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Springfield Fire Department Displays New High Tech Equipment

New equipment purchased for the Springfield Fire Department is displayed. Springfield Director of Emergency Preparedness Robert Hassett and Fire Commissioner Bernard Calvi explained how the portable devices are used in firefighting and rescue operations.
WAMC

   The largest fire department in western Massachusetts has deployed new high tech equipment.

   The Springfield Fire Department Thursday showcased five new pieces of equipment including a small robot that can be tossed through a window to let firefighters see what’s happening inside a burning building, a drone with hi-def thermal imaging cameras, and a poisonous gas and radiation detection system with a range of up to two miles.  

    Fire Commissioner Bernard Calvi said the new gear is now in use.

    "Equipment like this is important to protect the citizens of the city of Springfield," said Calvi.

    The new equipment, which cost about $100,000, was paid for with private donations and some federal funds.

    It was purchased by the city's Office of Emergency Prepardness.

The record-setting tenure of Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno. The 2011 tornado and its recovery that remade the largest city in Western Massachusetts. The fallout from the deadly COVID outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers Home. Those are just a few of the thousands and thousands of stories WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill has covered for WAMC in his nearly 17 years with the station.