Thermal Imager Task Group Reports to the Technical Committee on Electronic Safety Equipment

Several Members of the Thermal Imager Task Group at the Austin, TX NFPA 1801 ROC Meeting (Photo courtesy Humphrey Ha)

Last month in Austin, TX, the Technical Committee on Electronic Safety Equipment completed its review of comments in preparation for the 2012 edition of NFPA 1801, Standard on Thermal Imagers for the Fire Service.

A task group established by the technical committee delivered its report, which involved a number of issues related to the design, performance, manufacturing, testing and certification of new thermal imagers used by the fire service. Headed by Robert Athanas of FDNY/SAFE-IR, Inc, the task group included engineers from their respective organizations who are responsible for design, testing and compliance of thermal imagers to NFPA 1801.

With the issuance of the first edition of NFPA 1801 last year, several issues began to be identified in the standard that involved test methods and test results. Technical Committee Chair Bruce Varner suggested that some preliminary work needed to be done by thermal imager manufacturers to further clarify these issues and provide some potential solutions. As the issues and solutions became further defined, additional manufacturers were also solicited for input.

Engineers from the camera and core manufacturers as well as third-party testing labs and the certification organization met formally for the first time on June 29, 2011 in Newark NJ. The task group was pleased to have had complete cooperation and participation from every member, some of whom traveled from as far away as the UK and Germany, as well as California, Texas, Georgia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Virginia, New York and North Carolina to attend this one-day meeting.

This full-participation continued via conference calls that were conducted almost every 10 days and averaged approximately 2 hours each. The conference calls provided the opportunity for the group to report progress and discuss additional issues in the face of an aggressive schedule that was set in Newark for project completion, which was by the close of the NFPA 1801 ROC meeting on Sept 22, 2011.

Task Group Chair Bob Athanas noted, “The ability to identify problems, discuss and develop solutions and reach a consensus while deferring to each other’s expertise, knowledge and abilities was inspiring. Their unselfish dedication to work together in a cooperative manner for the good of the standard is a credit to the industry and the standard itself and is something that has seldom, if ever, been seen in such a competitive industry.”

TC Chair Bruce Varner observed that the thermal imager standard is among the most technically complex documents in the NFPA standards system, and thanked the task group for their work at the ROC meeting in Austin.

Despite the fact that the NFPA 1801 comment period has closed, the task group plans to continue their efforts to work together on testing and other issues in an ongoing effort to improve a standard that will ultimately provide firefighters with the best that the thermal imaging industry has to offer.

Members of the Thermal Imager Task Group include M. Landon Border, Bullard; Kyle Hawes, Bullard; John Morris, ISG Infrasys; Daniel Akins, ISG Infrasys; Travis Tedesco, Draeger Safety, Inc.; Dr. Bernd Spellenberg, Draeger Safety, Inc.; Craig Gestler, MSA; Bob Nishi, FLIR Systems; Julie Hoy Moreira, FLIR Systems; Jon Turner, E2V; Bill Wilson, E2V; Jason Allen, Intertek Testing Services NA Inc.; Chad Morey, Intertek Testing Services NA Inc.; Jason Patterson, Scott Health and Safety; Humphrey Ha, L3 Communications – EOS; and James Rose, SEI-Safety Equipment Institute.

-Dave Trebisacci

Comments

[fire service recruitment]

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