How can you effectively debrief after an emergency situation?

In my experience the debrief has been a hit and miss affair depending on who controls the talking stick. One of the best ones I have been involved in was actually a controlled house burn for volunteer training of firefighters. It was shaped in around a safe place to share individuals stories with a simple framework of content fitting into one of the three… risk, relationships and resources.

1.) Have a skilled facilitator who is knowledgeable of the business. 2.) Use a standard form and set of analytical tools based on event. 3.) Have representatives from areas familiar with the area/process and fresh eyes 4.) Establish roles like timekeeper, scribe and note taker. 5.) Visit where event occurred 6.) Communicate outcomes 7.) Have someone objective to help move process along if group is stuck. This can be someone other than the facilitator 8.) Establish method to track actions 9.) Communicate using a variety of media. 10.) Follow-up on commitments.

What I find helpful is to ask what went bad, and what went well? Collectively, you can use this a tool to drive continuous improvement.

Not everyone who has been involved in the incident will need debriefing. Offer the opportunity to talk but also check in with those who have chosen not to speak about it ( especially if any warning signs of discomfort are noticed)

HELLO, IN MY PERCEPTION TILL THE TIME WHATEVER DEBRIEF WE CARRY OUT OR WHATEVER WE EXPERIENCE, IM JUST RECITING HERE. DEBRIEF IS NOT TO BE CARRIED OUT ONLY AFTER ANY INCIDENT OR ACCIDENT, WE MUST CARRY OUT IT AFTER EVERY WORKING HOURS COMPLIANCE, AFTER COMPLETION OF ANY TASK ALLOTED TO US. DEBRIEF SHOULD CONTAIN THE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND HOW WE HAVE FOLLOWED IT. ANY VIOLATIONS IF WE HAVE COME ACROSS. SO WE SHOULD ADDRESS IT TO ALL SHIFT AND GENERAL PERSONAL. ANY THING NEW IF WE COME ACROSS SO WE SHOULD MAKE SOPs REGARDING THAT BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT EVERYBODY IS NOT HABITUAL OF READING MANUALS BEFORE CARRYING OUT ANY TASK. SO EVERY DEBRIEF MUST COVER ALL THOSE POINTS WHERE WE WERE LAGGING AND WHERE WE HAVE DONE SPLENDID THINGS. THANK YOU

Inform people that if someone gets emotional they are welcome to leave the room and speak with the facilitator 1-1. Also facilitator should ensure that participants dont try to give each other advice or solutions and are able to hold space and silence.

In my own opinion, people tends to be emotional after shock or accident. So creating an enabling environment with a ground rules and taking in concern their feelings is OK.

Set ground rules that promote a safe and respectful environment. These rules may include maintaining confidentiality, speaking honestly and openly, showing empathy and respect towards others and encouraging constructive criticism.

At my hotel property our policy is to check in with the team members who have been affected by the incident and always offer Employee Assistance Program as it is a free service and a great supportive service. Me and my family utilized the program for free. If the team member needs to take time, we honor their requests.

Yes review the fact. That's another important step because when you review, you analyze to get the real fact to work with. In doing this you must be precise with what ever information that is available to you.

It's important to ask open-ended questions and be a good listener. Give them plenty of time to answer. Avoid questions that are leading them to a conclusion.

Answer the 5 Questions to Review the facts and actions to debrief after an emergency: 1) what was supposed to happen, 2) what was the reality, 3) what went well, 4) what did not go well, 5) what should be changed for next time.

Yes evaluation is so important. Put a in consideration positive, negative i. E achievement and challenges as mentioned is very pivotal.

It is important to evaluate the performance and outcome during the debrief. Assigned team leaders or expert coordinators should lead debrief. The debrief will give a detailed analysis of the events based on individual and team performance. It should focus on the positive and negative performance. The debrief should highlight mistakes and corrective measures. Positive feedback should be considered for those who did a good job and encourages other participants to emulate the standard.

Evaluating performance during an emergency can be very impactful on future emergency response. If there is the possibility of reviewing the incident via video-replay, we can critique the incident in a play-by-play fashion, which I have found very helpful. Reviewing performance and response helps prepare for the next emergency by instilling the confidence of "I've seen this before".

For me this is the most essential part. But it needs to be correctly framed. Don’t look for failures because decisions are often made in the moment. Ask yourselves. How can we be even better preparing for this next time. Framing that question is more likely to get people opening up to you with their perspectives and ideas.

1. Ensure the recommendations are specific, realistic, and actionable. 2. Avoid vague or general statements and focus on actionable steps that can be implemented.

Using very SMART recommendations to prepare a proper action plan is of a paramount importance to have a full fledged session of a debrief - it makes it a complete and whole. SMART: Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Timely

Lessons learned is so important after an emergency, once all the facts have be collected and analysed, the next steps is to see what went wrong and why. This is where you learn about the flaws in processes and how to overcome them.

Sharing lessons learnt and recommendations after a debrief greatly helps in the identification of gaps and areas of improvement. Strategic action points can be followed that impact on system growth and thus a contributor to avoiding reputation of the emergency situation.

Through prompts and questioning, the group's facilitator can better understand individuals' perceived sense of safety, which can vanish instantly when sudden tragedy or loss strikes.

Let them know they can always contact you if they remember anything else or have any questions. They need to know their role is important in that it helps to prevent future emergencies.

Follow up with the participants in the following 2-4 weeks especially if they are showing signs of hyper-vigilance or getting overly emotional or looking depressed or anxious.

If the situation involved a critical injury or loss of life within the workplace I would advise organizations to bring in or at the very least make counsellors available to all staff. The psychological impact of critical injuries and/or fatalities can have long-lasting effects on everyone involved at almost every level of an organization. When workers are impacted by the injury or loss of a colleague their mindset shifts. Some mindset shifts are positive shifts (i.e. as in taking safety seriously) while some are detrimental (i.e. developing anxiety or fear that can affect the conscious performance of their job). Debriefing in situations where life has been lost has to be holistic and caring. Psychological safety affects physical safety.

In the after action the question of “What will you do differently next time?” Facilitates retention and accountability, it also provides feedback as a facilitator that the instruction was understood

some call it lessons learnt some others Call it Lessons Never Learn. Good Trusting and positive Culture is essential to Benefit from such exercise.

During a voyage as the safety officer aboard a merchant ship, a significant incident occurred when the cargo officer fainted near the manifold. Surprisingly, the senior officers hastily distanced themselves from the scene, evading responsibility. In this critical moment, it was a junior member of the team and myself who promptly responded, providing aid and successfully reviving the distressed individual. It's noteworthy that our actions were not extraordinary but rather an application of our well-practiced training. This incident notably underscores the paramount significance of regular drills and comprehensive training in the realm of Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) practices.