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Posted: Sep 13, 2022

A Closer Look at Thermal Imaging for Firefighters

Thermal Imaging

Recently, I was reflecting on the first time I ever used a thermal imager (TI). The display screen flickering like old black and white televisions, I thought to myself, “What does this do?”
Carl Nix

I moved around the room. I could see things with my naked eye and through the screen at the same time, all in black and white. I then entered a darkened room, uncomfortable and unsure of what to make of the images and no longer relying on my own sight. The screen showed objects in black, gray, and whites in a variety of contrasts. I knew then that this was an impressive device, one that I would spend years learning and appreciating.

We are further ahead in technology today, and yet your TI is still in black and white, even if it is compliant with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1801, Standard on Thermal Imagers for the Fire Service. To clarify, grayscale imagery with white-hot polarity images that show up as dark or black will be cooler/cold, images that are brighter or white will be warmer/hot, and everything in between will be in shades of gray. With training and practice, the hues of black, gray, and white will make sense.

What did you do when you picked up your very first TI? Did you think you needed training, practice, and an understanding of what those images were and what they meant?

If your department follows the NFPA, it should understand about NFPA 1408, Standard for Training Fire Service Personnel in the Operation, Care, Use, and Maintenance of Thermal Imagers. Section 7.1.6 says, “All participants shall understand image interpretation and misinterpretation.” It also goes on another eight subsections.

 A heat anomaly on the floor—a furnace heat duct. (Photos courtesy of Bullard.)

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Posted: Sep 13, 2022

Parts of Loudoun (VA) Cut Off from Fire Service by Bridge Weight Limits

Firefighting vehicles cannot reach some parts of Loudoun without violating posted weight limits on bridges, and other areas could see firefighters having to take longer alternate routes, the Loudoun County Combined Fire-Rescue Service has warned, LoudonNow.com reported.

The issue was raised after a Loudoun County deputy pulled over a Philomont tanker truck recently. According to an Aug. 24 memo to the Board of Supervisors, the tanker—one of the heaviest types of fire apparatus—was headed south along Snickersville Turnpike toward Hibbs Bridge over Beaverdam Creek on June 24 when a deputy flagged it down and warned the crew about the bridge’s weight limit, the report said.

That bridge, a double-arched stone bridge first built in the early 1800s and rehabilitated in 2007, has a posted weight limit of six tons. The tanker truck weighs about 29 tons, according to Loudoun Fire-Rescue.

That led a fire official to issue a directive to responders that they are expected to observe posted bridge limits. According to the memo to supervisors, in follow-up discussions, the sheriff’s office indicated it has not issued any directives to “start enforcing” bridge weight limits on Loudoun Fire-Rescue vehicles, the report said.

The incident also led system leaders to evaluate the weight restrictions on all the state-owned bridges in Loudoun County, finding 41 bridges in all and to assess simulated response times with those bridges closed, the report said.

For more on this story, please go to LoudonNow.com.

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Posted: Sep 13, 2022

Photo Apparatus of the Day: September 13, 2022

Danko—Chadron (NE) Volunteer Fire Department rescue. Ford F-550 Super Duty cab and chassis; PowerStroke 6.7L 4V OHV V8 Turbo engine; 12-foot walk-around rescue body; cascade system with four 6,000-psi bottles; MECC ALTE S 20 W 6.5-kW generator; Command Light KL403D-H4 light tower; custom roll-out trays and compartmentation. Dealer: Jeff Horn, Danko Emergency Equipment, Snyder, NE.

PREVIOUS PHOTO OF THE DAY >>

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Posted: Sep 13, 2022

Dave Chappelle to Open Comedy Club in Old Fire Station in Yellow Springs (OH)

A company owned by comedian Dave Chappelle bought an old fire station in Yellow Springs (OH), where Chappelle lives, with plans to convert the building into a comedy club, CityBeat.com reported.

Dayton-area media are reporting that the Yellow Springs Development Corporation agreed to sell the building to Chapelle’s Iron Table Holdings LLC after a competitive bidding process, the report said.

Yellow Springs is located about 20 miles east of Dayton.

Chappelle grew up in Yellow Springs and returned to live there after he quit The Chappelle Show.

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Posted: Sep 13, 2022

Plattsmouth (NE) Woman Struck by Fire Truck During Harvest Parade

A 58-year-old Plattsmouth (NE) woman was taken to a hospital after being struck by a Murray Fire Department truck during Saturday evening’s Plattsmouth Harvest Festival parade, FremontTribune.com reported.

An investigation determined that during the parade the Murray Fire Department received an emergency rescue call and had to leave the parade in an expedited manner, the report said.

The Murray fire apparatus, engine 732, driven by Christopher Spangler, 71, of Murray, was escorted off the parade route by parade personnel, according to the report.

As it was leaving Main Street, at a slow pace, it collided with a pedestrian, identified as Ruth Storm, of Plattsmouth. Storm was treated at the scene and transported to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha for further treatment.

No citations were issued, though the incident is still under further investigation, the report said.

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