COLUMBIA — The Columbia Fire Department has received a $2,000 grant from MFA Oil to purchase a new camera system for fire investigations.
Following an internal approval process, the fire department will soon become the first Missouri fire department to own the L-TRON OSCR360, which is a 360-degree camera, tripod and tablet designed to streamline photo collection at the scene of crimes and fires.
Fire marshal Michael Bauer said the technology is similar to a 360 preview image on a realtor's website for apartments or houses. The images collected from the camera will appear as a virtual walkthrough of the scenes.
Once the fire department receives the camera, the company will provide training on how to operate the camera and tablet.
"My plan is to have all of the Columbia fire marshals train to use the cameras, and then that will be assigned to the fire marshal on duty for the day," Bauer said.
Bauer said this will aid future investigations by making the evidence collection process and subsequent communication faster.
"We can take those images and put a hot link in the spherical image for other pieces of data, whether it be video from surveillance footage or some pictures that we took on our own of other evidence," Bauer said.
The photos will be kept together in a more streamlined filing process to build more extensive images of fires, which are especially important for criminal investigations. Bauer said the fire department would have been able to use this technology for a few recent arson cases and fires with deaths.
"Then we can blend (the images) together and send those to law enforcement, to the prosecutor's office, they can take that to court, and present it to the jury and it'll show the viewer just that virtual walkthrough of the house," Bauer said.
In 2024, Columbia firefighters responded to two arson calls. Last year also saw 75 structure fire calls between the Columbia, Boone County and Southern Boone County fire protection districts.
Other law enforcement agencies across the state have purchased the 360-degree camera as well. The Howell County Sheriff's Office in West Plains and the Springfield Police Department are other adopters.
The Columbia Fire Department would be the first Missouri fire agency to utilize the OSCR360 — joining the ranks of the Fire Department of New York and the Philadelphia Fire Department.
Bauer said the fire department noticed private investigators using the technology during previous fire investigations in town. The investigators shared some of the footage with the fire department and decided it would be a good idea to have their own for future investigations.
"It will make our investigations a little more efficient, provide better documentation, photographic documentation of the scene, and then it will allow us to share that information easier with prosecutors and juries and law enforcement," Bauer said.
The fire department's grant from MFA Oil has been approved by the Columbia City Council. Once the department receives internal approval from the deputy chief, it will purchase the camera and begin to train and utilize it for investigations.
