Eagle Bank Donates Thermal Camera to Brentwood Firehouse

Dubbed the single most important piece of lifesaving equipment, Brentwood-based donated a thermal imaging camera to the and 11 other area fire departments this week.

The company, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, wanted to support the communities where the banks operate, said Mike Walsh, CEO of Eagle Bank and Trust Company.

“We talked to mayors, city administrators, police and fire chiefs to find out what they needed,” Walsh said at the Mehlville Fire Protection District's camera presentation on Thursday. “Each one had a story on how this piece of equipment has helped them preserve life or property in a fire.”

The camera screens highlight warmth, allowing firefighters to quickly find people in a smoky house, said Bob Kurtz, assistant fire chief of Brentwood Fire Department.

"When we go into a small fire, a warm body will show up as a white silhouette," he said. It also will help firefighters identify which parts of a house are on fire, because the camera can pick up the heat through walls, Kurtz said.

Walsh said firefighters told him that the cameras completely change the tactics of how they attack a fire and strategize during search and rescue missions.

“It speeds up navigation greatly,” he said.

The fire department already owns a larger thermal imaging camera, but the one donated by Eagle Bank—a Bullard Eclipse valued at $5,000—is smaller and more portable. It can clip onto an officer's uniform as they race out the door on a call.

"It's just another tool we have; and a pretty important one," Kurtz said.