FireMind: Development of an interactive computer-based software tool for assessing and training Fireground Situation Awareness and decision-making Erasmus Project

Project Title

FireMind: Development of an interactive computer-based software tool for assessing and training Fireground Situation Awareness and decision-making

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Quality Assurance

Project Summary

Context: The project was concerned with improving safety in fireground operations though the development of an interactive software tool for assessing and training fireground Situation Awareness (understanding of the immediate situation) and decision-making patterns. Past work by the team has shown that under pressure, professional training and competence per se does not fully protect Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) personnel from the risk of losing Situation Awareness and so making errors. These errors are due to decision-making tendencies or “biases” due to either of two patterns: either “tunnelling down” on aspects of the situation and overlooking others, or alternately attempting to deal with too much information at once. The former pattern will cause “miss” errors whereby key information may not be taken on board, and the latter pattern will cause “false alarms” where irrelevant or even incorrect information may be used to make decisions. Even with the highest levels of training and skill, individuals can still make such errors. These are due to natural limitations of the human brain under pressure. Such tendencies are addressed in training for many other situations where human decision-making is under pressure (e.g, aircraft , military, medical contexts) but have yet to be noticeably incorporated in VET for Fire services.

Objectives: The main objective of the project was to develop an online interactive software tool to enable Fire Service personnel to engage in realistic simulations of fire service operations and receive immediate feedback about their Situation Awareness and type of decision bias (whether they “tunnel down” or “broaden out”) followed by guidance for improvement and self-monitoring of Situation Awareness and bias. This will provide the personnel with immediate insights into their own decision-making patterns and tendencies and provide means by which to self-monitor these tendencies under pressure on the actual fireground. The broad objective was to add value to their training by increasing their awareness of possible decision-making tendencies that could produce errors and cause risk during their fireground operations.

Participants: Participants were Fire and Rescue Service personnel from the EU partner FRS centres, both firefighters and commanders (managers). Between ten and twenty per EU partner centre were be involved in the project.

Activities: The project involved the following sequence of activities: (1.) an initial visit by UK partners to all EU Fire Service partner sites to demonstrate and explain the basic approach and collect information on local requirements for further development (2) subsequent development of the tool for each of the EU sites by researchers and then by the UK partners with a technician to enhance the user-interface; (3.) a second visit by UK team to support the initial trials of the tool in each EU partner site ; (4.) the EU partners then sent feedback and outputs to the UK teams for coordination and final revision; (5.) the tool was refined by the U.K. team; (6.) the EU partners sent representatives to a workshop in the UK to review the final version; (7.) the final version of the tool to be implemented as a web portal – activity led by PLOT (8.) dissemination activities ongoing.

Methodology: The method involved trials at each of the EU partner sites of interactive computer-based fireground exercises optimised for local users. A range of exercises were trialled, each presenting a series of images and video material representing the exercise interspersed with “probe” questions to be answered “true/false” (eg., “there was a gas cylinder at the building entrance”). A quantitative method in the analysis software produced a Situation Awareness score and a Bias tendency score (tunnel bias vs. broaden bias). This was followed by qualitative feedback and further training activities can be implemented in the software specific to the individual’s results. Participants in the trials to were invited to reflect on the results and provide feedback on the perceived value of the method and suggest ways to develop it . This feedback has been used by the UK teams for further refinement of the tool.

Impact/results: The impact is that the EU Fire Services community have a valuable, accessible and innovative tool that provides improved understanding of an individual’s Situation Awareness and Decision-making bias tendencies and provides guidance on ways to self-check and improve on these critical aspects of foreground operations.

Long-term potential benefits: For the individual FRS personnel who employ this tool, this will ultimately enable them to perform at a higher level under pressure on the actual fireground and hence reduce decision-making error, thereby improving safety for Fire and Rescue services and for the wider community that they serve.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 228178,57 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITY OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE LBG & Country: UK

Project Partners

• IFV Brandweeracademie
• Falck Danmark A/S
• Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service
• provincie Limburg (B)
• CENTRUM NAUKOWO-BADAWCZE OCHRONY PRZECIWPOZAROWEJ IM. JOZEFA TULISZKOWSKIEGO – PANSTWOWY INSTYTUT BADAWCZY