By Emily Devlin
The Sentinel & Enterprise
FITCHBURG, Mass. — Capt. Brian Belliveau of the Fitchburg Fire Department was dispatched to a house fire at the corner of Green Street and Myrtle Avenue on Christmas Eve 1987.
A young boy was trapped in a fire, and firefighters were unable to save him because of the thick smoke and intense heat.
“It ate at me for years,” Belliveau said.
There’s a good chance that boy would have been saved by thermal-imaging technology firefighters now have access to, Belliveau said. It allows them to measure heat and see people through smoke when they’re fighting major fires.
But the four cameras firefighters are currently using are outdated and need to be replaced. That’s why Belliveau is asking for fundraising help from the community.
“The new technology is so much better than this,” Belliveau said, displaying a boxy, metal thermal-imaging camera. “We’re trying to get the latest and greatest.”
The department owns four total cameras, all of which are at least four years old. Older cameras are heavy, at about 6 pounds, which Belliveau said really makes a difference when a firefighter is crawling around a burning building in heavy equipment.
But the picture on the camera is the biggest difference. The new model, called a Bullard T4 Max, offers much better clarity, is color-coded to measure different levels of heat, and can see farther than the older models, which show dull and grainy pictures.
“A white dot on the older camera is now a person when you can zoom in two or three times closer,” Belliveau said.
Firefighter safety is improved by thermal-imaging cameras as well, according to Belliveau. It shows them which areas are hot enough to combust, so they know which areas to avoid in a burning building.
Firefighter Scott MacArthur said his job would be a lot more difficult and dangerous if it weren’t for thermal-imaging technology.
“We rely on it quite a bit,” MacArthur said. “It’s easier to find the heat. If you’re trying to find a person, it makes it so much easier.”
The Bullard T4 Max costs $14,000. Belliveau said even to be able to buy two for about $28,000 would be a great improvement.
“This is an achievable goal,” he added.
Fire Chief Kevin Roy ran a fundraiser in 2000 to purchase the initial round of cameras, and he’s hoping people will be enthusiastic to donate this time, too.
“We get a good response because it’s a safety issue for the public and the firefighters,” Roy said.
Those who wish to donate are asked to send checks to the Central Station at 33 North St., Fitchburg. Checks should be made payable to the Fitchburg Fire/EMS Equipment Fund.
More information on the Bullard T4 Max
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