Why Do I Need Situational Awareness?
When we think of Situational Awareness, we also think of blind spots, areas that we don’t see, or things we just don’t understand. We like to think of them as gaps in our understanding. We all have them.
Blind spots can negatively affect us, our families, or teams in areas that might be insignificant, but they can also be significantly detrimental to us, especially during times of crisis, when the risks are higher.
An important saying that can guide us through life is, “We don’t know what we don’t know” It has been said time and time again, “what you don’t know could kill you or someone you love.” Blinds spots can cause us to make life-altering mistakes with lasting consequences.
Take, for example, the situation that we are living in right now. Do we need to wear masks for protection or not? Based on our knowledge and experience in emergency preparedness and emergency procedures, the answer would be Yes. There are still so many unknowns about the spread of COVID-19, and that provides us with only a certain level of situational awareness. We need to make the most informed decision possible, based on the information available to us. When such is the case, emergency managers recommend you err on the side of caution. We should always ask, “what do the experts do?” We should follow their lead.
We eliminate blind spots and their effect by becoming more aware and recognizing the multiple forces or dynamics at play.
Being aware of what is going around us can prevent accidents from happening. Consequences from poor decisions or inappropriate responses could prove detrimental, causing our circumstances to deteriorate. Such awareness permits some threats to be avoided and others to be guarded against when we are in potentially dangerous situations. Studies have shown that there is a relationship between Situational Awareness and decision making, where those demonstrating a high degree of SA made higher quality decisions.
Decision-making is a critical component of good Situational Awareness. First, we must see or notice what is going on around us. Secondly, we begin to understand what we see. And finally, we use this information and understating to predict or anticipate what might happen next or in the near future.
Let’s consider this example if you are tuned out while you are driving and something happens — like, a child running out into the road or a car stopping quickly in front of you — you will not see the problem coming. What happens next is that you either do not see the hazard in time to avoid it and you hit it, or you totally panic, freeze, and cannot react to it — both of these scenarios will have negative results.
These reactions (or lack of reactions) occur because it is very difficult to change mental states quickly, especially when it means that we have to go from no or low alert to high alert. This requires us to move several levels rapidly. It is like trying to shift your car directly from first gear into fifth. What happens? Your car will shake and sputter and eventually, it will stall. Often, when people are in a situation where they are forced to make this mental jump and they panic (and stall), they go into shock and will actually freeze and are unable to take any action — they collapse or become comatose. Driving is just one example and it happens often.
Think of how many near misses can occur in one moment with so many people driving on our planet. Here is another scenario, a thief catches someone totally unaware and unprepared. What do you think the potential outcome will be? It can be scary to think about this yet, it does help to add perspective on why we all need Situational Awareness. Remember, it is not only about us, it is about the safety and security of those around us. The examples that I just shared really help to demonstrate this point.