Body Cameras Are Changing How Firefighters Train

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — You've seen police body-camera video, but now we're seeing similar videos from firefighters. The new videos are changing the way departments train their crews.

"Kind of like what sports athletes do. They're watching batting practicing or watching another football team. We're doing the same thing. We're reevaluating and seeing how we can get better," Captain JD Flint, with Metro Fire of Sacramento, said.

While their adrenaline is rushing, firefighters say they might not remember every second, but the cameras catch everything.

"Now we can go back and say, 'oh I didn't know I did that' or 'I can't believe I walked past that I didn't see that,'" Captain Flint said.

Crews are now sharing their videos online, helping other departments and learning from their techniques.

"They actually will talk about just how beneficial it's been for their agencies and for their firefighters to view our footage and use it in their training scenarios," Captain Keith Wade, with Sacramento Fire, said.

"We watch them from all over the country. We look at it. We dissect it. Okay here's what they when they showed up. Is that what we would have done," Captain Flint said.

Not all departments allow crews to record rescues. It can make them more susceptible to lawsuits, but locals departments say if it helps them get better at the job, save more homes, save more lives, it's worth it.

"There's a big stigma about not wanting to put videos out because you don't want, oh you guys did this wrong or you messed up. I don't believe in that. If we messed up we're going to learn from it and we're going to get better from it," Captain Flint said.