It wasn’t that long ago that an after-action review (AAR) was something that happened informally and spontaneously, if at all. Of course, members who responded to an emergency call would talk about it, but there was no structure for these discussions until the U.S. Army began formal AARs in the 1970s and other organizations followed. Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) was also introduced in fire departments around the same time.
These two processes have significant differences. An AAR can be either informal discussions among a crew or more formal within a larger response group, while CISD is usually a more structured process that often includes mental health professionals.
When, where, why and how to conduct AARs
Informal AARs can take less than an hour and are usually facilitated by a company officer after an incident. Crew discussions about the size-up and response, the flow of communications and interoperability, and where the incident response excelled or fell short are excellent learning opportunities for individuals and teams — when handled well.
That last caveat is key. AARs must be skillfully facilitated or they can be a waste of time and, in some cases, do more harm than good. This is particularly true when AARs are done in a more formal setting.
I remember an AAR that was done on my department after a difficult fire that included one fatality and many rescues. The structure was an older apartment building with no built-in fire suppression systems. The incident commander of the fire was the facilitator of the AAR. He began the session by congratulating everyone that this difficult incident only resulted in one fatality — the person who had accidentally started the fire.
Beginning the session with a positive note was appropriate. But then there was a long pause, and it was clear that the facilitator was not looking for any other kind of feedback or questions from those present. When one company officer asked how the water supply had been managed — it had been confusing at the scene — the IC/facilitator immediately became defensive and accused that person of not securing their own water supply. That response had the effect of silencing everyone in the room. The session ended soon after, with no useful learning taking place.
A big part of the failure of that AAR and others like it was the lack of preparation on the part of the facilitator. The officer had never been trained in how to manage that kind of discussion and was not able to differentiate between his role as AAR facilitator and as the incident commander of the fire.
During formal AAR sessions, it can work better to have a neutral third party facilitate the discussion rather than someone who has a personal interest in how the incident is evaluated. Anyone who fills this role, whether it be someone who was present at the incident or not, needs to have some training in how to act as a facilitator — how to ask non-biased questions, how to listen effectively, and how to guide discussions in a way that leads to productive outcomes rather than blame.
Every AAR should begin with clear focus and intention:
- What are you trying to accomplish during the session?
- What are the desired outcomes?
- How much time will you commit to the process?
A brief introduction by the facilitator about these goals can help everyone to begin the session on the same page.
Additionally, AARs need to be timely — soon enough after the incident that details are still fresh in people’s minds. In some cases, doing an informal review before leaving the scene or immediately after returning to the station is appropriate. In other instances, it can be better to allow a little time to intervene, especially if other priorities (getting the engine back in service, decon after an incident) cause crewmembers to be impatient with the process and suppress any real concerns in the interest of hurrying it along.
All company officers should receive some training in facilitation skills, which is beneficial even beyond AARs. Similarly, all firefighters should have some basic orientation to the AAR process before ever actually participating in one.
Start training now to lead AARs
The AAR process is an opportunity for tremendous learning and development on both an individual and crew level. Effective facilitation skills are key to the process and should be fostered long before it is needed in a formal setting.
