VIDEO: Helmet cam provides new training tool for Cedar Rapids firefighters

Rookie firefighters in Cedar Rapids have another training aid available after a recent garage fire was captured on video.

The 17-minute video follows Capt. Rick Halleran on Dec. 8 as firefighters work to control the fire at 430 20

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St. NW. The captivating footage, shot from Halleran's helmet, offers a rare firsthand glimpse at some of the tactics firefighters use to extinguish fires.

“We always talk about as a crew bringing the pieces of the puzzle together, and this video does a great job of showing that,” Halleran said.

Sirens are blaring in the opening sequences of the video as Firefighter Corey Archer drives Truck 1 east on Johnson Avenue NW. About 10 blocks away, they see smoke rising above the trees.

Halleran said he was already thinking about what to expect, based on his familiarity with the area. The firefighters knew it was probably a one-story house that may or may not have a basement.

A female voice comes across the scanner, repeating the address and reports of a car that is on fire inside the garage. Archer turns the fire truck down the dead end street, and flames come into view.

“It's rolling pretty good, Marc,” Halleran says to Firefighter Marc Michael, who's sitting behind him.

Halleran said the first priority upon arrival is life safety. As he jumps out of the truck, he asks onlookers if anyone is still inside the house or garage, which is now engulfed in flames. They say “No.”

Halleran circles the house and turns off the natural gas to the home. He looks to see if the roof is sagging.

“We've got fire coming out of the back,” Halleran says over his radio. “It's going to be up in the roof, as well. We're going to have to vertically vent, too.”

Meanwhile, other firefighters have broken through the locked front door and are starting to fight the fire from the kitchen and living room, pushing the fire to the north. Other firefighters are spraying water on the neighbor's house on that side, to protect it.

Capt. Craig Dirks, who was inside, said it's “real easy” for a firefighter to want to run up to the fire and spray water from the outside, but fighting fires from the exterior can push the fire toward undamaged areas. If possible, firefighters try to extinguish the flames from the “unburned to the burned.”

The video follows Halleran as he and Archer cut a hole in the top of the roof, to let the smoke and heat escape. The snow and ice on the roof is a good sign. If it had melted already, it would mean heat had weakened the roof.

“Where we put that hole is fairly critical, because it can create more damage or have less damage,” said Halleran, as he watched the video with a reporter Monday. “You want to put it above the seat of the fire, as close as you can.”

Thick black smoke jets out of the hole when Halleran peels back the rooftop. The video goes dark for a second. For Dirks and the other firefighters inside, the visibility improves dramatically.

Back on the ground, Halleran goes inside the house for the first time. Other firefighters let out a celebratory yell as they poke through to the ceiling.

“The fire was running across the attic,” Dirks said. “It would have been an easy fire to lose, so we were kind of excited when we'd knocked it down big time.”

Halleran makes another search of both floors to make sure there are no victims inside. With a flashlight, he searches the main floor and the basement. Still, it's hard to see much of anything.

At one point, the flashlight illuminates a mostly undamaged china hutch. Much of the house sustained only light smoke damage. No victims are found.

The fire shown on the video started when Roberta Ackman, 80, pulled into her garage after a trip to get groceries, fire officials said. As she was unloading, smoke started rolling out from under the hood of her car. A neighbor helped Ackman get out safely.

Halleran said he and other firefighters had seen videos shot from helmet cameras on the Internet, and they got permission from Fire Department administrators to try it themselves.

Firefighters agree that the video will be a very valuable training tool in Cedar Rapids, and possibly other jurisdictions. Halleran called it a “textbook” firefight.

“The big thing we talk about in training is having a coordinated attack,” Halleran said. “Now, you actually have the visuals and the audio.”

Fire Department spokesman Greg Buelow said no medical calls would ever be filmed. He said the helmet camera might be rolling again in the future, if the administration approves.

Buelow said some people who watch the video may question the firefighters' strategy, but he cautioned any rush to judgment. He said firefighters are trained on how to coordinate the attack and must follow strict regulations.

“This is a great learning tool,” Buelow said. “I hope people appreciate it.”