This page offers a connection to the tools that are used to monitor and report the health of our prevention efforts. Safety Assurance is one of the four pillars of Safety Management Systems (SMS). 
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1947 McCall Smokejumpers. Photo courtesy of A. Glen "Ace" Nielsen.
Click here to listen to audio interviews with original members of that crew! |
From the Safety Office...
Have you heard of HRO? High Reliability Organizations? Interested?...
Read this short description written by Dave Christenson at the Lessons Learned Center.
High Reliability Organizing (HRO)
HROs practice a form of organizing that reduces the pain created by unexpected events, helps us contain them, and speeds up recovery.
We all plan for what we expect and even develop contingencies for ways we think things could go wrong. Managing the unexpected is difficult to “plan” for by definition. We never imagined those surprises!
Relying only on what we can imagine can eventually mean big surprises, unless we create a mindful infrastructure that is continually
-Tracking small failures
-Resisting oversimplification
-Sensitive to operations
-Maintaining capabilities for resilience
-Taking advantage of shifting locations of expertise
There are ways to build upon our skills to both anticipate and recover from the unexpected test.
The ability to see things coming long before they arrive, even when events are quickly unfolding outside of expectations, or our systems are quietly breaking down just below the surface, can be learned and taught.
The ability to recombine the resources at hand into novel approaches to problem resolution, emotional maturity evidenced in respectful communication under duress, and deep knowledge of how the system’s technologies function are a few signs of a commitment to building resilient people, teams and organizations.
The best HROs expect people will make mistakes and that their systems can fail in unimagined ways. This vision is evident in the underlying principles of mindfulness that heighten awareness, increase vigilance, create clarity in the midst of noise, and deal with disasters before they can fully develop.
Continuous updating in a mindful way minimizes the likelihood of large failure, speeds recovery, and facilitates real organizational learning.
Learn More about this interesting topic
Watch video explanation (wildland fire based but good info for all!)
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What are:
FAST and
ASAT teams?
FAST = Fire & Aviation Safety Teams assist agency administrators during periods of high fire activity by assessing policy, rules, regulations, and management oversight relating to operational issues. FASTs include a team Leader, who is either an agency administrator or Fire Program Lead with previous experience as a FAST member; a Safety & Health Manager; and other members with a mix of skills from Fire and Aviation management. These teams are ordered using an Overhead Group request through established ordering channels to the GACCs.
ASAT = Aviation Safety Assistance Teams (known as STAT Safety Technical Assistance Teams for the Forest Service) assist and review helicopter and fixed-wing operations on wildland fires and are handy folks to have around during high levels of aviation activity. These teams may include an Aviation Safety Manager, Operations Specialist, Pilot Inspector, Maintenance Inspector and Avionics Maintenance Inspector. ASATs are ordered through established channels to the GACC. (ref:2009 Nat'l Interagency Mobilization Guide)