Grab The Heat Of The Moment: Life And Death Decision-Making From A Firefighter Depicted By Sabrina Cohen-Hatton Accessible In Edition

heard Dr CohenHatton on Radio's Desert Island Discs run to the BBC website now and listen to it, She was so interesting and inspiring and I was delighted to find her book at my local library,

Although CohenHatton mentions her extraordinary background, this is not an autobiography, Rather it looks at leadership and decisionmaking, particularly under pressure, with her firefighter colleagues as the subjects of her studies,

Few of us must face the extreme circumstances of firefighters and other first responders, but we could all benefit from engaging both the analytical and emotional parts of our brains in our decisionmaking.
Fascinating. THIS BOOK WILL SAVE LIVES

I read this book, cover to cover, withinhours of purchasing it, Every page held my attention as Sab transported me to the fire grounds, incident scenes and briefing rooms which are part of her daily life.
I was constantly asking myself how I would have acted in the most challenging of scenarios Sab described in such rich detail.
What would my leadership and decision making be like in situations where theres not a best outcome, just a least worse one, where getting it right can often mean the difference between life and death Decision making in Sabs world has to be fast and agile.
Get it wrong and that split second decision with be examined and judged in minute detail by the most learned in our society.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but foresight is better, ChapterTrust Your Guts particularly resonated with me,

This book made me think, it encouraged me to explore my own decision making in stressful situations, and provided some simple, yet robust guidance which I know will be of tremendous value to me and no doubt many others both professionally and personally.
Sabs guidance has proven value, it will help you get things right the first time, as in her world you rarely get a second chance.


The importance of empathy, kindness, and mental wellbeing are sensitively covered by the author, Sabs pathfinding work is making a positive difference, There is no doubt in my mind that her research has helped save many lives, and minimised risks to people and property.
The wider transfer of knowledge from this book has the potential to improve the decision making of individuals in any organisation, not just the emergency services.
I would love to see this book as a standard text in schools as Im sure it would help motivate and inspire our future firefighters and leaders.


I thoroughly enjoyed Sabs story, Her book will be a most useful reference source to help further inform the Security Management Systems SeMS development work Im involved with, particularly the threat assessment, risk management and incident response components.
Getting the culture right is key in Sabs world and equally applicable to the security environment, and indeed any organisation wishing to get the best from its people.
Growing positive cultures can be a herculean task but Sab and other thought leaders like her are tipping the balance and changing mindsets for the better.


Sabs rise to the top has clearly been a tough, yet rewarding journey, The term role model is often overused, but Sab has well and truly earned the title, She walks the talk as opposed to those leaders in name only who simply talk the talk to appease others,

Im so pleased that Sab is now the Chief Fire Officer of West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, I know we are in very safe hands, Thanks Sab, you are inspirational,

Andy Blackwell An inspiring woman with a phenomenal story though I wish we'd gotten to hear more of it, There are elements of this book I really liked, and elements that dragged and were a bit repetitive,

The author tells interesting anecdotes from her time as a fire fighter that relate to the theme of decisionmaking, However, I feel that a lot of the points she was making were rehashed a lot and I can't help thinking the balance between her stories and her analysis could have been better.
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I've watched her interviews and find her really articulate and inspiring, so I hate to give this bookstars, but it just wasn't as enjoyable as I wanted it to be.


That being said, I'm not sad I read it, I learned a lot about firefighting and decision making, I might recommend it to people who have a vested interest in the theory of decision making, but probably not in general.
The author tried to combine simultaneously two topics: everyday life of firefighters and a delve into decisionmaking from the scientific point of view.
Each chapter contains one incident and thoughts of the author about it, Sometimes the story becomes very private sometimes it slips into a formal scientific language that's why it is/, But the overall impression is positive and as I found out from the book, the author had been doing a great job formulating new rules of frontline workers' decisionmaking in the UK.
I like the tv series about emergency crews or firefighters, the intensity and pressure, and often lives saved, It was interesting to have a peek into the real background of incidents, A refreshing change from other blue light memoirs flooding the book market lately this is one womans story of how she went from homeless teen to one of the most senior female firefighters in the UK.


I think the fire service is wonderful but criminally overlooked when we think of the other emergency services, The author demonstrates her skills and commitment to becoming an expert in her field, As both a firefighter and a psychologist, the author is fascinated by how and why we make complex decisions under stress and exceptional circumstances.
It was intriguing to read how psychology plays a major role in the fire service,

This book contains a lot of scenarios and descriptions of training exercises I would have liked to read more of the real life situations the author has been a part of.
However, this is still an incredibly worth while read and a shining example of women in the fire service, A thoughtful look at how humans make decisions under pressure, supported by research and life and

death examples, Sabrina is insightful, a great observer of human emotions and how in turn emotions effect others and influence their behaviour, Whilst this relates to the fire service, her observations can be applied to any walk of life and everyday stressful situations, It discusses leadership skills, interpersonal relationships and effective communication, Above all though it's about empathy and support for others, trying to understand how they are feeling and how their emotions are effecting their judgment, before judging their decisions.
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