one would constantly scan not just a single point but in a 360 degree arc around their position and in another 360 degree arc above and below their position.
I can remember as a young firefighter, a veteran telling me that a lot of hazards to my health and well-being will be above me. With the increasing use of lightweight truss construction in floor assemblies we now see considerable hazards coming from below us too. The whole idea behind scanning the environment is to break the single site focus and identify hazards before they become a problem.
To show how effective this tool can be let me draw on my experiences from the tactical world. During rifle qualifications in my first vetting class I had an ex-Navy SEAL operator show me a trick. Part of the qualifications involved shooting a large number of rounds from 100 yards in the span of 90 seconds. That might not seem like a long time but when you are on your stomach, under the pressure of qualifying or going home, 90 seconds is forever. Just like crawling down a long hallway with a handline, intense pressure and concentration can cause you to exclude the things happening in the outside world. Over time your vision becomes so intensely focused you can actually begin to lose focus. My friend, the Navy SEAL, told me to occasionally just look away from my rifle sites and look at the green grass on the berms surrounding the range. When I looked back at my target, I realized this slight break allowed me to re-acquire an accurate sight picture and deliver accurate shots on target.
Adapting this lesson to emergency services, we can teach our firefighters and officers to occasionally look away from their task (as long as it does not pose a safety hazard like looking away while operating a power saw) to break the tunnel vision trap. While taking this quick break you can evaluate their surroundings to determine if there are any developing hazards. This technique can be very effective in reducing tunnel vision and improving situational awareness.
The bottom line for firefighter safety is that you must be able to operate in the 720- degree world and understand that hazards can come from any segment of that world. The more you allow yourself to focus too narrowly, the more likely you are to lose your situation awareness.
Retired Battalion Chief Dennis Reilly
Cherry Hill (NJ) Fire Department
Firefighter, Linville (NC) Fire Department
Chief Reilly recently completed a three year tour as a security specialist and team medic in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He can be reached at: chfdharley@gmail.com
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Dr. Gasaway's observations:
Right on Dennis! Thank you for contributing to my situation awarneness blog. Stress is one of the contributing factors to narrowed attention. The greater your stress, the more likely your attention is to narrow in on the things that are causing that stress. One note about tunnel vision. The term tunnel vision is actually deceiving because its not only your vision that can be tunneled. All your senses can be tunneled, with vision and hearing being two of the most important at an emergency scene. It may be a little easier to look away than to listen away, but the advice Dennis offers is extremely valuable.
Fire Chief (ret.) Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, EFO, CFO, MICP
www.RichGasaway.com
