Back in December, the DeKalb Fire Department acquired two new tools for fighting fires — thermal-imaging cameras.

DeKalb firefighters didn’t have to wait long to put their new tools to use.

On Jan. 1 a fire ignited at 824 Shipman Avenue. The Bullard thermal-imaging cameras were used from the beginning to the end of the fire, said Fire Captain Bruce Harrison.

“The cameras were derived from military technology and do not use light, but heat, to get a picture,” he said.

The cameras were received through a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Because the cameras detect heat, fires that have started inside walls are detectable, and the firefighters can extinguish them more safely.

The firefighter carries the handheld camera when battling a blaze so he or she can see through the smoke, revealing the location of victims and detecting the fire’s source more quickly.

The black and white (white being the hottest) thermal image is transmitted to a screen that is set up in the fire command vehicle. This can allow the fire commander to better analyze the fire situation, said Assistant Fire Chief Reuben Nelson.

“The cameras allow us to do our job much more efficiently and effectively,” Nelson said.

The cameras also can be used to determine if a fire is fully extinguished, as they were during a chimney fire at 136 Mattek Avenue, Nelson said.

Despite the fact that the cameras are often used to detect lingering fires, they’re mainly designed to be put to use during search and rescue missions, Nelson said.

Though the cameras are used during almost every fire, they are not perfect.

“The cameras greatly help when fighting a fire, but it does not replace traditional firefighting techniques,” Harrison said.

With the two new cameras, the fire department now owns three thermal-imaging cameras.