Trial of Body Worn Cameras underway

A new piece of kit is being trialled for the next three weeks to give our firefighters a more complete picture of incidents.

Our Officers In Charge (OICs) in Durham, Peterlee and Darlington will be fitted with either Body Worn or Helmet Cameras which will record video and audio at all incidents in these three areas.

​The information is encrypted to ensure security and that, if lost or stolen, footage cannot be viewed by unauthorised people. Footage will be held for a minimum of 31 days unless it is needed for another purpose, such as a police investigation, prevention, education or training.

Area Manager, Dominic Brown said: “Unfortunately Fire and Rescue Services have seen a rise in antic social behaviour, deliberate fire setting and in extreme cases even violence towards fire crews when they attend incidents.

“This trial of body worn camera’s will help us gather data on the right type of equipment to roll out across the Service to add an extra layer of protection to fire crews faced with this unacceptable activity and hopefully help provide much needed evidence to help the Police deal with the perpetrators.”