There are no secrets anymore. Today’s communications technology has ensured that. I am referring to two specific things. The first is the ubiquitous ability to capture images of events as they occur and the second is the equally pervasive impact of social media to transmit those images to anyone in the world within microseconds. The possibility that something a person does can be captured and distributed on the Internet no longer is a remotely possible event.
There are several reasons for this. The first is the presence of cellular phones that can capture images, including video. The second is the presence of surveillance cameras that are so widely distributed today as to be omnipresent. And then there’s social media, which offers a portal to the outside world for any image captured by these devices.
The problem is that many people disseminate such images without any sense of the impact they might have on the reputation of our profession and the privacy of those we serve. Fire departments must recognize this situation in two different ways. The first is to pay attention to what you are doing when scenarios exist that could be embarrassing to the fire service. I am not just talking about hijinks in the firehouse. Rather, I am talking about the fact that a fire department’s image can be scrutinized for legal reasons, and this technology can be used for that purpose.
For instance, I recently reviewed surveillance video that involved a fire apparatus that ran a red light and caused a collision. The video provides the lawyer in this case with a great deal of detail that in the past would have to be reconstructed from eyewitness accounts. When images are on video, however, the facts are less ambiguous and certainly subject to greater forensic scrutiny than what we have seen in the past.
The second reason is based on a scenario that recently was discussed fairly widely on fire-service blogs. It involved the distribution of photos taken by an emergency-service worker that were embarrassing to the victim of the incident and the family of that person. These two scenarios illustrate issues that should be of concern to every chief officer.
I would be willing to bet that scenarios are playing out right now that parallel the first example. Further, I would bet on the fact that someone out there is taking pictures, or texting information, that could backfire on some department somewhere tonight.
Such situations will continue to occur, because the technology that makes them possible isn’t going to go away. So, what are you going to do about it?
I would suggest that every organization spend some staff time discussing the following items:
- The legal and public-relations exposure to the department when the actions of personnel are captured by security cameras. You are on candid camera more than you possibly know — on fires, on medical assists, even going to the grocery store.
- The exposure to the department when third-party observers record department activities at the scene of operations. Those people may not be calling their mothers and friends.
- The definition of appropriate and inappropriate behavior at the scene of emergencies.
- How to protect the privacy of individuals who are under medical control or are being handled by fire-suppression personnel.
One should recognize that there is a positive side of this story, too. Imagine how capturing a dramatic rescue on video would enhance a department’s reputation in the community that it serves. Imagine, too, how such video could be used after the fact as a training tool. That has happened already. Catching a department doing what is right certainly could be positive. But such “attaboys” can be negated in a hurry with just a few “uh ohs.” Do what you can to create the former and minimize the latter.
Ronny J. Coleman has served as fire chief in Fullerton and San Clemente, Calif., and was the fire marshal of the state of California from 1992 to 1999. He is a certified fire chief and a master instructor in the California Fire Service Training and Education System.
Subscribe
Subscribe
Subscribe
Subscribe
Subscribe
Subscribe
