For years, the fire service has been using thermal imaging equipment to search for victims in structure fires. On some occasions, it is called on to aid in the search for victims lost outdoors.

This month’s article will focus on using handheld and airborne thermal imagers (TIs) for urban search and rescue (USAR) .

HANDHELD

Using a handheld fire service TI for USAR can be highly effective because of its ability to detect heat signatures in complex environments. Here are some key considerations and best practices:

1. Understanding the equipment:
   • Thermal imaging: Detects heat differences, allowing rescuers to locate victims hidden by debris or rubble or in low visibility.
   • Resolution and sensitivity: Higher resolution and thermal sensitivity improve detection capabilities, especially in cluttered urban settings.
2. Preparation and planning:
   • Familiarize with the device: Prior training on the specific model ensures effective use.
   • Scene assessment: Analyze the environment to identify potential heat sources, entry points, and hazards.
   • Coordinate with team: Establish search patterns and communication protocols.
3. Search techniques:
   • Systematic scanning: Use grid or sector searches to ensure thorough coverage.
   • Elevation and angle: Adjust the angle and height of the TI to maximize visibility into debris and hidden areas.
   • Movement and observation: Move slowly and steadily; observe for heat signatures that stand out from background temperatures.
   • Multiple passes: Revisit areas, as heat signatures can change over time or be obscured by fallen trees and debris.
4. Operational tips:
   • Background temperature consideration: Be aware of ambient temperature changes that may affect detection, as the cooler the background, the greater the heat signature, the greater for thermal distance.
   • Identify heat signatures: Look for human-sized heat sources that are consistent and mobile. You don’t have to detect the entire victim; perhaps you detect the heat signature from an arm or leg of the person lying in deep grass or behind a tree.
   • Distinguish false positives: Recognize other heat sources such as rocks, trees, and other hot surfaces caused by solar loading from the sun and reflections caused by water.
5. Safety and limitations:
   • Maintain safety protocols: Always prioritize personal safety, especially in unstable terrain.
   • Limitations: TIs cannot see through thick foliage or debris—i.e. rocks; they detect surface heat, so victims may be concealed or cooled. Victims cannot be seen underwater, as I/R cannot penetrate below the water’s surface.
   • Environmental factors: Weather pertaining to rain, snow, fog, or bright sunny days can affect thermal readings.
6. Post-detection actions:
   • Verification: Confirm potential victims with secondary methods if possible.
   • Mark and document: Mark locations of heat signatures for rescue teams.
   • Continuous monitoring: Keep observing the area for changes or new heat signatures.

1 The location of a person using a fire service TI with Hot Area Detector. (Photo courtesy of Bullard.)

2 An airborne application where three searchers are directed tow

The Nashville Fire Department added Truck Company 33 to its in-service front-line fleet on Friday, November 14, 2025, at Fire Station 33 in Antioch, Tennessee, the department said in a Facebook post.

The addition of Truck Company 33 brings the total number of truck companies to 14 in Metro Nashville Davidson County. This includes 10 aerials, two towers, and two tillers already in service.

Truck Company 33 expands the fire suppression capabilities of the NFD in the growing Southeast area of Metro Nashville Davidson County along Murfreesboro Pike.

“The territory around Fire Station 33 is a high call volume area, including calls for commercial and apartment fires,” Director Chief William Swann said. “The addition of Truck Company 33 will allow for faster response times and better fire suppression coverage for the Antioch area.”

Aerial trucks are used for rescue, ventilation, and elevated firefighting and are critical for accessing upper floors of buildings, providing escape routes, and delivering large volumes of water from an elevated position. NFD truck companies also respond to motor vehicle accidents and carry vehicle extrication tools. Fire operations personnel are all trained EMTs and in some cases are firefighter paramedics. They can provide emergency medical care when needed.

While Truck Company 33 is assigned to the area surrounding Station 33, the apparatus and personnel can respond to other areas of the county depending on need.

The truck company will also be able to reduce the need for other truck companies from outside the area from having to respond to this area as often. This is expected to help reduce response times and run volumes for all units.

Truck Company 33 is staffed across all three of NFD’s fire operational shifts. Funding for the new truck company came from the Fiscal 2026 operating budget proposed by Mayor Freddie O’Connell and approved by the Metro Nashville Council.

In 2024 NFD responded to more than 160,000 incidents. From January 1, 2025, through November 6, 2025, the NFD has responded to more than 139,000 incidents or about a 14.3% increase when compared to the same time in 2024.

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The Town of Dewey Fire Department in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, is adding a larger pumper and updating its breathing equipment.

The Town Board approved the purchase using $27,000 from the fire department’s reserves to purchase a used engine and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) from the Village of Plover.

Fire Chief Brian Lepper told the board the 1994 Welch HME custom pumper comes with a 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pump—the biggest Dewey would own—along with a six-person cab, generator, hoses, ladders, and other tools. The truck has about 27,000 miles, an aluminum body, and no visible rust. Dewey’s officers inspected it last week.

The truck will replace the department’s 1990 rescue vehicle, a refurbished ambulance, and one of its two 1970s surplus military brush trucks. Dewey will keep the remaining six-wheel-drive unit for off-road calls.

The deal also includes 10 SCBA units and 20 used 4,500-psi air cylinders. The equipment will replace Dewey’s older 2,216-psi cylinders that provide significantly less working time inside a burning building. Lepper said Dewey is one of the last departments in the county still using the older cylinders.

For more on this story, please go to SPMetroWire.com.

The post Dewey (WI) FD Buys Used Pumper, SCBA from Neighbor Department appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

Independent Tribune, Concord, N.C.
(TNS)

Join the Kannapolis Fire Department for a traditional wash-down ceremony to officially bring new Fire Engine 41 into service.

The ceremony will take place at 2 p.m., Friday, Nov. 21, at Fire Station 4, 328 Stewart St. NW.

A fire truck wash-down ceremony is a long-standing fire service tradition held to celebrate the arrival of a new fire engine and welcome it into service. During the ceremony, firefighters and community members gather to wash and wipe down the new engine. After the wash down, the new truck is ceremonially pushed into the station’s bay, a nod to the days when firefighters manually pushed horse-drawn engines into their stalls.

The public is welcome to attend and participate in the ceremony, meet firefighters, and get an up-close look at the new Engine 41. Light refreshments will be provided following the ceremony.

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© 2025 Independent Tribune, Concord, N.C.. Visit www.independenttribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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