Helmet camera for firefighter

  In one video clip that garnered worldwide attention, a Houston firefighter's helmet camera shows a life being saved as burglar bars are cut and a man is pulled from a blazing home.

 The 'Jaws of Life' went to work in another online clip, as HFD Engine 68 handled a car that had slammed into a FedEx truck in southwest Houston.

In both videos, people get a look at the point of view from one of the toughest and most dangerous jobs, but now HFD headquarters is putting a stop to it.

The Houston Fire Department has issued a rule for all firefighters that no helmet cameras are allowed.   If any clip shows up online now that the rule has passed, firefighters say they know they'll face suspension or firing.

KPRC Local 2 covered the story last year when an amazing rescue was recorded on a captain Houston firefighter's helmet camera.    A terrified man is seen cowering near the burglar bars as flames rage around him.   Then, HFD Capt. Brad Stewart's camera records rescue saws cutting the bars and the man being saved from a certain fiery death.

Firefighters on Engine 68 posted a rescue from a car crash that also shows what fire crews go through on a daily basis.   In that video, posted online in January 2008, viewers watch as the siren blares with the fire truck moving toward the wreck.    They arrive and find a woman trapped in a car that has slammed into a delivery truck.   Then Hurst Tools (known as the "Jaws of Life") go to work to cut the car from around the victim.

While those clips may show heroics, fire department headquarters is clearly moving to avoid the flip side of that coin.   What happens if a helmet camera is recording when something goes terribly wrong?   Even if it doesn't end up online, it could lead to liability for the city, or images that could scar a grieving family for life.

Ask any firefighter and they'll tell you that things always go wrong, even at fires that seem 'textbook' from afar.   Nothing is predictable when a house is burning and crews are scurrying to deploy their training to put it out.    Even when a seasoned firefighter encounters something that he's done a thousand times before, one tiny variable can send things into chaos at a fire.

The Houston Fire Department's new policy makes it a fireable offense to possess a helmet camera on the job.   Any captain is responsible for making sure his team doesn't have one.

Technology has made tiny cameras much easier to deploy.   With 2 gigabytes of memory in most models, it's simple to push a button as a firefighter is leaving the station, or a motorcyclist or ATV rider is starting on a tricky ride.   Of course, enthusiasts of any sport, hobby, or profession are bound to deploy this technology to show off what they do.

Several websites focus on displaying firefighting helmet camera videos from around the nation, but this new policy is aimed at making sure no Houston Fire Department videos are added to that collection in the future.

For more info:          Helmet cam rescue coverage on KPRC Local 2

                                           Car crash rescue from HFD Engine 68 from January '08