Firefighters in the Village of Churchville are able to rescue victims trapped in smoky, burning buildings more quickly and safely than ever, thanks to a new thermal-imaging camera purchased by the Churchville Volunteer Fire Department and the Churchville Lions Club. "This makes the job a lot safer," said Fire Chief Greg Harmer at a demonstration of the new tool October 30 at the firehouse. "In a situation where you can't see your hand in front of your face (due to smoke and flames) you can see a victim clearly." Harmer said the fire department was able to purchase the camera with a $15,000 donation from the Lions Club. An additional $1,600 was raised from local business, another $1,000 from residents' donations, and the fire department made up the remainder of the $20,300 cost from its budget. "The Lions do so much for the community, we wanted to publicly thank them," Harmer said. He said the club has purchased other equipment for the fire department in the past, including a "Jaws of Life"-type extrication tool a couple years ago. "Whenever they need a big ticket item we try to do our best," said Churchville Lions Club President Joe DiLeo. DiLeo said $10,000 of the $15,000 donation was a bequest to the Lions Club from the estate of the Redfern family of Churchville. The remainder came from the club's usual fundraisers - the Churchville Country Fair, the annual light bulb and calendar sales, the chicken barbecue in June, and the ongoing mint sale. About 40 members of the Lions Club and the fire department turned out for the demonstration last month. Harmer explained that the camera detects heat sources from a cross a smoky room, sending the images to the monitor waiting outside. Firefighters can then pinpoint the exact location of any victims before going all the way inside a structure. The camera also detects the temperature of a fire, allowing a firefighter outside to monitor the safety of those inside, and to get them out if it gets dangerously hot. Harmer said the camera can be used to find fire sources inside walls, saving the task of tearing down several walls before it can be located. "It helps us find the seat of a fire quicker," Harmer said. Since its purchase in September, the camera has been used five times. Firefighters used it to find the source of a fire at the Star of the West Milling Co., on South Main Street, in a matter of two or three minutes. "If we didn't have the camera, I don't know what would have happened," Harmer said. Firefighters did not want to start spraying water inside the plant because of the potential for an explosion. Because they were able to find the fire quickly, they were able to take the burning equipment outside and safely extinguish the fire. In the past, firefighters had to crawl on hands and knees through smoky rooms painstakingly searching for victims. Thanks to this new technology, a quick sweep of a room with the hand-held device is all it takes. "It turns minutes into seconds," said Captain Jim Kurycki. "We haven't used it to search for a victim," said one firefighter. "And I hope we never have to." But, thanks to the support of the Churchville Lions Club, firefighters said it is great to have one more tool at their disposal to help them protect the people of Churchville, Riga and Ogden. |
