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Lutz fire station buys thermal imager that can 'see' in the dark
By JANE BOKUN
© St. Petersburg Times, LUTZ -- Firefighters here have taken a page from military history to find a high-tech way to help save lives. Last week Lutz Fire Station 24, a Hillsborough County Fire Department company staffed with 30 volunteers, purchased a $16,000 thermal imager equipped with similar technology to that used by heat-seeking missiles. "It gives us the ability to see inside of burning buildings and to find people who are trapped by detecting their body heat," said Ed Davis, chief of the Lutz Fire Station. That's because the infrared technology is sensitive to both the light that can be seen by the naked eye and some longer length infra-red radiation. Cooler areas are reflected in black, hotter areas appear white or red. "A lot of times you can't tell what's going on when you enter a burning building," he said. "It's dark and you can only get out by maneuvering or feeling your way around. With the thermal imager's infrared technology, you can clearly see your way out through any smoke." Firefighters purchased the machine with funds donated by individuals and businesses, along with money from the July 4th and Lutz Gov'na race events. The station is the first to use the new technology in northern Hillsborough County. Though it has not yet been used in an actual fire, Davis said firefighters have had extensive in-service training. "It only has one button, so it's easy to operate," he said. Lutz firefighters answer approximately 1,300 area calls per year, Davis said. Of those, he said, 200 are structure fires. Davis said the thermal imager also will be invaluable when dealing with traffic accidents as well. "A lot of times we'll get to the scene of an accident and ask people if there are any victims still in the car and they'll say they don't know," he said. "This way we can quickly see if there is anyone trapped." The purchase came as welcome news to former Lutz firefighters Danny Neeley, 39, and his wife Wendy Neeley, 34. The Neeleys fought side-by-side in the area for the past 10 years, but recently retired to spend more time with their family. "I wish we would have had a thermal imager when we were out there fighting fires," Danny Neeley said. "I've heard good things about them." The imager, which weighs about 10 pounds, fits on the back of either of the department's two Class A fire engines. It is sensitive enough, Davis said, to detect the footprints of a person who has just walked across a room with bare feet. "A lot of times when you go into a fire station you'll see a sign that says 100 years of firefighting unimpeded by progress," Davis said. "We're proving that saying wrong."
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