Fire, Rescue & USAR
Portable visual inspection systems that let your team see into walls, voids and collapsed spaces before anyone commits to entry. Size up what you can't see.
IP68 to 10 m · 2-inch core hole access · Up to 12:10 continuous imaging
One system. More than one kind of call.
- Structure fire — The operator inspects behind a wall, above a ceiling or inside a void through a 2-inch core hole, and confirms what is there before deciding where to open up.
- Technical & collapse rescue — The operator assesses voids and unstable spaces from outside and finds access points before committing personnel.
- Hazmat & non-invasive inspection — The operator inspects containers and cavities without contact or entry. Zistos SCOPES applies here.
- Confined space, water & below-grade — Cameras and pole are submersible to 10 m. Flooded basements, water-filled voids, storm sewers, tanks.
Less damage. Fewer callbacks.
A small hole is easier to explain than an open wall. The 50 mm head passes a standard 2-inch core hole. The operator confirms the source before opening a wall, ceiling or floor. An exploratory opening is a claim, a complaint and a callback.
The water architecture
Color cameras and the motorized pole are IP68 rated to 10 meters and operate continuously while immersed. The handle stays in the operator's hand at IP65, the tablet at IP65, the thermal camera at IP66. The complete assembly withstands heavy rain and hose stream for the length of the operation.
Technical proof
- IP68 / 10 m — Cameras and pole operate submerged. Handle and tablet at IP65 in the operator's hands.
- 50 mm — Head passes a 2-inch core hole. SPRINT heads at 44.5 mm enter fissures the APEX line cannot. The 10x zoom head is 69.9 mm, 3-inch opening.
- 240° — Full articulated sweep from the handle keypad without repositioning the pole.
- 9.37 m — Maximum extended reach. A system with 4.89 m of reach weighs 3.17 kg and is operated by one person.
- 12:10 — Maximum continuous imaging on the extended battery.
- −10 °C to +50 °C — Full envelope with the thermal camera fitted. −20 °C to +50 °C without it.
Systems
Zistos APEX — motorized poles from 1.89 m to 9.37 m extended, 240° articulated head, dual-mode thermal / wide-angle / compact color / 10x optical zoom, two-way voice, up to three concurrent viewers, wireless with wired backup.
Zistos SPRINT — 1.8 m gooseneck, 1.12 kg assembled, 2.27 kg loaded case. Goes in first and in numbers.
Zistos SCOPES — articulating tools for hazmat, wall and cavity inspection, tight access.
Complementary, not competing. A cache carrying both APEX and SPRINT covers the operation from initial reconnaissance through extraction.
Thermal
The operator reads heat signature through suspended dust and total darkness, then switches to the low-light sensor for detail, texture and reference colour — without withdrawing the pole from the void. Two sensors in one 50 mm head: uncooled VOx microbolometer, 256 × 192, sensitivity under 50 mK, 8–14 µm, 57° horizontal field of view; on-screen temperature reading from −20 °C to 600 °C, ±2 °C; Sony Starvis CMOS 1/2.8″ low-light sensor at 1920 × 1080, 30 FPS, 0.01 lux with six 940 nm infrared LEDs.
Two-way voice
On APEX, the operator speaks to the trapped person and hears the answer while the camera holds visual contact. This is two-way voice through the pole. APEX and SPRINT do not incorporate acoustic or seismic detection of the type used to locate tapping or vibration through rubble.
Power
Lithium-ion (lithium cobalt oxide). BAT-15: 10.8 V, 3.4 Ah, 36.7 Wh, 264 g. BAT-15XL: 10.8 V, 6.8 Ah, 73.4 Wh, 488 g. UN 38.3 tested and under 100 Wh, so they move by international air shipment with no additional filing by the buyer. Endurance from 5:50 to 12:10 on the extended battery depending on camera and illumination.
Regulatory position
No NFPA product certification standard applies to remote pole-mounted search cameras. What does apply: IEC 60529, UN 38.3, IATA PI965/PI966, UL94V-1, EAR, NFPA 2500 and the INSARAG Guidelines.
Training
Training is part of the supply, not an add-on. An eight-module program delivered by Zistos instructors with allied U.S. Fire and Rescue and USAR organizations, structured against NFPA 2500 and the INSARAG Guidelines, certifies your operators and trains your internal instructors.
Kits the operator carries
- APEX Task Force HD Kit — HD wide-angle low-light camera with dual motorized poles, 16 ft (4.9 m) and 6 ft (1.8 m), and push-to-talk audio.
- APEX TechSearch Solo HD Kit — HD wide-angle low-light camera on a compact baton for tight openings.
- APEX TechSearch Solo+ HD Kit — HD camera on a 6 ft (1.8 m) motorized articulating pole.
- APEX Discovery HD Kit — configurable APEX system for task force caches.
- SPRINT Pathfinder Kit — portable wide-angle color camera system for rapid visual assessment without entry.
- SPRINT Ember Scout Kit — portable dual-mode thermal system for low-visibility environments.
- ExplorerSCOPE — self-contained 9 mm flex-and-stay videoscope for confined-space search.
Grant funding & eligibility
Zistos equipment qualifies for multiple federal and state grant funding sources, including USAR and Homeland Security programs, with procurement aligned to fiscal year cycles.
Applications
Designed and assembled in the USA. Request a demo.