By Carl Nix

When was the last time you responded to a hazmat call? Even if your department does not have a trained hazmat team, I’m guessing you have responded to one or more calls that have involved hazardous materials such as an overturned vehicle or tanker truck, a chemical emergency, or a meth lab fire.

Arriving on the scene of any one of these calls often forces firefighters to make decisions based on what they don’t see. Bring in a thermal imaging camera (TIC) and firefighters can now see what was previously invisible to the naked eye. Having this ability allows the firefighting crew to make better and safer decisions on the scene.

A TIC can be an invaluable tool for the hazmat firefighter. Having the ability to see the content level of an enclosed container at a safe distance is critical to the safety of the firefighting crew. Tracing a spill on the roadway in a rain storm is an environmental necessity. Seeing the gases of a container at a safe distance is critical to the safe outcome of a hazmat mission. More and more fire departments are being trained to answer hazmat calls, and the use of thermal imaging is another tool in their arsenal.

While a TIC cannot remove the hazardous materials at an incident, it can help firefighters locate and isolate the materials. Let’s look at how a TIC can help a firefighting crew at a hazmat incident.

Identifying a Land Spill

We have all responded to a scene where a vehicle was overturned and wondered if there were any materials leaking from that vehicle. Using a TIC in this situation allows the firefighter to detect the differences in temperature or emissivity (level of reflectivity) between the vehicle, its contents, and the ground surface around the incident. If the spilled material is a different temperature than the surface on which it is spilled and the material stays on the surface, it should be visible on the TIC.

If the product has already drained from its container prior to fire department arrival, a TIC can be used to identify the location of the contents that have leaked onto the surface. Be aware that there are factors that may influence how well a TIC will work in this situation, including the amount of product leaking or spilled, properties of the material, denseness of the vegetation where the spill has occurred, and the relative temperature difference between the spilled material and the surrounding environment.

Identifying a Water Spill

Using a TIC to identify a hazmat floating on a body of water can help firefighters identify where the material is entering the water supply and how much of the water supply has been contaminated. The differences in emissivity or temperature of the contaminant will allow the firefighter to see a visible difference on the TIC screen. It is important to note that only materials that weigh less than water can be identified using the TIC. A TIC cannot see through water.

1 A thermal imaging camera is a critical tool in a firefighter’s arsenal when responding to a hazmat incident. (Photo courtesy of Bullard.)

Identifying Product Levels in a Container

Materials in contact with the surface of a container can conduct heat through the walls of the container at a slower rate than the dead air space above the product. Unless the product was heated prior to being pl

By Carl Nix

When was the last time you responded to a hazmat call? Even if your department does not have a trained hazmat team, I’m guessing you have responded to one or more calls that have involved hazardous materials such as an overturned vehicle or tanker truck, a chemical emergency, or a meth lab fire.

Arriving on the scene of any one of these calls often forces firefighters to make decisions based on what they don’t see. Bring in a thermal imaging camera (TIC) and firefighters can now see what was previously invisible to the naked eye. Having this ability allows the firefighting crew to make better and safer decisions on the scene.

A TIC can be an invaluable tool for the hazmat firefighter. Having the ability to see the content level of an enclosed container at a safe distance is critical to the safety of the firefighting crew. Tracing a spill on the roadway in a rain storm is an environmental necessity. Seeing the gases of a container at a safe distance is critical to the safe outcome of a hazmat mission. More and more fire departments are being trained to answer hazmat calls, and the use of thermal imaging is another tool in their arsenal.

While a TIC cannot remove the hazardous materials at an incident, it can help firefighters locate and isolate the materials. Let’s look at how a TIC can help a firefighting crew at a hazmat incident.

Identifying a Land Spill

We have all responded to a scene where a vehicle was overturned and wondered if there were any materials leaking from that vehicle. Using a TIC in this situation allows the firefighter to detect the differences in temperature or emissivity (level of reflectivity) between the vehicle, its contents, and the ground surface around the incident. If the spilled material is a different temperature than the surface on which it is spilled and the material stays on the surface, it should be visible on the TIC.

If the product has already drained from its container prior to fire department arrival, a TIC can be used to identify the location of the contents that have leaked onto the surface. Be aware that there are factors that may influence how well a TIC will work in this situation, including the amount of product leaking or spilled, properties of the material, denseness of the vegetation where the spill has occurred, and the relative temperature difference between the spilled material and the surrounding environment.

Identifying a Water Spill

Using a TIC to identify a hazmat floating on a body of water can help firefighters identify where the material is entering the water supply and how much of the water supply has been contaminated. The differences in emissivity or temperature of the contaminant will allow the firefighter to see a visible difference on the TIC screen. It is important to note that only materials that weigh less than water can be identified using the TIC. A TIC cannot see through water.

1 A thermal imaging camera is a critical tool in a firefighter’s arsenal when responding to a hazmat incident. (Photo courtesy of Bullard.)

Identifying Product Levels in a Container

Materials in contact with the surface of a container can conduct heat through the walls of the container at a slower rate than the dead air space above the product. Unless the product was heated prior to being pl

By Alan M. Petrillo

Departments fortunate enough to build new fire stations are turning to their architects and asking for various types of training props to be built into the stations.

The kinds of props being built into stations vary but range from self rescue, rappelling, and laddering options to confined space operations training to self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) mazes.

1 A Deerfield Township (OH) Fire Rescue Department firefighter works a bailout training exercise from the stair tower training prop in Station 57 that was designed by KZF Design. [Photos 1-4 courtesy of the Deerfield (OH) Township Fire Rescue Department.]

Mezzanines and Hose Towers

Mark Shoemaker, director of public facilities for KZF Design, says the simplest training props that can be built into new fire stations, often using mezzanine areas, include props for rappelling, bailout training, laddering, and confined space manholes. If a mezzanine isn’t an option in a station, Shoemaker suggests that training props can be built into a stair tower inside a hose tower.

2 Station 57, at the Deerfield Township (OH) Fire Rescue Department, designed by KZF Design, has a bailout training window on the first floor to allow safe basic training before moving to a higher exterior window.

“You could use the tower for rappelling, self rescue, hose advancement drills, laddering training, and might even incorporate a dry standpipe into the tower where you could attach a hose and actually flow water,” Shoemaker says. “However, you would need good drainage at the bottom of the tower and either galvanized or stainless steel in the stairway structure.”

Often, tool, decon, and compressor rooms are arranged along one wall of the apparatus bays. “There’s usually a mezzanine above them for storage, even a walled mezzanine that can have door and window openings to practice entry techniques, bailout drills, ladder placements, and rescue,” Ken Newell, principal in Stewart-Cooper-Newell Architects, says. “With a mezzanine about 12 feet above the apparatus room floor, we’ll put anchor points up there so firefighters can do Stokes basket training.”

3 This confined space rescue prop setup is located on the first-floor training space below the mezzanine in Station 57 at the Deerfield Township (OH) Fire Rescue Department. The prop is shown set in place for training exe Read more 419 0 Article rating: No rating Posted: May 18, 2017 Building Training Props into a Fire Station By Alan M. Petrillo Departments fortunate enough to build new fire stations are turning to their architects and asking for various types of training props to be built into the stations. The kinds of props being built into stations vary but range from self rescue, rappelling, and laddering options to confined space operations training to self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) mazes. 1 A Deerfield Township (OH) Fire Rescue Department firefighter works a bailout training exercise from the stair tower training prop in Station 57 that was designed by KZF Design. [Photos 1-4 courtesy of the Deerfield (OH) Township Fire Rescue Department.] Mezzanines and Hose Towers Mark Shoemaker, director of public facilities for KZF Design, says the simplest training props that can be built into new fire stations, often using mezzanine areas, include props for rappelling, bailout training, laddering, and confined space manholes. If a mezzanine isn’t an option in a station, Shoemaker suggests that training props can be built into a stair tower inside a hose tower. 2 Station 57, at the Deerfield Township (OH) Fire Rescue Department, designed by KZF Design, has a bailout training window on the first floor to allow safe basic training before moving to a higher exterior window. “You could use the tower for rappelling, self rescue, hose advancement drills, laddering training, and might even incorporate a dry standpipe into the tower where you could attach a hose and actually flow water,” Shoemaker says. “However, you would need good drainage at the bottom of the tower and either galvanized or stainless steel in the stairway structure.” Often, tool, decon, and compressor rooms are arranged along one wall of the apparatus bays. “There’s usually a mezzanine above them for storage, even a walled mezzanine that can have door and window openings to practice entry techniques, bailout drills, ladder placements, and rescue,” Ken Newell, principal in Stewart-Cooper-Newell Architects, says. “With a mezzanine about 12 feet above the apparatus room floor, we’ll put anchor points up there so firefighters can do Stokes basket training.” 3 This confined space rescue prop setup is located on the first-floor training space below the mezzanine in Station 57 at the Deerfield Township (OH) Fire Rescue Department. The prop is shown set in place for training exe Read more 387 0 Article rating: No rating Posted: May 18, 2017 Building Training Props into a Fire Station By Alan M. Petrillo Departments fortunate enough to build new fire stations are turning to their architects and asking for various types of training props to be built into the stations. The kinds of props being built into stations vary but range from self rescue, rappelling, and laddering options to confined space operations training to self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) mazes. 1 A Deerfield Township (OH) Fire Rescue Department firefighter works a bailout training exercise from the stair tower training prop in Station 57 that was designed by KZF Design. [Photos 1-4 courtesy of the Deerfield (OH) Township Fire Rescue Department.] Mezzanines and Hose Towers Mark Shoemaker, director of public facilities for KZF Design, says the simplest training props that can be built into new fire stations, often using mezzanine areas, include props for rappelling, bailout training, laddering, and confined space manholes. If a mezzanine isn’t an option in a station, Shoemaker suggests that training props can be built into a stair tower inside a hose tower. 2 Station 57, at the Deerfield Township (OH) Fire Rescue Department, designed by KZF Design, has a bailout training window on the first floor to allow safe basic training before moving to a higher exterior window. “You could use the tower for rappelling, self rescue, hose advancement drills, laddering training, and might even incorporate a dry standpipe into the tower where you could attach a hose and actually flow water,” Shoemaker says. “However, you would need good drainage at the bottom of the tower and either galvanized or stainless steel in the stairway structure.” Often, tool, decon, and compressor rooms are arranged along one wall of the apparatus bays. “There’s usually a mezzanine above them for storage, even a walled mezzanine that can have door and window openings to practice entry techniques, bailout drills, ladder placements, and rescue,” Ken Newell, principal in Stewart-Cooper-Newell Architects, says. “With a mezzanine about 12 feet above the apparatus room floor, we’ll put anchor points up there so firefighters can do Stokes basket training.” 3 This confined space rescue prop setup is located on the first-floor training space below the mezzanine in Station 57 at the Deerfield Township (OH) Fire Rescue Department. The prop is shown set in place for training exe Read more 310 0 Article rating: No rating RSS FirstPrevious6258625962606261626262636264626562666267NextLast Theme picker Filter News Catagories Categories News (193) RSS Expand/Collapse Washington News (11847) RSS Expand/Collapse National News (11518) RSS Expand/Collapse WFC News (109) RSS Expand/Collapse Legislative Announcements (7) RSS Expand/Collapse Flag Lowerings (15) RSS Expand/Collapse Memorial Information (24) RSS Expand/Collapse Sections (6) RSS Expand/Collapse Emergency Medical Services (1) RSS Expand/Collapse Fire Administrative Support (17) RSS Expand/Collapse Fire Mechanics (19761) RSS Expand/Collapse Fire Training Safety & Officers (25) RSS Expand/Collapse Public Fire Educators (4) RSS Expand/Collapse HazMat Committee (0) RSS Expand/Collapse Filter to see National, Washington or WFC News, or filter to the Section News you are looking for! Search News Articles Search Terms Of Use | Privacy Statement - Copyright 2025 by Washington Fire Chiefs Home Members About Us News Calendar Resources Documents Sections County Fire Chiefs FRWC WSAFM