NFPA 1801: Standard on Thermal Imagers for the Fire Service contains minimum requirements for image quality, design, performance, testing, and certification of new thermal imagers for the fire service. Fire fighters use these imagers during emergency incident operations to assist them in locating victims and fire as well as possible avenues of fire extension while also assisting in accountability of members while they are operating in the IDLH. The information provided by the thermal imager may be relayed to the incident commander to assist in making tactical decisions.
In an update to the Standard's scope, the 2018 edition now also applies to the design, performance, testing, and certification of thermal imagers originally certified to the 2013 edition of NFPA 1801, allowing upgrades that may incorporate replacement parts, components, and/or software to be certified to the new 2018 edition. This edition of NFPA 1801 also has a new design requirement for an audio/video recording indicator if so equipped.
Other revisions impact thermal imager technical requirements, such as:
Staying up-to-date with the latest NFPA 1801 is essential for thermal imager manufacturers and testing and certification authorities to ensure that equipment will perform as expected on the job.