The Chelsea Standard
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Chelsea acquires long-range thermal imager
By Edward Freundl, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: April 10, 2008
The Chelsea Area Fire Authority has a new tool in its arsenal, thanks to our federal tax dollars at work.
Advertisement
The department last week received a long-range thermal imaging camera that cost $20,000 but was fully funded by a grant from a federal agency.
"We received a $20,000 grant for a thermal imaging camera, but it didn't cost us a thing," said CAFA Chief Jim Payeur.
"We applied for the grant last summer through the Department of Homeland Security."
Payeur just returned from a four-day trip to Chicago to pick up the camera and be trained in its use, and quickly discovered he was in the minority.
"There were a large number of police officers there, because it has all kinds of uses for law enforcement," Payeur said.
"We can use it primarily for search and rescue — people lost in the woods, water rescues, hazardous materials situations, even fuel tank leaks."
It operates on the same principle of infrared "vision" as the more common fire department thermal imaging cameras, but there are significant differences.
"It works just like our fire service thermal imagers, but with this the image is in black and white, and heat shows up as white," Payeur said.
"Ours show a range of color, and heat shows up as red.
"It also has the ability to interface with the other fire service thermal imaging cameras, which are used for close-up work," he added.
The imager is a spin-off of one that the military has for long-range use that has a range of about 2,000 feet, Payeur said.
"The nice thing about it is it has a wireless remote, which allows the entry team to see what's going on while allowing the command post to see the same image, and it also can be recorded," the chief said.
"It's simple, easy to use — it's a nice little piece of equipment."
Payeur is fully trained in its use, and will make sure the other firefighters are trained as well.
"We'll have to train the other guys, but training only takes about an hour," he said.
The battery-operated unit weighs only about 5 lbs., and comes with a padded carrying case for all the components, including the remote monitor, detachable eyepiece and viewfinder, and detachable handle with wireless transmitter.
For all its advantages, the imager does have a couple of drawbacks.
"It can't see through buildings and it can't see through water," Payeur said, but that shouldn't be a problem for the tasks for which it will be used.
Payeur said he would make the unit available to other local public safety agencies if they have a need for it.
"This is the only one in the county that I'm aware of," he said.
"I've shared information on this with Police Chief Ed Toth and Sheriff Dan Minzey; the sheriff really seemed interested in it.
Not all stories are guaranteed to appear
online. The Web edition contains a reasonable
sampling of the print edition stories.
For the most complete news coverage, we invite you to
subscribe
to the print edition of the paper.
Expanded
Web
Coverage
TOP JOBS
