On February 9, 2007, at 8:00 P.M., the Jacksonville Fire Department, Engine 2, responded to a report of smoke in a structure. Upon arrival, the firefighters immediately went into search and rescue mode. The occupants inside the house were located and brought outside the house to safety. A Lieutenant from the department made a third entry back inside the house, carrying the Bullard thermal imager. By this time, the smoke had ignited causing a flashover. Finding it very difficult to find his way out of the burning house, he made his way to a window. There, he was able to crawl out to safety, dropping his gear in the process and leaving it behind in the burning house. While overhauling the scene shortly afterwards, the firefighters came across the Lieutenant’s melted radio and thermal imager. The Kevlar straps on the side of the thermal imager had burned completely through, indicating a temperature exposure of over 1500°F. Despite heavy charring and melting, the Bullard thermal imager powered up and was still able to transmit an image. Now that’s Bullard Tough!

If you would like to tell us about an incident in which a Bullard Thermal Imager has made a difference in your work, send an e-mail to ashley_smith@bullard.com. Selected stories will be featured in an upcoming issue of this newsletter.