FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) -- A grant given to the Rogers Fire Department funded the purchase of a new search system, which firefighters say will help them locate missing individuals in collapsed buildings.
The grant was given by the Department of Homeland Security.
“It makes several aspects of the job easier,” said William Hyde, Deputy Chief for the Rogers Fire Department.
Hyde said he and other members of the crew received 80 hours of training on the new equipment.
He said training on the technology would help fire fighters locate missing individuals quicker.
“[Situations to use the technology] can range anywhere from someone being in a collapsed building, to someone being trapped in a culvert that’s not where they are supposed to be,” Hyde said.
By simply drilling a small hole into a surface, the crews can use the camera in order to search.
“Probably the best part about the search camera itself is it has an extendable range on it,” Hyde said.
The camera can rotate 270 degrees horizontally, and 90 degrees vertically. That rotation capability provides the firefighters a 270 degree complete view of the buried area.
By having such a wide search capability, firefighters said the camera will help them focus their search area.
“It may save us hours, easy. It’s hard to quantify. But, it is exponential at the same time,” Hyde said.
While the camera will provide a visual element, the fire department said a Delsar Life Detector came with the kit. That sensor can detect quiet vibrations, as small as a person scratching a surface.
“Delsar will help us identify a triangulation,” Hyde said. “Repositioning of the units [allows firefighters to pinpoint] exactly where they are under the surface, which we can’t see through. It gives us reach even further down than what the camera can give us.”
Hyde said the new tools will allow the department to save lives in a more efficient way in the future.
“The efficiency that it provides our job makes a safe and probable rescue a lot more likely of a person who is in one of those situations.”