Fire service to upgrade thermal imaging cameras

THERMAL IMAGING cameras carried on South Yorkshire’s fleet of fire engines are to be replaced urgently at a cost of £160,000 because of failures which could put firefighters and public at risk.

The cameras identify heat sources and are vital for firefighters because they can be used to locate victims when visibility is poor.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has been aware that its equipment has been nearing the end of its life, with engineers and making repairs to keep equipment functioning.

The intention had been to invest in replacements during the next financial year, but a series of incidents in recent days, including where cameras have failed while in operational use, persuaded service bosses to act quickly.

Members of the service’s ruling body, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority, were asked to verbally authorise the spending rather than the conventional method of being presented with a report.

It means officers can bring in replacements more quickly.

The service uses 35 cameras, with one carried on each of its fleet of fire engines and others held for training purposes.

Authority members were told the service is now also planning a project to monitor more accurately the potential lifespan of its equipment to reduce failures.

Fire service official Stuart Booth told members: “An asset tracking project will allow us to be smarter than we have been.”

Authority chairman Coun Chris Lamb said: “Despite the best efforts being made and the cannibalisation of parts, in the last week or so some of these cameras have started to fail while in use.

“The reality is that it puts firefighters, and therefore members of the public, at risk.”