By Katie Marshall
The Free Press, Kinston, N.C.  

KINSTON, N.C. — A more compact and lightweight thermal imager will help Kinston firefighters in major structure fires.

The Kinston Fire Department recently purchased a Bullard thermal imager to replace an older model. The imager cost $9,000 and weighs about four pounds.

Bill Johnson, assistant chief of fire operations, said the imager reads body heat and is a tool used in search operations.

"In fires you can't even see your hand in front of your face because of the smoke," he said.

A thermal imager translates waves of energy, called infrared radiation, into a viewable image.

On the screen of a thermal imager, hotter objects show as white, and cooler objects show as black, and objects between these temperatures are displayed in shades of gray.

The new imager also has a temperature reading that allows rescue workers know when an area is getting too hot.

Johnson said the imager can serve a dual purpose for law enforcement when it comes to looking for suspects at night.

"It can pick up the silhouette — all based on body heat," he said.

Copyright 2007 The Free Press, Kinstin, N.C.