by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Sixty down, about 60 more to go.
Tuesday, the Jacksonville Fire & Rescue Department was the beneficiary of a $10,000 donation from Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company and Aon Risk Services, Inc. The money will be used to purchase another thermal imaging camera, bringing the total for JFRD to about 60. That’s about half as many as Chief Larry Peterson would like.
“We hope to put a thermal imaging camera on every apparatus. We hope to put two on each,” said Peterson. “They are truly lifesaving.”
The cameras detect heat in both pitch-black and extremely smoky conditions. Peterson demonstrated the camera’s ability by turning off the lights in the media room at the JFRD headquarters and quickly finding a firefighter lying on the ground. He said the cameras can detect heat — a person, an animal or even the remnants of a turned off light — from 40 or more feet away. By detecting heat, firefighters working in pairs can quickly scan a dark, smoky room and determine if and where people are.
“We can get them out of harm’s way because that’s what we do,” said Peterson.
The department now has about 60 of the cameras but Peterson would like to add 60 more. He said there are currently two on each of the department’s ladder trucks, but he’d like for each search team to have two of them as well.
Raising money for fire departments isn’t new for Fireman’s Fund. According to Susan Chamblee, territorial sales director for Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company, the company created the Fireman’s Fund Heritage program in 2004.
“Since 2004, we have donated over $19 million to over 1,000 fire departments across the country,” she said. “We have donated over half a million dollars in Florida.”
In addition to valuable equipment, the Heritage program also provides funding for training and community education.
“This is more than just check writing,” said Chamblee.
Fireman’s Fund has been in existence since 1863.
Aon Risk Services also provided part of the funding for the camera. The company has been in business in Jacksonville since 1898.
“We are one of the oldest insurance brokers in Jacksonville, so we have a keen interest,” said Terry Wilcox of Aon. “We are appreciative of being a part of the grant process.”
In addition to being a tool to locate people trapped in dark and smoky buildings or rooms, the cameras indirectly help lower insurance costs. By allowing rescue personnel to search for victims without tearing through rooms and walls, the cameras play a role in holding down insurance costs associated with fires. They can also detect hot spots and help firefighters douse those hot spots before they spread.
“Not only do thermal imaging cameras serve an important role in search and rescue operations, but they also function as a general firefighting tool,” said JFRD Director Dan Kleman. “Thermal imagers used to be considered a luxury, but now they’re a necessity because they can be used in so many different ways.”
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