Why Successful Fire Leaders Use Crew Resource Management
In the fire service, split-second decisions can mean the difference between life and death, making effective communication and leadership crucial to safe operations. Crew Resource Management (CRM) has emerged as an effective approach to enhancing safety and efficiency.
The Origins of Crew Resource Management
The Public Safety Group sat down with Dane Carley, a Battalion Chief at the Fargo Fire Department, and fire educator in North Dakota, who noted that the origins of CRM were not in the fire service, but rather in the aviation industry.
"Back when planes were crashing more frequently, they (researchers) realized that it wasn't because the planes were failing. Most of the incidents that happened had a component of human behavior in them,” Chief Carley said.
There were four primary contributors to plane accidents: human error, poor interpersonal communications, ineffective decision-making, and detrimental leadership styles. The aviation industry developed CRM to address these contributors and reduce the human elements behind plane crashes.
Despite initial resistance, CRM gained widespread acceptance as more people saw how well it worked, with an 80% reduction in crashes over time.
Today, CRM is a key part of aviation, and its principles have been embraced by other industries, such as emergency rooms and nuclear facilities, where the stakes are high and mistakes can have devastating outcomes. The fire service is also adopting CRM to improve safety and effectiveness in high-pressure situations.
Creating an Environment of Open Communication
The fire service has a hierarchy, with incident commanders and company officers taking a leadership role during incidents. Chief Carley says a hierarchy is necessary for operations, but it can inadvertently create communication barriers, as firefighters may be hesitant to speak up about concerns to their superiors. The resulting mitigated speech slows the flow of critical information, potentially affecting the team's ability to respond effectively to the incident.
By encouraging input from all team members, CRM solves this communication barrier by encouraging input from all team members, creating a more effective and cohesive unit taking "in" the situation. When an Engine company arrives on the scene, each member has a job to do. But each member may be in a different area or perceive the situation differently due to experience, awareness, role, or location at the incident. Chief Carley says this diversity of perspectives is crucial.
“A younger firefighter's going to see stuff that a more senior firefighter doesn't, and a senior firefighter's going to see things that the younger one doesn't," he said. “If we can bring all those pieces together and complete that puzzle, the officer can make better decisions on the safest and most effective way to attack that fire."
While CRM encourages open communication, firefighters should focus on sharing factual information rather than personal opinions. Communication should be based on measurements or observations from fellow crew members. This ensures that the information is objective, avoiding assumptions or guesses that could unintentionally challenge the leader's judgment and disrupt decision-making.
Crew Resource Management in Action
Encouraging open communication allows fire leaders to ensure that vital information is shared promptly, enhancing situational awareness and decision-making. Chief Carley says this type of open communication leads to better outcomes and increased safety.
“It creates an environment where operations can be more successful because you have input from everyone on scene, each offering a unique perspective based on their experience, training, and education," he said.
Chief Carley shared an example of CRM's effectiveness that he experienced when responding to an apartment fire. As the incident commander, he had to decide whether to continue fighting the fire or pull his team back. A young firefighter approached him with crucial information about the roof's instability, which Chief Carley had not heard due to his radio being turned down as he monitored other communication channels. Chief Carley chose to withdraw his crew’s just before the roof collapsed, saving lives. He says this situation is an example of CRM at work.
"That's exactly what CRM is supposed to do,” he said. “It's supposed to create an environment where people are comfortable saying, 'Hey, did you hear this or did you see this?'"
Overcoming Obstacles to CRM Adoption
Despite its proven benefits, CRM faces challenges in the fire service, often due to misunderstandings about its purpose. Some may perceive CRM as time-consuming or as undermining authority. Another challenge is the perception that CRM requires lengthy discussions or meetings, which are impractical in emergency situations. Chief Carley notes that the goal of CRM is to facilitate quick, informed decisions in moments where every second counts.
“It's not about having a committee meeting out in the front yard...It's an opportunity for someone to interject and then move on...through the decision making with that new piece of information,” he said.
To overcome challenges to CRM, Chief Carley says that fire leaders should:
Clarify CRM's purpose. Explain why and how it works.
Emphasize the importance of clear, concise communication by modelling CRM techniques in their own communications.
Share brief and concise examples of stories and data from other industries who chose to incorporate CRM and saw improvements and life saving changes.
Chief Carley suggests starting small when adding CRM practices.
"You can implement CRM in your sphere of influence,” he said. “So, if you're a company officer, you can apply CRM practices and principles at your company level. If you're Battalion Chief, you can apply it at your battalion level and so on. And over time that will spread.”
How to Teach CRM in the Fire Service
Education and training play a pivotal role in implementing CRM. Introducing CRM principles in training programs ensures that all personnel understand its importance and application.
In addition to serving as Battalion Chief of the Fargo Fire Department, Chief Carley has been a Fire Instructor at Minnesota State Community and Technical College for nearly 30 years. He shared that he uses real-life examples to help firefighters better understand the practical applications of CRM.
"One of the things I've done when I teach CRM is pick a specific part of CRM and then have a recording of an incident that I was incident commander at where that topic was a problem,” he said. “By using recordings or video from [that incident], I can explain the connection between my thought process and the part of the CRM that could have been applied better,” he said.
Leadership development is another key part of CRM implementation. Good leaders are approachable and knowledgeable, fostering trust and encouraging team members to share critical information.
Fire Officer: Principles and Fire Officer: Principles and Practice, Fifth Edition, Fifth Edition includes a new chapter on Crew Resource Management. The chapter has a special emphasis on leadership, something Chief Carley says is the cornerstone of CRM.
"In the CRM chapter there's so many references back to the previous chapter where we talk about Leadership because CRM is the application of ‘Leadership,’” he said. “It has benefits that aren't always considered because it is good leadership and it does improve morale, it does improve retention. But from a fire service point of view, that improved communication also improves situational awareness... It's going to reduce near misses, it's going to reduce line of duty deaths, it's going to reduce injuries.”
Fire Officer: Principles and Practice, Fifth Edition
Fire Officer: Principles and Practice prepares today's firefighters for successful leadership and management in the fire service, with an emphasis on how effective leadership skills can be used to meet the challenges fire officers face.
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