Joint Understanding of Risk & Shared Situational Awareness

Different responder organisations may see, understand and treat risks differently because of their training and experience

Each organisation should carry out its own risk assessments, then share the results so that they can plan control measures and contingencies together effectively.

Individual dynamic risk assessment findings may be used to develop the analytical risk assesement for the incident.

By jointly understanding risks and the associated mitigating actions, organisations can promote the safety of responders and reduce the impact that risks may have on members of the public, infrastructure and the environment.

Scenario

A road traffic incident has led to the declaration of a major incident

One of the vehicles involved is carrying substances that may be hazardous to health and/or the environment.

It is confirmed that approximately 12 people are trapped and have severe injuries.

A decision needs to be made on the priorities for their rescue

Identification of cordons, access points, rendezvous points are required. These will need to take into account the need for access, safe working space and egress.

They will need to consult with other organisations at the scene to make sure to understand what this might mean for the response as a whole. For the safety of the public and the responders, advice from the fire & rescue service will be vital

The Incident Commander will decide on the priorities

If those in command do not communicate with each other and do not co-ordinate the resources they have, the response may be incoherent and confused - with different responders doing their own thing separately, rather than:

Work Together

Save Lives

Reduce Harm

What does 'Shared Situational Awareness' mean?

Shared situational awareness is a common understanding of the circumstances, immediate consequences and implications of the incident, along with an appreciation of the capabilities, limitations and the priorities of the responder organisations.

Achieving shared situational awareness is essential for effective interoperability

To achieve this, discussion between control rooms and responders should be frequent and cover the following key points:

Click the cards to review the points.

Is it clear who the lead organisation is at this point? if so, who is it?

What information and intelligence does each organisation hold at this point?

What hazards and risks are known by each organisation at this point.

What assets have been, or are being, deployed at this point and why?

How will the required agencies continue communicating with each other?

At what point will multi-agency interoperable voice communication be required, and how will it be achieved?

It is absolutely essential to establish shared situational awareness

Without it:

Decisions made at any level may be flawed
The risks identified at an incident may not be commonly understood
Each agency’s priorities may not be fully understood by everybody

The response to the incident could be compromised if we miss relevant information

Establishing Shared Situational Awareness

Assess the situation using the following prompts:

Click the cards

What

What has happened, what is happening at the moment and what is being done about it?

SO WHAT

What does all that mean and what effects will it have?

WHAT IF

What might happen next, or in the future?

As an incident progresses, consideration should be given to ensuring that all responder organisations who are appropriate to the incident are included within the command and control processes, especially command meetings.

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