NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla — Making waves in rescue capabilities, North Fort Myers Fire and Rescue’s dive team is now equipped with a cutting-edge sonar camera.
As Fox 4’s North Fort Myers Community Correspondent, I work in this area daily, so I got a chance to see how important this technology is to the community’s safety.
Watch my report here...
Excitement filled the North Fort Myers Elk Lodge as the Fire District accepted a game changing donation from them - an AquaEye Underwater Sonar Camera. Battalion Chief Mark Western walked me through how it will improve their rescues.
“When you’re looking for an object in the water - whether it’s a person, or a car, whatever it is - you’re gonna’ have someone enter the water waist high with the camera and do a survey of the area they have interest in,” Westera explained.
Western said the camera sends out sonar signals, displaying objects in real time - crucial for fast action in water rescues, where every second counts. About a year ago, Western said a teenager drowned in a North Fort Myers pond - he said having a sonar could have made a difference.
“Prior to having that, you try to get the best you can from a witness, you try to get the best information you can to determine a location of interest, then you start a search pattern. And that search pattern, it could take a little while,” said Westera.
Before this, the North Fort Myers Fire District had to rely on outside teams for this equipment. Now, thanks to the Elk Lodge’s donation, Westera said they’re fully equipped.
Elk Lodge Exalted Ruler, Vince Primavera, said they received grant funding and saw this as the perfect way to give back.
“It feels very good that this lodge can help this community. We help the community, we help the fire department. We can’t do it without these guys - they sacrifice so much to save us,” said Primavera.
