BY STEVEN SKINNER
Times are tough, and today’s economic climate is forcing the fire service to achieve more with less than ever before. Through interagency cooperation, Tampa (FL) Fire Rescue (TFR) is accomplishing that goal. Using available technology, TFR has enhanced its operational safety and effectiveness at minimal additional cost to its citizens.
Working closely with the Tampa Police Department, TFR has incorporated airborne forward-looking infrared (FLIR) imaging technology into its on-scene operations. Originally developed for the military, a FLIR image enables the user to see the amount of thermal energy (heat) an object emits.
Heat in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum behaves much like visible light and can be optically focused and collected. To create an image, the infrared camera uses a special lens designed to collect thermal energy, which then heats various internal materials, thus changing their electrical properties. This change transforms the infrared energy to electronic signal levels. These changing signal levels are translated into video signals to which a different shade of gray is assigned for each temperature, creating a visual image on a TV monitor.
Forward-looking infrared imaging is not the same technology as night vision. FLIR cameras are true thermal imaging devices that create pictures based on heat energy emitted by the viewed scene rather than light reflected off it. Infrared light is not visible because its wavelengths are too long to be detected by the human eye; it’s the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that is perceived as heat. Any object with a temperature above absolute zero (459°F) emits heat energy. The higher the object’s temperature, the more infrared light it emits.
Night vison, however, operates in the visible light spectrum and near the infrared ranges at 0.4 to 1.0 micrometers or microns. FLIR cameras operate in longer wavelengths that range from 3 to 5 microns to 8 to 12 microns. Because the energy sensed is heat and not light, FLIR images are totally unaffected by the amount of light at an incident.
The fundamental questions in developing a fire attack are the following: Where is the fire? and Where is it going? Airborne FLIR thermal imaging provides abundant information regarding both questions.
FLIR thermal imaging exposes all heat sources at an incident scene and identifies in what direction the heat is traveling. With FLIR, an incident commmander’s (IC) vision is no longer limited to just two sides of a building or a wall of flame. Thanks to the gyroscopic helicopter-mounted camera, command has a complete overview of the scene and can see aspects never before available (photo 1). This unique incident perspective enables a fire officer to make decisions based on real-time information. According to TFR’s Chief of Operations Scott Ehlers, airborne FLIR “keeps firefighters one step ahead of the fire.” The technology has enabled TFR to confirm the effectiveness of its actions and more accurately predict the fire’s effect on exposures. FLIR provides ICs with more information, which translates to better informed decisions that are critical to achieving incident objectives such as rescue; exposure protection; ventilation; fire confinement; extinguishment; overhaul; salvage; and, most importantly, safety.
 (1) A FLIR camera mounted on a helicopter (arrow). [Photos courtesy of Tampa (FL) Fire Rescue unless otherwise noted.] |
The image in Photo 2 is a third-alarm fire in Tampa. It demonstrates FLIR capabilities when evaluating exposures and personnel safety.
 (2) At this three-alarm fire, the FLIR image showed the top floor’s heat signature through the roof atrium (circle). The technology also enabled a visual accounting of operating personnel (arrow). |
FLIR has not only been extremely helpful in fighting fires in Tampa but has also proven beneficial in hazardous materials incidents, search and rescue activities, post-hurricane operations, and identifying electrical power hazards. TFR has also successfully used airborne FLIR in combating numerous brush fires in the city’s north district, enabling ICs to quickly locate spot fires and direct water-drop operations. The department is developing protocols for using the FLIR system, such as directing officers to call for this technology early in an incident to maximize the information available for initial operational decisions.
 (3) An aerial view of the tank fire area in daylight. (© 2001 Google, © 2007 Europa Technologies.) |
At a recent fuel tank fire in the Port of Tampa (photos 4-6), FLIR was an invaluable resource. TFR has developed a network that can send images provided by a FLIR-equipped Tampa Police Department helicopter to monitors in TFR’s District 1 and District 3 chiefs’ vehicles and in the Heavy Rescue 1 apparatus.
 (4) Image of the same area at night without using a FLIR camera. |
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 (6) Personnel could also assess the effectiveness of exposure protection using FLIR imaging (arrows). |
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Future plans include installing a FLIR monitor in a new fireboat to be delivered later this year. In addition to providing the on-scene commander with real-time aerial infrared images, the system will download the same images to its headquarters, allowing its staff officers to monitor the progress of ongoing operations. The network’s foundation is not its technology; it is the cooperative working relationship between TFR and the Tampa Police Department, which enables them to use public resources to their fullest potential.
STEVEN SKINNER is a 21-year veteran of the fire service and a captain with Tampa (FL) Fire Rescue. He is an instructor at the Hillsborough Community College Fire Academy and at the Criminal Justice Institute.
