After receiving a phone call from a friend of mine, I sat in front of the television with absolute amazement. I was shocked by what I saw, but at the same time I was proud. Some called it luck, others called it fate; New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg called it “the Miracle on the Hudson.”

The textbook landing of US Airways Flight 1549 by Captain Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger was likely the purest demonstration of crew resource management (CRM) ever witnessed.

Nearly 3 months have past since this extraordinary event, yet numerous testimonies and lessons learned continue to come forth. Flight 1549 is not only a powerful learning opportunity for the aviation industry, it’s a contemporary example of unrelenting courage. It’s leadership at its best, proof that effective decision-making is a byproduct of training, self-discipline, the effective use of discretionary time and reconnaissance.

Each and every day, company officers across the country are faced with high-pressure events requiring quick and decisive actions. In some cases, cool heads prevail and a safe and effective strategy is initiated. In others, peer pressure (perceived or real), coupled with adrenal courage and poor reconnaissance, entice overanxious yet well-intended individuals to deploy without justification into no-win situations.

In some circles, the solution is to write policies that ban or restrict the actions of first-arriving crews. Hypothetical situations are tossed around during the policymaking process, and directives are put forth for immediate implementation. As well intended as these policies may be, policies that lack a mechanism of enforcement don’t change behavior.

By contrast, the life-saving actions taken by Capt. Sully and his crew weren’t driven by restrictive policies that outlined what not to do, but rather guidelines that entrusted the crew to make good decisions in the face of unknown problems. These guidelines were backed by numerous hours of training that included simulations of water-based landings which clearly defined the safe and supportive actions of the entire crew.

In the fire service, we often point to the fact that we’re going to fewer fires as a reason we haven’t made significant progress in reducing firefighter injuries and deaths; the lack of experience, we claim, leads to dangerous decisions on the fireground. But the “miracle on the Hudson” demonstrates that competence can be developed through training, not solely on the success of past experience. Not a single member of the US Airways crew had ever experienced a water-based landing. Yet their guidelines and training, coupled with self-discipline and strong leadership, provided a safe and effective outcome for everyone involved.

Similarly, safe and effective outcomes on the fire- ground or emergency scene are not driven by restrictive policies, but rather by training and self-discipline. At 0200 , chief officers are seldom present to bear witness to the actions of first-arriving crews. It’s the delegated responsibility of a company officer to take the time to properly assess the risk and develop a strategy that encompasses personal and crew safety while initiating actions within their respective capabilities. Company officers also must be self-disciplined enough to slow down and prevent an aggressively offensive mindset from becoming the default setting among the crew.

Oftentimes, policies imposed from above that restrict company officer decision making are the direct result of past decisions that produced devastating results. Although no fire chief or ranking officer wants to restrict an individual from performing their delegated duties, our actions must reflect the reality of the situation. Incidents that present undue risk must be approached in a calculated manner that weighs more heavily on safety and less on fate or luck. Incidents in which an imminent rescue exists rightfully deserve an aggressive search of the tenable spaces, but also the caution to avoid unnecessary risks when conditions deteriorate beyond the reasonable limits of survivability for an unprotected victim.

We don’t have to look far outside the confines of the fire service to find examples of effective decision-making under high-stress situations. For years we have studied military leaders and their decision making during combat operations. Today, examples like Capt. Sully and the crew of US Airways Flight 1549 provide us with valuable civilian lessons of self-discipline, CRM and effective leadership. It’s our responsibility to find the value of these lessons and apply them to our own actions.

Timothy E. Sendelbach is a 23 – year student and educator of the fire & emergency services currently serving as Editor-in-Chief for FireRescue Magazine and President of TES² Training & Education Services. Tim is also the immediate past president of the International Society of Fire Services Instructors. (ISFSI)

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