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Gift helps firefighters see what eyes can't
By JORGE SANCHEZ
Published November 22, 2006
PINE RIDGE - Thanks to a civic group, the county's firefighters now have another thermal imaging camera. The Black Diamond Foundation paid for the thermal imaging camera, valued at about $9,000. Such cameras help firefighters find people inside smoke-filled rooms. The cameras are able to "see" heat images rather than images reflected by light, as the eye of a regular camera does. Thermal imaging also helps firefighters detect a possible fire that is behind a wall. "It's one of the first things off the truck when we respond to an alarm and there's no smoke or flames showing," said Capt. Wayne Fletcher of Fire S tation 22 in Pine Ridge, where the new camera is located. In displaying the new thermal camera earlier this week, Fletcher placed his hand on the wall and then scanned the area. The palm print showed on the camera's viewfinder. "We use this to scan fluorescent lamps and see if one of the ballasts is running hot," he said. "Or to find a missing person outdoors." This is the fifth thermal camera in use in Citrus County fire stations. The Black Diamond Foundation has a four-year history of identifying community needs and providing funding, said its president, Jay Joines. About four years ago, the Black Diamond Foundation picked up the $8,000-a-year insurance bill for the Sertoma Mentoring Village, which mentors children through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. When the Legislature resumed funding the program, the foundation kept up with the funding in the form of scholarships, Joines said. The foundation also gives scholarships to students at public high schools and the Withlacoochee Technical Institute. "Those WTI students are people who sort of get lost in the funding system," Joines said. "The foundation helps them pay tuition." Another foundation recipient is CASA, a shelter for victims of domestic abuse. The foundation helps CASA clients by paying their tuition for a nurse's aide program, Joines said. "These are women who are in a crisis and often have no real job skills," Joines said. "With the nurse's aide program, they can easily find work. "We try to identify community needs and help out," Joines said. Jorge Sanchez can be reached at sanchez@sptimes.com 860-7313 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 7313.
[Last modified November 21, 2006, 22:09:32]
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