Logistics of photographing fire scenes, emergencies, etc...

[Laramie]

I hope nobody takes this as in bad taste. I fully respect the grave situations often encountered by accident victims as I used to work in Law Enforcement, but I also know that these scenes can produce some absolute fantastic and moving pictures.

That being said, is there a problem with getting "near" where firefighters or EMS is working to get pictures? Anybody have any experience? Thanks...

[colleent]

That being said, is there a problem with getting "near" where firefighters or EMS is working to get pictures? Anybody have any experience? Thanks...

There could be issues. I am a volunteer firefighter so I have some experience with this. First, you should stay behind any lines they ask you to so that means no sneaking around and trying to get closer. They're keeping you back because it's dangerous to be close and not wearing proper gear. There would be probably no issue with you staying at the perimeter and taking shots. The only thing I would say is to be respectful of any patients privacy. Be respectful to anyone's who's house is burning down.

I do take photos at scenes when time allows so that we have photos. Most firefighters would love to have photos of them doing their job. I think if you're interested in doing this on a regular basis you can contact the fire dept and get permission to go and take photos for them. If you share the photos with them and stay safe they will likely allow it. If you get friendly with a particular department they may allow you access that others are not allowed.

[Mike McCusker]

I was a road supervisor for police dept, therefore was at the scene of most of the emergencies that occured on my shift. What always worked for me was when a photographer approached and asked "do you mind"? I almost always said go ahead but please stay out of the way. Politeness and consideration always works.

[nebula_42]

I just finished shooting the San Diego fires.
1) Get out early in the incident to facilitate access and action shots.
2) Use a press pass if you have one.
3) A lot of SoCal photogs have PPE (firefighters' jackets, etc). Take goggles. Wear sturdy boots and long pants - the ground is hot!
4) The fire front is upwind of the smoke. Follow the smoke to get positioned in the path of the fire.That's where the firefighters will be.
5) Don't use flash in blowing soot and smoke. It lights up the smoke and stuff flying close to you and ruins the photo.
6) Beware of radient heat. If you get trapped between a house and burning brush, the heat can be tremendous. Like burn you badly in an instant. Always have an escape route in mind.
7) Park your car out of the way and headed in the right direction to escape. Don't park your car near brush or anything that can burn next to it.
8) Obey all police officers and fire fighters. (Firefighters are a lot more congenial than police officers). Understand that these guys are under a lot of stress.
9) The best shots include flames, firefighters, anguished homeowners, and combinations
10) Clean your equipment immediately when you get home.

[asysin2leads]

I agree with the above posts. Courtesy will get you a lot. Your best bet would be to talk to the local fire department to be their "official photographer". I've been on departments that have had them. They were issued either a radio or pager and would go to the scenes and take the pictures. There are new HIPAA laws that need to be observed as well. If you are listening to a scanner and jumping calls to get shots of, just be courteous. Talk to someone official, unless they're busy of course, and see if it's ok if you snap a few shots. My suggestion was, is and will be, maybe give the department a few of the pictures to hang around their stations. That will "grease the palms" of smoke eaters anyday.

[KenVP]

Do as asked of you by the emergency services and you will be find. I own and run a site that provides this exact type of service. Being a Firefighter of 17 years I know how it is on both sides of the fence. My staff works hard to get those shots everyone wants but knows when enough is enough and to pull out. There are allot of great departments out there that will work closely with you in return for some coverage. It just takes some time to locate and prove to them you are safe in what you do..........

Feel free to check out our work at; www.newjerseyfire.com (http://www.newjerseyfire.com)

and email me with any ?s you may have, my emails on the site

Ken VP

[spkerer]

I've taken the approach of getting involved with my local fire volunteer fire company. I was recruited to become a member of the company as their "official photographer." I've been issued company protective gear and a pager and minitor (like a scanner that only activates when our company's tones go out), and training. When a call goes out, I respond to the scene if (1) I am available and (2) the call sounds interesting. Over time you develop a better feel for (2).

A couple of pluses of being a member of the fire company primarily include access and knowing everyone on the company pretty well. When at a scene, I get access that they typically wouldn't grant to a guy with a camera. For example, going into a building right after the fire is knocked down and its no longer considered an IDLH (immediately dangerous to life and health) environment. Overhaul and salvage may still be somewhat ongoing. The police know that I'm with the fire company too, so if they have a road blocked off a couple of miles before the scene in order to do a detour, they'll let me through.

A couple of negatives of being with a fire company include being bound by HIPPA and taking what are sometimes very interesting pictures, but ones that can not be made available to the general public.

Whether you get associated with a specific fire company or act independently, you'll get to know and be known by the people involved (fire company members, fire marshalls, police/deputies). As has been mentioned, being cooperative is essential.

When I'm on a fire scene, my priorities are:

1) Don't do anything that endangers others. I include in this not putting myself in a bad situation where others may have to risk themselves to rescue me.

2) Don't do anything that endangers me. See above.

3) Don't hinder the operations in any way. When I'm in working close, this includes being aware of hoses, ladders, spray from hoses, collapse zones, etc. The more you learn, the more hazards you become aware of. Some of this is covered in the person safety aspects covered in 1 and 2 above, but others are a matter of not impacting the operations going on at the scene. There are times I've helped move a hose or two - for example a hose line they're advancing getting caught around a small plant outside - just lifting it over the plant so one of them doesn't have to run over and do it.

4) Take pictures. I view getting pictures as the lowest priority. Job #1 is keeping everyone safe and fighting the fire (or rescuing the victims, etc), NOT taking pictures. I'll work around what's going on to get pictures.

Also know that there are some pictures the fire company, fire marshalls or police may not want to be publicly visible. Pictures of safety violations (e.g. a FF doing something where they should be using eye protection, but aren't), detailed pictures of the spot of origin of the fire, etc. These are in addition to the HIPPA related issues (anything personally identifiable, etc.) Operating as a member of a fire company, I honor those requests.

Operating independently from public areas, you could decide to argue about your rights to photograph anything you can see from the public areas. If you do that, you may win the argument and lose the war, because they'll never want you close to anything.

Those are my thoughts for now. Feel free to ask more or PM if interested.

[Laramie]

Thanks all for the great tips!