Four Dimensional Firefighting

Since this is my 100th blog post I've decided to take up a bit of a heavier topic.  I'm going to ask you to indulge me.  Read the whole post.  Yes, some of the suggestions and ideas might strike you as "out there", others might be downright unbelievable.  This fact is true though, like all the other elements I have researched, explored, and studied; I have done my homework.

Warriors have a unique ability to understand their place on the battlefield with a depth that exceeds the typical combatant.  The combatant who has received a basic level of skill training will stand ready to go into combat and engage in battle with direct supervision and within very confined parameters.  Warriors have been seen as different from the ordinary combatant because of the Warrior's ability to think with greater independence and anticipate the unfolding battle.

In the fire service we have begun recognizing the importance of having that deeper understanding of the unfolding dynamic that is the fire ground.  The current buzz-words to find favor in describing this capacity is Situational Awareness.  Situational Awareness is an evolutionary step forward from what we have traditionally done with Size-Up.    If we look at how we have taught size-up it has involved a checklist of items to recognize.  Topics like Building Constructing and Occupancy have logically been examined together, and occasionally we have added in Fire Behavior.  We have not always done a good job of explaining how components like Auxiliary Systems and Fire Behavior are interrelated though.  Why not?

Size-up ignores a critical component of Situational Awareness - Prediction.  Situational Awareness is a three part cognitive process: Perceive, Comprehend, Predict.  It is Observing and Understanding conditions certainly, which can be seen as the underlying focus of Size-Up, however we must also have a deeper understanding of how the dynamic of the fireground will CHANGE.  It is only once we are able to predict what happens next that we can successfully use Dr. Klein's ideas of Recognition Primed Decision Making. 

Traditionally in the fire service it has required years of experience in fire ground operations to develop this capacity.  The reasons are simple: to be able to synthesize an understanding of the whole from disparate elements requires a deep level of intuitive understanding about what occurring on the fireground.  This requires the individual to process literally hundreds of observed and implied inputs each second.  For the new firefighter the mass of data is overwhelming.  For the experienced firefighter, or fire ground commander, who has been striving to amass the Patterns that Dr. Klein wrote about it becomes easier - they have experience; they have seen it before.

If we jump into the world of education for a moment we can refer to Bloom's Taxonomy, a classification of objectives in education based on the level (depth if you will)y of understanding.  We progress from the Basic Skills Application phase through more advanced applications of skills.  At the top of the affective domains is the ability to CREATE.  When we begin to really examine how to improve our cognition in the highly dynamic modern fireground we have to be able to CREATE (or Synthesize) an understanding of the whole of the fireground.

The Fire, The Building, Your Location and Situation, The Location and Impact of Others (everyone else on the fireground) on the Situation.

While Standard Operating Guidelines, Engine and Truck Company Policies and Procedures, and the ability to use fundamental skills is critical we must begin to go beyond these tasks.  The aforementioned elements, coupled with an understanding of the skill of maintaining Situational Awareness will give each of our firefighters a significantly improved chance of safely navigating the modern fireground.  However if we truly want to unlock the ability to be fully-developed, self-actualized, Fire Service Warriors we have to take another step.

Embracing the Fourth Dimension 
 A study of Warriors going back centuries will show that some of the best Warrior groups (the Spartans, the Samurai, etc.) in addition be being well trained combatants were also deeply spiritual and philosophical men.  It was with the exploration of non-combatant skills that the individual was able to attain previously unheard of levels of battlefield prowess and cognition.  It is time we begin teaching our Fire Service Warriors skills like meditation, visualization, and mindfulness.  This is a blog post and not a book, so I'm going to just touch on these ideas.  Go and try them, investigate, read, and see how these skills will work for you.

Mediation is a critical starting point.  Meditation is about finding serenity.  Serenity is being free from unpleasant change, being utterly calm and at unaffected by circumstances.  The quintessential example of the serene person is probably the image of the Buddhist monk, Thich Quang Duc, who sat without moving as he was immolated alive after lighting himself on fire during a protest in Saigon in 1963.

Photo Copyright Malcome Browne - from the interweb

The first question to ask oneself is, "How is this possible?"  How could someone be consumed by fire and not react?  Quang Duchad put himself into a deeply meditative state that allowed him to disconnect from the normal nervous system response.

This example is extreme.  It is NOT a state of detachment that most people would be capable of attaining.  However it is an example of what one can endure if his or her mind is at peace and a true and lasting Serenity has become the primary Personal Condition.

Take 10 minutes a day, 20 minutes a day, ideally an hour a day and meditate.  Find a place to sit or lie down comfortably.  Shut off the phone, the TV, ignore the day to day hustle and bustle.  Quiet your mind and focus on the sound of your breathing.  You will find serenity.  It doesn't happen overnight; it is not easy; however once you have developed the capacity to meditate you will find that it is infinitely easier to endure whatever life throws at you without becoming disturbed.

Visualization is a proactive ability to see in your mind how things will unfold.  Tiger Woods is in a slump right now because despite millions of perfect repetitions of swinging a golf club his ability to visualize success is not there.  Visualization becomes easier when you are in a state of Serenity.  Why? Simple: the mind likes to scream out, I'm bored! Pay attention to me! It fills the quiet times with distracting images and thoughts.  That's why when you are sitting in church you find you are suddenly thinking about your grocery list.  It isn't that you don't want to embrace the message of the celebrant it's that the Ego, the "I Want", piece of your consciousness hasn't been put in time out.

Once you have become adept at achieving a serene state through mediation begin to visualize the fireground, visualize your role, visualize what others will be doing.  Use a few minutes of that 10 or 20 minutes a day and visualize the act of pulling the line, masking up at the door, entering the building, and advancing to the seat of the fire.  Visualize how the smoke will behave, where the other first due companies on the fire ground will be operating, "feel" the heat, "hear" the radio transmissions and the sound of water striking the ceiling and floors, "see" how ventilation effects the path of the fire, the viability, and the heat conditions.  Regardless of the fireground role you are preparing for spend time visualizing what other companies will be doing. Visualization IS Mental Rehearsal.  

Mindfulness is the ability to bring a state of perpetual calm, a state of Serenity, on when you are actively engaged in combat.  Your capacity to operate on the fireground has been improved by the efforts into meditation and visualization that you have practiced.  It is a reality that many of our members have "accidentally" developed the ability to be mindful on the fireground.  They have done so through experience and recognition of the need to remain calm.  I've seen this ability in many of the firefighters I've worked with.  I know from spending time listening to them that it has come about because they litterally have THOUSANDS of fireground repetitions.   There was not choice but to become adept on the fireground or quit.  There is no member who will develop this capacity accidentally in the 21st century fire house.  Why not? We don't go to that many fires.  We wont see 50 working structure fires a year for twenty years.  We will not get the sets and reps for Mindfulness to be an accidental adaptation.

Practicing the skills of Meditation and Visualization can help in the quest to develop Mindfulness.  We must also develop our ability to Endure.  This requires learning how to detach the consciousness, the cognitive process, from the physical.  One way of developing the capacity to endure is through difficult physical fitness training.  It is a fact that if you are working out hard enough to develop maximal physical capacity that you are engaged in painful and difficult work.  Your mind will scream at you to Stop!  You develop your ability to endure by ignoring the voice that says Stop by not quitting when the work hurts.  On the fireground you will engage in physical tasks that hurt; your physical body will be tormented, you must be able to still synthesize the whole of the fireground operation even though you are taxed to the maximum level of physical performance.

While there are many contemporary Warriors around the globe using these ideas I think it is worth noting that I am not the first in the fire service to see the value of this concept.  The legendary Paddy Brown, Captain FDNY, who lost his life on 9/11 was a black belt in Karate and an avid practitioner of yoga, a discipline dedicated to achieving mindfulness. There is a video here where Paddy speaks about his Yoga.  Some stellar informatinon on this brave and thoughtful Warrior's life can be found at the website for the Captain Patrick K. Brown Memorial Foundation.  Paddy Brown first gained national fame for directing the rope rescue of a man from the burning building.  He lead his company, Ladder 3 up to the 40th floor of the North Tower on 9/11.  He was among the 343 brothers who perished that day.

The Next Steps
For some of you readers the idea behind meditating, visualizing, and achieving mindfulness may be new.  If you have a background in the martial arts, or have experienced a deeply spiritual experience maybe these ideas will be more familiar.  Go out and do some reading for yourself.  Look at things like The Intuitive Warrior by Michael Jaco, The Rhythm of Life by Matthew Kelly, The Art of Happiness by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Warrior Mindset by Dr.Michael Asken, Dave Grossman, and Loren Christensen, and  The Mental Edge - Revised by Loren Christensen.  Visit the SEALFit website and look at Mark Divine's ideas into Warrior Yoga.  Go watch the DVD or listen to the audio CD of Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers, "The Hero's Journey", from The Power of Myth.

As for the work here at the Fire Service Warrior site... well I'm going to start delving into these ideas more.  I'm going to start talking about ways of achieving Mindfulness.  Don't worry, we will still spend time looking at the basics of improving our fireground capabilities and capacities; we will look at videos and talk about gaining experience from the actions of others; we will continue to develop the Fire Service Warrior ethos.  We will also talk about ways of developing ourselves into self-actualized Fire Service Warriors.  I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I do.