35 years ago, Argus developed the first thermal imaging camera for the British Navy to allow naval-firefighters to fight on-board fires. Thanks to the Argus thermal imaging camera, naval-firefighters can find their way in smoke, move more easily through smoke-filled compartments, and thus optimize their intervention, the French company Ouvry said during Eurosatory 2018.
The Argus cameras parts are put together in Europe where they undergo the most rigorous quality controls. OUVRY provides camera maintenance and repair.
Since then, Argus engineers have kept on innovating. Today, the range of Mi-TIC cameras are the smallest and lightest on the market and comply with the NFPA 1801:2013 standard. The Mi-TIC cameras have numerous technological innovations to meet firefighters’ operational needs and safety requirements: for instance, the Mi-TIC cameras are equipped with the safest batteries of the market, have unique precision and definition, and also have the highest temperature scale. The IR sensors were conceived by the CEA of Grenoble and the technology was transferred to ULIS.
Nowadays, many firefighter units in France are equipped with Argus cameras, including the Marseille's Navy Firefighters Battalion, the Paris Fire Brigade and many SDIS (Departmental Fire and Rescue Service). This type of camera concept enabled new functionality development. It can be adapted to new operational conditions for assistance, fire operators or other use: civil security, public safety, specialized military operations, protection of the important sites, industrial maintenance or repair interventions in confined area, etc…
For the piece of equipment to be adopted by the users in operational conditions, it has to fulfill following capital requirements: easy implementation and data analysis, adaptability and modularity. Moreover, the function warranty during an intervention is essential.
The component parts of the Argus cameras were selected to create the most efficient cameras of the market. The French company Sofradir’s ULIS manufactures thermal sensor of the camera. It is the only IR sensor (bolometer) answering efficiency and quality demands and guarantee required temperature scale and a unique precision and thermal resistance.
