Tragic decisions often seem baffling in hindsight, as we wonder why competent, capable people missed clear warning signs, set aside established priorities and procedures, or so badly misread their situations.

Sometimes these decision-makers get written off as "dumb," or "bad." Yet, when we take a look at how our minds are wired, it turns out that many of our tragedies were in fact Human Errors. Human in that we can see how they arise based on how our minds naturally function. Errors because they were the result of avoidable poor choices.

Many procedures have been developed over the years to mitigate these errors, some more successful than others. Here's the key point, though: Just as our errors arise from how we're wired, effective solutions must be based on how our minds actually work. This is a major difference between effective tools that get used and tools that just get in the way.

My ongoing mission is to:

　• LISTEN CLOSELY to the experts, from the field and from the
　  university.

　• DEVELOP MODELS that get at the heart of how and why we
　  make poor decisions.

　• TAILOR THESE MODELS to other firefighters and on-the-ground
　  decision-makers.

　• COMMUNICATE THESE CONCEPTS in ways that work.

　• WORK WITH FIREFIGHTERS to apply the concepts and develop
　  practical, effective solutions.


Our mind is the best safety instrument we have. The better we understand how it works, the better equipped we are to use it effectively.