WAYNESBORO – A piece of thermal imaging equipment that Waynesboro volunteer firemen say will save lives during fires has been donated to the department by Johnson Controls. The donation was facilitated by the Greater Waynesboro Chamber of Commerce.
The exchange
Terry Reiber, Waynesboro’s former fire chief reached out to the city Chamber of Commerce to explain the necessity for thermal imaging cameras after Johnson Controls expressed the desire to assist the community. Following this, Johnson Controls funded the camera for a Waynesboro apparatus – specifically for Truck 2.
“Their desire to help and our need – it just married perfectly,” Waynesboro Volunteer Fire Department Treasurer Lori Depies said.
Fire department personnel and Johnson officials got together on July 25 to express gratitude and explain the use for the new equipment.
Thermal imaging cameras
“These thermal cameras can see heat, unlike a regular camera,” Depies said. “For us specifically, in our application, this would help our firefighters see through smoke and locate victims within a fire, danger area or hot spots within a fire to know where the greatest need is for fire suppression.”
According to Insight Fire Training, 60 percent of the time, firefighters are unable to locate victims without a thermal imaging camera, while 99 percent of the time they could with this kind of equipment. And the time required to complete a search with a thermal imaging camera drops by 75 percent, something critical when fire rescues are under way.
“It’s a thermal system that sees heat in variations instead of sight; it actually sees the smoke, so a firefighter going through a smoke-filled house, – you can see somebody unconscious; you can see them all the way through the smoke to the outside of the room or far away,” Fire Department President and Fire Marshal Michael Bock said.
According to Fire Chief John Beck, the benefits of a thermal imaging camera include: situational awareness, safety, aid in search and rescue, effective firefighting, preventing re-kindling of fires, accountability or rapid intervention, and eliminating hazardous materials.
“They’ve probably been in manufacturing for the last 20 years,” Fire Capt. Andrew Gilliland said. “But they’ve come a long way; they have processors in them. Depending on how quick the processor is is how quick the refresh rate is, so that is how quick you can actually scan a room.”
While discussing the ways in which thermal imaging cameras actually function, Gilliland said, “It will show a gray scale up to about 300 degrees. After three, you’ll start seeing the color variation to signify the intensity of the heat; so 300 will go to yellow, five to orange, and usually – really anything – nine to a thousand degrees is when you see brass, copper melt.
“It’s a hidden technology that a lot of the public doesn’t know exists, but it comes in very vital situations,” Gilliland said.
Johnson Controls
According to Johnson Controls, the company is a world leader in smart buildings, creating safe, healthy and sustainable spaces. For over 140 years, Johnson Controls has aided in building security; now, it is “using artificial intelligence and data driven solutions to give deeper insight to buildings’ health, sustainability and performance.”
Johnson Controls’ purpose aligns with that of the fire department, as the thermal imaging camera technology has made significant differences in the work of both firefighters and civilians. They came together through the desire for the safety and sustainability of the community.
Debbie Grady, plant manager of Johnson Controls, mentioned a discussion about the donation with Johnson Controls’ executive assistant, Michelle Goetz. Grady said, “Michelle was sending this information, and I was like ‘Absolutely’.”
Waynesboro Volunteer Fire Department
“Just the fact of the time you take away from your family, the training that is required that you attend, and then to actually implement it when there’s a major disaster – it doesn’t matter if it’s a flood, fire, explosion; it all comes together,” Reiber said.
The Waynesboro Volunteer Fire Department is a 100 percent volunteer organization, and it has operated since 1879. In 2023, “it split from the borough-owned station, but its mission remains stationary: to preserve life and property in Washington Township, Quincy Township and all mutual aid response areas.”
Further resources
Johnson Controls is located at 100 Cumberland Valley Ave., Waynesboro. For more information about their mission and services, readers may call 717-762-2121 or visit https://www.johnsoncontrols.com/. Additionally, the fire department is located at 10 Virginia Ave. For more information regarding donations, volunteering or safety tips, readers may call 717-762-2611 or visit https://wv2fd.com/.
“The big thing that we want to take away from this is that their generosity will save lives, and that’s not hyperbole,” Depies said. “That’s real.”
