New cameras allow firefighters to see through smoke

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 1997 | 1:59 a.m.

"We're going to be able to do great things with these," Las Vegas Fire Chief Mario Trevino said after watching several firefighters use the cameras.

With funding from the city, the Las Vegas Fire Department purchased four of the $25,000 cameras. Only the Metro-Dade, Fla., fire department, which has six, has more cameras, Trevino said.

The cameras will be placed on four different fire trucks throughout the city.

Known as the Cairns IRIS Thermal Imaging System, the camera is mounted on the side of a special fire helmet, which also has a visual screen that folds down in front of the firefighters' eyes.

Using heat to make a visual picture, the system allows the wearer to see images through smoke and in the dark. Presently firefighters are unable to see in a fire and must feel their way around when searching for victims.

Councilman Arnie Adamsen, firefighters and several reporters tried out the cameras while walking through a smoky building at the Las Vegas Fire Training Center.

Adamsen had been working to acquire the cameras ever since he first saw them demonstrated at the National League of Cities convention in San Antonio last year.

"What a rush - perfectly clear," he said as he emerged from the building. "It's like turning on a 5,000-watt bulb in a dark room." Adamsen said his goal is to have one camera at each of the fire department's 10 stations.

With the cameras, firefighters can tell immediately where a person or pet is in the house; their outline will appear on the screen.

"We can go inside and literally look through smoke. Seconds can mean the difference between living and dying," Trevino said.

The cameras can detect where a fire originated, even if it is behind a wall. The hotter the source, the whiter the screen gets.

Firefighters will begin training with the new equipment on Wednesday.