Summary Of Mann Gulch Fire

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Emergency response seems to be extremely situation specific when in reality emergency response requires very calculated and effective decision making. In order to effectively handle and emergency situation to keep the situation calm and under control, a strong leader must gain of the trust of his or her team and empower them through the process allowing them the ability to make strong decision and think rationally. Prescriptive decision making is a gut reaction in an emergency situation but doesn’t always offer the best plan of action. Emergency situations call for rational and educated thought processes in order for the most optimum results to be achieved.
Background Mann Gulch Fire
During 1949, the Mann Gulch fire erupted in the Helena …show more content…

Panic, lack of communication and lack of trust in the leader were the primary reasons the plan proposed by Dodge during the Mann Gulch fire was unsuccessful for his team; “the foreman should have told the men that "if something goes wrong . . . here's the place we go (Matthews, Mark, 2009)."

Poor Communication. Dodge had a plan and was faced with a situation where his words could not be heard by his team leaving his actions to be the only form of leadership during the dire situation.
Panic: The firefighters faced an unfamiliar situation and feeling of uncertainty with what to do or who to follow.
Trust: Lack of trust was established with Dodge and his leadership capability. Strong communication surrounding what the team was expected to do during the crisis caused the team members to panic when faced with an unfamiliar situation. Firefighter identify as just that, when asked by Dodge to drop their tools in an effort to survive, the firefighters faced an identity crisis and didn’t know what to do. “They faced the more basic, frightening feeling that their roles as firefighters no longer worked. They were outrunning their past experience and were not sure about what was happening or who they were.”(Wieck, Karl, …show more content…

During the crisis, the firefighters didn’t have time to go through the steps of effective decision making. Because the Mann Gulch fire was unpredictable and took an unexpected turn, the firefighters were hit off guard and faced panic due to their lack of trust in leader, Dodge. Looking at System 1 and System 2 thinking, the firefighters, went straight to System 1. Being faced with a rushed decision making situation, “System 1 decision making refers to our intuitive system , which is typically fast, automatic, effortless, implicit and emotional (Bazerman, M. H., & Moore, D. A.,2013).” Being faced with such a crisis, the firefighter felt confusion and complete uncertainty taking them straight into System 1

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