The camera attaches to the gear of firefighters and allows them to see hot and cold spots in a building or large area.
“A lot of times the fire will be in the wall, especially with electrical fire or a fire above you in the ceiling,” Fire chief Bob Keene said.
“Instead of us going in and just start tearing through someone’s house trying to find it,” he said. “This will show us whether it is, or is not, there.”
Assistant fire chief Steve Castle applied for the grant in September and received the money last month.
“Right now our budget wouldn’t permit this kind of expenditure, so it was very fortunate for us that we were able to get this grant,” Castle said.
The new camera is half the size of the old one, Keene said.
“Our gear adds 100 pounds to us with the airpacks and everything else,” he said. “So whatever else we can get that’s lighter weight will help us out.”
The camera can also be used if someone is ejected from a vehicle, Keene said.
“You can take TIC and search for a body in the woods,” he said.
Other features of the camera include the ability to zoom in and out and better image quality, Castle said.
“Technology is much more capable,” he said. “And it’s a lot easier for the firefighter to handle the equipment.”
The Firehouse Subs Public Foundation receives thousands of grant applications each quarter, Castle said.
It’s donated almost $800,000 to Ohio public safety organizations since its creation in 2005, according a foundation fact sheet.
About the Author