Thermal Imaging Camera Operation: Reading the Heat to Make Better Decisions

The thermal imaging camera changed firefighting. Before TICs became standard equipment, interior search was conducted entirely by touch and sound. You crawled through zero-visibility environments sweeping the floor with your hands, listening for victims, and navigating by feel. You could not see the fire through the smoke, you could not identify hot spots behind walls, and you could not tell whether the ceiling above you was 200 degrees or 800 degrees.

The TIC changed all of that by letting you see heat. But having a TIC and knowing how to use one effectively are two different things. I have watched firefighters sweep a TIC around a room like a flashlight and miss critical information because they did not know what they were looking at. The TIC provides data, but that data is only useful if you understand how to interpret it and how to translate it into tactical decisions.

How Thermal Imaging Works

A thermal imaging camera detects infrared radiation, which is the energy emitted by all objects above absolute zero. Hotter objects emit more infrared energy than cooler objects. The TIC converts this infrared energy into a visible image on the screen, typically displaying hotter areas as lighter colors and cooler areas as darker colors in the standard grayscale palette.

Most fire service TICs operate in the long-wave infrared spectrum, approximately 8 to 14 micrometers, which is the range where differences in object surface temperatures are most visible. The camera is reading surface temperatures, not air temperatures. This is an important distinction. The TIC shows you the temperature of the surfaces you are pointing it at, not the temperature of the air between you and those surfaces.

This means that a TIC can show you a relatively cool-looking image of a room even when the air temperature at the ceiling is dangerously high. The ceiling surface may absorb and re-radiate heat in a way that looks moderately warm on the TIC, while the gas layer just below it is at flashover temperatures. This is why TIC data must be combined with other situational awareness tools, like feeling the ambient heat through your gear and observing smoke conditions, rather than relied upon as your sole information source.

IFSTA at ifsta.org provides comprehensive training resources on thermal imaging camera operation for firefighters. Their materials cover the physics of infrared imaging, common interpretation errors, and practical applications across different fireground scenarios. If your department is adopting new TIC technology or refreshing training on existing equipment, IFSTA resources are a solid reference.

Reading the TIC Display

The standard grayscale display on most fire service TICs uses white for the hottest temperatures, black for the coolest, and shades of gray for everything in between. Some TICs offer color palettes where the hottest areas appear in red or yellow, but the interpretation principles are the same.

When you scan a room with the TIC, you are looking for temperature differentials. A hot spot on a wall may indicate fire behind the wall. A glowing area on the ceiling tells you where the hottest gases are concentrated. A human-shaped heat signature on the floor of a smoke-filled room is a potential victim.

Move the TIC slowly and deliberately. If you sweep it too fast, you will miss details. Scan from low to high to read the thermal gradient. The floor level should be the coolest. As you scan upward toward the ceiling, temperatures should increase. If the temperatures at floor level are approaching the temperatures at the ceiling, conditions are homogenizing and you may be approaching flashover.

Look behind you periodically. It is easy to focus the TIC forward as you advance, but conditions behind you are equally important. If the temperatures behind you are rising, your exit path may be compromised.

Using the TIC for Search

The primary tactical application of TIC in most departments is interior search. In zero-visibility conditions, the TIC allows you to see the layout of the room, identify obstacles, locate victims, and navigate more efficiently than by touch alone.

When searching with a TIC, scan the floor methodically. Victims on the floor will appear as a distinct heat signature, typically a body-shaped warm area against a cooler floor background. However, be aware that unconscious victims may cool to near-ambient temperatures relatively quickly, especially if they have been in the environment for an extended period. A victim who has been in a cool room with smoke but no significant heat may be only slightly warmer than the floor, making them harder to spot.

Also be aware that pets, heated objects like laptops or heating pads, and even warm air currents can create heat signatures that look like victims on the TIC. Confirm every potential victim visually and by touch before calling a rescue.

The TIC is also useful for navigating the structure. You can see doorways, hallways, stairways, and furniture through the smoke, allowing you to move more quickly and maintain better orientation. Use the TIC to build a mental map of the space as you advance, noting exit paths and obstacles.

Using the TIC for Fire Location

Finding the seat of the fire in a smoke-filled structure is significantly easier with a TIC. The fire will appear as the brightest area on the display, and you can track it from a distance before you commit your hoseline.

The TIC also reveals fire extension that may not be visible. Fire behind walls, above ceilings, and below floors produces heat signatures on the adjacent surfaces. A hot spot on a wall that glows brightly on the TIC when the rest of the wall is cooler indicates fire inside the wall cavity. A ceiling that shows a distinct hot area may have fire in the attic space above.

During overhaul, the TIC is invaluable for finding hidden fire. After the main body of fire is knocked down, scan all surfaces systematically. Open any area that shows residual heat. Check around electrical outlets, light fixtures, HVAC ducts, and any penetrations through walls and ceilings. These are the pathways where fire extends through concealed spaces.

Using the TIC for Ventilation Assessment

The TIC can help you assess ventilation effectiveness. After a ventilation opening is created, watch the TIC display. If ventilation is working, you should see the hot gas layer lifting and the overall temperature gradient shifting. The temperatures at lower levels should decrease, and the thermal layering should become more distinct as the hot gases vent through the opening.

If you do not see improvement on the TIC after ventilation, either the ventilation opening is inadequate, it is in the wrong location, or the fire has grown beyond what ventilation alone can address. This information helps you adjust your tactics in real time.

Using the TIC for Size-Up

Start using the TIC during your exterior size-up before you even make entry. Point the TIC at the building from the exterior and scan the surfaces. You can often identify the fire location, fire extent, and heat conditions through the exterior walls and windows.

Hot spots on exterior walls indicate fire location. Windows that appear uniformly hot on the TIC may have fire conditions directly behind them. A roof that shows significant heat on the TIC from the exterior may have fire in the attic. This exterior TIC scan gives you information that supplements your visual size-up and helps you commit crews with better knowledge of what they are walking into.

Common TIC Mistakes

Several common errors reduce the effectiveness of TIC operations on the fireground.

Relying on the TIC exclusively and ignoring other senses. The TIC shows surface temperatures, not air temperatures, and cannot tell you about the structural integrity of the floor you are standing on or the concentration of toxic gases in the air. Use the TIC as one information source among many.

Not understanding the temperature scale. Most TICs have a temperature range that adjusts automatically. The white on the display does not always mean the same temperature. In a relatively cool environment, the TIC may display a warm body as bright white. In a fire environment, that same body temperature would appear as dark gray because the scale has adjusted upward. Understand your specific TIC model and how its auto-ranging works.

Not scanning behind you. Tunnel vision forward is a natural tendency, but conditions behind you are just as important. The TIC can tell you whether your egress path is still viable.

Forgetting to use it during overhaul. This is when the TIC is arguably most valuable. Finding hidden fire after the knockdown prevents rekindle and ensures the fire is fully extinguished. Scan every surface, every void space, and every area where fire may have extended.

The TIC is a tool, like every other tool on the rig. It requires training, practice, and understanding to be effective. Do not just carry it. Learn it. Train with it until reading the display is automatic and translating that data into tactical decisions is second nature.

First Due Co. integrates thermal imaging concepts into fire scenario training, helping you practice reading conditions and making decisions with the information a TIC provides. Sharpen your fireground intelligence at firstdueco.com.