Shoot, don’t shoot? Another view on cameras and first responders.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyfjPoEP7T8&rel=1]
The video above and the one below appear to be the next step in firefighting in the YouTube generation. One of them begins inside a POV, during a volunteer firefighter’s response to the firehouse. The other starts with firefighters getting their gear and preparing to respond to an emergency. What is interesting is that positioning the camera appears to be a priority, even before the PPV is donned.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCsvIonPpp8&rel=1]
We have been doing periodic looks at the impact of the videos we run on STATter 911 (Click here, for our first column on the topic). We have referred to it as biting the hand that feeds us. But we find it an interesting topic, in that policy seems to lag behind the use of cameras by first responders.
My personal view is I like to see as much video as possible. I am a strong believer in the public’s right to know, and possibly see, as much as they can about the workings of public safety organizations. But I can also understand, from the views we have already published and articles I have read elsewhere, how this has the potential to conflict with the primary role of emergency crews (one veteran we talked to cautioned that the camera should not be the first piece of gear grabbed by firefighters, which may apply to the videos above).
Training is often mentioned as the motive behind the videos and other picture taking. There is no doubt, this generation of firefighters is blessed or cursed, to more often than not, be able to instantly see their triumphs and failures in full motion video.
Recently, Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department Major Chauncey Bowers voiced a number of concerns (our second column, that you can read by clicking here), including patient privacy. In recent days, a chief in Florida, who says he snaps pictures for training, is out of a job after emailing images of an accident victim whose breasts were exposed as crews unsuccessfully tried to save her.
One of those whose views on this topic STATter 911 solicited is William Carey. Bill is a Firehouse.com Assistant Content Editor, Contributing Author and former Prince George’s County volunteer fire officer. Here’s what he wrote:
Regarding fire service media, my opinions are of first, a firefighter and fire officer, and second someone whose work allows the viewing of almost endless forms of fire service “user submitted media”. I was a third generation firefighter, and from a small city local fire news was usually page 2, but often front page as well. It was enjoyable to see the department and friends, even myself, in the news after a fire or accident. Back home everyone knew everyone and so it was multiple fifteen-minutes of fame. The Salisbury Daily Times has a photographer who shortly after being hired, would show up at nearly every working incident we had. His photographs were nearly always in the next edition of the paper, and he would freely give copies of his work to guys who were at the scene. He has the utmost respect, as far as I know, of the men and women in the fire departments in Wicomico County, simply because he continually captures the work, and just the work alone and not the sensationalism that is out there today. Looking at it from the point of reporters (and I am not one), especially where I work, I am beginning to understand some of the reporter and editor train-of-thought when it comes to news and public safety news; however I’m smart enough to know that sensationalism and tabloid bring hits and page views even to Firehouse.com. I dislike that a great deal and believe that some of what is captured on video is reflective of what is being reported as news. Being in the Washington D.C. area local news, especially fire service news is more or less page 3. If it doesn’t disrupt traffic or kill many people, it might go unreported. Today, I see a gradual change in local fire service news and I believe that quite a bit of it has to do with the introduction of better video and photography equipment and easier technology for anyone to submit an incident to the local media and blogs. Nearly all the metropolitan Washington, D.C. media outlets allow and encourage John Q. Public to capture an event and submit it, even from his cellular phone. If there is a room and contents fire on some side street at 0200 hours, it is entirely possible for somebody, anybody, to visually document the whole incident, and submit it to the media. The only thing that is needed is the want or desire to do so.
This is a big double-edged sword for the fire and EMS service. At Firehouse.com, and speaking only for myself in review of some of the material we have had sent to us, or reported on, the fire service across the country is continually running a fine line between good and bad public relations. Some significant examples involve user submitted Photo Stories. This online feature allows for literally anyone to capture and document an incident and send it to us to post. Some images, even some posted in our Headlines, show firefighters and officers in, at the very least, questionable practices. We also run this fine line considering if such images should still be posted and used as “what not to do”. Personally, I believe that the answer is no, because unless you have the captive audience in front of you, to do the follow up training, all you do is continue to allow younger firefighters to assume that its okay to do x-y-z wrong. You Tube and other forms of video have taken the photo argument (“it’s only a micro second of time, you don’t know what happened before and after”) and have blown it away. Now, with videos, by either the civilian or the firefighter, you know what happened before, during and after. Your department’s image and credibility has been laid out for everyone to see and everyone will see it because of how videos are titled, linked, defined by keywords and emailed. A firefighter can be video taped throwing a ladder upside down on the scene of a fire and before he gets back to the station, the video can be seen by another firefighter clear across the country.
When I have the opportunity to grab a few photos of a job, I look at what I am doing in two ways. First, the photographs can be used for work and passed along to the involved departments. Secondly, I also look for items that can be used for training information. I purposefully don’t go looking for the line stretched short or the ladder upside down, because I am not in the position to follow-up on these. There have been times when I was asked to photograph a particular problem, by an officer, and there have been times when I’ve used photos to show “what not to do” but I make it a point to contact the department beforehand to explain my intention and understand their response. The fire service will eventually begin to deal with photographs and videos in one of two ways. In one way they will focus on their members operating safely and smartly, for the sole sake of self preservation and without coming across as a bunch of “safety cops”. The sensible departments will recognize their strengths, weaknesses, shortcomings and will take advantage of every opportunity a photograph or video presents in order to continually train its officers and members and build on their relation with the public. In the opposite department, they will become immediate media censors, clamping down on images captured even by their own members, and decrying the invasion of the fireground by a documenting outsider. Fire departments will eventua
lly, as media technology evolves, fall quickly into one of these examples. The best they can do to be the positive example is establish or improve their relations with the media and the public. Additionally they will also encourage their members to be proactive, documenting their department, in an effort to have each and every member reflect the best they can be.
Finally, when I think of the whole photography and helmet cam issue, I think of Guantanamo Bay and the abuse scandal. If you know its wrong or even think it might be, don’t do it. With some of the videos out there we see, especially those from firefighters and fire departments, you have to sit back and say “what were you thinking?”
