Infrared Cameras on San Diego's Copter 1 and Copter 2 prove Invaluable for Fighting Fires

New technology is helping San Diego firefighters work more efficiently. They used it to fight a hard-to-reach brush fire in Mission Valley back in July.

Investigator say the fire last night that threatened the Fletcher Parkway trolley stop was caused by human activity. It briefly shut down trolley service, but also demonstrated the value of the new firefighting tool.

Copter 1's infrared camera was installed two years ago through a grant from the Department of Homeland Security. San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesman Maurice Luque says it's already been used extensively.

"It's a very, very valuable tool again because it saves a lot of time, it takes a lot of the guess work out of what's happening on the ground, or inside a building," Luque said.

The camera has three main uses: to find potential victims or suspects through their heat signature, to locate hot spots in deep seeded fires at night and to keep track of a fire inside a building.

"The video is downlinked to the commanders on the ground who have a real-time picture of what's going on, and they can make decisions based on what they see,"

The overnight fire that burned in the river basin was surrounded by thick brush and was difficult for ground crews to reach. But through the help of a Copter 1 water drop, and the eyes of the infrared camera, Luque says it was stopped without causing injury or property damage.

"It makes firefighting more efficient, more effective and safer," Luque said.

Luque says the camera cost about $250,000. This is the first time he says video has been released to the media from it, but he expects its uses will continue to grow.

(2008, July). New Camera Used To Fight Mission Valley Fire. KFMB-TV. Retrieved on October 23, 2008 from http://www.cbs8.com/story.php?id=135865#