New Technology Give Hartford More 'Fire' Power
(Hartford-WTNH) _ Hartford firefighters have relied on protective clothing and breathing apparati to help them get into and out of a burning building safely while trying to saving the lives of others. Now they have something new and high-tech. The fire department has just purchased thermal cameras, eight of them, to see through the smoke something that was once impossible.

William Call, Hartford Firefighter: "You can walk around freely with these. Without them firefighters are stumbling around trying to feel the walls, feel each other, things like that. It's the advantage of this technology."

The Talisman Thermal Imager detects heat through infrared technology highlighting for example a victim's body or the hottest spots in a burning building. The imager detects even the slightest change in temperature. At $18,000 each, life saving doesn't come cheap. But these cameras are less expensive than the $25,000 helmet mounted gear previously donated to the department.

Charles Teale, Chief of Training: "Sometimes it's good to have hand free. With the Thermal Imager cameras however, we've been able to appreciate the hand held for several reasons we can appreciate the ease of use, the quality of the picture."

That picture can also be transmitted back to a monitor and supervisors in the fire trucks. Some worry that the new gear will make firefighters fearless.

Leonard Wallace, Assistant Fire Chief: "But with the proper training they should be able to realize that they can't go any further than they normally would."

They won't have to go any further to save lives.

Leonard Wallace, Assistant Fire Chief: "All of us have a story of some sort or another that if we had this technology someone would be alive, that's true."

Thermal cameras have also been used by the military for decades. Hartford paid for the cameras with a state grant.

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