Insight Training shares thermal dollhouse teaching method

Thermal imaging lessons using a thermal dollhouse

Insight Training has published guidance explaining how instructors can use a Palmer dollhouse to teach thermal imaging concepts during firefighter training.

In a blog article by Andrew Starnes, the organisation describes the dollhouse as a controlled demonstration tool for showing how thermal imaging cameras respond as a fire grows and heat moves through a structure.

The guidance says the dollhouse should be built from 3/8-inch plywood, assembled with screws and sealed with caulk to improve durability and contain heat for longer demonstrations.

The lower left compartment is identified as the fire room and should be lined with drywall so students can see how that material initially hides heat signatures before heat transfer becomes visible.

Students can then observe thermal bridging through screws before heat passes through the drywall and later through the plywood.

The room directly above the fire compartment is recommended as an isolation space that remains tightly sealed during the burn so instructors can show how closed doors reduce heat transfer and limit fire spread.

At the end of the exercise, removing the front panel allows students to view the burn pattern and see that the sealed second-floor compartment above the fire has been affected far less than the fire room.

Thermal camera operation and fire behaviour teaching points

Insight Training also recommends reviewing basic thermal imaging camera operation before ignition, including how students switch between TI Basic mode and other application modes.

Starnes notes that this operational knowledge forms part of the requisite knowledge required by NFPA 1010 for new firefighters.

During the incipient stage, three or four students can kneel and observe the fire compartment through their cameras so instructors can demonstrate high sensitivity, low sensitivity and mixed gain settings.

Students can compare how heat affects their ability to see cooler objects and structural features as conditions change inside the structure.

Different camera models can also be placed side by side so students can compare thermal colourisation and see how application modes alter colour thresholds.

The exercise is also intended to show convection currents and thermal layers as heat moves into adjacent rooms and rises through the dollhouse when the floor door to the second floor is opened.

After several minutes of fire growth, students can carry out a 360-degree size-up around the structure to identify irregular heat patterns and thermal bridging around screws or nails.

The training outline also includes exercises on distance, target recognition and scanning so firefighters can see how colourisation changes with range and how background heat affects image interpretation.

Suppression phase and thermal imaging limits

Insight Training says the Palmer dollhouse can also be used to show limits in thermal imaging by simulating reflective surfaces with aluminium tape and by showing how smoke and glass can affect image interpretation.

The demonstration can also be extended to fire behaviour topics including flow paths, ventilation effects and fire spread, linking those observations to what firefighters see through the camera and with the naked eye.

In the final phase, instructors can use a garden hose, water extinguisher or small hose line to demonstrate stream placement and show how cooling changes surface readings on the thermal camera.

Once visible flames have been knocked down, students can scan the structure for remaining heat and identify areas that still need cooling during overhaul.

The outline presents the Palmer dollhouse as a way to connect thermal imaging use with fire behaviour, suppression and overhaul decisions during training.