Whether a department is served by career or volunteer firefighters, a thermal-imaging camera is an essential tool to every department. Time and time again, TICs have helped quickly identify heat sources in smoky structural fires or troublesome appliances. The TIC can minimize property damage when used to check void spaces for extension of heat and fire. Should there be victims in the fire, the TIC enhances firefighters' ability to locate them quickly during the primary search. It also enables firefighters to locate hot spots, identify potentially dangerous flashover situations, and determine the spread of fire. Another significant TIC contribution is guiding hose streams toward the seat of a fire.

The Orlando (Fla.) Fire Department knew the importance of this firefighting tool. It had some TICs on its units, but wanted to see what value and cost there would be to adding TICs to all its units.

Like most other departments, OFD's mission is to protect the residents' lives and property through emergency response, education and prevention. It serves a jurisdiction with a population of 220,651 within an area of 109.57 square miles. The department has 485 sworn members and 67 civilians. The fiscal year budget for 2006-2007 was $66.1 million.

In the past, it was cost prohibitive to place a TIC on every unit in Orlando. TICs usually were assigned to the heavy-rescue and truck companies. When a camera was needed, the engine company officers had to request a truck company or heavy rescue. This meant that response to an electrical odor, a troublesome ballast element, or a pot on the stove often required additional units on the scene.

In 2006, The department responded to 48,563 calls for service; 30% of those calls were actual fire calls, fire alarms, water flow alarms, or smoke odor. Whether actual fires or suspected fires, the calls often required the use of a TIC. In the late 1990s, the it purchased eight Cairns IRIS helmet cameras and assigned them to truck companies and the heavy rescue. These cameras cost the department approximately $25,000 each and were funded through the general funds from the capital improvement process.

Later, the helmet-mounted cameras were replaced with the Scott Eagle I imagers. These cameras were not much cheaper, however they provided more mobility and better technology than the old helmet cameras.

During the years of use and evaluation, feedback to management was provided regarding flexibility of use, electronic capabilities, thermal-reading accommodations and safety issues of the various styles of TICs. In 2006, the department decided to make Bullard's T3 and T4 standard issue.

But before committing to putting TICs on all units, the department assessed whether cameras on engine companies would improve the department's delivery of service. It has eight engine companies that are not housed with a truck company. Engine Company 5 was the first engine that was assigned a TIC. Because it responded to a significant amount of high-risk, high-frequency fire calls within the joint response area, Station 5 made the perfect choice for testing the cameras. During the test, Engine 5 was able to isolate common problems that would require a truck company or a squad with a TIC.

When considering implementing a thermal-imager program, fire chiefs should use some model to justify the expenditures of such a program. Orlando's training division provided a cost justification, however it only focused on the crews' safety. Cost-justification models should include the average fire-dollar loss since implementation of TIC program, unit-on-scene times, and ratios of structure loss versus structure values.

Other concerns to address are if the specific TIC considered is the best use of the organization's money, and if implementing the TIC fits into the current firefighting strategies and standard operating guidelines. Also, consider a camera's life expectancy and reliability.

Once the cost is justified and the best TIC selected, the department must find the money. In Orlando, funding for the new TICs was secured through the standard budget process over several years. The capital improvement initiative required commitment from all levels of the organization. The thermal-imaging program came to fruition as a result of years of collaboration between the training division and the fire chief's office. The average cost of the Bullard TICs was approximately $10,000 each. Nearly 21 TICs have been purchased since November 2006. In May, TICs were placed on every engine company.

For fire departments without money in the budget, a variety of funding mechanisms exist. One source is the Federal Emergency Management Agency's 2007 Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program. According to U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the program is highly competitive and designed to complement other grant programs. Alternative funding sources may include corporate sponsorships to promote better public safety.

Once the department purchased its cameras, the logistics department and the on-duty shift commanders coordinated the TIC installation. The units were rotated over two to three days to have the chargers installed; some were installed while the units were in for preventative maintenance. Reserve units also had the chargers installed in case front-run engines were placed out of service for repairs or preventative maintenance. Installing the chargers for the TICs cost the department approximately one hour per unit, which equals approximately $74 per unit.

For OFD, improved TIC technology, greater demand for the fire service, available funding and more TIC models on the market, led it to go through with its TIC program. There's good reason to invest the time and money in TICs. Companies using these cameras can simultaneously begin search-and-rescue and fire-suppression efforts. The engine can get water on the fire more quickly, and the speed of the primary search and maintaining orientation of the search are improved.

The T4 cameras were only assigned to Orlando's heavy rescue and tower trucks. These cameras have an ultra-high resolution infrared engine, wide-screen display, digital zoom and an electronic thermal throttle for identifying troublesome electrical problems in non-emergency situations.

The department has committed to this program. The various applications of the TIC will be considered and included in upcoming revisions of the department's standard operating procedures. The department's leaders encourage TIC use in company training activities, live burns and on all fire-related calls. Furthermore, there has been buy-in from all levels of the organization, from the bottom up.

Members of the training division and special operations team provided thorough training and preparation for the thermal-imager program's implementation. The training division staff conducted more than 30 classes to establish competency with the TIC. The training provided to crew members included the use of DVDs (provided by Bullard), a PowerPoint presentation, hands-on scenarios (smoke generator, light bulbs and live victim analysis) and live-burn training.

The trainers emphasized that the TIC is only a tool and does not replace appropriate firefighting tactics and strategies; basic search techniques should not be overlooked. A department's company officers should train frequently with their crews to maintain competency with the TIC. Training can be enhanced by using the TIC on company surveys, at night in the dorms with lights out, on EMS calls and during other simulated training exercises.

But the planning doesn't end with buying and learning to use the cameras. The manufacturer recommends full replacement between seven and 10 years. Funding for replacement cameras will be addressed during the next five years. The department will budget according to the anticipated replacement of cameras based on years in service. This will allow for a phased replacement of the cameras versus buying them all at once.

In months to come, the department will evaluate and identify good practices from its thermal imaging program. The program aligns particularly well with the strategic goals of obtaining an all clear within three to four minutes of arrival of the first-due fire department unit, reducing property damage and minimizing loss due to fires, and improving unit availability on non-emergency calls. The implementation of the thermal imaging program has so far strengthened the department's regional response, mutual aid and ability to make its community safer.

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Hezedean Smith is an Orlando Fire Department Lieutenant/Paramedic. He has 14 years in the fire service and 19 years in EMS. Smith has a master's degree in organizational management. He teaches in the EMS program at Valencia Community College and in the education department at Orlando Regional Healthcare System.

Orlando Fire Department's Thermal Imaging Program

• 18 engines: T3 & T3 Max (1 camera each)
• 8 reserve engines: chargers only
• 6 trucks: T4 (1 camera each)
• 1 heavy rescue: T4 (2 cameras)
• 26 cameras total