The Stress of Silence: Evaluating the Stress Induced By Tactical Silence During Firefighter Mayday Evolutions
Abstract
Between 2015 and 2021, the United States Fire Service experienced 18,697 Mayday events where a firefighter needed rescue. Of those events, almost one-half of all successful rescues were made by the Mayday firefighters themselves. The ability to remain calm, think critically, and act is crucial to increasing the chances of survival. When faced with a life-or-death situation, an individual rapidly assesses if their personal resources are sufficient to overcome the problem. Fire service training does not facilitate the learning of this evaluative process due to the constant presence of instructors during training in environments that are immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH). Similar high-reliability professions, such as the airline and spaceflight industries, have incorporated Stress Exposure Training (SET) techniques to prepare pilots and astronauts before facing stressful situations. This thesis will explore current stress training programs in the U.S. Fire Service, SET programs in similar professions, and evaluate the effectiveness of tactical silence to induce stress in a training environment. Findings show a significant difference in recruit firefighter performance when completing a Combined Skills Evolution under tactical silence conditions and support the inclusion of scenarios without instructor support in basic firefighter training programs.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1225496
Entities
People
- Michael J. Pfaltzgraff
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School