A common problem facing firefighters relates to the auxiliary power unit (APU), a separate engine in the tail of the plane that powers the air conditioning independently from the main engine. Often this unit overheats and must be checked.
The Argus4 enables fire-fighters to check the APU from a distance, so nobody has to go into the hazardous area near the tail to check if there is a fire.
In this video, fire-fighters are alerted by air traffic control that a landing plane has a suspected engine fire/overheating issue. The fire-fighting crew drive to the plane, when at a safe distance start to approach the plane using standard manoeuvres. At this point the Argus4 camera is used to assess the situation.
In a real life situation, the camera would have allowed fire fighter to see through thick smoke and target the seat of the fire. The camera's spot temperature would have given the user a clear indication as to the severity of the situation, allowing them to a make more informed decisions about the next course of action, thus preventing any unnecessary damage to an aircraft
