Thanks to financial backing from two local groups, the Wrightsville Beach Fire Department has a new high-tech tool to help them perform their duties.
The Wrightsville Beach Foundation and the Wrightsville Beach Volunteer Firefighters Association have donated funds to help the department purchase a new infrared thermal imaging camera for their unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), sometimes commonly called a drone. According to firefighter Sam Proffitt, who helped the WBFD acquire the UAV last fall, the new camera will be especially useful during emergency calls that happen at night.
“We will basically be utilizing the infrared camera for any type of nighttime operations – missing swimmers, missing persons, structure fires, that sort of thing,” said Proffitt, who added that the UAV could be launche more quickly and efficiently than a helicopter. “For example, the heat-seeking sensors will be useful in detecting body temperatures or fires in buildings where no flames are visible from outside on the ground.”
The camera, called the Zenmuse XT powered by FLIR and manufactured by technology company DJI, will be used on WBFD’s Inspire UAV, also produced by DJI. While the original UAV and camera were acquired by Proffitt through a partnership with Penn State University, the firefighter had to seek help to get funding for the new infrared camera. The Wrightsville Beach Volunteer Firefighters Association was a natural place to start.
“We solicit input from career staff about certain things we need to buy,” said Dan Reid, the president of the association and a part-time captain with the WBFD. “Sam approached us with this, and we agreed because we understand the need and how this really helps us do our jobs better.”
According to Reid, the association collects donations by sending letters to all the property owners in Wrightsville Beach.
“This money is from the community, and it’s important for them to see that it really is being put back into the community,” Reid said.
The Wrightsville Beach Foundation also collects money from locals, mainly through tickets sold for the annual Taste of Wrightsville Beach event, but also through the organization’s $25 membership fees. According to foundation president Jim Smith, the board unanimously approved donating funds for the camera not long after Proffitt made his presentation to them.
“This donation fits exactly with our mission statement [to provide for community improvements] when folks like Sam can’t get the funds,” Smith said. “It just makes sense. It will improve the safety and environment and overall quality of life here in Wrightsville Beach.”
The camera has yet to be used, as Proffitt said all full-time firefighters in the department need to undergo training in order to operate it. As the only fire department in the area to own and operate a UAV as part of their fleet, Proffitt said other departments such as the City of Wilmington, New Hanover County and even as far away as Seal Beach, CA have approached him with questions and are interested in seeing how the WBFD uses the equipment.
“We’re definitely fortunate to have this UAV and these cameras and to be able to use them to assist us with our jobs, which can obviously be pretty dangerous,” Proffitt said. “We’re happy to be leading the way with this technology, and we’re so grateful to the Wrightsville Beach community for their support in helping us get this equipment. We would not have been able to do it without them.”
