*** Thermal Image Cameras *** Subject: Info Requested - Thermal Image Cameras Date: Sat, 2 Nov 1996 10:07:17 +0000 From: Andrew Witham To: sar-l@islandnet.com New Zealand wrote: hoping you can help me out with info on a bit of specialist kit for warm body location. My rescue manager saw it on a tv newsclip and is trying to get a bit more on it. I don't know the trade name or anything else about it but apparently its a hand held equipment, similar to a radar speed gun, with a small built in viewing screen at the rear. Ir is powered by battery pack i believe, but don't know whether its infra-red or ???. Its primary use is to locate live or warm bodies in debris or vegetation. Anne, figured that maybe your SAR unit might have something on it?? Have had a look around the net (I/R, body location devices etc), but no joy as yet. I believe that you are referring to a 'Thermal Imagage Camera' or 'TIC'. These were developed some years ago principally to assist firefighters in smoke filled environments, but they do have some applications in SAR. The 'professional' types are quite large, approx cylindrical, about 10 inches in diameter, and 14 inches long, with a pistol grip. A separate battery pack/power supply is hung from the operators neck (or from his SCBA harness). The unit provides a picture to a built in monitor, or can provide a video feed to a transmitters, VCR, or to an external monitor. Battery life from the 10 AA cells is around an hour dependant on use. The units are well constructed and are water resistant. Operation is via a simple on/off switch. The only other control provides switching between 'pan' and 'chop' options. The unit provides best picture on the pan setting, but is dependant on the operator panning or sweep searching the area by moving the camera to and fro. In this mode the display is sensitive to temperature differences of around one half of one degree. Heat is shown with increasing levels of white, while cold shows darker. The 'chop' option simulates panning through the use of a shutter mechanism, but the sensitivity is reduced. There are common misconceptions surrounding the use of TICs. They do not see through walls - in fact they do not see through windows, even. Their use is in wide area search - where more recently their inclusion in rescue and law enforcement helicopters has become widespread. In a hand-held use, they can be used by a ground rescue team in wide areas search, especially at night, were someone lying on the ground or against a tree, or in a ravine will be spotted. The can be used to spot limbs protruding from debris sites, or for rapid searches of spaces such a cellars under fallen buildings were searches need to be made as quickly as possible, and with as little disturbance as possible. Unfortunately, I do not have accurate manufacturer details to hand. I can obtain these (I believe they were made by the English Electric Valve Company, here in the UK). I would be happy to fax further information upon private request to irc@rescue.demon.co.uk Hope this helps -- Andrew Witham irc@rescue.demon.co.uk International Rescue Corps "United to save life" A charity registered in the UK - Number 283031 Patron: HRH The Princess Royal GCVO Further details: URL http://www.demon.co.uk/irc/irc1.html -------------------------