Thermal cameras give local fire departments an edge

Three local fire departments have gained a technological advantage in battling flames and finding victims. The East County Fire Protection District and the Scott City and Cape Girardeau fire departments were presented three new thermal imaging cameras Wednesday afternoon at Station No. 1 in Cape Girardeau.

The $7,500 cameras were purchased from Precision Fire Apparatus in Eldon, Mo., and each one came to its new department in a different way -- through donations, grants and taxpayer dollars.

Thermal cameras can penetrate about 200 yards, seeing heat through walls and ceilings. Property damage can be less when hot spots can be identified quickly and extinguished.

It's an expense that is cost-prohibitive for many departments. Typical models range from $9,000 to $17,000. But Cape Girardeau, Scott City and East County got a healthy discount by pooling their orders into a single purchase.

This was camera number two for Scott City, which purchased its first camera more than a year ago for $10,500, said chief Jay Cassout. The new one was bought with federal grant money. Jackson, Marble Hill, Dexter and Sikeston also have such cameras, most paid for by donations.

"Our old one is much bigger," Cassout said, holding his hands about a foot apart to demonstrate its size. "But the technology has changed things and they can do more now. You can hook them up to a computer and record off of them."

East County fire chief Jim Hanks was happy to finally have his department's camera in his hands. Taxpayer funds bought the bright yellow ISG-480 model.

"We'd been talking about it for the last several years," he said. "Then Cape wanted one, so all the fire departments got together to buy them at once. We're usually the last to get anything like this."

But as excited as he was to get the camera, it's a tool he hopes is never needed.

"I hope it's never turned on, but it probably will be soon," Hanks said.

Already used

Cape Girardeau's camera arrived Friday, in time for firefighters to use it at an outdoor fire Saturday night at Heartland Industries on Southern Expressway.

Firefighter Shawn Morris said members of local International Association of Firefighters union spent four months seeking donations and managed to raise $14,450. Several area civic groups watched a PowerPoint presentation about the cameras and made donations, along with businesses and individuals.

"We didn't think it'd go over that quickly but it did," he said.

The union intends to buy a second one soon, Morris said. But it will cost about $9,000.

"It will cost a little more because it will have a temperature reading," he said. "The first was just a plain camera, just so we'd have one. But with the temperature reading we'll be able to tell variations in the house and know if we're doing the right things to fight the fire and find victims."

mwells@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160