A new thermal mannequin is being used to help train Brant County firefighters in finding people caught in a structure that’s full of smoke.
Acting fire Chief Darren Watson said the mannequin trains firefighters on how to use the thermal imager.
“The training mannequin has electric coils and heats up,” he said.
“The mannequin also has a voice recorder. So, a message can be recorded and played back to simulate a person calling out to firefighters for help.”
The cost of the mannequin was covered by a $5,000 donation from the Nine Fore Norm committee in memory of Norm Booth, who died April 8, the day before his 68th birthday.
“Norm had 50 years in the fire service working for both the County of Brant and City of Brantford as a firefighter and training officer,” said Watson.
“We know Norm would be pleased that this donation is being used to further train the firefighters and expand their skill sets.”
Before Booth’s death, the Nine Fore Norm committee was formed by a group of his colleagues and friends. The group organized a golf tournament and donated the proceeds to the training program.