Clifford Ikeda of the Kauai Civil Defense listens as Dennis Poma, executive vice president of ACSI (Advanced Compliance Solutions, Inc.) provides an explanation of the thermal imagery device that was part of the package presented to the county’s fire department
Clifford Ikeda of the Kauai Civil Defense listens as Dennis Poma, executive vice president of ACSI (Advanced Compliance Solutions, Inc.) provides an explanation of the thermal imagery device that was part of the package presented to the county’s fire department on Wednesday afternoon.
The equipment presentation, part of a settlement by Brewer Environmental Industries (BEI) following a spill in 1999, was accepted by the Kauai Fire Department’s battalion chief Ernie Moniz who saw the possibilities of the thermal imagery device.
Moniz said that once the fire and police personnel are trained in the use of the equipment, they will have the means to check for hot spots following any kind of fire responses. Without the use of this device, fire fighters had to physically open up walls and other areas where hidden hot spots existed. This new device will eliminate that phase of the fire-fighting operation.
Deputy police chief William Ihu also pointed out that the device will also aid police officers seek out suspects that are in hiding.
Poma noted that rather than have BEI write out a check for the settlement, they felt that giving back to the community would be more effective, and the package, estimated at $26,000 was just part of a $140,000 package presented to different counties throughout the state.
The equipment includes not only the thermal imagery device, but support equipment including a laptop computer which would enable field analysis of data as well as a bank of digital camera equipment.