Thermal cameras help SLT firefighters see better
By Colin Lygren, KOLO-TV
Saving lives during a fire: a new technology is helping fire captains see through the smoke and reach victims faster in South Lake Tahoe.
“Basically it provides a heat signature so we are able to see potentially a person, a body, heat from a fire behind a wall, that we normally would not be able to see just by looking at something,” said Capt. Kim George with the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department. “It is really helpful to now have these in our masks.”
The concept of thermal imaging is not new. It’s being used already, but what is different now is how it is being implemented. Attached to the side of the self-contained breathing apparatus is a tiny thermal camera. When firefighters suit up, their eyes align perfectly with a corresponding tiny screen.