Hansen, Anita L;
Eid, Jarle;
Valdersnes, Kjersti B;
Pescaroli, Gianluca;
Kelman, Ilan;
(2025)
Risky decisions and complex problem solving in Norwegian first responders.
Safety and Reliability
10.1080/09617353.2025.2500777.
(In press).
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Abstract
First responders such as firefighters are trained to manage dangerous situations. However, less is known about how danger and complexity affect their approach to challenging fire and rescue missions. Using qualitative interviews, the aim of the present study is to gain in-depth knowledge about demanding operational situations that are difficult to solve for experienced firefighters. Nine trained Norwegian firefighters were interviewed about complex problem solving in naturalistic settings. Analysis of the interviews identified three main categories: 1. Unforeseen Events elaborating on the impact of external/contextual factors as well as internal experiences along the unpredictable nature of their work, 2. Processing and Communication of Information, addressing the importance of cognitive capacity and common understanding of the situation and finally 3. Decision Dilemmas illustrating the kind of difficult, life-or-death decisions that firefighters must make. The results are discussed in light of the impact of dynamic risk factors, theories explaining decision making in realistic scenarios as well as human cognitive phenomena and capacity. Possible implications and future perspectives are discussed.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Risky decisions and complex problem solving in Norwegian first responders |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1080/09617353.2025.2500777 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1080/09617353.2025.2500777 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent. |
| Keywords: | Firefighters; complex problem-solving; unforeseen events; working memory capacity; decision dilemmas |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10207567 |
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