September 16, 2021
Lee Evancho
Jacksonville Public Information Officer, Ben Nunnally shared that the Jacksonville Fire Department received a $162,600 grant this week. This grant will allow them to buy many potentially life saving devices and materials such as new hoses, new ventilation systems, and thermal cameras that will let them see fires, people and pets through walls.
Official Release
JACKSONVILLE — The last place a firefighter should get their first look at an indoor fire is inside, with the fire. But new thermal imaging cameras to be purchased with money from the 2020 Assistance to Firefighters Grant will allow city first responders to look through walls and spot fires — and people — without putting themselves at risk.
“The cameras allow the firefighters to see through thick, black smoke and help them maneuver through the site,” said fire Chief Keith Kadle. “You can see the outlines of people … It’s really good for victim rescue.”
The grant comes from a FEMA program designed to support first responders and create community resilience. With a 5 percent match of $7,742 approved by the City Council earlier this week, the city Fire Department received a total of $162,600. That money will also buy new supply and attack hoses, and update the department’s portable ventilation systems from gas-powered units to ones that run on electricity, allowing smoke to be pushed out of buildings without producing carbon monoxide from the gasoline.
The cameras are the most space age-looking piece of technology on the shopping list. Kadle said each camera has a small monitor mounted on it that shows the thermal image. The cameras are sensitive enough to look through drywall to spot fire, people, pets and other heat sources. In fact, if someone rests their hand on a wall for a moment, the thermal cameras will see residual heat on the wall as a handprint.
Commanders arriving on a scene can use the cameras to get a 360-degree view inside a structure before sending firefighters inside. Kadle said that forewarning about hazards and the ability to see fire victims through smoke makes the technology invaluable.
“Anything that saves a little bit of time gives that person a little more of a chance,” Kadle said.
For more information please call Benjamin Nunnally, public information officer for the City of Jacksonville, at 256-782-3818.
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