Fire Service TICs & The White-Out Effect

Firefighters commonly report that the TIC screen whited out during use in a fire. Fire service TICs have not “whited out” due to heat in over 20 years since colorization was introduced to the display or color palette. However, the phenomenon of a white out effect in newer model TICs does not have to do with overheating. The most common causes of the “white out” effect are listed below:

1. Scanning improperly: Firefighters enter the fire environment standing up and fail to wipe the lens. By standing up, the TIC is constantly bombarded by heat, moisture, and smoke. This causes the lens to fog over and produce a diminished detailed image resulting in a gray or white screen. By staying low and wiping the screen, the image will improve momentarily but it will fog up again due to the environment. Firefighters who also scan too fast may see a brief white screen due to gain change in several models of TICs. Rather than pausing when the TIC freezes, they continue to scan and miss the fire room
2. High moisture content environments: Firefighters who search above the fire or enter a building with cold smoke due to a sprinkler head activation may find very little use for the TIC. Moisture is TIC’s greatest enemy. Moisture or humidity reduces infrared transmission which limits the TICs ability to detect heat and moisture then builds up on the lens creating a diminished image that can be of little value without taking time to analyze the image.
3. Uniform temperature environments: A cool or just above ambient temperature environment, such as 100 degrees Fahrenheit, will be challenging for most of most fire service TICs on the market. They are designed to detect larger heat signatures with most models providing good image quality beginning at 65 degrees Celsius or 150 degrees Fahrenheit. However, if the entire space or area within the field of view is the same temperature; the TIC has no temperature differential and can struggle to produce a detailed image. This is why having a high-resolution TIC with a lower thermal sensitivity, such as less than 40mK, is important.

4. Unidirectional flow paths or exhausts: As shown in the video, firefighters who enter a full exhaust or unidirectional flow path will not be able to see with the TIC due to a constant bombardment of smoke, moisture, and heat. This has led to many close calls, Maydays, and LODDs where firefighters have failed to recognize a uni-directional flow path prior to making entry. Please understand that fire service TICs have defined limitations and they will not work well in every environment. Knowing the limitations of the device is just as important as knowing how to properly use the device.
5. Radio Frequency Interference: TICs produced after 2013 are required to have an EMI coating to prevent electromagnetic interference. However, human error in the manufacturing process has shown a small percentage of TICs across all brands/manufacturers to have this issue occur on rare occasions.

Please read, share, and help others understand this information. The following video provides examples and explanations of these phenomenon’s mentioned in this article.

Stay Intelligently Aggressive!

Andrew J. Starnes
Insight Fire Training
Owner/Founder

Please read, share, and help others understand this information. The following video provides examples and explanations of these phenomenon’s mentioned in this article.

Closing Video: