Bank One Chairman Donates 120 TIs
Left to right, Fire Commissioner James T. Joyce, Bank
One Chairman and benefactor Jamie Dimon, Bullard President and
CEO Richard C. Miller, Assistant Director of Training Chief Steve
Chikerotis
Chicago, Illinois (pop. 3 million) -- With an extraordinary personal donation of $1.2 million from Bank One Chairman Jamie Dimon, the Chicago Fire Department purchased 120 Bullard Thermal Imagers in May 2003, making CFD the largest organization in the world to have a TI in every firehouse.
Deputy District Chief Ray Orozco says the relationship between Jamie Dimon and the Fire Department began when Mr. Dimon came to lunch at the firehouse in the spring of 2002. “He came for lunch and ended up leaving us one hell of a tip: 120 thermal imagers. It doesn’t get any better than that,” Chief Orozco quipped.
By placing thermal imagers on all of the city’s squads and trucks, as well as all of the single-house engines, Chicago ensures that each of its 99 firehouses is equipped with at least one Bullard MX. By assigning the TIs so widely, CFD guarantees that incident commanders will have at least four thermal imagers at every working fire. One TI goes into the structure with the first truck company for primary search and rescue, and another TI goes in with the second truck as they enter the rear of the building. The truck assigned for rapid intervention team (RIT) is also equipped with a TI. The city’s four squads are each assigned two cameras, which are used for searches and overhaul.
Chief Orozco explains the priority for having multiple thermal imagers at every incident. “In the fire service, everything we do is time-oriented. Fire doubles approximately every one to two minutes. Thermal imagers allow us to reduce primary search times by at least 50 percent.” He continued, “We’re always looking for an edge at a fire, and thermal imagers give us a tremendous edge when we go into battle. In rescue scenarios, the technology gives us speed: the quicker the search, the quicker we can remove victims from the atmosphere that is killing them.”
Battalion Chief Bob Hoff’s extensive effort to implement one of the most comprehensive RIT programs in the US has been aided greatly by the addition of thermal imaging technology. “Previous to having the cameras in place, we relied on audible signals to find downed firefighters,” Chief Orozco explained. “With the advent of thermal imaging, we have another sense to go get them. The more senses we use, the better off we are.”
Thermal imagers are being used for more than structure fires at CFD. “They’re a tremendous tool for responding to hazmat incidents and for finding boats in distress at night in Lake Michigan,” Chief Orozco said. “We have two helicopters equipped with thermal imagers that are primarily used for search and rescue on the lake and inland waterways.”
Woman Stopped from Jumping
Among the most dramatic incidents involving thermal imaging to date was a fire on June 15 at a 24-unit apartment building on the southeast side of Chicago. Lt. Brian Basic, the officer on Tower Ladder 34, received a report en-route that people were trapped. He and Firefighter Eric Farmer entered the back of the building and proceeded immediately to the fourth floor, directly above the fire.
”We forced entry into one of the apartments and made our way to the living room where I saw on the screen of the camera a woman who was about to jump out of her window,” Lt. Basic said. “She was sitting on the ledge, with both legs and both arms outside. I lifted my mask and called out to her. She turned and stopped, and I grabbed her just before she jumped. The drop from that window was about 30 feet onto concrete.
“There’s no way she wouldn’t have jumped if given more time,” he continued. “I was able to see her from 20 feet away with the camera… We wouldn’t even have been looking in that room until later because we generally start our search in sleeping areas.”
Lt. Basic, who received a commendation from city hall for this rescue, says the technology is being used regularly in everyday situations to save property. “We were recently called for an electrical fire at a very nice home,” he said. “When we arrived, we didn’t see anything, and we couldn’t feel anything with our hands. But when we scanned one of the walls with the camera, we could see the wall was on fire near a light switch. We made a small, neat 6-inch hole and put out the fire. I expect it would have spread quickly to the attic, which was loaded with collectables. It could have been a terrible encounter for the elderly couple who lived there… they were duly impressed.”
Lt. Basic notes that thermal imaging has made the jobs of Chicago firefighters safer. “With all the fire gear we wear, we’re wrapped up like mummies. By the time you feel the heat, you’re already in trouble,” he explained. “The camera allows us to see what kind of trouble we’re in… or not. I can scan a room before we enter and say, ‘Don’t worry guys, we’re good. We can go in.’ “
Church Fire
On Friday, July 25, Chicago firefighters responded to a fire at Holy Family, the city’s second oldest church, built in 1857. Fire was already shooting out of the cracks in the double doors on the lower level when firefighters arrived. They pried open the door into the heavily involved fire room, doused the flames, and brought in a TI to begin tracking the fire. Battalion Chief Tedd Korbos commanded the scene.
“We knocked the fire down, then used the camera on the walls and ceiling,” he said. “The second room had a corrugated tin ceiling, and it took three or four guys to pull each section apart with pike poles. The camera showed us exactly where to pull… we knew just where the fire was in the walls and ceiling. So it saved us a lot of time.”
Chief Korbos says the fire traveled along the pipe chase through the ceiling and into three downstairs rooms. A team on the main floor of the church used another TI to trace the fire and help the team below apply water in the right locations. Their combined efforts stopped the quick-moving blaze directly under one of the historic wooden confessionals, just before the fire reached the bell tower.
“If the fire had reached the bell tower, we would have lost the whole church in a couple more minutes, I’m sure of it,” Chief Korbos explained. “There are many hidden void spots all over the church, after years of renovations, and we would have been guessing about where the fire was traveling. With the old dry wood, the church was like a tinderbox.”
The Holy Family Church has a longstanding relationship with the 130 year-old Engine Co. 18 Firehouse, because of the close proximity of the buildings and close relationships developed between church personnel and the fire department personnel over many years. Chief Korbos noted that the Holy Family building has undergone renovations in the past five years that cost around $1 million. The building, filled with historic relics, ornate stained glass windows, and antique organs, holds significant meaning to residents of Chicago and its firefighters. Once a month, Holy Family holds a city-wide mass for firefighters, and on Memorial Day, the church holds a mass for fallen firefighters.
In his letter to the editor of Chicago Sun Times on Aug. 12, Reverend Jeremiah Boland, Administrator of Holy Family, thanked Jamie Dimon for his generous donation of thermal imagers and noted the impact of thermal imaging at the fire. He writes, “We’re thankful that the firefighters responded so promptly and carefully struck a fire that threatened this beautifully restored pre-Victorian Chicago structure… Using the new camera’s infrared radiation technology, firefighters were able to see through heavy smoke, locate hot spots in the ceiling and walls and quickly extinguished the fire without any damage to the main church or to themselves.”
Training 4,800 Firefighters
Chicago firefighter with Bullard MX. Photo by Antonio Dickey.
Prior to the deployment of thermal imagers, CFD insisted its members receive appropriate instruction. Steve Demas, Vice President of Environmental Safety Group (ESG), was instrumental throughout CFD’s decision and purchase process. When CFD inquired about training, Demas coordinated with Bullard to arrange for a “train-the-trainer” course, led over the course of three full days by TI Training Manager Jonathan Bastian. Through four classes per day, 24 trucks, three squads, and 12 battalion chiefs were trained as trainers. Each shift sent the same companies to ensure complete coverage.
Training covered thermal imager operations and applications, image interpretation, and the safety issues that must be observed by anyone using a TI. Over the next two months, the Training Division and the “trainer companies” ensured that every company receiving a thermal imager received proper training. Officers bolstered this effort by running firefighters through drills at individual stations. Battalion chiefs and company officers trained relief firefighters and vacationing firefighters as well.
Chief Orozco noted the proactive internal support that came from Fire Commissioner James T. Joyce to equip the department with thermal imagers. “None of this would have been possible without the support of the fire commissioner. He bought into the RIT program, and he is very open to proactive efforts that will improve the department,” he said.
Noting the department’s deep appreciation of Mr. Dimon’s personal donation, Chief Orozco expressed, “Jamie Dimon gave the people who live and work in this city, as well as Chicago firefighters, the gift of life,” he said. “In the middle of a cold winter night, firefighters will have an incident like the one Brian Basic was involved in, and they’ll be thanking Mr. Dimon. And he won’t even know it.”
Funding Tip:
If your department has the opportunity to host a local dignitary, consider using the face-to-face time to convey the importance of thermal imaging and the effort that is underway to equip the department with the technology. Be ready to make your case quickly and professionally.