History of Thermal Imaging

Thermal imaging technology was originally designed for the military in the 1950s and 1960s. It was developed to aid military personnel during night missions and across smoke-covered battle fields. The thermal imaging technology that worked so well for the military was soon applied to other applications, including the fire service market. The first use of thermal imaging for firefighting was used aboard the Royal Navy vessel for shipboard fires.

In 1998, Bullard designed its first high-resolution thermal imager for the fire service market – the Bullard TI (show photo of TI). The fire service market quickly accepted this new technology.

In fact, Bullard Thermal Imagers became standard equipment at fire stations in major cities across the United States including Boston, Chicago, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco. In New Jersey, the state contracted with Bullard to supply all of its fire departments with Bullard Thermal Imagers – 1,000 Bullard Thermal Imagers were shipped to New Jersey in 2000!

The European market also embraced the new technology. Cities in Leicestershire, UK; Madrid, Spain; Cologne, Germany; Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Berlin, Germany equipped their firefighters with Bullard Thermal Imagers. Three years after the introduction of the Bullard TI came the T3 thermal imager that solidified Bullard’s position at the top of the thermal imaging market.

Bullard introduced its T3 in 2001 as the first palm-size, lightweight thermal imager offering firefighters greater maneuverability. The T3 was designed with state-of-the-art innovations including the Electronic Thermal Throttle® and Super Red Hot® features. These features give firefighters an edge when pinpointing hot spots and identifying dangerous heat levels.

Building on the technology of the Bullard thermal imaging line of cameras, the Company introduced two new high-resolution thermal imagers in 2004: the TI Commander and T3MAX. The TI Commander was designed as an analytical thermal imager offering innovative and highly useful optional features including digital 2X zoom, digital image capture, Relative Heat Indicator (RHI), and thermal throttle.

The T3MAX incorporates the latest engine technology along with advanced features including the Electronic Thermal Throttle® and the Super Red Hot® colorization. The T3 thermal imaging line also offers the T3XT imager with high performance image quality plus the Super Red Hot® feature.

In 2006, Bullard introduced its state-of-the-art T4 Thermal Imager that integrates an ultra-high resolution infrared engine with a widescreen display, 2X and 4X digital zoom, Super Red Hot® colorization and Electronic Thermal Throttle® This thermal imager is equipped with a 320 x 240 detector for an ultra-high resolution, offering firefighters the maximum performance from a thermal imager.

Most recently, Bullard added to its T3 thermal imaging line with the T320 high resolution imager with Super Red Hot® colorization features. Introduced in 2008, this thermal imager incorporates the high-resolution engine from the T4 in a value-added package for fire departments.

For more than 10 years, Bullard has designed its thermal imagers to meet the growing demands of firefighters. That’s why Bullard is the industry’s leading thermal imaging manufacturer. We listen to what firefighters have to say and our engineers design products that help keep firefighters safe.

Eclipse, the newest thermal imager from Bullard, is designed to complement a higher-resolution thermal imager, such as the Bullard T4 or T3 line of thermal imagers. The Eclipse is the industry’s first low-cost, high-quality, navigational thermal imager designed for every firefighter.

This first-ever navigational thermal imager gives firefighters multiple ‘eyes’ on the fire. With more ‘eyes’ that can navigate a fire, there are fewer obstacles to overcome. Thermal imagers changed the way firefighters approach a fire. Now, the Eclipse is changing the way firefighters navigate a fire.