Preventing Aviation Fires: How Thermal CCTV Monitoring Can Safeguard UK Aviation Businesses
The Rising Threat of Fires in UK Aviation
The UK aviation sector has faced significant challenges recently, with two notable fires highlighting the need for robust fire prevention. On 20 March 2025, a fire at an electrical substation in Hayes disrupted Heathrow Airport, causing a power outage that halted flights and affected thousands. On 13 April 2025, a car burst into flames at Gatwick Airport’s North Terminal car park, blocking access and raising safety concerns. These incidents show that fire risks threaten not just airports but the wider aviation industry, including maintenance hangars, logistics hubs, and fuel storage facilities.
For aviation businesses, the stakes are high. A fire can lead to costly downtime, asset loss, and reputational damage. The need for early fire detection has never been clearer.
FireBird™ Early Warning Fire Risk Detection
ControlFreq deliver state-of-the-art thermal CCTV monitoring to detect preset breaches in temperature, in real time. Designed for high-risk environments, the FireBird system uses thermal imaging to identify fire risk, and shut the system down instantly, before it becomes a disaster. Successful pilot trials completed at Heathrow T5 to monitor EV charging infrastructure and electric tugs, its benefits extend to all businesses seeking early warning fire risk detection and mitigation.
How Thermal CCTV Monitoring Works
Using highly sensivite thermal CCTV cameras,
Thermal Imaging: Detects temperature changes across multiple zones, identifying risks like overheating equipment or electrical faults.
Mains Power Isolation: Instantly cuts off mains power to prevent the increases risk of ignition, especially in the case of EV charger fire safety risk.
Real-Time Alerts: Sends instant notifications via SMS, voice call, or email, allowing swift action.
Cloud AI Automation: Utilising direct API connection with the thermal CCTV, ControlFreq cloud management systems enable automated control scenes to trigger instantly on detected breach.
Benefits for Aviation Businesses
Aviation businesses—beyond airports—can reap significant advantages from early fire detection:
Asset Protection: Safeguard expensive machinery, aircraft parts, and infrastructure.
Operational Continuity: Minimise disruptions and keep operations running smoothly.
Safety and Compliance: Meet strict regulations and potentially lower insurance costs.
Whether you manage a hangar, a cargo facility, or a fuel depot, our thermal CCTV monitoring offers a pratical method to monitor and protect a large area, inside or out, in locations that are typicall difficult to completely cover. Gain peace of mind with proactive detection, isolation and notification.
Upgrade to proactive, practical fire risk monitoring
Protect critical infrastructure 24/7/365 under the watchful eye of real-time thermal CCTV monitoring for the early warning detection of fire risk, including proactive isolation and stakeholder notifications.