EASTON, Pa. – Thursday was a celebration at Easton Fire Station as the department showed off new equipment.
MSA Lunars use Bluetooth technology to focus primary responses on firefighters, victims and firefighters.
City and county leaders teamed up with some of Easton’s newest firefighters to test him.
The first day of work was recently spent at a funeral of a Philadelphia firefighter, showing the dangers of the profession. But these devices are meant to save the lives of those in uniform and those they serve.
“With mid-range technology, you can clearly see its outline,” said Henry Hennings, Easton Fire chief.
Inside the Easton fire station, Hennings showed off 69 News, the department’s newest tool: the Lunar MSA.
“This is a thermal imaging camera and is an account device for monitoring fire safety,” Hennings said.
The department is the first in the country to supply each firefighter with one of these gadgets.
They give a clear picture of who gives the first answer when there is no visibility. It is a portable, state-of-the-art system that targets firefighters who are trapped or unconscious.
Hennings asked Priscilla Liguori, a journalist for 69 News, to touch the wall quickly.
“You only touched it for a brief second, right?” said Hennings.
“But you see it’s a different color from your body heat,” Hennings said, gesturing to the Moon screen.
As a thermal image, Hennings proved that a man, in seconds in the kitchen, lit up.
“Not only do you see the flame itself, you see the heat rising higher,” Hennings said. “You can’t see that with the naked eye.”
That’s helpful “when there can be a hidden fire in the walls,” Hennings said.
Perhaps the most valuable part of all is that “they serve as a personal alarm for firefighters,” said Lt. of the Easton Fire Department. Terrance Hand.
“When the alert is set, it will scream,” Hennings said.
The moons track all firefighters. If one stops moving, the other knows they need to keep it. This is a major overhaul of the commonly used label system.
“They give you a tag, when you go somewhere, you give it to the officer,” Hennings said. “The problem with that is that once you give that label to the officer, that’s the last time we really know where you are.”
This guides you and saves you precious time.
“Hopefully we can prevent the death of any firefighter,” said Easton Fire Department firefighter Adam Grube.
“With these things you can see through the smoke,” Hand said.
The equipment is so complex, it’s almost hard to believe, so Chief Hennings took 69 News to the Allentown Fire Academy for a group to experience themselves.
Liguori and photographer Jon Bloch 69 News put on their full firefighter outfit and walked into the training tower to really test out the Moon.
“I’ll turn it on,” Allentown Asst. Chief Matt Eharth said about a fire in the training tower. “You’ll see the place slowly fill up with smoke.”
They illuminate the moon while signaling fires, of course, but they also provide other important indications that the structures may be in danger of collapsing.
“Look at the heat above them. That’s not the fire you’re seeing. That’s just hot,” Eharth said. “If you see that at the top, you’d better start pouring water somewhere or go back.”
The devices will be connected to fire extinguishers so that others can control the air pressure.
“It’s 400 degrees up here. If you look at the ground, it’s 100 degrees,” Eharth said. “So that’s the difference between being in the oven or being away on a hot day.”
That’s a reminder if you catch a fire to keep you low.
“If you stand here and breathe, you could die with a single breath,” Eharth said.
The next test was to find an Alarmed Moon.
Lunar of Liguori said “a firefighter’s alarms” meant that a firefighter did not move for 20 seconds.
Hennings showed how firefighters need to point the Moon in different directions while scanning a building.
“When you get the highest percentage, that’s the way you want to go,” Hennings said.
“One hundred percent,” Liguori said as he placed the Moon in the basement of the building.
The tools are expected to be goods for the entire area, which will be used by all Easton firefighters who attend, even when they provide mutual assistance. They were mostly paid for through grants.
“In terms of money, I would say this is completely priceless if you save a life,” Hennings said.
The moons will open in August after all firefighters have been trained.
