Kilmore Fire Brigade community safety coordinator Hayley Gardoll uses the donated thermal imaging camera.
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Volunteers of a Mitchell Shire fire brigade feel “very lucky” to be able to acquire a specialised piece of equipment through a generous donation.
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After receiving an Inland Rail grant, Kilmore Fire Brigade had the funds to obtain a thermal imaging camera — an invaluable asset to a brigade of 50-or-so volunteers.
Community safety co-ordinator Hayley Gardoll, who has been a member of the Kilmore brigade for about three years, said the camera could be used in multiple different ways, and was particularly helpful in large-scale scenarios such as the Longwood bushfire in January.
“It will help identify hotspots, which is probably the big thing, because we can get out to the scene of the fire quicker and put it out faster,” Ms Gardoll said.
“It’ll help us black out, which is where, after a fire has gone through, we go through and find all the hotspots that are still there and put them out, which can be done for weeks after (big) fires.”
She said it would also enable volunteers to identify the hottest parts of a fire so crews know where to target their efforts, find people who may be lost or stuck through body heat detection, and monitor fire behaviour and identify areas where conditions are changing.
The thermal imaging camera has already been very useful for the brigade.
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Since the brigade secured the technology in July, it has already come in handy.
“In the small amount of times that I’ve turned out since we’ve had it, I’ve used it two or three times already,” Ms Gardoll said.
“Coming into the fire season, it will be very, very useful because we assume we're going to have a very busy fire season this year.
“It's a piece of equipment that can be used all year round.”
Ms Gardoll said the donation “means a lot” to the brigade.
“We have one at the station already ... It means a lot because we can now have one at every job we go to,” she said.
“Thank you very much to (Inland Rail), the donation very much helps the brigade.
“It’s not a piece of equipment you see all the time, but it is a specialised piece of equipment that we’re very lucky to be able to get because not all brigades have them.”
An Inland Rail spokesperson said the company was delighted to support the brigade with its grants program, which is available to short-term projects and activities that contribute to local and regional prosperity, wellbeing and sustainability.
“As part of the Inland Rail Community Grants Program, we are delighted to support the Kilmore Fire Brigade with the purchase of a thermal imaging camera,” the spokesperson said.
“The equipment will improve the brigade’s firefighting capabilities and help protect the local community.”
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