A camera the department was testing last week came into play the same day the drama was unfolding in Monroe, said Assistant Chief Gary Auffart. About 882,000 gallons of liquid nitrogen, a farm fertilizer, spilled from a ruptured tank at Southside River Rail in Riverside. The rupture damaged nearby tanks containing dangerous substances, and firefighters used the thermal imaging camera to check how full those tanks were. I think we'll find many uses for these cameras that we didn't think of before. They're a valuable tool.
Saving lives is rare.
They said their cameras are used often for various reasons, but warned that they are secondary to good procedures and training. Sycamore Fire Chief B.J. Jetter said firefighters there use the camera to search buildings, check for spread of fire, to determine the heat source, and to check walls for heat, which helps avoid unnecessary property damage. Every volunteer fire department in Dearborn County, Ind., should have cameras in a few months, said Charlie Fehrman, county councilman. The Newport Fire Department has had a camera a year, and would like to have them on every piece of fire equipment, but the cost is prohibitive, said Capt. Covington Assistant Fire Chief John Bornhorn said his department will buy at least two cameras soon.