Dräger has earned a place on the Emergency Response Equipment and Associated Services Framework agreement C00268, awarded by the NFCC Fire Commercial Transformation Programme along with the lead contracting Authority West Midlands Fire Service.

Thermal Imaging Camera equipment supplied by Dräger, an international leader in the fields of safety and technology, will now be available to the National Fire Chiefs Council’s (NFCC) through its Emergency Response Equipment (ERE) framework, with the company having been awarded a position on Lot 5 Thermal Imaging Cameras.

The procurement framework is available to: UK Fire and Rescue Services, Police Forces, Ambulance Trusts NHS and UK Government Departments, agencies and public bodies including the Defence Fire Risk Management Organisation, the Environment Agency, and HM Prison Service (full list here). The framework will give these public sector organisations the flexibility to order life safety equipment as and when it is needed without going through the full tender process. 

UK Fire and Rescue services will be able to choose from Dräger’s UCF® 8000 and UCF® 9000, both of which provide vital insight when visibility is reduced due to smoke, fire or darkness, and can be easily carried with one hand.

The 8000 model delivers first-rate image quality, a robust design, and continued recording with a full memory card. It can also be used in potentially explosive atmospheres including zone 1 according to ATEX. Further functionality includes temperature resolution to help identify trapped individuals, the ability to ‘see around corners’, and the ‘snapshot function for the temporary freezeframe of an image.

Drager’s UCF® 9000, meanwhile, is a thermal imaging and digital camera all in one, with eight image modes available, including outdoor, persons (search and rescue), thermal scan (for hotspot search), and scan PLUS (for heat sources). The camera also comes with a laser pointer, snapshot function, and extended dynamic range to clearly detect persons and objects.  

Liz Millward, Marketing Manager Emergency and Rescue Services at Dräger UK, says the cameras have been built to increase incident efficiency and enhance firefighter safety: “The cameras provide instant access to high quality images of the incident, allowing emergency responders to locate victims, as well as the source of the fire quickly.

“This not only serves to improve incident responses, but also protects the firefighters, who are provided with the additional visibility needed to get in and out of the area as quickly as possible. In an industry where a split second can be the difference between life and death, these technologies are crucial for the safety of our firefighters.”