Grants of $25,000 each from an insurance company will put cutting edge technology in the hands of firefighters in Red Bank and Rumson.
Red Bank Fire Marshal (and Business Administrator) Stanley Sickels says the borough’s volunteer fire department will use the money to buy two thermal imaging cameras, which can be used to pinpoint the location of firefighters or trapped victims inside burning structures.
The department will also buy defibrillators, which are useful because heart attacks are the leading cause of death among firefighters while on the scene, Sickels says.
Rumson will use its grant to buy a firefighter tracking system that enables a remote operator to know where firefighters are, their heart rates, how much air is left in their air tanks and other vital data, Sickels says.
The funding for the grants came from the Fireman’s Fund Heritage Program administered by the giant insurer.
Two local brothers, Matt and Michael Walsh of Red Bank and Rumson, respectively, nominated the towns for the awards. The Walshes are the principals in the Quaker Special Risk insurance brokerage in Eatontown.
Today’s Asbury Park Press has a detailed story about the technology.
