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The Size-Up Scan

How to reduce tunnel vision and ensure you get the full picture

 Size up. We hear and read about it all the time. We know its important, not just on the fireground but on any emergency we go to. We have hundreds of different mnemonics to help us remember what to look for. We are constantly reminded of the importance of a 360, or seeing as much of the situation as possible. But have you ever been taugh exactly HOW to do a size up? More specifically HOW to take in all the information that you are told to look for? The answer is probably not and is the reason that many firefighters can get “tunnel vision.” We have plenty of training and tools from smoke reading to fire behavior but don’t really have a method of applying this information and training in a methodical way that maximizes information uptake and retention. Scanning, or the systematic process of taking in information, is the missing link in the size up equation and is the key to reducing or eliminating tunnel vision and ensuring you get the full picture.

  Before we dive into how the size up scan applies to the fire service, let’s look at a prime example of how scanning reduces tunnel vision. Scanning is how you turn an ordinary reader into a speed reader. Speed readers are able to rapidly “read” a page and both consciously and subconsciously take in all the important information on the page and comprehend it, file it, and be able to recall it when necessary to understanding the book they are reading. They do this by scanning the page in a specific pattern, often following their finger to speed up their eyes. A normal reader reads line by line, focusing on a few words at a time. Speed readers don’t focus on these individual words line by line, they scan the pages for the important information while subconsciously filing the not so important items their eyes see for later use.

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