ABSTRACT
In some settings, the opportunity for sleep is nonexistent or very limited, but the job still must be completed. These situations are particularly common in military operations and emergency situations where lives may be lost if the mission is not performed. In such situations, the risk/benefit equation changes from what is normally found in day-to-day flight operations. Most of the time, flying while severely fatigued is simply unacceptable because choosing to perform under impaired conditions can only lead to problems. However, when the choice to decline a flight actually poses a safety problem because it places several human lives at risk, there may be considerations other than the possibility that the aircraft and crew could be in jeopardy. For instance, in firefighting operations, a pilot’s choice to forgo a mission could indirectly permit the further spreading of an inferno that could endanger an entire community. In such situations, there may be little choice but to press on in hopes that everything will work out okay in the end, despite dangerously high levels of sleepiness/fatigue in the aircrew involved. This chapter will discuss strategies to improve alertness even in contexts where adequate sleep opportunities are minimal.
