Sedgwick County Fire District No. 1 seeks upgraded thermal imaging cameras after equipment glitches in October fire

The Sedgwick County Board of Bids and Contracts voted July 9 to accept a $98,405 quote from Wise Fire and Safety Equipment for thermal imaging cameras for Sedgwick County Fire District No. 1.

Tammy Cully, speaking for Fire District No. 1, described an Oct. 21, 2025 structure fire on North Kerman Street in Park City where crews reported that the Bullard Echo X thermal imaging camera began to fail during rescue operations. "The screen scribe would white out due to high heat and was useless in assisting when locating the downed firefighters," Cully said, explaining that the department relied on a rapid intervention team during the incident.

Cully said the department tested the Bullard QXT Pro against the Echo X and other comparable TICs. According to the presentation, the QXT Pro refreshed at a higher and faster rate, allowing crews to scan areas quickly without the screen glitching and to detect victim profiles in zero-visibility conditions. A fire division representative explained the QXT Pro did not glitch in the department’s high-heat tests and offered improved resolution in other conditions.

Board members asked about the line-item quantities (the solicitation showed varying counts such as 9, 2, 1 and 12). A department representative said the variation reflected prior purchases and trade-in or upgrade cycles rather than a single uniform package quantity.

A motion to accept the quote was made and seconded; the clerk called the vote and the board recorded approval.

The award directs the sponsoring department to proceed with the purchase and the department to schedule delivery and integration of the new TICs into affected apparatus.