Thermal Imaging
In Living Color? The Colorful and Confusing Thermal Imaging Fire Service Color Palette World
Firefighters who use thermal imaging cameras (TIC) may have noticed that there are numerous color palettes and color Andy Starnes temperature associations with fire service thermal imaging cameras. But have we considered what these color palettes are specifically used for? And how much training has been invested in properly educating firefighters in regard to properly interpreting
this information? As the above photo shows three popular color palettes of the exact same image. One image may appear hotter or cooler than the other, however that is not the case. In the world of thermography, there are numerous color palettes used by professional thermographers. Thermography is a technique for detecting and measuring variations in the heat emitted by various regions of the body and transforming them into visible signals that can be recorded photographically (Merriam Webster Definition). Firefighters use qualitative thermal imaging cameras. These are designed to detect heat and look for anomalies but not exact measurements. Fire service TICs are not thermometers and can vary in their accuracy based on the detector and the variables of the environment they are used in. The majority of these color palettes are designed for lower temperature environments that have limited contrast (or temperature differences) to assist in highlighting specific areas of interest. These color palettes were designed for specific industrial applications in lower contrast and lower temperature environments
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40 Summer • 2020
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