Thermal imaging has become a mainstream in the fire service, and potential uses for the technology are virtually unlimited if you think outside the box.
Many firefighters think of a thermal imager (TI) as a “firefighting tool” and immediately deploy it at incidents that involve charged hoselines and burning structures. However, a TI is an extremely versatile tool that has uses and potential applications at a number of emergency incidents. Anytime your eyes are not giving you all the information you want or as rapidly as needed, the TI may assist to make your efforts more successful and less time-consuming. There are also times where a TI can reveal information you never knew existed. Let’s look at some of the “nonstructural” applications as we explore outdoor uses for TIs.
I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to travel throughout the country and around the world, working with all sizes of fire departments, and I have seen a broad range of levels of understanding about the limitations and applications for fire service TIs. It’s always a good refresher to review some of the outdoor uses of TIs that, while obvious to some, may not be considered by others.
1 The MVI victim found hiding in a tree. (Photos courtesy of Bullard.)
Motor Vehicle Incidents (MVIs)—victim accountability
There are dozens of nonfire applications for your TI. One example is MVIs. Determining how many occupants were in the vehicle immediately prior to the accident can help the incident commander determine the potential patient count. When using the TI to check for potential heat signatures in the automobile seats, remember, TIs cannot see through glass, so you must open or remove the window or door before you make the scan with the TI. Also, remember to scan multiple seats at the same time for comparative purposes. Your TI will show residual heat. Looking only at one seat, however, doesn’t always tell you all the information. What you are looking for is contrasting heat signatures. This application is particularly useful when dealing with rollovers or overturned vehicles.
If you find a child seat either installed or ejected, be sure to check for indications of a thermal contrast that might suggest it was occupied at the time. Many of us have had to deal with the stress of locating a child seat at the scene of an accident and trying to determine if it was occupied. A scan with the TI can quickly reduce your anxiety level. A very common question I get from firefighters during training is, “How long will the thermal contrast remain after the person has left the seat?” The answer is simple: It depends. There are many conditions that play a role in the contrast reduction over time, including ambient temperature, humidity, the seat and clothing materials involved, and the amount of time the person was in the seat. Vehicle seats are considered inanimate objects that primarily absorb and dissipate IR energy (heat) from active or direct emitters but, as a “rule of thumb,” you can usually see some contrast for 20 to 30 minutes.
2 Heat signatures on both motorcycle rider seats.
You can also use TIs to search around vehicles for ejected or walk-away victims. In a recent situation, the fire department was called to a car vs. tree accident. On arrival, responding crews located a severely damaged vehicle with air bag deployment and blood present on the air bag but could not locate a victim. They used the TI to look in the car and only the driver’s seat showed an occupant’s imprint. They performed a search of the area without locating any victims. On termination of the search effort, two firefighters were making their way back to the apparatus and using the TI for night vision purposes. As they approached the apparatus, they noticed an object in the branches of the tree immediately above the vehicle. This object turned out to be the driver, who was intoxicated and had warrants for his arrest; the only place he could find to hide was in the tree he had hit!
The same is true for motorcycle accidents. Because of the frequent high speeds of these accidents, victims can be thrown great distances or out of sight of first responders. The thermal contrast of the seats should be able to tell you how many victims you may be dealing with. Get your crews comfortable with scanning seats to determine precrash occupancy levels. It could save you some time on the scene and maybe even someone’s life.
MVI—Fire
I remember a story about a local fire department responding to a wood chip truck fire. It was en route to the local pulp and paper mill when a fire developed inside the fully loaded 40-foot trailer, caused by an overheated wheel bearing. The driver was on the scene in a huge panic, but there was no option to dump the load onto the highway to save the truck body and chassis because of the location. The responding fire crew deployed the TI to assess the trailer and, with the use of a penetrating nozzle, the officer was able position the crew to enable them to punch holes through the side of the trailer into the hottest spots within the chip pile. This method of thinking and use of the TI saved countless hours of work, and the fire crew was able to save the truck body and majority of the trailer while still keeping the remaining load intact without having to dump it.
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I have heard more than one fire department say that thermal imaging is probably the best innovation for the fire service since the self-contained breathing apparatus. By finding new uses for this technology, including the nonstructural ones, we can help reduce losses to life and property and keep our fellow firefighters safe!
Manfred Kihn is a 19-year veteran of the fire service, having served as an ambulance officer, emergency services specialist, firefighter, captain, and fire chief. He has been a member of Bullard’s Emergency Responder team since 2005 and is the company’s fire training specialist for thermal imaging technology. He is certified through the Law Enforcement Thermographers’ Association (LETA) as a thermal imaging instructor and is a recipient of the Ontario Medal for Firefighters Bravery. If you have questions about thermal imaging, you can e-mail him at manfred_kihn@bullard.com.
