Combining shop time and field exercises with S-212 students allows FELB trainees an opportunity to work with new sawyers. Shown above is Felling Boss, #19 and S-212 Wildland Fire Chain Saws, #98 April, 2015.
The production/protection diagram was developed Dr. James Reason as part of his study of organizational accidents and development of the Swiss Cheese Model. It charts the typical course of an organization, with improvements in protection following incidents and accidents, that over time will be converted to more production or merely lapse as the “unrocked boat” drifts towards catastrophe.
The Unsafe Supervision slice of the Swiss Cheese Model is unquestionably larger than the Felling Boss (or fuels crew leader.) But, it's not difficult to find examples of inadequate supervision, planned inappropriate operations, failure to correct a known problem, or supervisory violations at tree felling incidents like Dutch Creek, Little Grass Valley, Storm Mountain Ranch, Rattle Fire Snag, Missionary Ridge, or Missouri Ridge.
What can a facecut tell you about the reliability of a hazard tree felling team? Does a stump analysis reveal anything about preoccupation with failure, reluctance to simplify, sensitivity to operations, commitment to resilience, or deference to expertise? “Organizing for Higher Reliability: Lessons Learned from Wildland Firefighters” (6 pages, 113 kb .pdf file) — article written by Karl Weick and Kathleen Sutcliffe for the Spring, 2008 issue of Fire Management Today.
