In the Line of Fire — A fire department photographer’s perspective.
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Having been a fire department photographer for the past 16 years, it’s become apparent to me that most people really have no idea what happens at the scene of a structure fire. Various television shows and movies portray the event as either more or less stressful than it actually is, depending on the scope and the severity of the incident. I have watched entire buildings come down around me as well as million dollar beach front homes disintegrate into useless piles of rubble and ash, all the while documenting both the incident itself and the actions of the men and women fighting the fire from start to finish. There is no explaining the adrenaline rush the firefighters experience as the first piece of equipment arrives and comes face to face with the inferno. Sometimes the entire structure is ‘fully involved’ as the first responders arrive. Other times, you see wisps of smoke coming from various locations without any flames visible at all. There are times when that is the most dangerous scenario because the fire is confined to the interior of the structure and, with the first exposure to a blast of air, it erupts in front of you and within, literally, seconds, flames are everywhere. Watching the crews move into action may appear, to the untrained eye, as a chaotic response with no clear direction. Not so at all. Each firefighter has a specific role to play as they disembark the engine or the ladder truck or the pumper and start to move into their particular zone of responsibility. Hoses (lines)are pulled are pulled and connected to the engine pumps. Hydrant lines are attached to the nearest hydrants and then to the input valves on the engines. Sometimes, depending on the location of the nearest hydrant is relation to the fire site, hundreds of feet of hoses are laid out and attached before water can start being pumped. The pump operators are starting pumps and setting pressures so the 2" lines have sufficient water pressure to engage the fire. Portable ladders are raised to roof lines and venting holes are cut into the roofs for smoke and flames to escape. Firefighters wearing full breathing masks will work the fire from various locations, and, if and when necessary, make entry into the structure to combat it from within. This is the most dangerous time because you are inside the bowels of the beast and your partner and your radio are the only things keeping you safe. Me? I’m pretty much in the same boat except I have no breathing aid pack, nor do I wear turnout gear. There’s no way to shoot a camera with that equipment on. A fire helmet prevents me from looking into a viewfinder and the bulky turnout gear prevents me from carrying my cameras. So I get as close as possible without putting myself at risk, and without my presence causing the firefighters to spend time they don’t have worrying about where I am and what I’m getting myself into. Once the main fire is either controlled or I have sufficiently documented the incident for the official record, I turn my attention to the men and women actually fighting the fire. The emotions they display; the environment they are in (fighting a structure fire in 90 degree heat is entirely different than in 10 degree winter tenperatures. Each situation presents its own set of problems, from over heating in the summer heat to frozen lines, hands and faces in the bitter cold of winter. More than once I have reeked from the smell of smoke and have actually thrown the clothes I was wearing away because the smell was so acrid it wouldn’t come out. The firefighters have industrial washing machines at the station where their gear gets cleaned and dried after such events. Sometimes, depending on the location and type of structure, smoke and debris are toxic and have to be washed out before being used again. A normal (if there is such a thing) house fire usually just emits mostly harmless smoke. Older homes, where lead paint or asbestos insulation are present have their own separate dangers that have to be addressed. I capture the intensity of the event, not just of the flames, but in the faces of the people working in them. Not everyone can deal with these particular kinds of stresses.
That’s why being a firefighter requires such a unique mindset. Finding a body among the ruins is a far more stressful situation than seeing a burned out hulk of a car in a destroyed garage. None of the many fatal fires I have covered have ever been the same. There has always been a component of the fire that had its own set of circumstances. Victims get trapped on floors above the fire; They panic and don’t think clearly; The get lost in the smoke and can’t find an exit. On the other hand, there is nothing more satisfying than being on the scene when crews make rescues of people trapped inside and bring them to safety. Even the rescue of animals brings satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment to an otherwise horrific event. Fires, by their nature, are destructive events and when trying to sift through the rubble to find the cause, the very act of subduing the fire is the very reason why the cause is difficult to discern. Thousands of gallons of water, under intense pressure, are poured onto the fire to extinguish it, and that water, along with the debris of the structure falling in on itself make for an almost impossible task of determining cause. If you ask a firefighter why they do what they do, many really have no answer, but several thoughts come to mind. Someone once said that when you become a firefighter, your greatest act of bravery has been accomplished. What you do after that is all in the line of work. Red Sox great Ted Williams said: That’s the life, being a firefighter. It sure beats being a ball player. I’d rather be a firefighter. I’ve been a photographer for 30 years and I’m very good at what I do. But no matter how close I get the the smoke and the flames, what I do is document the heroes at work.
