Thermal Imaging Cameras for Firefighting

In the heat of the battle, FLIR thermal imaging cameras and DJI Enterprise UAV solutions are indispensable. These vital tools help you see through smoke and monitor the fire's spread, so you can quickly visualize your plan of attack, locate hot spots, and save lives.

FLIR’s expanded lineup of TICs gives you the most comprehensive view of the scene—from inside, outside, and above the fire.
Handheld thermal cameras help firefighters deal with fires strategically and enable them to easily maneuver through smoke to save lives. The cameras are compact and robust. They are lightweight and easy to hold, even when wearing bulky gloves.
This is about more than seeing through a smoke-filled room: by viewing the entire scene from multiple viewpoints, incident commanders can make better decisions when directing resources. And, since FLIR TICs clearly visualize heat sources, they’re an important tool for hazmat and search and rescue operations.

Ideally, every engine and truck company should have at least one high-performance TIC on hand. Since FLIR K-Series cameras arrived on the scene, now that’s more feasible. Affordable K-Series TICs offer new, easier ways to see more clearly in the darkest, smokiest environments by showing big, bright thermal images to help you maneuver more strategically, stay better oriented, and find victims faster.

FLIR’s K-Series camera models have been developed specifically to meet the demanding requirements of firefighting use. In every phase of the K-Series design process, FLIR has worked directly with firefighters around the world to make sure their unique needs have been met. The FLIR K-Series models include: K1, K2, K33, K45, K53, K55 and the K65.

Firefighters can leverage quantitative data from high-performance TICs, such as the NFPA-compliant FLIR K65, to make key decisions during an interior attack. The ability to interpret temperature data in a variety of thermal color palettes allows for greater situational awareness and understanding. Information provided by thermal imaging can assist safer “Go/No Go” decision making and more precise stream placement, while simple concepts, such as recognizing the differences between high and low sensitivity modes, can be the difference between saving lives or making a costly mistake.

A TIC in low-sensitivity mode will adjust the color palette to differentiate between high temperatures (typically up to 1200˚F) and display lower, still-dangerous temperatures in grayscale. For example, the contrast between a victim’s body temperature and their surroundings may not be immediately apparent in a low-sensitivity thermal image. Beyond SAR efforts, tactical thermal imaging makes it possible for first responders to reliably anticipate fire growth, the direction of travel, convection current dangers, and risk of thermal insult.

Firefighters are quickly adopting next-generation aerial tools, ranging from multi-gas detectors to high-resolution thermal and visual cameras, enabling rapid and informed decisions when responding to volatile emergency situations.

Situational awareness: In a typical scenario where a fire has broken out in a building, firefighters arrive at the spot and begin their operation with limited information about the extent of the fire and damage it has caused to the structure. Instead, with a fleet of drones, firefighters can begin with an aerial assessment of the scene and know the extent of the fire before starting their rescue operation using drones.

‍Reach difficult places: Drones are efficient in going to tight spaces since they are nimble and agile, and deploying them first avoidings putting humans in unsafe situations.

‍Thermal assessment: In a firefighting situation, firefighters work against the clock to save the lives and integrity of the structure. That is why it is important to direct their efforts towards the source of a fire. Drones equipped with a thermal camera can assist firefighters to identify hotspots inside a blazing structure. Accordingly, firefighters can direct their efforts to bring the situation under control.

‍Search and rescue: Firefighters are actively involved in search and rescue missions. A thermal camera drone can do the job of 100 people by scanning a large area and identifying people in distress. During a natural calamity like an earthquake, thermal camera drones can fly over fallen structures and identify trapped individuals, and even identify dangerous leakages.