English

DTIC ADA199492: Rapid Decision Making on the Fire Ground

The objective of this study was to examine the way in which decisions are made by highly proficient personnel, under conditions of extreme time pressure, and where the consequences of the decisions could affect lives and property. The domain of fire fighting was selected, and the search focused on the decisions made by Fire Ground Commanders (FGCs) who are responsible for allocating personnel and resources at the scene of a fire. The method used included aspects of critical incident and protocol analysis paradigms. Interviews were conducted with 26 experienced fire fighters (mean amount of experience = 23 years). Each interview covered a critical incident that was nonroutine and demanded expertise. In this way, the FGCs handled decision points without any need to consider more than one option. A Recognition Primed Decision (RPD) model was synthesized from these data, which emphasized the use of recognition rather than calculation or analysis for rapid decision making. (sdw)

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