The result is a better chance of locating and rescuing victims and protecting firefighters from dangerous situations. Eventually, eight additional cameras will be purchased so that each of the City s 14 Fire Stations will have one. For now, the six cameras will be assigned to the Department s six ladder trucks, which respond to any structural fire in the city. The Thermal Imaging Cameras are a big step forward in our effort to save lives and protect property in Dayton, Mayor Michael Turner said on behalf of City Commissioners Idotha Bootsie Neal, Dean Lovelace, Mary Wiseman and Lloyd Lewis. Based on technology that was developed and refined in the 1960s by the U.S. Air Force, infrared cameras clear up images where there is limited or no visible light.
All physical objects emit some level of heat.
The cameras detect the low spectrum light rays caused by the heat and produce a familiar image. The effect is extremely helpful for firefighters who often find themselves in low visibility situations. With all of the other advances that have occurred in fire clothing and equipment over the years, searching for victims and locating the fire is still a matter of crawling and feeling your way through smoke and darkness, Chief Collins said. Now firefighters will have the ability to see while working in such adverse conditions. They can also determine if there are multiple fires within a structure.