COOL, Ca. (InEDC) ASHLEY NANFRIA, CBS, July 10 2023
The El Dorado County Fire Protection District got some new gear this fire season helping them find flames faster and save people at any time of the day.
The department recently added 13 new thermal imaging devices for firefighters to use in the course of their emergency responses, now giving every fighter on duty one when responding to a scene.
“For our firefighters to get in and quickly search for victims, having a tool like a thermal imaging device helps to speed up that process and helps them to be more successful in their searches,” Captain Jacob Poganski said.
The devices work by capturing the heat within an area and showing the outline of the object, even when it is dark outside.
“To be able to see in dark and/or smoky conditions the devices really help us to locate victims quicker and they also help us to locate the location of fires sometimes fires are within walls or within the ceiling,” Poganski said.
These devices are a complement to existing equipment only used by officers on fire engines, giving all firefighters an extra pair of eyes during a fire.
Poganski said these devices help in the early detection of fires, assist in fire assessment, improve firefighting tactics by identifying the hottest areas, and contribute to post-incident analysis for evaluating actions and enhancing techniques.
“Now having them in the hands of the firefighters means while they are going into fires they can search for victims they can search for fire right in the palm of their hand,” Poganski said.
Funding for these devices came from an $8,000 donation the fire department received in February from a family trust. This donation came via one of the fire district’s legacy agencies – the Shingle Springs Fire Protection District — which consolidated into the El Dorado County Fire Protection District in 1991.
“Our fire department responds to a lot of fires whether they are in residential buildings or commercial buildings as well as going on vehicle accidents or other rescue type scenarios where we are looking for a person so they could be used any day,” Poganski said.
Even with the new equipment, Poganski said it’s important for homes to be prepared before a fire sparks especially as the fire season heats up.
“The fires we are responding to are burning hotter and faster than ever so even with these devices and our ability to search for persons more quickly it really is important for everyone to have working smoke alarms in their house so they can get out and the firefighters can get in as quickly as possible,” Poganski said.
