By Rich Marinucci
There seems to be more interest in the fire service to gather and utilize data and statistics. This is not a bad idea, but is it enough to rely solely on this information? Can we expect to change outcomes by putting all our eggs in this basket?
Noted writer and humorist Mark Twain said there are “lies, damn lies, and statistics.” He attributed this to 19th century Prime Minister of Great Britain Benjamin Disraeli. Like with most any simple comments, they can be interpreted many ways. In this case, it seems that the message was that you could present statistics however you want to promote your viewpoint. It seems we are sometimes looking for simple solutions to complex issues. Not understanding statistics and utilizing them properly can create problems. Data can be distorted.
For example, I once had lunch with three other people. The net worth of all of us averaged in the millions of dollars. Unfortunately, I brought the average down. The others in the group were businessmen who had accumulated great wealth and my measly contribution to the total amount didn’t greatly affect the mean. I was unable to spend any of the “average” amount that each of us had. The lesson is that there must be meaning behind the data and statistics. Understanding and base knowledge allows you to be better prepared should you need to go into more detail.
Relying solely on data may not always work. I can recall an elected official in my community who noted that fires had decreased the previous year. He was correct, as that was what was reported statistically. Being a businessman, his question was, “why can’t we reduce the fire department budget since the workload is decreasing?” In his mind, a logical question solely based upon raw data that he saw. The answer goes beyond this simplistic approach and should involve real-world results. There are plenty of anecdotal response that can address the one-dimensional approach.
To put it in a different light, in a given year, how many firefighters lose their life during an active fire (not counting cardiac events)? If you measure this compared to the total number of firefighters, statistically it may not be significant. Since it is not, then efforts to prevent something not likely to occur may not offer enough of a “return on investment.” To those of us in the fire service, this is absurd. The raw numbers mean nothing. The emotional aspect and devastation that could be caused is enough to motivate actions to work hard to prevent something that probably won’t happen anyway. My point is that data and statistics are important but also are anecdotes and emotional stories that help paint the picture of what you do.
You cannot go on a call without the possibility of someone capturing it on a smartphone video or it being picked up by other cameras such as in-car, helmet, or security. This is a double-edged sword, as it has provided great training opportunities. There are other advantages and disadvantages that you are aware of. If the video is captured by someone not in the fire department, there is rarely anything that can be done to prevent its distribution. But in cases where the fire department or its members “own” the video, there is some local control.
I realize that some of it may be subject to freedom of information acts, but this usually occurs when there are questions regarding a negative outcome. If you disregard cases where FOIA is invoked, I question why some departments release videos that show themselves in a not-so-favorable light. It seems every day that I am sent something that makes me scratch my head and ask why an organization would want it publicly shown.
Now, I am lucky in that this technology was not available to follow me around on every call. I know I did some dumb things along the way.