“Grey” areas and “organized chaos” in emergency response

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this research is to explore the interaction between organizational policies and daily work practices of paramedics and firefighters within two emergency response organizations. Design/methodology/approach -Data were collected in a case study consisting of interviews, focus groups, and observations. The theoretical grounding for this research is framed by learning in practice through legitimate peripheral participation. Findings -Analysis of the data found that paramedics and firefighters value learning in their daily work above initial qualification training. They learn in practice through increasing collaboration with others, and in the broader context of legitimate peripheral participation. Organizational policies can help in guiding their decision making processes, but learning in practice and relying on experience is most helpful in their daily work.Research limitations/implications -The notion of situated learning is insufficient to explain the dramatic performance of emergent, creative, and autonomous actions often required of individual emergency personnel in crisis situations. Originality/value -This study adds to the current literature on communities of practice and legitimate peripheral participation. It applies learning theory to emergency response organizations to demonstrate the need to focus on practice and understandings in workplaces. The research also offers a greater understanding of the unique job of emergency response personnel who must often make instantaneous decisions in critical situations and must therefore understand their practice to ensure positive outcomes.

The Common Operational Picture as Collective Sensemaking

“…Building a sufficient level of shared understanding to us is a sensemaking process in which organizational members (de/re)construct information influenced by their institutional background to find out what is going on in times of uncertainty (Weick, Sutcliffe, & Obstfeld, ). This sensemaking process is based upon the knowledge responders have gained through (1) education, including training/exercises; (2) (war)storytelling; and (3) past experiences (Endsley, ; Taber, Plumb, & Jolemore, ). Emergency responders have to constantly make sense of the situation because of the rapidly changing environment.…”

“…(2) (war)storytelling; and (3) past experiences (Endsley, 1995;Taber, Plumb, & Jolemore, 2008). Emergency responders have to constantly make sense of the situation because of the rapidly changing environment.…”

Dominant Learning Processes in Emergency Response Organizations: A Case Study of a Joint Rescue Coordination Centre

“…Consequently, they do not act as learning organizations. Instead, response personnel mainly learn from personal experience and informal storytelling (see, e.g., Lloyd & Somerville, 2006;Sommer & Njå, 2011;Taber, Plumb, & Jolemore, 2008). However, for emergency response organizations to effectively learn and improve their response capability, they need to share lessons and experiences and ensure that these are assimilated by the organizational members as well as codified in suitable artefacts of the organization (Borell & Eriksson, 2008;Crichton, Ramsay, & Kelly, 2009).…”

Reformed firefighter training program in Sweden: conflicting instructor conceptions of professional learning

“…Within these, four themes can be identified, of which the three first may be termed learning in practice and the fourth as training-based learning about practices: i) Personal experience of exercises and rescue initiatives may embody knowledge and skills as "fire sense" (Lloyd & Somerville, 2006;Sommer & Njå, 2011), ii) Through accounts by experienced firefighters about problem-solving during rescue initiatives, inexperienced firefighters can take part of a joint experience base consisting of interpretation and assessment frameworks (Joung & Hesketh, 2006;Lloyd & Somerville, 2006;Sommer & Njå, 2011), iii) By participating in daily activities the less experienced can partake of the collective and silent knowledge manifested in the work methods, procedures and equipment of the workplace (Lloyd & Somerville, 2006;Sommer & Njå, 2011;Taber et al, 2008) and iv) Training including textual sources like training manuals and safety prescriptions can provide knowledge about practices. What is common to these studies is that professional learning is highly related to working life, where real learning is supposed to take place (Lloyd & Somerville, 2006;Taber et al, 2008). Göransson's (2004) study on language-based learning in Swedish firefighter training shows that similar conceptions about professional learning prevail among firefighter students.…”