By Scott Ziegler
One of the things I’ve learned about the fire service is that we all know how to do something better than the next guy. We all have a better idea. And a lot of us feel the need to show the world what we know by commenting on fire videos, photos or incidents that are posted on the internet.
I fully understand that once a person posts a video or photo, they open the door for the “armchair quarterbacks” or “keyboard incident commanders,” and that is fine. Sometimes some constructive criticism is OK, it might even be helpful. But sometimes it is just plain annoying.
Being someone who posts videos, I also watch other people’s helmet cam stuff and look through fire buff photo galleries of the latest fires. I enjoy it. I like to see how other places work. I like to see other ideas. Sometimes I will watch a video and have a hard time figuring out why they did something a certain way. But I realize that no matter what I can see in the photo or the video, there is always a bigger picture. Therefore, I keep my comments to myself.
Nobody really cares to read your arrogant comment about how you would do it better. And if you think they should know how much better at fighting fires you are than them, well then get your own camera and post your own videos. But I can promise you that someone will find something wrong with something you or your crew does.
No fire scene is perfect. Especially in these tough economic times when fire departments are cutting man power and equipment. Working in Highland Park, we went to fires with no more than seven men. Our fire scenes were far from perfect, but we adapted and did a lot of improvising. And we always got our jobs done.
Just a remember ladies and gentlemen, we are all in this together. Take what you see and learn from it. But before you go bashing the next fire department online who “did it all wrong”, remember what it would look like if someone turned a camera on you at your next fire. And remember, there is a lot you might not be able to see through the lens.
