The long-awaited decree allowing firefighters to trial, for a period of three years, the body-worn cameras already used by police officers, gendarmes and municipal police officers, has been published. The aim is to start recording during an operation “when an incident occurs or is likely to occur that could endanger their physical safety”. However, the camera may not be activated if the footage “is likely to breach medical confidentiality”.
It took nearly a year – rather than the six months originally envisaged – for the decree to be published at last, authorising, on a trial basis, professional and volunteer firefighters, as well as those in Paris and Marseille, to use body-worn cameras during their operations. The text appeared to be quite complex to draft, particularly due to the need to protect medical confidentiality and the potential for recordings to infringe on privacy. However, the decree does not appear to include any specific provisions on these matters.