understanding of the situation is continually changing. Note
that the understanding of a situation is not always the same as
the actual situation our senses cause us to filter and compre-
hend on the basis of previous experience.
- The third step is the decision making and issuing of instruc-
tions, tasks or the carrying out of processes. All three of these
initial steps both in thought and practical application take a
relatively short time. However, in many cases, it would be bet-
ter if considerably more time and effort were applied primari-
ly to processing information into the basis for decision making
and the formulation of the decisions made. This is of course
very dependent on the urgency of the situation. It can someti-
mes be necessary to reach a quick decision, or a decision at all,
and sometimes to reach the right decision.
- On reaching a decision (which is too often incorrectly taken
as an isolated aspect in the complete decision making process)
the next step is implementation. This can take a very long
time as it is here we find the primary connection to space. The
decision to execute a certain action and issue information to
units can for example require the preparation of equipment
prior to transportation, transfer and preparation of equipment
after transportation and finally application of the equipment
in the actual execution of the action decided upon. The ex-
ecution of different types of action requires different amounts
of time, depending upon type of action, conditions, quality of
equipment and available competence.
- The fifth, final and crucial stage is to gain the desired effect
from the action taken. The effects of some types of action are
often quite obvious, which can be a problem in itself. For ex-
ample the effect of some measures can become evident too
quickly and perhaps in an undesirable way. Rapid processes
and quickly developing effects can for example be detrimental
to the safety of personnel. But the biggest problems often oc-
cur when the effects of different measures do not become ap-
parent for some time or are either weak or unnoticeable, but
which nevertheless have a significant effect on the end result
of the response operation. This is a question of balancing the
here and now need for action to solve an immediate problem
