We have all made some type of tactical mistake on the fireground. In my 19 years in the fire service, I have never had a perfect fire or a perfect fireground performance – there is always something that I can do better and something that can be improved on. Collectively as a service, we have done a great job of improving our trade and bringing science and theory deeper into the firehouse than ever before. However, there is still work to be done, and the best place to start in addressing such concerns within your organization or company is with the after-action review (AAR).
The AAR is a terrific tool to uncover mistakes and improve performance on the fireground. It is invaluable in identifying lessons, but it has been mistakenly viewed by some as a tool to disrupt, hijack or ambush firefighters and officers. The AAR is not meant to be punitive but rather to cultivate transparency and integrity within the organization.
Following are tips for performing an effective AAR.
Planning the AAR
It makes sense to develop some type of policy on when to hold an AAR. This ensures a consistent process and works to eliminate subjectivity within the process. For instance, my organization used to have a bad habit of only doing an AAR on “good runs” – incidents where little could have been improved. We never discussed the incidents from which we could have learned the most.
In developing an AAR policy, we now review all multi-alarm fires, technical incidents (hazmat runs, technical rescue calls), and mass casualty incidents in a formal setting. We also conduct “quick briefs” where a simple summary of the incident is generated in a typed bulletin with the incident specifics and lessons learned on smaller calls such as our one-alarm fires or entrapments. How you develop your process and policy is completely up to you.
Lose the ego
One of the most common first elements of the AAR process is a hesitancy in what to write or say for fear of retaliation from administrative staff. Retaliatory practices are nothing short of toxic to both your organization and to the relationships that are cultivated within the firehouse. If fire officers cannot reasonably sit and listen to the observations of others in order to grow professionally, then they truly have no business in a position of leadership.
A healthy AAR process places fact over feelings, and all members should understand that respectful discussion, even heated discussions, are not meant to be personal attacks but rather a necessary step in the process of identifying mistakes in order to prevent them in the future. Every member on the fireground observed the same event from their own unique perspective; therefore, it is imperative that all members have an equal voice to share their viewpoints and concerns. Rank doesn’t necessarily need to be suspended, as there should be proper decorum within the after-action meeting, but tempers must not flare either.
Finally, a proper AAR must include all personnel who were on scene, plus the administrative and command staff should have a seat in the process. The fire chief, operations chief, incident commander, officers and firefighters must all be allowed to be in the meeting, ideally uninterrupted from meetings or runs. Naturally this isn’t always feasible, but it is a goal. Could other companies cover runs while the training takes place? Can the meeting be recorded for others to view? There are numerous options to ensure that everyone gets to attend and participate.
Gathering data
Similar to an EMS quality assurance process, it is best if a team of firefighters are available to gather and review the data in an AAR process. Ideally this team is not involved in the incident, as this helps eliminate bias, but that is not always feasible. The team can gather data from various sources, including body camera or helmet camera footage, fire reports, fire investigations and firsthand accounts.
In my department, we began asking for body camera footage from our law enforcement officers in order to give a great view of the fire conditions, apparatus positioning and performance of firefighters. We have been able to identify issues with stretching hoselines, masking up and deploying ladders. Cameras also don’t lie; they simply present the truth. “Heavy fire conditions” can be dispelled or confirmed by taking the time to see the video and have an honest discussion on fire dynamics, flow path, smoke reading and all of the relevant factors that go into tactical and strategic decisions. Again, the point is not to find fault, blame or to punish, but instead to learn, grow and cultivate educated and thinking firefighters and fire officers.
Run times and the run report are another great place to gather information. We look at our response and turnout times to ensure they meet department standards and NFPA. This may also help to justify adding staffing, building new stations or making mutual-aid agreements, especially in the volunteer and rural firefighting world where response times and turnout times are significantly longer due to decreased staffing and resources. The run report also gives an incident narrative from each unit on scene and is a perfect starting point to begin matching up fireground assignments.
Make sure that you get 911 calls and radio traffic too. When paired with the video and run logs, it paints a complete picture of what was going on during the incident. Radio traffic can be easily critiqued for clarity and can be used to ensure that the proper units were dispatched. I advocate inviting your emergency communications personnel to attend your review so that they can give valuable insight and perspective on the challenges that they face on the other end of the radio. This helps to foster and improve relationships with our other stakeholders and improves our daily operations.
In our after-action process, we created a simple Google Doc that can be sent to all members who were on the scene. Our link is based on our response policy and asks simple questions so answers can be collected in an Excel file. Questions involve order of arrival, observations on scene, and actions taken. For example, “what line did you deploy?” Answers generate further questions such as entry point, conditions encountered (fire, smoke, heat) and issues encountered. We have similar questions for non-attack personnel such as those assigned to search, RIT and EMS.
Presenting and presiding
I encourage all firefighters to submit data for an AAR process. Many incident commanders and command classes advocate for tailboard critiques immediately after the incident. If that works for your organization, then by all means continue, as it does work. My organization stopped the immediate tailboard critique in order to get companies back to quarters so that firefighters can shower, resupply and clean their PPE. This also allows firefighters to decompress from the run and collect their thoughts. Several hours later, we will conduct the “tailboard” critique via video conferencing our companies so that members are within the comfort of their firehouse.
In a formal AAR, present the facts supported by evidence from subject matter experts. UL’s Fire Safety Research Institute and NIST have numerous resources on fires and fire modeling, smoke reading, and how fire behaves inside of buildings that can be applied to your incident.
The AAR is not the time for vendettas, for that is nothing short of inappropriate and toxic. Instead, compare the actions taken to the actions that could have occurred better. Were policies followed or were there necessary deviations? What factors led to the decisions being made? Were there apparatus issues, delays or access issues? The fireground is dynamic and all relevant factors should be presented.
Finally, allow your members to speak. Let the incident commander discuss their feelings, findings and facts. Allow company officers to discuss the hurdles and issues that they encountered. Ensure that apparatus operators also speak up due to their unique perspectives from outside of the structure. Everyone has an equal voice at the table, from the fire chief to the probie. Make sure that you maintain decorum throughout the meeting.
Final thoughts
A proper AAR process is necessary for the health and growth of any fire department, but we tend to contaminate it with bias, ego and fear. If we are to be professional firefighters, then we must be professional enough to sit, listen and learn from our triumphs as well as our mistakes. By far the best teacher that I’ve ever met is failure, for failure teaches us lessons that we will not forget. When we share those lessons, we can prevent similar issues from occurring in the future and push our organization to new heights through professional growth. Be respectful but be honest, do not cover up blatant mistakes. Create and cultivate a culture where it is okay to speak up and speak out when issues occur. If the military and aviation industry can accept this process, then so can we. Involve everyone, be inquisitive and then watch your fireground performance flourish over time. Isn’t that what we all want anyway – to learn from our mistakes and to improve our service? After all, it is what the citizens want – highly trained firefighters that will show up, execute with professionalism, and save their lives and property. It starts with us being honest.
