POUGHKEEPSIE – Poughkeepsie Fire Chief Mark Johnson received word from US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand that a FEMA Assistance to Firefighters grant for $33,000 worth of lifesaving equipment has been awarded to the department.
The department currently operates three frontline engines and two ladder trucks, each of which carries a different thermal imaging camera (TIC) that are considered “unreliable and outdated,” according to Chief Johnson. The reserve engines and the reserve ladder truck do not have TICs on them until they are brought into service.
“The new thermal imaging cameras are state-of-the-art and will greatly help our work performance,” Johnson said. The chief says that the new technology can help firefighters located the “seat of the fire” in burning buildings, determine hot spots, and find downed occupants in burning buildings.
The department has been researching and testing various models and are looking at a model similar to this TIC.
When the city’s common council returns from summer recess, they will vote on whether or not to accept the grant. If the grant is accepted, the department, working with the city’s purchasing office will develop a Request for Proposal (RFP) and release it to potential bidders. Chief Johnson expects to have the new equipment on the rigs by the end of the year.
