Thermal Imaging Camera

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Permalink Reply by Ray on March 12, 2009 at 3:54pm

We have a Bullard T4

http://www.bullard.com/V3/products/thermal_imaging/fire_service/T4/

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Permalink Reply by Fireyladd Chief Sharp on March 19, 2009 at 12:27am

We have a T4 also. It has more then met our pre-purchase goals and ideas. It is easy to use and well worth the purchase. Our Police liked it so much they went out and got a grant for one too.

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Permalink Reply by Randy Bawks on March 12, 2009 at 11:19pm

We have a MSA, a local Native Tribe bought it for us. Recently the thing quit working, and we sent it in to have it repaired, and it was going to cost just about the same price to replace it. Apparently the government regulates thermal imaging hardware, and TIC manufactures cannot repair the internals of the camera, they just replace it. Anyway we harldy use it (we average 20-30 runs a year) and since somebody else bought it for us we felt we should repair it. We sent a letter to MSA regarding that the camera is about five years old, but it has only been used maybe a dozen times(this is the real problem, nobody except a couple of guys will ever use it). In the end MSA repaired the camera free of charge and I was very impressed with the customer service.

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Permalink Reply by Asst. 29 on March 13, 2009 at 4:13pm

Is there anybody who is familiar with or are anyone with the Drager UCF 1600 TIC. How are they and does it work well?

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Permalink Reply by rfdjumper on March 13, 2009 at 6:13pm

I've only had experience with Bullard, MSA, and old school Scott, No Drager. Is someone hooking you guys up with a grant or a freebie or something? Personally I like the Bullard, the old T3 and the newer T4 widescreen. For such a little camera they are pretty robust.

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Permalink Reply by Asst. 29 on March 15, 2009 at 7:26pm

Adams Fire Equip. (our current supplier) is running a special on the Drager units and it seems that this is the one the equipment committee is looking to recommend. I would like to get some outside info on the Drager units from someone other than the salesman, because of course he is going to tell us his is the best.
No grant on this we are just looking to make an equipment purchase to better ourselves.

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Permalink Reply by Steve on March 25, 2009 at 2:00pm

My guess is that they are lookin at the draeger simply because your supplier is running a special which is a problem. Specials, Deals, Discounts are not reasons to buy equipment as you probably know. Bottom line is, get what best suits your needs and demands of your department. Im not saying that there is anything wrong with the Drager but it seems their opinion is skewed by you supplier. If you can, contact reps from each manufacturer set up a day to test each type and see how it works for you. Thats what our dept did and we came out pretty good. we opted with the MSA, maybe not the best with all the bells and whistles, but it suits our needs well and is very durable. Always demo all your options (within reason) before you buy sometimes if you get reps to compete you may come out with a good deal and great service plan just for them to seal the deal. we bargained with Seawestern (our MSA rep) for free labor and shipping should it ever need to be repaired as well as a discount on all parts.

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Permalink Reply by Tony P on March 13, 2009 at 6:20pm

Bullard T4. It does what we want it to do. We like the way you can 'throttle' the colour display to have colour changes come in where it's most suitable for the operator, ie for fire have the colours show at high temperatures, for other searches have the threshold set low.

Remember that a TIC has more uses than searching for victims in a structure fire. Thdy can help with assessing structural stability both on arrival and during overhaul. They are useful for hot-spot identification at wildfires. They are useful when searching for people who are lost, ie old people who may have become disoriented and walked off into fields or forests. The T4's zoom is very good for this last use.

One thing I wish is that we'd looked at cameras made in places other than the USA. Not the there's anything wrong with them but it's just so damned hard to get the export approval from Homeland Security over there! And that approval purchase extends to any extras you may want afterwards too.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Montpetit on March 13, 2009 at 6:36pm

We use Bullard....it is hardy, has good dependability and it is easy to learn......But there are plenty of units out there...Contact area reps and see what they can or are willing to do for you.....Take note of support AFTER the sale.....just in case you have a problem....Stay safe....Paul

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Permalink Reply by Hooter on March 15, 2009 at 7:50pm

We have a Bullard TIC and like it very much. It is handy in looking for fire extension in walls and ceilings. It is also handy in search and rescues.

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Permalink Reply by Chief Tal Mong on March 15, 2009 at 9:20pm

TICs are a great tool to the fire service, and should not be the sole source of identifying hot spots, you still need to consider all the senses you were taught during rookie school. The MSA is what we use, realitivley cost effective considering some of the other prices for TIC's. Learn the capabilities of your TIC and remember that it's a tool. Something to think about , Tony was discussing some of it's uses. We use the TIC for night time tornado warnings. Everything gives off heat, even cloud formations. Take your TIC out during a thunderstorm and look at the sky, you will see where it could come in handy. Keep in mind, it will also pick up different thermal layers from the ground up on cooler nights.

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Permalink Reply by Dave on March 15, 2009 at 9:02pm

My Company has the bullard t4. Not a bad unit in my opinion. One bit of advice i will give you is this......DO NOT put it in service until you can train your members on its proper use. This tool can and will hurt your members if they are not trained properly. Infact, most depts and firefighters are not trained properly on its use.

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