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Type: Journal Article
Author(s): David A. Thomas; Rebekah L. Fox; Carol L. Miller
Publication Date: 2015

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.

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Citation: Thomas, David A.; Fox, Rebekah L.; Miller, Carol L. 2015. Voices from the field: wildland fire managers and high-reliability organizing mindfulness. Society & Natural Resources 28(8):825-838.

Cataloging Information

Topics:
Regions:
Alaska    California    Eastern    Great Basin    Hawaii    Northern Rockies    Northwest    Rocky Mountain    Southern    Southwest    National
Keywords:
  • firefighting
  • high reliability organization
  • resilience
  • wildland fire management
Record Last Modified:
Record Maintained By: FRAMES Staff (https://www.frames.gov/contact)
FRAMES Record Number: 20621