Team communication of nuclear fire brigades during routine and non-routine task phases

Abstract

The purpose of our experiment was to explore communication patterns that are characteristics of nuclear fire brigades during task phases that include unforeseen, non-routine events. We further aimed to understand how team performance was related to the frequency of intrateam communication during different task phases. Six nuclear fire brigades were video recorded during a simulated scenario and subsequent communication utterances were analysed. According to our results, on the central channel a higher frequency of “Simple answer” was negatively related, while on the lateral channel a higher frequency of “Command” and “Information without request” were positively related to team performance. Our results also indicate that while on the central channel communication frequencies were more balanced across adaptation phases, on the lateral channel there was a significant increase in intrateam communication when the teams entered non-routine phases. Furthermore, our results underline the different functions of the two communication channels: while the central channel supports maintaining contact between geographically dispersed team members with formal, standardised communication formulas, the lateral channel supports the modification of the team's strategy with a simpler, less formal communication mode. Relevance to industryThe findings can be applied in nuclear firefighters' training and thereby contribute to the operational safety in nuclear power plants. By becoming more aware of the communication categories that support teamwork during adaptation, as well as of how best to utilise different communication channels, teams’ workload may be decreased, and team resources may be spared for team adaptation.