Electricity & Water Spark a Leadership Lesson

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Thai firefighters attempt to deal with a transformer fire with improper procedures

Electrical shorts are probably the most common cause of fires in Thailand, according to one Bangkok firefighter, & yet this video from Thailand shows some very inadequate training for dealing with electrical fire. Paid firefighters in Thailand start out with a salary of only about $500 USD (15,000 Baht) per month; many join not just for pay, but to provide a meaningful public service, so we should not harshly judge these firefighters for what seems like gross ignorance.

Firefighting is a High Reliability Organization (HRO) occupation—one cannot afford to make mistakes or learn by trial & error, because even a minor mistake could have catastrophic consequences. This clip indicates a system problem which needs to provide proper training & promote a culture of procedural discipline. 

So if we are in any position of leadership, rather than make scathing comments about these firefighters, we should ask ourselves if there are holes in the training & mentoring that we are providing, & whether we are constantly reviewing work for lessons learned & areas of improvement.

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