Elite Boston Fire Team Ready For Roof Collapses

BOSTON (CBS) -- When the call comes in for a building collapse Boston Fire's Structural Collapse team is on the move.

Captain Jim Welsh says this winter's snow poses the biggest collapse threat he's seen in 25 years. "So far it's been miraculous that no one's been killed or hurt in a major collapse when someone's been trapped," he said.

A high tech camera that can peek around corners and in tight spaces allows the firefighters of Rescue1 to locate and to talk with victims who are trapped. They also use a victim locator to pick up sound and search for people who are missing.

WBZ-TV's Kathy Curran reports.

Both were used by Boston Fire to help rescue two men trapped in Lynn last week.

The collapse unit truck is like a hardware store on wheels. It's fully stocked with lumber, generators, gas, wrenches, hoses, extrication equipment and shovels -- pretty much any tool you would need in a rescue or collapse.

"Our biggest fear is schools with children inside," Welsh said. "There are so many worries, but we try to be ready each day with equipment to respond to help."

The equipment and this crew are ready to respond in the city and beyond, and with more storms and a thaw to come Welsh and his crew are concerned there are going to be more collapses to come.