Philanthropist supplying thermal imaging equipment

By John Hollis
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
 
ATLANTA, Ga. — They save the lives of both firefighters and the victims they're trying to protect.

But limited funding means that only about half of the nation's 30,000 fire departments carry costly thermal imaging cameras when they enter a burning building.

Atlanta real estate mogul and philanthropist Frank Buonanotte hopes to change that. Fire departments from Henry, Clayton and Hall counties as well as Roswell were among 10 chosen nationally to receive thermal imaging cameras.

"It's a life-saving tool for us as firefighters," said Henry County fire chief Stan Tarnowski.

Buonanotte's Atlanta-based 500 for Life made it possible by raising more than $120,000 this year. Grant applications went out to every fire department earlier this spring. Those selected were deemed to be the departments who needed the equipment the most but could afford it the least, Buonanotte said.

The high-tech color cameras, which cost $13,000 apiece, allow firefighters to see in a smoke-filled building and quickly find the heat signatures from victims or fellow firefighters who may be down. A person's heat signature can be picked up through walls and furniture.

With the ability to identify where heat is concentrated, rescuers also can avoid hazardous collapsing rooftops and floors and more accurately pinpoint the source of the blaze.

"We can actually walk through the smoke and see the hotspots, which includes the people we're trying to save and other firefighters," Tarnowski said. "Those seconds count when people are in there."

Without a thermal imaging camera, firefighters were unable to locate a victim 60 percent of the time and unable to find their way out of building before running out of air more than 30 percent of the time, according to a 1999 national study by Fire-Rescue Magazine.

But with a thermal imaging camera, firefighters were able to find the victims 99 percent of the time and safely make their own way out of the building 100 percent of the time. The survey concluded that thermal imaging cameras lessened the search time needed to find a victim by 75 percent.

"That's why it's imperative that firefighters have the equipment necessary to save our lives," Buonanotte said.

Other departments to receive the initial cameras include the Flint Fire Department in Shiloh; the city of Gray; the McLewis Volunteer Fire Department in Orange, Texas; the Potosi Volunteer Fire Department in Abilene, Texas; the Baker Rural Fire Protection District in Baker City, Ore.; and the Crockery Township Fire Department in Nunica, Mich.

Other departments will receive thermal imaging cameras from 500 for Life later this year, Buonanotte said.

"It's just a marvelous thing," Tarnowski said. "We'll be able to save lives."

Fires in the United States result in about 4,000 deaths and 20,000 injuries annually, according to the National Fire Date Center.

Each year, about 100 firefighters die in the line of duty, while more than 80,000 are injured.

Copyright 2007 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution