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Author(s):
David Thomas, Rebekah L. Fox, Carol Miller
Year Published:

Cataloging Information

Topic(s):
Human Dimensions of Fire Management
High Reliability Organizing

NRFSN number: 12892
Record updated:

Wildland fire management agencies manage wildland fires for resource benefit while protecting firefighter and public safety. Firefighting fatalities and property damaged by wildfires prompt reviews aimed at preventing similar accidents. The principles of high-reliability organizing (HRO) have been used to analyze such unexpected, high-consequence events. However, fire managers who agree to the value of an HRO framework often have difficulty applying and teaching it. Using data gathered from experienced fire managers, we identify salient examples that illustrate each HRO mindfulness behavior. We then focus on specific language choices encountered in these examples and suggest how these choices might add to the applicability for both HRO theorizing and practice.

Citation

Thomas, David; Fox, Rebekah; Miller, Carol. 2015. Voices from the field: wildland fire managers and high-reliability organizing mindfulness. Society and Natural Resources. 0: 1-14.

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