Call it what you want! The power of reflection can be lifesaving and career changing. Don’t let vulnerability, shame or guilt stop you from growing.
There are many ways that emergency services departments and organizations review their actions and outcomes from training and incidents.
- Critiques
- After Action Reviews (AAR)
- Post Incident Analysis (PIA)
- Retrospectives
The ground rules or the playbook for conducting these reviews have historically been done in many ways. They can be formal or informal. Some of the best reviews that I have participated in have been at the firehouse kitchen table with a small group of brothers and sisters that were in the “Hot Zone” of a nasty incident. Some of the worst reviews that I have participated in were at the firehouse kitchen table, bashing others that were not at that same table. Yup, guilty as charged. Shame on us.
Often these reviews can be done at the company level, specific groups/shifts, by the department or all responding departments that responded to a particular incident. Proven, formal programs such as the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation “Everyone Goes Home” project are great tools to write formal policies or set the stage for positive outcomes. No policy should ever promote hostile negativity that can be destructive to responders or organizations. I have witnessed many negative sessions that were nonproductive and destructive in many ways. No leadership should ever allow this type of behavior.
I love the questions from the “Everyone Goes Home” platform;
- What was our mission?
- What went well?
- What could have gone better?
- What might we have differently?
- Who needs to know?
What I love better than the questions are the answers. How we choose to address the answers, proves our destiny to grow, how to be better, and how to be stronger.
Be brave, take criticism. Be brave, allow vulnerability. Be brave and GROW!
everyonegoeshome.com/16-initiatives/13-psychological-support/action-review
