Thermal Imaging cameras

[chief1001]

Im looking for some insight some of you might have on your own personal preferances of thermal imagers. We are in the market to purchase however we want to gather some info first. Some issues are durability, ease of use, leangth of time camera lasts, and any war stories too!

[Fireboy422]

Any thermal imager is great, just get one, and use the H$LL out of it!!! Train with it like you've never trained before, remember you only get a 2-D picture, you need to be able to interpret the picture into a 3-D environment. I'll E-mail you with more so I don't use up all the space on the web page.

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-FF D. Betka
NSFD
Norton Shores, MI

[ntvilleff]

Sorry, I don't agree with fireboy. Not all TIC are good. When our dept. was in the market for one we saw a lot of camera's demoed and read a lot of literature. We ended up with a Bullard. It's functionality is simple, (it only has three buttons, on/off; sleep mode; and transmit) battery changing is quick and easy, and the viewing screen is big enough so you can show your crew what's up front also. Some camera's offered options like color display and a screen that numerically displays the different temps. You really don't need all that extra garbage. The Bullard is very rugged andcan put up with a bit more abuse than other camera's. Good luck.

Dave

[Lt315]

My vol. dept has the MSA evolution camera, it cost more than the others but it has the best features. the Scott was also good, but the MSA red screen for high heat was excellent for overhaul, it is sensitive enough to show red for the tip of a cigarette. Make sure to check it out.

[Captain Gonzo]

My Department has four TIC's from Bullard. They are easy to use and are basically "firefighter proof", in other words, they take a beating and still work!

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Firefighters: Today's heroes protecting everyone's tomorrows!
Captain Gonzo

[PlattsFire1]

I agree with Fireboy. Get a demo unit, and just play with it. Pass it around the department, and let everyone become familiar with it, as well as get their opinions.
We have a Bullard, and we are very pleased with the results. We are looking into buying another shortly, and placing it on our untility truck. Couldn't be happier.

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Mike

[medtranz]

Have as many of the manufactureers demo the tic to you.Also get as many as possible to loan you a tic for 30 days.Play with them all.Then go buy a Bullard.Bullard is the easiest and most user friendly.Alot of most depts have older officers that are not exactly electronics savvy.It is the easiest to use for them as well.

[chief1001]

As of last night now I have seen the Bullard.
It does look like a rugged unit. Sometime in July we will probably demo three or four units on a control burn and have all the sales reps there also. Was there any preferance between bst or microbolmeter tech.? At first the commitee was going to go only with the micro b. And the MSA was nice also, I did get a chance to demo that at a burn a month ago and had the argus 2 side by side with it. and there was a difference.

[PA Volunteer]

We currently use the Cairns IRIS and are looking to purchase a second TIC. For strictly S&R, the IRIS is great. You're hands are free and it gives a nice clear picture right in front of you. The downside is, it's really heavy, and the batteries hold a memory and don't last very long. The best handheld we've seen is the Bullard. You can drop it. It's easy to use. The picture is the clearest I've seen. As someone else said, get all the reps into the station and demo the heck out of as many as you can. Stay Safe.

[ntvilleff]

PA..
I'm not a Bullard rep., but if you are looking for a second tic, a Bullard would probably be a good second unit for you. Our dept. looked at the IRIS, and besides the problems you mentioned, the reason we didn't go with it was because only the person wearing it could see what it was he is looking at.

[Plug-Ugly]

I am with the Bullard bunch here, it's easy to use.

[TIman]

Hello All,

For those of you who may have missed it, there is a topic under "Internet & Technology" devoted to thermal imaging.

Those of you getting into thermal imaging may also find the following links helpfull.

If your looking for thermal imagers:
Cairns - www.cairnsthermalimager.com/
Fire Research - www.fireresearch.com
FLIR - now marketed by Scott
GBSOLO - www.gbsolo.co.uk/
Drager / ICC - www.infraredcomponents.com
ISG - www.isgthermalsystems.co.uk/index.htm
ISI - www.intsafety.com
Marconi - www.argusdirect.com
MSA - www.MSAnet.com
Scott - www.scottaviation.com/web/hswebpag.nsf/Products/Thermal?opendocument#S3

If your looking for info on evaluating thermal imagers : http://thermalimager.bullard.com/tec...Eval/index.cfm

If your looking for info on legislation : http://thermalimager.bullard.com/techSpecs/politics.cfm

If your looking for info on fundraising : http://www.firehouse.com/funding/fireact/031901.html http://thermalimager.bullard.com/tec...rcesPublic.cfm

If your looking for articles on thermal imaging : http://thermalimager.bullard.com/tec...esArticles.cfm

If your looking for thermal imaging photos or videos : http://thermalimager.bullard.com/tec...rcesPhotos.cfm

If your looking for info on TI training :
www.safe-ir.com
http://thermalimager.bullard.com/index06.cfm

If your looking for information on saves with a thermal imager : http://thermalimager.bullard.com/index07.cfm

If your looking for TI SOPs :
www.cfdonline.org/book3/3-iv-16.htm http://thermalimager.bullard.com/new...mar01pag05.cfm

Additional TI Sites :
http://www.leta.org/
http://camerasuccess.homestead.com/

Hope this helps everyone.

Thanks to the crews for using Bullard, glad to hear it is going well.

If I can help anyone, Bullard user or not, drop me a line.

Good Luck, Be Safe,

"TIman"
Mike Richardson
Bullard TI Training Specialist



[This message has been edited by TIman (edited 05-25-2001).]

[LieutDan]

Our Dept. uses the MSA and we have had very good luck with it. It comes with a set of rechargeable batteries and a holder for regular ones. Practice IS important with them. You will see many things you've never noticed before like the hot water pipes behind the walls or heating ducts. So be careful before you tear a wall apart because you saw a hot spot!