New camera helps firefighters

Looking to protect the citizens of Sisters Country, the Cloverdale Fire District showed off their new thermal imaging camera last week.

This high tech but easy-to-use device can not only help firefighters rescue people trapped by fire but also minimize property damage.

The MSA 5200HD camera was purchased late in 2010 with grant money from the Deschutes County Commissioners and generous donations by the Kiwanis Club. A thermal imaging camera utilizes night-vision technology to help firemen locate fire victims in smoke-filled rooms and lead them to safety. Using infrared heat images, first responders can also locate hot spots in walls to limit property damage by quickly finding the source of the fire.

Training Officer John Thomas of the Cloverdale Fire Department demonstrated the new equipment, and how thermal images are captured, by placing a hand on the wall and then stepping back to pull the trigger to illuminate a hand print on the wall.

Captain Matt Cyrus related an episode last summer when a home was struck by lightning, but the ensuing fire was not visible even though smoke was pouring through the ventilation system. The camera was able to locate the fire under the floor, and the firemen were able to target the blaze and extinguish it quickly.

The camera is much more efficient at locating fires, according to Cyrus, as an image based on heat or temperature differential can locate hot spots without resorting to cutting up walls or floors trying to find the source of the blaze.

Other fire districts around the country are adopting this technology, and it has already led to a reduction in fatalities of both firemen and victims by locating and bringing them to safety quickly, as opposed to blindly looking for someone in a chaotic fashion during emergency rescues. The fire district is looking for another camera, and donations are greatly appreciated, since having this technology can pay for itself in the first fire emergency.

They would like to outfit the other fire engine this year so any fire or even auto crash will have the camera available to help people quickly.

Contact the Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District at 541-548-4815.