- Teledyne FLIR’s A40 and A70 cameras are the first thermal image fire detectors to achieve UL 2684 listing.
- The listing aligns with the 2025 edition of NFPA 72, which introduced a dedicated category for thermal image fire detection.
- The technology is designed to identify abnormal temperature changes before smoke or flame develops, supporting earlier intervention in industrial facilities.
The cameras are listed under ANSI/CAN/UL 2684, a joint US-Canadian standard covering video and thermal image detectors used in fire alarm systems.
The listing comes alongside changes to the 2025 edition of NFPA 72, the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, which introduced a dedicated category for thermal image fire detection under Section 17.12. The code requires thermal image fire detection systems to be listed for fire detection.
Teledyne FLIR said this is particularly relevant to the Gulf region, where many fire protection frameworks draw on NFPA codes and UL-listed equipment is already commonly considered during project reviews.
UL 2684 establishes requirements covering fire testing, environmental and electrical performance, and durability. The listing does not replace local Civil Defence approvals or other project-specific authority requirements, but gives engineers, insurers and asset owners an independently tested reference point when assessing thermal fire detection equipment.
Thermal image fire detection is intended to identify developing hazards before conventional signs of fire, such as smoke or flame, appear. The A40 and A70 continuously measure temperatures across the camera’s field of view, allowing defined areas to be monitored for temperature thresholds, temperature differences and rates of temperature increase.
This can be relevant in facilities where equipment operates at elevated temperatures as part of normal operation. A change in temperature relative to operating conditions can provide an indication that equipment requires investigation or maintenance.
According to Teledyne, the relevance to Gulf markets is driven by the infrasturcture being built across the region. Potential applications across the GCC include petrochemical and refining facilities, electrical infrastructure, battery energy storage systems, data centres, solar installations, manufacturing facilities and logistics hubs.
In these environments, early identification of abnormal heating could allow issues such as loose electrical connections, deteriorating components or battery problems to be addressed before they develop into a fire or cause an unplanned interruption.
The Axx-Series combines thermal and visible imaging, while analytics are processed on the camera. When defined alarm conditions are reached, the cameras can initiate fire alarm events through compatible fire alarm control systems.
Matthew Hasty, Global Vertical Director for Science, Automation, and Early Fire Detection at Teledyne FLIR, said: “The question we get in this region is not whether thermal detection works. It is what the device is listed to, and how that fits the code the authority is working from. Until now there was no listing to point to. That has changed.”