VIDEO: The Charlottesville Fire Department has new equipment that can show changes in fire behavior as they happen.
Training and EMS Captain Jess Rodzinka says this new training equipment is partially in response to a four percent jump in fires throughout the city, especially in the kitchen. There's been an 85 percent increase in cooking fires.
"This will be able to show the newer firefighters, the younger firefighters, essentially how to understand flow-path, how to isolate doors, how to close the fire off, how to slow it down," he said.
The box gives firefighters an overview of an incident they just couldn't get when they are inside a building, but it's not just for firefighters.
Rodzinka says one safety tip at home before heading to bed could help prevent a bad scenario from getting worse.