Situational Awareness: How the Three-Step Model Can Help

In this episode of Hooks & Hoses, host Eric Dreiman breaks down the ways stress and tunnel vision degrade situational awareness on the fireground and at all emergency scenes. He shares the three-step situational awareness model—perception, comprehension, projection—and practical signs that improve size‑up and prediction. Dreiman explains common failures: task fixation, auditory exclusion, poor radio reports, and experience‑driven complacency. He also offers immediately usable fixes including short mental pauses, concise radio updates, cross‑checks between crew members, and training methods that build stress inoculation.