Work and leadership in high-risk environments

Work teams in high-risk environments, such as fire and rescue service units, have to act in very dynamic operational situations and often under high time pressure. Whether traffic accidents, fires or natural disasters - the activities in these working environments are characterised by high demands and sometimes extreme conditions. The various emergency services from the fire brigade, police, air rescue and other helpers often meet for the first time at the emergency site. These teams have to function immediately, which means that the managers have a crucial role to play: they have to assess the situation on site and make decisions under great time pressure. These situations are often characterised by a lack of transparency, a suboptimal supply of information, stress and a high level of personal danger. Emergency personnel also have a massively increased risk of mental illnesses such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. However, the training and further education of rescue workers (over one million in Germany alone) is primarily focussed on specialist skills and operational tactics. Empirical knowledge of the skills and strategies required to develop lasting resilience is still very much in need of improvement, both nationally and internationally, as is occupational psychology research in this area.

 

Selected publications:

Niemann, L. & Thielsch, M. T. (2020). Evaluation of Basic Trainings for Rescue Forces. Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, 17 (3).https://doi.org/10.1515/jhsem-2019-0062 [open access]

Röseler, S., Hertel, G. & Thielsch, M. T. (2024). What about the "Soft Factors"? Longitudinal Effects of Leadership Behaviors on Psychological Resources of Firefighters. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 111, 104720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.104720 [open access]

Röseler, S., Hilbert, M., Hertel, G. & Thielsch, M. T. (2024). Getting the Most Out of Every Training Day - The Influence of Instructors on Self-Regulated Learning During Firefighter Leadership Courses. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 15 (3), 332-345.https://doi.org/10.1007/s13753-024-00560-y [open access]

Thielsch, M. T. & Hadzihalilovic, D. (2020). Evaluation of Fire Service Command Unit Trainings. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 11 (3), 300-315. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13753-020-00279-6 [open access]