Seeking Life Through The Haze With New Thermal Camera

The (and Ledyard residents) was the lucky recipient of a brand new thermal camera, said Fire Chief John Doucette in an announcement Thursday.

“The Town of Ledyard is now safer thanks to a generous donation from 500 For Life and the extraordinary generosity of a sole donor, Jim Leeman,” Doucette said.

The thermal camera is a big improvement from the one the department already has, which was issued in 2001. Doucette said the older model is much larger and the technology has improved greatly since the first generation of thermal cameras. 

Doucette said the cameras can see through smoke and detect things that are generating heat. Moreover, the cameras can also differentiate the different degrees of heat generated by say a person, an animal or the heart of the fire.

“Thermal imagers have quickly become one of the most important pieces of equipment for any fire department,” said Frank Buonanotte, the founder of 500 for Life, the not-for-profit organization that donated the camera to Ledyard Fire Department.

“Every two and a half hours someone dies as a result of fire. Our mission will not be complete until every fire department and responding unit has the thermal imagers they need to save lives,” he said in a press release.

500 For Life is a charitable organization dedicated to saving the lives of fire victims and firefighters by raising funds to purchase thermal imaging cameras for fire departments that do not have the funding available to purchase these live-saving devices.

“Many worthy causes are raising money in hopes of finding a cure for fatal diseases that claim thousands of lives each year,” wrote Buonanotte. “But for fire victims, that cure already exists. Just one thermal imaging camera has the potential to save many lives day after day. Each year, approximately 4,000 lives, both civilians and firefighters, are claimed by fire and almost 10,000 are seriously injured. These shocking figures can be significantly reduced with thermal imagers. That’s why it’s imperative that firefighters have the equipment necessary to save our lives.”