Carl Nix

Traveling throughout the world teaching firefighters how to effectively use thermal imaging technology is extremely rewarding.

That’s why, when I unexpectedly receive a call from a fire chief asking for training on his department’s thermal imaging camera (TIC), I’m right there. During training, I ask to use the department’s TIC to help me teach the class about the many benefits of thermal imaging technology. This also gives me an opportunity to examine the department’s TIC. Most of the time, I’m handed a TIC that needs at least a good wipe down to clean off the soot and grime that have accumulated from everyday use. Sometimes, however, there’s a TIC that is just so filthy that it requires a considerable amount of time to clean to get it back to its original condition. This scenario recently took place at one of my TIC trainings.

The fire chief had asked me to train his crew on why thermal imaging technology was so vital to firefighting and to also inspect his TIC, which was not performing the way it did when he first purchased the tool. When I saw the condition of the TIC, it became clear to me that the performance issues cited by the chief were from firefighter neglect. Certainly, this was not intentional neglect by the crew. This crew never thought about cleaning the TIC after each call. Think about the abuse a TIC gets when you take it into a structural fire. That same soot, carbon, and grime that you wash off you and your gear after a call is embedded into your TIC. After every call, you need to clean and check your TIC so it’s ready for the next call.

A TIC is probably the most overlooked tool when firefighters perform daily and weekly checks at the station. Have you ever cleaned the TIC’s lens or display cover? Do you know you can easily unscrew the display cover and wipe the soot and dirt from it? Do you check your TIC’s battery life? You perform daily or weekly checks of your fire apparatus to be sure every feature is performing correctly. You always check your self-contained breathing apparatus before and after each use. So why not your TIC?

TIC MAINTENANCE PLAN

After my visit with this chief, I thought it would be helpful to share with you a TIC maintenance plan for keeping this tool on call and ready to deliver the best service in the most critical situations.

First, always inspect the outside of the TIC for damage and cleanliness. Keeping your TIC clean means the surface of your TIC should look shiny. The reason is not because you want to show off your TIC but because the shinier the TIC surface, the more radiant heat the camera will reflect rather than absorb. Excessive soot buildup will lead to higher absorption of radiant heat and will affect how long the TIC may run in extremely hot environments. All you need to clean your TIC is soap a