What is an "after-action review"?

An "after-action review" is a structured process used to evaluate an incident response, allowing teams to analyze actions taken during an incident, successes achieved, and areas needing improvement. This review helps identify lessons learned and provides insights into how to enhance future responses. By critically assessing what happened, both the successes and shortcomings, fire department personnel can create strategies to improve operations, training, and overall preparedness for future incidents. This systematic evaluation is essential for continuous improvement in emergency response and contributes to a more effective and efficient firefighting service.

The other options do not capture the essence of what an after-action review entails. Specifically, a community outreach program focuses on public interaction and education, a training module pertains to teaching specific skills or procedures, and a budget assessment tool analyzes financial elements of the department's operations rather than evaluating the operational performance during incidents.