Jaycees Magazine, Fall 2003
Riverside Jaycees Raise Money for Thermal Imager That Enables Firefighters to Make Heroic Rescue
By Jonathan Bastian
On June 9, 2003, two firefighters from the Riverside, Ohio, Fire Department made a heroic rescue with a cutting-edge tool that enabled them to find a dying man through thick smoke. This tool was a thermal imager, and the Riverside Jaycees raised the money that enabled the department to purchase this life-saving device.
Jaycees members had raised $12,000 over the course of a year, through their annual haunted house, the sale of glow rings at a local fair on the Fourth of July, and other small fundraisers.
Jana Mixon was president of Riverside Jaycees during the year the allocation was made. “A couple of firefighters came to one of our meetings and just talked to us about what they would use a thermal imager for, what they could accomplish by having one,” Mixon recounted. “It took us only 15 minutes to make the decision to buy it for them. It was a unanimous thing, with basically no discussion. That almost never happens… The benefit to the community was very clear.”
The club kept their donation plans secret until two months had passed,
and they had worked through the details. A poster-sized check was presented
to the fire department at a city council meeting in August of 2001.
“You should have seen the looks on their faces. They couldn’t
believe we were giving the full amount. It was very, very gratifying
for us,” Mixon said.
Lt. Jason Jewett explained the critical role of the thermal imager in
the rescue made last summer. “We were surprised and relieved to
find him,” he said. “We do searches all the time and find
no one. It would have taken 10 to 15 minutes longer if we had used a
traditional right-hand search… He was in respiratory arrest when
we brought him out.”
Mixon initially saw a report about the rescue on the Dayton news, and Lt. Jewett called her soon after to report that the thermal imager purchased by the Jaycees had saved a life. On Aug. 21, Bullard, the manufacturer of the thermal imager, honored Riverside firefighters, department leaders and Riverside Jaycees members at a Dayton City Council meeting, inducting the department into the Bullard Save-A-Life Club.
“We all got a great deal of gratification out of just giving the thermal imager, but knowing that it was directly involved in saving a life -- there are no words to express the way that felt,” Mixon said. “One of our goals as the Jaycees is to improve the lives of the people in our community. Saving a life is way better than improving a life.”
Mixon emphasizes the importance of Jaycees teamwork in leading the fundraising campaign. “Many members gave their time to make this happen. It was a group effort… And now the firefighters have done what they told us they would do. They’ve saved a life. Without the camera, that wouldn’t have been possible.”
Thermal imagers are infrared devices that give firefighters a “thermal picture” or a “heat picture” of a scene, enabling them to see through smoke to identify victims, pinpoint fires and see structural dangers before they put firefighters at risk. E.D. Bullard Company, the industry leader, has developed free fundraising instruction and support materials that will help departments and civic clubs plan and execute effective local thermal imaging fundraising campaigns. Both print and video resources are included in this free kit, which Jaycees members can order by registering at www.thermalimager.com or calling toll-free 800-227-0423.
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Left to right, Chief Dan Alig, Battalion Chief Chad Follick, Jeff Thompson (Jaycees), Nina Thompson (Jaycees), Mike Denning (Jaycees), Jana Mixon (Jaycees), Lt. Jason Jewett, Firefighter Tom Janowiecki and Firefighter Jim Hart.