Risk Management Framework

 

The SOPL should already be familiar with the risk management framework firefighters use in the operational and real-time decisionmaking environments, the IRPG's Risk Management Process. However, the IRPG's process is not quite adequate for decisionmaking in the strategic decisionmaking environment.

A risk management framework that is more suitable for making decisions in the strategic decisionmaking environment is the Risk Management Cycle. Working through the steps of the Risk Management Cycle is a collaborative process involving the AA, local agency staff, SOPL, IC, OSC, and other IMO staff. The Risk Management Cycle is described in detail in the publication, "Decision Making For Wildfires: A Guide for Applying a Risk Management Process at the Incident Level" (http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_gtr298.pdf).

The steps in the Risk Management Cycle include:
  • Situation awareness
  • Assessments
  • Risk control (course of action)
  • Decision
  • Implementation
  • Evaluation
Image showing the steps in the Risk Management Cycle.

 

 

It is recommended that the SOPL use the Risk Management Cycle or some other framework for providing decision support to the AA and IC. The Risk Management Cycle will be discussed in more detail in later modules.

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As mentioned earlier, the SOPL needs critical thinking skills to perform successfully. The critical thinking process is similar to the Risk Management Cycle, with slightly different steps and naming conventions. Compare the Risk Management Cycle with the steps in the critical thinking process, which are listed below: 

  • Situation
  • Objectives
  • Assessments
  • Mitigations
  • Course of action
  • Decision points
  • Examine and adjust