[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 37 (Tuesday, March 20, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H979]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IMPROVING SERVICE AND SAFETY OF FIRE FIGHTERS THROUGH THE ACCESS TO 
                      THERMAL IMAGING CAMERAS ACT

  (Mr. GRUCCI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GRUCCI. Madam Speaker, it takes approximately 28 minutes for 
responding fire fighters to search the average home by conventional 
means, which requires fire fighters to crawl on their hands and their 
knees, feeling for victims. Thermal imaging cameras reduce the search 
time to 2 or 3 minutes, letting fire fighters see through the darkness 
to the location of the fire and, more importantly, to the location of 
the victims.
  According to the National Fire Data Center, each year in the United 
States 5,000 people die and 25,000 are injured in fires, and 
approximately 100 fire fighters are killed annually in duty-related 
incidences. Thermal imaging cameras can help save the lives of both the 
victims of a fire and the fire fighters themselves. However, only a 
handful of our Nation's fire departments can afford the more than 
$15,000 for this technology.
  For this reason, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon) and I 
have introduced the Access to Thermal Imaging Cameras Act, which 
authorizes the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 
FEMA, to make competitive grants to local fire departments for the 
purposes of acquiring thermal imaging cameras. Similar legislation was 
very popular with fire fighting organizations and had over 45 
cosponsors in the 106th Congress.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to please join me in providing our 
local fire fighting departments with the opportunity to improve the 
quality of their lives and service.

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