BY STEVE SHUPERT
When thermal imaging cameras (TICs) first appeared, they were hailed as “firefighter radar,” a solution for all our search needs. As this technology has grown, we have discovered the advantages and disadvantages of this very powerful tool and developed some standard practices concerning its use. TICs help us search for victims and are a great crew accountability tool for the crew leader. To employ this dual-pronged approach, you need to develop a plan and train on it.
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| (1) An image seen through the TIC. (Photos by author.) |
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| (2) The TIC lead officer uses the TIC and the crew follows. |
A watershed moment in my learning curve with TICs happened when my department and I were invited to take part in high-rise fire training. The building had a full-blown command structure exercising all aspects of combating a high-rise fire; of course, part of this involved search.
During this drill, a truck captain berated one of his search crew firefighters for opening an apartment door in medium-to-heavy smoke conditions and just standing inside the door and scanning from there, using the TIC like a flashlight. This is not the best technique. This firefighter missed a victim lying on the couch, which faced away from the entry door.
This training scenario illustrated that, when searching, a firefighter still needs to physically enter and search. The thermal image of a human, especially a small human, can be masked easily. This technology is a big luxury and is still not common in all fire departments. So, if your department has a TIC (and you most likely will have only one), who carries it, and how is it used? Search assignments are most effective with a minimum of three firefighters. We must plan ahead, even for a two-person team, and determine which firefighter uses the TIC and how it is deployed.
SCANNING TIPS
TICs will not see through glass or shiny surfaces. Move the camera slowly to help prevent the image from freezing. Victims hiding under a pile of clothes or behind furniture or doors will not be visible. A rapid change in contrast usually indicates a rapid increase in ambient temperature. Pause while crawling to scan, starting your scan low and moving the TIC up to view the floor, walls, and ceiling. As your crew moves deeper into the building, occasionally look behind you to make sure the path you have taken is clear, and keep track of any changing conditions. Don’t become fixated on the TIC screen; it is still necessary to frequently look below the level of the smoke with your own eyes. Wipe the sooty condensation off your face piece and observe your surroundings without the TIC. Additionally, remember that the TIC is not a substitute for a good smoke-piercing light.
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| (3-5) The TIC-directed method: The officer shares the TIC so the searching firefighters can take a mental snapshot of the room they are entering to physically search; they hand the TIC back to the search officer, who then watches the crew, maintains orientation, and monitors conditions in the hallway. |
There are two basic modes of deployment for a TIC in a two- or three-person crew: TIC lead and TIC directed. When the crew is TIC lead, the searcher who is physically out in front of the crew uses the TIC. This firefighter leads others, directing them based on the TIC images shown. The remaining crew follows behind until it is called forward. This tends to be awkward and slow, as the TIC member decides what does—and does not—warrant further search; it feels as if you are always playing catch-up. It is very linear and does not maximize your crew’s full capability, especially when there are more than two firefighters in the crew. This system works well when attempting to locate the seat of the fire or hidden fires during overhaul (when you can identify landmarks to guide firefighters). It does not work well in medium-to-heavy smoke conditions, which is when you are working on time-limited life safety issues. An ideal application for TIC lead is in combination with vent-enter-isolate-search, where a firefighter enters the area to search in medium-to-heavy smoke and the TIC member remains on the ladder, at the window, guiding the search, or if the TIC member is guiding the search from the window.
For the TIC-directed method, the crew leader using the TIC shares the view of the room with each firefighter, which gives the firefighters visual cues (quick scan) to help with orientation. The searchers then begin their physical search. This is important because, in limited visibility, we search with our hands, move into the room, and feel around. The TIC cannot see around corners or look through furniture or under debris. We do not count on this technology to do our job—only to enhance our skills.
As both searchers clear their assigned rooms, the TIC then becomes an accountability aid and safety monitor tool. The search crew leader can “see” each searcher and watches hallway conditions so the crew is not cut off by fire. TIC-directed techniques are very adaptable to oriented search. You can search multiple rooms, allowing the searching firefighters to quickly scan, which allows them to see the room’s thermal conditions, victims, holes in the floor, windows, or other landmarks. This also allows multiple rooms to be searched simultaneously. After the quick scan, the TIC is handed back to the officer to be used as an accountability tool and to monitor fire conditions.
We can better serve our community and each other by properly employing this powerful tool. However, do not become overly dependent on this or any other technology. Do not wait until you are in a burning building with a victim waiting for you to find him to figure out how you and your crew will employ and communicate the information this tool offers. TICs will never replace a determined, well-trained firefighter executing a physical search, but they can enhance search greatly.
STEVE SHUPERT is a 23-year fire service veteran and a lieutenant in the Miami Township (OH) Fire Department. He is a member of DHS/FEMA/USAR Ohio Task Force 1 and an East Coast representative to the FEMA/USAR Rescue Working Group. Shupert has been deployed to five national disasters including the 9/11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina.
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