Firehouse Subs Foundation awards Gulfport Fire Department grant for new equipment

GULFPORT, Miss. (WXXV)- The Gulfport Fire Department is getting a high-tech boost to help save lives.

Thanks to a grant from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, crews will now have new thermal imaging cameras to assist during emergency responses.

When firefighters rush into a smoke-filled building, visibility can drop to near zero. Now, crews with the Gulfport Fire Department will have a new tool to help them see through the smoke, find victims easier, and identify dangerous hot spots during emergencies.

Thursday morning, the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation presented the department with a more than $31,000 grant to purchase 26 thermal imaging cameras and accessories. Gulfport Fire Chief Billy Kelley said, “Today we were out here to honor and thank Firehouse Subs, their public safety foundation. They awarded us with a grant where we were able to buy 26 of the updated technology on flir thermal cameras and these things help our firefighters rapidly locate victims, it’s our eyes in the smoke and blacked-out conditions and this will make us a better fire department, rescue people, and keep our guys safer. This is just our partnership with Firehouse Subs in the community and we just thank everything that they do for us.”

Firehouse Subs Gulfport Owner Justin Green said, “Our public safety foundation is something that we are really proud of. It was founded after Hurricane Katrina came through the Mississippi Gulf Coast and our founders came and saw the need that was here and out of that the foundation was born. The idea to help the community and so it’s really cool to see where it started on the Mississippi Gulf Coast 20 years ago and where it is today. The public safety foundation goes back to who we are as a company. Every donation that comes in from a guest is something that our local first responders have access to and donate equipment just like we did today. I’m so thankful to the City of Gulfport in support of us, the guests are really the heart and soul of what we do and who we are. So, I’m just really appreciative and thankful to the first responders that are the heart and soul of what we do.”

The Gulfport Fire Department says the new thermal imaging cameras will be placed into service immediately, helping crews respond more safely and effectively when every second matters.