The Firehouse Yak: Joe DeVito – Making The Most of Your Thermal Imaging Cameras
Capt. Joe DeVito talks about the need for added training and an enhanced understanding of thermal imaging cameras (TIC) for firefighters during today’s emergency responses.
DeVito talks about the lack of training for most firefighters, from the basics of fireground operations to rescue and other incidents. They talk about how to overcome the common misconception that a TIC is primarily an officer’s tool and why every member needs to know how to use it. DeVito compares maximizing your TIC to understanding all the apps on an new iPhone.
Switching topics, DeVito talks about being on the job in Florida in an area that’s been hard-hit by hurricanes recently and how that’s impacted the members and the residents they protect. Much of his area was destroyed, so the return to the station after the hurricane required resiliency and a desire to build the neighborhood back up, plus how to take care of the firefighters before, during and after the storms.
Peter Matthews | Editor-in-Chief/Conference Director
Peter Matthews is the conference director and editor-in-chief of Firehouse. He has worked at Firehouse since 1999, serving in various roles on both Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com staffs. He completed an internship with the Rochester, NY, Fire Department and served with fire departments in Rush, NY, and Laurel, MD, and was a lieutenant with the Glenwood Fire Company in Glenwood, NY. Matthews served as photographer for the St. Paul, MN, Fire Department.
Joseph DeVito
Joseph DeVito is a captain in Florida who has more than 25 years in public service. He has worked at volunteer organizations and as an EMT-P for a county-run EMS department and has been at his current department for 18 years. DeVito is Level 1 IR-certified and holds the Fire Officer credential from the Center for Public Safety Excellence. He loves teaching thermal imaging, which is a tool that he believes is under-utilized in the fire service.
