Thermal/Flir who uses them

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Thermal/Flir who uses them

Posted: 9/8/2010 12:25:49 AM EDT

Im putting together a paper to get the commisioners to release some money from diversion funds to get a thermal monocular for night shift.

What are you guys using brand wise? What do i need to look at when picking one out?

Any advice/experience would be great.

Posted: 9/8/2010 7:15:57 AM EDT

[#1]

Quoted:
Im putting together a paper to get the commisioners to release some money from diversion funds to get a thermal monocular for night shift.

What are you guys using brand wise? What do i need to look at when picking one out?

Any advice/experience would be great.

yep, IM sent.

J-

Posted: 9/8/2010 7:39:35 AM EDT

[#2]

We use one can't remember the brand though. Mostly for checking for hot spots during overhaul.

Posted: 9/8/2010 9:24:51 AM EDT

[#3]

We use an L-3 thermal monocular.

Call some reps for the companies that you are looking at and they will send you one to demo. We tested several models before going with the one we have.

Posted: 9/8/2010 11:25:49 AM EDT

[#4]

Thermal imaging is a great search tool, but quite widely misunderstood.

Because it works on a contrast in thermal emissions from objects, it also works in the daytime, so that's a plus you can use in your paper. For instance you could visually search an area of scrub and see nothing, whereas the TI will pick up someone hidden behind light foilage.

Downside is it will be defeated by more dense foilage, and you can't make id's with TI. You always need some kind of conventional visual aid backup.

I was spoiled, using high spec. TI in air support for 6 years. Great tool and I learned a lot about it's applications. Some of the hand held stuff is good too, but far more limited.

Posted: 9/8/2010 12:35:13 PM EDT

[#5]

My buddy (on another force) rolls with a thermal unit every night. He is on their SWAT and they have two that they use for all kinds of scenarios - Since they are there he takes it a unit with him out on patrol with his other Hasty Deployment gear. Once you have one or two you will start finding new applications to expand the versatility.

Posted: 9/8/2010 1:32:27 PM EDT

[#6]

Our air unit (Fancy, yeah? It's just a helicopter...) has one. It has successfully identified exterior a.c. units and a chicken coop as suspects that had fled from police. It's good for humor.

Posted: 9/8/2010 1:52:18 PM EDT

[#7]

On the fire dept I work for we use Bullard. Tough as hell. I know squat about LE thermal imaging though.

Posted: 9/8/2010 1:54:26 PM EDT

[#8]

Wish we had some. They'd come in handy when guys run into the cane fields. I got spoiled using the ITAS.

Posted: 9/8/2010 2:06:26 PM EDT

[#9]

Used to use the TAM14, now we have the CMVD-T.

Much much nicer, but also expensive. If money is not a problem I would get the CNVD-T. And if money is a problem I would save to get one anyways. I have not play with any other thermal scope sorry.

Posted: 9/8/2010 2:48:08 PM EDT

[#10]

Bullard thermal and ITT NV monoculars. Good gear.

Posted: 9/8/2010 6:46:06 PM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
Our air unit (Fancy, yeah? It's just a helicopter...) has one. It has successfully identified exterior a.c. units and a chicken coop as suspects that had fled from police. It's good for humor.

Sounds like your air unit is looking in the right places. We find people between AC units and houses all the time.

FLIR is a wonderful tool for an air unit but in the hot summer months elements on the ground can heat up hotter than a human which makes it tough on the TFO's. I've seen FLIR video where a suspect has "disappeared" in a concrete parking lot until the gain was adjusted on the FLIR.

Posted: 9/8/2010 6:48:45 PM EDT

[#12]

I'v used a Scott Eagle Imager, nice big screen, can be flipped from black and white (black or white hot) or to color, They are nice but big and bulky.

Posted: 9/8/2010 10:31:30 PM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Our air unit (Fancy, yeah? It's just a helicopter...) has one. It has successfully identified exterior a.c. units and a chicken coop as suspects that had fled from police. It's good for humor.

Sounds like your air unit is looking in the right places. We find people between AC units and houses all the time.

FLIR is a wonderful tool for an air unit but in the hot summer months elements on the ground can heat up hotter than a human which makes it tough on the TFO's. I've seen FLIR video where a suspect has "disappeared" in a concrete parking lot until the gain was adjusted on the FLIR.

I concur. It's the screaming on the radio that I can do without. Yes, we know you think you found them. Stop sounding like privates are being squeezed.

Posted: 9/9/2010 3:03:49 PM EDT

[#14]

When I was in K9 I had one assigned to me. It was an L3 unit. In urban environments suspects generally go to ground not far from where the foot pusuit begins. I have found suspects in a garbage dumpster, under piles of brush, in bushes and a dog house with the FLIR. Very handy tool and as someone mentioned it is good in daylight too.

Posted: 9/10/2010 10:29:27 AM EDT

[#15]

thanks for all the posts!

Posted: 9/10/2010 3:27:31 PM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:
Our air unit (Fancy, yeah? It's just a helicopter...) has one. It has successfully identified exterior a.c. units and a chicken coop as suspects that had fled from police. It's good for humor.

It takes time for new operators to get used to using it, recognising different thermal signatures, and what is and isn't relevant. I was lucky in that I got in early on it's use over here and so was able to teach others. now no-one teaches them anything so it takes forever for them to get used to it, pissing off their colleagues on the ground.

I saw it again when we installed TI at some ground sites we look after. Those who hadn't seen it before struggled but when shown how to use it properly pretty much everyone likes it...

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Thermal/Flir who uses them

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