DECISION MAKING And rescuer ’ s stress How to avoid a step too far Sea Tech Week, Brest, the 19 th of october 2006 Captain Charles CLADEN, Les Abeilles International

A STEP TOO FAR? Thoughts on salvage operations at sea … Based on a study by Dr Stéphane Oggier, medic-guide, FXB Air-Glaciers - Sion, Switzerland, and with his kind permission.

- Adapt strategy to each situation - Find solutions,... Aims - Build awareness of the risks incurred during operations

Contents - Salvage accidents… fate? - Are the risks justified? - Why take risks? - What psychology says, - explanations on hand. -How to diminish risks?

PROBABILITY OF ACCIDENTS - equation - risk addition - f (quantity of exposure to risks) - examples: - cold, night, poor equipment, lack of maintenance, defective radio, poor training, poor visibility fatigue, bad strategy. - Number of consecutive interventions without taking rest

An accident is not always fatal

Rescuers are humans What does psychology tell us ? RESCUER’S TRAPS Rescuer’s brain 1. Stubborness 2. Desire to please 3. Expert’s aura 4. Social positionning 5. Feeling of unusualness 6. Bridge on the River Kwaï syndrome

Once the initial decision is taken in an operation, the following decisions are easier to take if they are consistent with the initial one … Trap n°1: Stubborness

Trap n°2: Desire to please We engage into an activity because we admire or respect the people already engaged. We think that we too will be admired and respected…It’s our desire to please, seduce…

Trap n°3: The expert ’ s aura Crew members think that the salvage master’s expertise is infallible, whatever tired and under pressure he may be, and attribute to him capacities that are unrealistic

Trap n°4: Social positionning When someone or a group feels confident in their abilities, they have a tendency to take greater risks … especially when they think that somebody is watching

When faced with an unusual intervention, the temptation to take risks is greater, even though cautiousness would be wiser TRAP N°5: Feeling of unusualness

TRAP N° 6 Bridge on River Kwai syndrome Respect of the procedure was more important than finality Building the bridge well became the only aim

- The principle of the « hot potato » - The red-cross sheep, and commercial thinking - The vicious circle, - The « Zorro » syndrome Explanations on hand…

Principle of the « hot potato » Intervention+anxiety = « hot potato »

It’s often simpler and more reassuring to adopt the same behaviour as others The red-cross sheep (Or return on investment)

The vicious circle: When an operation is requested - The MRCC thinks that it is urgent -the salvage master also thinks that it is really urgent -The crew don’t want to be left out and support the salvage master -The on-scene commander gets convinced through the people engaged and their feeling of urgency

As soon as an accident is known a rescuer does not react in the same way as others outside the accident THE « ZORRO » SYNDROME Rescuer Non rescuer

To summarize, I have taken risks: - some for commercial reasons, - more often, through lack of thought, - with verve, through stress or routine, - and often … not even to save lives

The Solutions, or: « What to do to limit those risks? » - Common sense, - Remove the guilt feeling, - A phone call, so easy. - A coffee break, - The guide line ?

« Common sense » - Common sense: that which everyone believes he has plentifully, - As a consequence, don ’t rely too much on on common sense,… especially in case of emergency! - And also, always beware of yourself!

Puting guilt feelings aside: « We are not those who put them that high on the rocks! »

« A phone call is always so easy Calling again, personally and directly the MRCC, and possibly also the casualty and witnesses: - avoids errors due to middlemen, - allows to judge of the actual degree of urgency of the situation.

« The coffee break » - It induces taking time and sitting back to view the event from an appropriate distance - It avoids being caught into a hot potato or vicious circle trap. - It allows to have a look at the map, to discuss before one takes action, but it is somewhat of a « time-eater ».

« The Guideline - It is a tool that helps find out what course to take (decisional compass) -It avoids brain overheat in conditions that are complex and never alike - It spares energy for impromptu decisions, that will always be needed in field action.

AS A CONCLUSION - No taking of useless risks as long as lives or populations are not endangered. -Priority to time factors -Set alarms on time that might overrun.

PS: There are 2 new messages for you

Message #1 Before any rescue operation at sea, think to: - put guilt feelings aside, - give that so easy phone call - apply the time-measurement principle - take a coffee-break. Total: 5 minutes and 55 seconds and in case of doubt: call some colleague who is not implied!

Message #2: And Keep cool … Given the complexity of some situations, no one in the rescue activity is fully sheltered from a misjudgement error.