BY LAWRENCE M. BROWNE
Photography has long been an effective review tool in the fire service. Photographs have long been used for critiques, investigations, historical records, and mementos. Pictures of fires, rescues, apparatus, and members hang on the walls of nearly every firehouse. Firefighters long for photos of themselves “on the job.” Web sites are filled with images of fires and firefighters. Photos are used in training to illustrate the good and the bad. Photography records the people, places, and things we want to remember in the future and gives us a link to the past.
For more than 20 years, one-hour photo processing was the standard for turning around an image from camera to print, not including transportation time to a processing facility and business hours. Instant cameras give a quick picture, but the simplistic nature of the camera and film make for limited use, as the performance at night and at a distance are very limited. The cost of instant pictures has long been an issue as well.
Digital photography has been commercially available for almost 10 years and has become more affordable. Digital still images offer better sharpness and more flexibility than video. To review a video image, it must be frozen or rewound. Most video images are at low resolutions, comparable to a 1.3 megapixel still digital image. Video also requires more light for better image quality. A 4-5 megapixel image can be magnified four to five times more than the video image and still retain sharpness. (You need 5 megapixels for a publication cover.)
Digital photography has made the concept of one-hour photo processing obsolete. Now photos can be viewed instantaneously and printed at home, at work, or in a car in a matter of minutes, even without a computer.
Operationally, a digital camera can be used as a recon tool on haz-mat and technical rescue jobs and as another set of eyes without subjectivity for incident commanders (ICs) on the fireground. ICs often have to rely on the subjective descriptions of conditions from officers with varying degrees of experience. Physical conditions such as swimming pools, courtyards, and building construction can be documented visually and give commanders a leg up on communicating conditions and possible safety hazards to incoming firefighters. Early-arrival photos can also show smoke conditions for comparison as the fire evolves and assist investigators in their work after the incident. In haz-mat incidents, where information is the priority, well-exposed and composed photographs, combined with better optics, can bring images that will allow the incident commander to identify containers and labels, triage victims, and plan entry and exit routes.
(1) Apparatus and ladder placement at a garden-style apartment building fire in Warrington, Pennsylvania. (Photos by author.) |
Recently, Doylestown (PA) Fire Company No. 1 was presented with a unique situation. Two dogs had made their way into a storm sewer in Buckingham Township and were stuck. Midway Volunteer Fire Company Chief Mike Taylor, who is the Buckingham Township roadmaster, asked Doylestown Chief Denny Loux Jr. for assistance. The dogs were under a residential street in between two storm-water inlets. They were 200 to 300 feet from a street-level storm water inlet. They were not moving but could be heard barking at street level. Because of the distance and size of the storm sewer, it was difficult to see the dogs or even determine how many dogs were in the pipe. Flashlights could make out the reflections of two sets of eyes, but nothing more. A digital SLR (single-lens reflex) camera with a telephoto zoom lens was lowered to Firefighter Barbarajean Williams, who was in the bottom of the storm inlet. Photos of the storm sewer showed that the dogs were farther down the pipe than earlier described and the pipe’s size and condition. The dogs were too far down the pipe for the flash to illuminate them, but it did give Loux an idea of the size of the pipe and what was in it. An effort was made to push a two-inch handline pressurized with air down the pipe to coax the dogs out, but that was unsuccessful. Eventually, the street was dug up and the dogs were extracted the next day.
(2) During a RIT class at Bucks County Public Safety Training Center, these ladders were secured in the mud with pickets. |
Laptop computers in command vehicles give ICs more information at their fingertips. Maps, vital building information, accountability, and hydrant information can be stored and accessed easily. Digital photographs taken on a scene can easily be viewed with a laptop at high resolutions, giving the IC a rich view of the scene. The simple method involves attaching a memory card and memory card reader to the laptop and viewing the photos through Windows Explorer® or an image-viewing program. Newer digital cameras now offer built-in wireless network transmission capabilities to a laptop equipped with wi-fi equipment. Vital building information software packages can imbed digital images of locations in the file, giving ICs a real view of sectors, appliances, and physical hazards. Aerial photos and satellite imaging have given ICs a high-tech way to see from the sky. Thermal camera images can be transmitted to command posts from helicopters to get a view of heat from a vertical prospective. Satellite images are being used in dispatch centers to give dispatchers an “eye in the sky” that allows them to see resources such as hydrants, building sizes, and exposures, so they can have a better idea of what is occurring on the fireground. Preplan drills can be enhanced by using photos during debriefing and then incorporating the images into preplans.
The role of fire department photographer has historically been an ancillary position, often filled by older members not able to be actively involved in suppression operations or individuals with photographic experience. Photographers document scenes, assist in investigation documentation, and take pictures of the members on the fireground. Training shots as well as public relations photographs showing fund-raising and recognition events such as banquets and award ceremonies are common. Trained photographers can deliver a higher-quality image with their knowledge of lighting, exposure, and composition. The camera captures the photographer’s vision.
(4) First-arrival photo at a dwelling fire in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. On arriving, I took photos of all four exposures immediately. The photos were used as part of the fire critique. |
Basic training in photography for officers and key personnel will not only help the organization to more efficiently record activities but will also give firefighters a useful life skill, making them better at recording family photos or images of personal interests. The best basic training is to look at the work of professional photographers and see what they’re seeing with their images. Digital helps in the learning process, as the photographer can quickly see the results of his work and can improve it if desired. It also allows for more shooting, since the only limitation is the size of the memory card, and bad images can be deleted immediately, allowing for more photos. The cost is greatly lowered: The photographer does not have to worry about the cost of film and processing.
Digital cameras offer the user automatic focus and exposure. Automatic cameras offer automation for most general situations. Emergency scenes present unique problems for automatic cameras, such as low light, extreme contrast between fire and structures, and reflective materials. Effective lighting makes the difference between a snapshot and a photograph; this is one way an experienced photographer makes a difference in the process. Automatic cameras are programmed for optimal lighting conditions. Light meters read light, not the absence of it. On a nighttime fireground, in addition to the light of the fire, there are warning lights, scene lighting, and the scourge of the automatic flash meter-reflective striping.
Most higher-end fully automatic cameras today use a flash system that meters the frame for a properly exposed area and shuts the flash down. Reflective materials throw a wrench into the process: The flash lighting is reflected by the material, and the meter picks up the bright area and shuts down the flash. But since the reflection is hundreds of times brighter than the reflection of the flash on the other areas, the photo will be much underexposed. With equipment that has more flexibility, an experienced photographer can make adjustments to compensate for the darker areas.
Photography has played a key role in the fire service for more than 100 years. From the portraits of fire chiefs and panoramic photos of large gatherings in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to the immediacy of today’s digital images, the medium has progressed with the fire service. The advances in photography give ICs another tool on the fireground and the fire department photographer a more active role in suppression.
LAWRENCE M. BROWNE is a firefighter/photographer for Doylestown (PA) Fire Co. No. 1 and has been a photojournalist for more than 20 years. He is also a Pennsylvania state fire instructor and teaches fire photography and media relations at the Bucks County Public Safety Training Center.