New Birmingham firefighter gear a life-saving ‘game changer’ during emergencies
Birmingham MI December 26 2021
Birmingham Fire Chief Paul Wells has been boasting that most of the department’s firefighters have some of the latest and greatest thermal imaging cameras built into their masks.
He signed up for the city’s firefighting duties about 25 years ago and was introduced to thermal-imaging cameras soon after.
He remembers the equipment being much larger and more cumbersome. And it added to the approximately 60 pounds each firefighter hefted because of their gear, boots and helmet and, once they started sweating and dousing the flames, up to 20 additional pounds of water.
With thermal imaging cameras attached directly to masks, the firefighter’s load is lighter and they more easily can detect victims and trouble spots.
A lens on the side of the mask picks up the wearer’s surroundings. A built-in screen close to an eyeball may flash red as it detects extreme temperatures.
“These firefighters are bringing in tools, and they’re bringing in a hose line that is very heavy and cumbersome. By having a thermal-imaging camera that you can operate hands-free, it is a game-changer,” Wells said.
Wells began using his department’s general fund money about three years ago to purchase the first 3M Scott Sight In-Mask Thermal Imagers so the firefighters could try them out. The mask costs about $300 and the thermal-imaging camera costs about $1,200.
Exactly 29 of his 33 on-shift firefighters now have the gear, and Wells has plans to outfit the entire firefighting department.
“By next year, for sure, everyone in the department will have one,” Wells said.
Trevor Hulbert is a new Birmingham firefighter hired with recent experience from another metro department that lacked masks with thermal imagers.
“It really helps if I’m going into a place where I can’t really see the fire itself,” he said.
Every Birmingham fire truck also has a handheld thermal imaging camera for detecting hot spots once firefighters have extinguished fires.
Wells said Birmingham has been dealing with more larger-scale fires in recent years.
