Thermal Imaging: "Outside-the-Box" Training With Thermal Imagers

Nov. 1, 2014

Does your department have the ability to train in an active, live-fire training facility? If so, count yourself fortunate. Not many fire departments have live-fire training facilities, making it difficult for firefighters to train with thermal imagers (TIs). Having the ability to replicate, as closely as possible, actual fire conditions is a huge benefit for TI users.

However, training in a facility is not always necessary. There are many ways to train with a TI that don’t involve live fire or even smoke conditions. I often receive questions from firefighters regarding thermal imager operation and applications. Perhaps some of these questions exist because they haven’t been able to use TIs frequently enough in fires. But, it doesn’t have to be this way. Firefighters can train “outside the box” – the “box” being a burn building. Below, we’ll explore some scenarios useful for thermal imaging training in the absence of a facility.

Assess your resources

The first place to start is to assess your resources. What do you have available at your fire station that you can turn into a suitable TI training environment? For instance, you can use your truck room or recreational hall by closing all the doors, putting tinfoil over the windows, and turning off the lights to make the room as dark as possible. Upon doing this, you have converted your fire station into a basic TI training environment. Have your team get a “lay of the land” and gain familiarity with TI imagery and basic functions by looking around with the TI in this newly dark setting.

Once you have the basic setup, mock up a situation that your team could very well encounter in the field. Expand your training environment to areas such as the kitchen, sitting room, closet, bathroom and bunkroom, which all closely mirror what you may encounter in a fire. Try building a house plan by setting up tables, chairs, couches and other household items. Your team, now familiar with the TI, can begin navigating around and become comfortable moving from room to room.

Once your team is proficient in navigating your station, introduce additional elements. First, if you haven’t already, put your firefighters in full turnout gear, including self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). This will add a level of difficulty, but more importantly, it will replicate the personal conditions of how they will use thermal imagers in a real event. Second, place a victim (one of your team members) in one of the rooms in your station and challenge your team to find him or her. You can time your team with and without the aid of a TI to show how beneficial it can be in quickly clearing rooms and identifying victims.

There is really no way to simulate the conditions of a real fire in a fire station. Nothing can replace real smoke, dangerous heat and the intensity and adrenaline rush that occur when entering a burning building. Moreover, the effects of heat and smoke will change what firefighters see on a TI when they are navigating and looking for victims. Still, preparing in situations that develop proficiency and instill confidence is extremely valuable and is far better than going into a fire unprepared.

There are also ways to train with TIs for non-fire interior applications. Your team can practice size-up skills without access to a live-fire facility by just looking at the exterior of the firehouse with the TI. This will reveal shades of grayscale imagery that will appear in different locations at different times of the day or night (due to heat from the sun or heating/cooling units, for example). This gives you an idea of what you may or may not see when you arrive at a house fire call with no fire showing.

Vehicle accidents, including motorcycles, provide another practice opportunity. Have a few firefighters sit in vehicles, varying the number of occupants in each vehicle. Have them exit, and then have other team members scan the vehicle seats with the TI to see if they can determine how many people were in the vehicle. This can be beneficial when at a vehicle accident to determine whether there are occupant ejections.

Many fire departments have containers of all types around the firehouse. Propane, diesel fuel and gasoline are a few of the common liquids found at the station. Have your team look at the different containers and practice determining liquid levels. Verify your findings by opening each container or simply looking at the gauge. Keep in mind that when you are on the scene in an emergency situation, you will not be able to verify your findings until the danger has subsided.

Practicing using your TI for outdoor search and rescue introduces an element of fun. Like playing hide-and-seek, send a few firefighters into the woods or any outdoor area and have other members attempt to find them using the TI. Be sure to practice this at different times of the day and night and in different weather because the imagery on the TI will vary based on changing environmental conditions.

Fire departments everywhere can train with thermal imagers “outside the box” by using resources already available to them. While it is always beneficial to do live-fire training, your department personnel can become proficient TI users by training under a variety of scenarios in and around the firehouse. Doing this will familiarize your team with the features, uses, applications and limitations of thermal imagers.

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