scope:

This standard shall specify the design, performance, testing, and certification requirements for thermal imagers used by fire service personnel during emergency incident operations.

This standard shall specify requirements for new thermal imagers for the fire service.

This standard shall also specify the minimum requirements for the design, performance, testing, and certification of thermal imagers certified to an earlier edition of this standard that incorporate parts, components, and/or software to meet this edition of the standard. 

This standard shall not specify requirements for thermal imagers manufactured prior to the effective date of this standard.

This standard shall not specify requirements for thermal imagers manufactured to any other standards or other requirements. 

Any accessories or enhancements built into, attached to, or sold with the thermal imager by the thermal imager manufacturer for later attachment shall be tested with the thermal imager with those accessories and enhancements installed or attached, as specified in 4.3.9.4, to ensure the performance and functions of the thermal imager. 

This standard shall not be construed as addressing all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with the use of this standard by testing facilities. It shall be the responsibility of the persons and organizations that use this standard to establish safety and health practices and to determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use of this standard for designing, manufacturing, and testing.

Nothing herein shall restrict any jurisdiction or manufacturer from exceeding these minimum requirements.

Purpose.

The purpose of this standard shall be to establish minimum requirements for thermal imagers manufactured for fire service use. 

Controlled laboratory tests used to determine compliance with the performance requirements of this standard shall not be deemed as establishing performance levels for all situations, environments, and conditions to which thermal imagers could be exposed. 

This standard shall not be interpreted or used as a detailed manufacturing or purchase specification, but it shall be permitted to be referenced in purchase specifications as minimum requirements.