Embedded Files
August 2025
In sports, elite athletes are often called “students of the game.” They don’t just practice and then score touchdowns on Sundays. These professionals are also studying film from games and practice, analyzing their own performance and their opponents’ to gain an edge. Players like Peyton Manning or Ray Lewis became legendary not just for their physical talent, but for the hours they spent breaking down plays to refine their strategy and execution. Firefighting, much like football, is a team-driven, high-stakes profession that can benefit from the same approach.
We already know the value of fireground footage. Helmet cams and rig-mounted GoPros have been used to review tactics, decision-making, and crew performance. But because of privacy, liability, and agency policy concerns, especially when victims or patients are involved, recording actual incidents must be done carefully and within your agency’s guidelines. Although there is great benefit to this footage, this article isn’t about filming emergency scenes, instead, it focuses on a vastly underused tool: recording training drills. While training will always carry some artificiality compared to the real thing, it’s where we build muscle memory, decision-making habits, and crew coordination. Adding video to that process can change the way firefighters see their performance, identify areas for growth, and sharpen both their technical and mental game.
There are a variety of camera options for capturing training. Fire service–specific helmet cameras, like Fire Cam, are built to handle heat and smoke better than standard consumer models. Many firefighters prefer them over action cameras like, GoPros, for interior firefighting because of their heat resistance and durability, although I will say that I personally had luck using GoPros in both live fire and non-live-fire training environments. One other advantage of the action camera is that they are great for mounting in various spots, such as on an SCBA shoulder strap using a backpack-style mount or on the side of a vehicle or training tower using a magnetic mount. Even if you don’t own a purpose-built action camera, a simple smartphone placed in a location that captures the entire drill can be effective. Some thermal imaging cameras (TICs) also allow for video recording, which can be especially valuable in low-visibility environments, whether using real or artificial smoke. In the end, the best camera is the one that accurately captures the drill and fits the training environment—now let’s explore why it’s worth putting it to use.
See What Really Happened
On emergency scenes, time perception can be distorted, and memories of events can be incomplete or biased. Even in training, with lower stress and more control, this still happens. Video removes that distortion, giving firefighters an exact record of what happened, how fast (or slow) it unfolded, and where adjustments are needed. Take mask-up times as an example. A firefighter might clock an impressive 10 second mask-up during a calm, stand-alone skill practice, but in a full-speed evolution, after stretching a line and forcing a door, their mask-up takes over a minute. That’s not failure, it’s just the current operational reality. But by seeing this on camera, they now have accurate data to work from and can train accordingly. Perhaps when performing future mask-up drills they will first elevate their heart rate with physical activity before mask-uping to simulate real conditions.
Self-Critique and Additional Perspectives
Motivated firefighters are often their own toughest critics. Video lets them see their performance from other perspectives, rather than just from the narrow perspective of their own role. A nozzle firefighter, company officer, and engineer will have three different perspectives of how a line stretch went, but watching the footage together reveals the full picture: hose layout, crew positioning, communication, and task sequencing. Just as a football team reviews game film, reviewing drill footage allows firefighters to spot nuances they may have missed in the moment: kinks or pinch points that slowed the advance, inefficient movements, or opportunities to shave seconds off critical tasks. From my experience, this outside-looking-in perspective is one of the fastest ways to improve.
Better Debriefs, Better Drills
Some of the best training debriefs happen when crews watch themselves on screen. Often, the review becomes firefighter-led, with members asking questions, proposing solutions, and discussing small details that make a big difference. Video is unbiased and it shows both the strong points and the mistakes without the haze of adrenaline or memory gaps. More importantly, it guides future training and many times motivates crews for training. More times than once, after a video debrief, the crew decided to perform the same drill to try something that they discussed in the debrief.
As firefighters we are great at finding mistakes. But to be clear, video isn’t just for finding faults, it’s also a powerful tool for positive reinforcement. Company officers can use it to highlight strong teamwork, smooth execution, and effective decision-making. Recognizing what’s done well builds confidence, reinforces good habits, and boosts morale. That said, recording drills requires a supportive training culture. If video becomes a “gotcha” tool used to embarrass or one-up, it will backfire. A culture where training is viewed as a place to make mistakes, try new approaches, and learn is necessary whether you are recording it or not. Training is NOT a test, it is preparation. When used in the right environment, video can be a safe, unbiased coach. It helps firefighters visualize how they operate, compare that to how they think they operate, and close any gap that may exist.
Professional athletes don’t just practice then show-up on game day, rather, they watch the tape, learn from it, and adjust accordingly. As professionals in our industry, firefighters can benefit in doing the same. Recording drills transforms the training ground into our own film room, where every evolution becomes an opportunity to think more clearly, act more decisively, and perform more effectively when then tones drop.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse