'They have our back': Advancements in technology make for safer firefighting conditions
Over the last three decades, Glenn Wagner has seen how technology can improve safety for firefighters entering a burning building.
Wagner, assistant chief of operations, has been with Regina Fire and Protective Services for 32 years.
Back in the day, equipment and communication were “pretty basic,” he said.
The command unit, of which Wagner is a part of, still uses radio as its main form of communication with the firefighters inside.
However, a laptop inside the command car is the brain behind the operation, allowing Wagner to better communicate with the crews on the ground.
“It gives us a solid two-way communication between our crews,” Wagner said.
“We all carry radios, but if you’re incapacitated or trapped or injured it’s an automatic notification that allows us to communicate back and forth between the firefighters and the command unit.”
One of the biggest advancements has been in personal protective equipment, Wagner said.
Firefighters are covered from head to toe with no exposed skin, which makes it hard for them to know how hot it is inside a burning building.
That’s where heat sensors attached to the air packs come into play.
“It is like a little mini-computer hooked onto the harness that will have an audible alarm, like a screeching noise, that will let you know it’s getting too hot,” Wagner said.
Several different alarms, both audible and visual, are used to alert both firefighters inside a building and the command unit outside, including low-air alarms, man-down alarms and evacuation alerts.
Wagner can monitor all the firefighter’s air supplies from a laptop inside the command car.
Each tank has enough air for about 45 minutes, but firefighters should never let the supply dip below one-third.
In the early days of Wagner’s career, he said there would often be “dead times” with no communication for a short period, and the location or condition of firefighters would be unknown.
“It’s pretty unnerving to think that you’ve got 10 minutes of air left before you run out, and if nobody knows you’re in there, that ten minutes is a short period of time,” he said.
“We can track more now, pretty much minute to minute where everybody is.”
Man-down alarms are triggered when a firefighter is motionless for about 30 seconds, sending an automatic alert to the command unit’s laptop. A firefighter can also manually trigger the alert if they have been injured but are still conscious.
As for evacuation alarms, those are sent from the command unit to the firefighters inside a building. Flashing lights appear in the heads-up display of their masks and an alarm goes off to signal each firefighter to get out of the building immediately.
“We, from the outside, can see something not good, it’s going to turn in a bad direction right away, so we want to alert all our firefighters to evacuate, pull out of the building and we will reevaluate the situation,” Wagner said.
Connor Brown has been a firefighter paramedic for six months. This technology is all he has ever known.
“I feel very comfortable going into any dangerous environment, hot or toxic. We’re fully covered so we can pretty much be ready for any environment,” Brown said.
Fortunately, Brown said he has yet to be evacuated during a call due to a dangerous situation or a low-air tank.
“It’s definitely nice knowing that they’re watching in the car to see how much air we have,” Brown said.
“If there is an event that we need to evacuate for, it’s good to know they have our back.”
Aside from alarms and monitoring systems keeping crews safe, thermal imaging cameras are also stocked in each truck.
The infrared cameras are used in both rescue and overhaul efforts, allowing crews to see through smoke, find victims and locate hotspots.
Firefighter paramedic Connor Brown demonstrates how the thermal imaging camera detects different heat sources. (AllisonBamford/CTVNews)
“If there are trapped heat sources in walls or ceilings, it allows us to see through the outer surface of the wall,” Wagner said.
Wagner said these cameras have been around for the last 20 years, but are only now commonly used as the technology catches up and becomes more affordable.
Thermal imaging isn’t the “be-all, end-all,” according to Wagner, but it does make their search efforts more efficient.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.