Fire leaders walk the talk of the learning organization by scheduling routine debriefings to evaluate performance and apply the lessons learned. AARs maximize learning from every operation, training event, or task; they represent a powerful tool for team and organizational learning. AARs allow people to share honest opinions and learn from each other. Fire leaders make sure that debriefings focus on what instead of who; we use them to improve weaknesses and to sustain strengths. (Leading in the Wildland Fire Service, pp. 42-43)
 |
| (Photo credit: Trinity Ridge, Kari Greer/US Forest Service) |
What is an After Action Review (AAR)?
Where Was the AAR Developed?
The AAR was developed by the military in order to create an avenue for feedback, promote evaluation and improve unit cohesion. The AAR is now used worldwide by military organizations, governments and private industry. It is considered a valuable tool in high-risk professions where the smallest mistakes can lead to disastrous results.
Why Conduct an AAR?
It is essential for wildland firefighters to learn from our mistakes and to capitalize on our successes. The price we pay for failure can be exceptionally high and the amount of effort put into our successes is often left unrecognized. The objective of the After Action Review is to immediately identify these success and failures. Once they have been recognized, further exploration allows the team to perfect it's skills and be better prepared for future endeavors.
What is the AAR Formats?
The wildland fire service recognizes four AAR formats (click for complete information):
AAR Resources
- The Wildland Fire Leadership Development website has a wealth of information, including a link to an AAR training package developed cooperatively between the NWCG Leadership Subcommittee and the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center.
- The AAR guidelines can be found on page xii in the IRPG.
No comments:
Post a Comment
********
The WFLDP seeks to build and support an online community in which wildland fire professionals can interact.
We invite respectful discussion; however, the realities of online culture is such that anonymous posts and posts from children under the age of 13 are not accepted.
All comments are monitored by our editorial staff for appropriateness in meeting the mission of the WFLDP prior to posting to the blog. We do not discriminate against any views, but we reserve the right not to post comments.
Individuals posting comments are fully responsible for everything that they submit.
Comments submitted after hours and on holidays/weekends will be reviewed as early as possible the next business day.
Our complete blog policy can be found at http://www.fireleadership.gov/committee/reports/Blog_Policy_Jan2010.pdf.
A yellow box will appear after you submit your comment notifying you that your comment will be reviewed.