Early this month, the Arbutus Volunteer Fire Department received a second thermal imaging camera to help emergency responders find the source of a fire or a missing person at the scene of an accident or in a building.

"It helps us locate the source (of a fire)," said Capt. Doug Simpkins of the department.

"It's another tool that helps us to find the hot areas so that we can take care of it," Simpkins said.

The device can even pick up a person's body heat, which means it will play a role in emergency situations that don't involve fire, Simpkins said.

For example, the camera will allow emergency responders to more quickly locate someone ejected from a vehicle after an accident, Simpkins said.

Simpkins said the camera is able to find sources of heat even through smoke or at night and project their location in white onto its black screen.

The camcorder-sized device, which will be mounted on the department's rescue truck, was purchased using a $10,000 grant from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, Simpkins said.

The department received the device three months after applying for the grant from the foundation, which provides firefighters, police officers and EMS responders with tools and technology, according to the company's website.

"It's a great, new innovative tool," Simpkins said. "We'll be well-prepared to protect the citizens of Arbutus and the surrounding areas."

The department already has one thermal imaging camera mounted on a fire engine, he said.

Firehouse Subs, a sandwich chain with more than 450 locations in 29 states, was founded by two brothers who were firefighters. It opened its first location in 1994 in Florida.

The nearest franchise to the Arbutus area is in Gambrills, Anne Arundel County, according to the company's website.