FOUNTAIN VALLEY
Thermal imaging cameras may change the way the city fights fires if officials can persuade council members that the equipment is worth its $20,000 price tag.
Peering through the cameras, which use infrared technology to detect the heat of objects in a room, firefighters can spot victims, the layout of a room and the source of a fire instantly when a burning house is filled with dense smoke. The new cameras detect not only the heat of tangible objects, but also the heat of footprints left behind by smoke victims, so the firefighters can retrace their steps and, ultimately, find them faster.
The Fire Department has raised about $2,500 in private donations for the cameras, an amount nowhere near the $60,000 it would require to buy three of the devices.
To make a donation, call (714) 593-4436.
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