INTERNATIONAL FIRE FIGHTER 19
MUNICIPAL
T
he history is well documented, but what are
modern thermal imaging cameras currently
capable of, and what developments lay ahead?
Budgets for fire and rescue equipment can be limited,
so deciding where funds are allocated is a key
decision. Do you know what thermal imaging can
do for you? Are TICs viewed a luxury items or are
their life saving credentials, and their role within fire
prevention recognised at your station?
Handheld thermal imaging technology has come
a long way since its development nearly thirty years
ago. Picture quality has vastly improved and to are
now far more reliable than before, a good quality
camera should be expected to last a minimum of
five years, this in turn has reduced the cost of own-
ership. Many manufacturers now offer an assort-
ment of models suited to different budget
requirements, they also offer a variety of warranty
packages, which can include a 2-year standard
warranty for peace of mind. Technology today
offers the end-user a host of features designed to
make their life in a fire safer and easier � as well as
effectively assisting them in doing the job at hand!
Today cameras offer two types of temperature
detection to aid fire fighters in determining the heat
of their surroundings � ambient temperature
measurement which gives fire fighters rapid
identification of the areas temperature within the
fire environment, area. Notification of these temper-
atures can indicate dangerous situations and the fire
fighter can make a decision whether to evacuate
the premises or continue the search. Spot tempera-
ture measurement enables fire fighters to pinpoint
the exact heat of objects or obstacles. This saves
time and extinguishant by allowing fire fighters to
focus on the hottest part. This option enables fast
and effective location of the seat of a fire or
detecting hot spots in cavity walls or behind doors �
indicating potential danger in another room. In
addition, this feature can be useful for determining
the temperature within enclosed capsules or spaces,
even measuring the temperature of gas cylinders.
Temperature sensitivity modes are now used to
expand the dynamic temperature range of the
thermal imaging cameras, some cameras now
having 3 modes to further increases the viewable
temperature range up to 1000�C. The image on
a camera LCD screen can move seamlessly from a
cooler scene to a very high temperature scene
without the loss of detail "whiteout".
Improved picture quality today not only allows
fire fighters to view images in far more detail than
was possible with older cameras but latest offerings
allow full colour options. Various screen colour
settings enable fire fighters to switch between
monochrome all to the way to full colour. This
makes detecting changes in heat and finding the
hottest part of an image on the screen easier, faster
and more reliable thus saving vital seconds in scene
assessment.
By Paul Spooner
Product Manager,
Argus Thermal Imaging
from e2v
How well do you
know your thermal
imaging camera?
Thermal imaging cameras (TICs) have been used in fire fighting environments for
nearly thirty years; the technology is well known and extensively used within the
industry.

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