Thermal Fire Detection Cameras with 24/7 Live Monitoring
Our thermal fire detection cameras are an add-on to our 24/7 live video monitoring. They see heat building up before smoke or flames appear. When a camera flags a hot spot, a trained, licensed operator checks it on live video and calls the right people while the problem is still small.
Secure Defence has protected sites since 2015. Live video monitoring is the core of what we do: our operators watch your cameras live from our own command centre in Richmond, BC, and act the moment something is wrong. We're the Fastest Growing Security Company in Canada, the highest-ranked security company on both The Globe and Mail and BIV growth lists for 2025 and 2026. We have 500+ customers and 1,000+ sites live monitored across Western Canada, with Metro Vancouver as our home market.
Our thermal detection has a 99% early detection rate, and over 150 industrial facilities rely on it.
Why job sites and warehouses burn after hours
Most costly fires start when nobody is around. A smoke detector can't help much on an open site, and a building with no one inside has no one to smell smoke. Common causes we watch for:
- Wood-frame builds. A framed building is a lot of dry lumber in one place, and it's most at risk before drywall and sprinklers go in.
- Arson. Vacant and half-built properties attract people who start fires, on purpose or by accident.
- Heaters and hot work. Temporary heaters, torches and welding can leave something smouldering after the crew goes home.
- Batteries and charging. Forklift, tool and e-bike batteries can overheat while they charge overnight.
- Pallets, waste and storage. Stacked pallets, dumpsters and outdoor storage piles can heat up and catch.
How thermal detection works with live video monitoring
Thermal camera flags a hot spot or rising heat
Thermal cameras read heat, not light. They spot a surface getting hotter than it should, day or night, through dust and light smoke. We set the zones and alarm levels for your site, such as a battery room, a pile of pallets or the top floor of a framed building.
Richmond operator verifies on live video
The alert goes straight to an operator at our command centre. They look at the thermal and regular video side by side and decide what they're seeing. Is it a running heater someone approved, or a smouldering pile? A person checks every alert, so you get zero false alarms.
Operator calls fire services and your contacts
Once a real risk is confirmed, the operator contacts your personnel within 30 seconds and calls fire services when needed. If someone is setting a fire, the operator speaks to them through the on-site speaker and sets off the siren and strobes. You get an incident report with operator notes and HD video.
See the technology: radiometric thermal cameras for early fire detection.
Where it fits
- Wood-frame construction. From framing to lock-up, when a site is most at risk. See construction site security and our Vancouver construction security page.
- Warehouses and distribution centres. Battery charging areas, loading docks and racking. See warehouse security.
- Outdoor storage yards. Pallets, tires, scrap and other piles that can heat up. See commercial and industrial and self-storage.
- Malls and strip malls. Loading areas, dumpster corrals and back-of-house spaces. See retail security.
- Strata and rental buildings. Parkades, garbage rooms and electrical rooms. See property management.
Thermal cameras vs smoke detectors on open or dusty sites
Smoke detectors are built for closed rooms. They need smoke to reach them, and they only go off once something is already burning. On an open job site, in a dusty warehouse or in a yard, smoke drifts away or never reaches a detector at all.
Thermal cameras work differently. They watch a whole area and react to heat, often before there's any smoke. They don't replace your fire alarm or sprinklers. They add an early warning that a person checks right away.
| Smoke detector | Our thermal detection with live monitoring | |
|---|---|---|
| What sets it off | Smoke reaching the sensor | Rising heat on a surface |
| Works outdoors and in dust | Poorly | Yes |
| Who checks the alarm | Often no one until someone arrives | A trained operator, right away |
| Also catches intruders | No | Yes, on the same cameras |
Insurance and builder's risk support
Insurers want to see that you take fire risk seriously. Our command centre is insurance-approved, and every event comes with a time-stamped incident report, operator notes and HD video. Those records help when you talk to your broker about builder's risk or property coverage. Ask your insurer how they treat monitored thermal detection on your policy.
Why clients choose Secure Defence
- 99% early detection rate for our thermal fire detection.
- 98%+ overall crime reduction for our clients, on the same cameras.
- 1,000+ sites live monitored across Western Canada, over 11 years.
- Equipment rated to -40°C, built for Canadian winters.
- Award-winning and insurance-approved.
- 30-Day Performance Guarantee. If you're not completely satisfied with our monitoring performance in the first 30 days, we'll remove the system at no charge and refund your first month.
Pair it with flood and water leak detection to cover both fire and water on the same monitored system.
Book your free site assessment
Tell us what you need to protect, and we'll show you where thermal cameras make sense on your site.