Starting a trend

Our municipal fire departments are constantly training and upgrading their skills. It only makes sense that they are also equipped with the latest in firefighting technology.

In recent years the push was on at many fire departments to secure equipment that would be deemed necessary for a cold-water rescue. Defibrillators have also become more and more common with many fire departments. This lifesaving equipment is key as fire departments are often times the first ones to arrive at emergency calls and when precious minutes mean someone is on the hinges of life and death, such equipment can make the difference in producing a positive outcome.

As Howard Butt reports in an article on page 1B of the Islands' Connection this week, the Twillingate Fire Department has acquired some new state of the art equipment that many may come to deem as essentials for any fire department to include in their gear.

A thermal camera valued at almost $14,000 may prove to be invaluable in locating a person who may be trapped in a burning structure (for example) because the unit can penetrate through smoke to locate a downed individual and also detect hot spots through solid walls. It can also be used in accident scenes at night to locate a victim who may have been thrown from a vehicle as the camera has a mode that can detect body heat.

It's quite an amazing piece of technology for sure and no doubt when fire departments in The Pilot coverage area see the Twillingate Volunteer Fire Department equipped with such tools it won't be long before the need for such pieces of equipment is noted by other fire departments. The Pilot looks forward to reporting on these departments acquiring similar technology in the near future and further enhancing their roles as valued emergency responders in our communities.

- Karen Wells