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Maryland Rescuers Embrace `Crew Resource Management`
"We're an old outfit and it shows. But, we're getting better."
That's how Atlanta Fire Chief Dennis Rubin said he sees the American fire service. And, one way to make departments more efficient is to embrace crew resource management (CRM).
Addressing a crowd of emergency personnel in Maryland last week, Rubin said CRM has been used for many years in the aviation industry, hospitals, and military, especially the Navy and Coast Guard.
For more on Crew Resource Management from Dennis L. Rubin:
Montgomery County Chief Tom Carr said he believes in the philosophy of CRM, and initiated it for EMS personnel. "We've been teaching it in EMT refresher classes. That's how we knew we'd reach them."
Although it was working well on EMS incidents, Carr said he soon realized that CRM needed to be implemented countywide. That's why he said he invited Rubin, a nationally known expert on the theory, to address emergency personnel from the Washington area. "We need everyone to be on the same page."
Rubin, a contributor to Firehouse.com, said CRM is comprised of four components, and following them exactly at every incident should make things run more smoothly, and also reduce the number of responder injuries and deaths
The main ingredients of CRM are communications skills, teamwork and leadership, task allocation and critical decision-making. To illustrate what happens when those issues are not addressed, responders heard discussions between pilots and co-pilots prior to aircraft crashes. They also watched and listened to radio traffic at the scenes of working fires.
"Today's leader has got to look for input," Rubin said. "Technology cannot overcome bad fire ground management."
Sticking to the basics, and approaching every incident as a team is vital for a successful and safe outcome. "People need to know the SOPs, and not be afraid to speak up."
That's the main reason that Chief Carr said he wants his department to be a front-runner in the CRM movement. "I believe it's an excellent system that works for the emergency service."
