ABSTRACT
The RPD model was formulated 10 years ago (Klein, Calderwood, & Clinton-Cirocco, 1985) to explain how experienced fireground commanders could use their expertise to identify and carry out a course of action without having to generate analyses of options for purposes of comparison. We found that the fireground commanders rarely compared the merits of alternative actions. Rather, they were able to use their experience to identify a workable course of action as the first one they considered. If they needed to evaluate a course of action, they conducted a mental simulation to see if it would work. The current RPD model is presented in Fig. 27.1. Previously, the model contained two functions, labeled Simple Match and Evaluate a Course of Action. The Simple Match represented a straightforward case in which a decision maker identifies a situation (which means that the goals are obvious, the critical cues are being attended to, expectations about future states are formed, and a typical course of action is recognized) and reacts accordingly. The function of Evaluate a Course of Action, represented as Level 3 in Fig. 27.1, shows a more complex case in which the course of action is deliberately assessed by conducting a mental simulation to see if the course of action runs into any difficulties and whether these can be remedied, or whether a new course of action is needed. The function Diagnose the Situation, shown in the figure, has been added recently, and is discussed in a later section.
