ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author could simply repeat the titles of the heroic recovery chapters: training, discipline and leadership; sheer unadulterated professionalism; luck and skill; and inspired improvisation. But these smack of motherhood statements. It is structured under three headings: coping with expected hazards; dealing with unlikely (even very unlikely) but possible hazards; and generic qualities, those that could contribute to successful recoveries in any emergency. Most dangers fall into the category of being expected – or at least known about in advance. Fire, famine, pestilence, injury, drought, poisons, war, crime, falling, shipwreck, drowning, lightning strikes, floods, volcanic eruptions, ferocious creatures, earthquakes, and so on have been familiar to mankind since before recorded history began. The chapter directs readers to the very recent book by Rhona Flin and her colleagues. It is called Safety at the Sharp End and includes an entire chapter on situational awareness.
