Kestrel 5400FW Fire Weather Meter Pro WBGT with LiNK Compass & Vane Mount

Kestrel 5400FW Fire Weather Meter Pro WBGT with LiNK

Please Note: Due to high demand, this item ships 2-3 weeks after an order is placed. All orders are filled in the order in which they are received.

Models & SKUs:

• Kestrel 5400FW Fire Weather Pro WBGT Heat Stress with Compass and LiNK + Vane Mount: 0854FWLVCORA $609

What's new with the Kestrel 5400FW over the Kestrel 5400:

You'll get all the features and benefits of the lightweight waterless 5400 Heat Stress Meter with a few added benefits for $10 more.  

• PIG Screen (Probability of Ignition) 
• FDFM (Fine Dead Fuel Moisture)

* Note the PIG Screen will show the FDFM at the bottom.

Advantage over the Kestrel 3000 & Kestrel 3500FW models: You won't need to calibrate this meter! NK/Kestrel stand by this and other 5000 series models to hold calibration within drift for 5 years.

Replacing a Sling Psychrometer with a Kestrel is a huge step in time saving and accuracy.  Some have struggled to take this leap and we wrote this quick Kestrel vs. Sling article that may answer questions of accuracy. 

RH (Relative Humidity):

• Accuracy:  +/- 2%RH
• Sensors:  10 to 90% 25°C non-condensing
• Calibration Drift: Typically less than +/- 0.25% per year!

Calibration:

The Kestrel 5400 Fire Weather Pro WBGT is an all in one heat safety meter and weather station. Lightweight, waterless, and easy to use, the unit offers quick set-up with the included vane mount to become a complete weather station capable of logging weather conditions and critical heat safety information. The Kestrel 5400FW also provides WBGT monitoring for training exercises, helping to prevent personnel injury or fatalities from heat exposure. With the use of LiNK wireless connectivity, the Fire Weather Pro WBGT with LiNK seamlessly sends current and logged weather conditions and heat safety alerts directly to your mobile device, keeping you and your crew informed, prepared and safe.  Works with iPhone/iPad and Android/Tablets.  

Note 2 alarm options set to your own parameters:

1. Flashing LED Light
2. Loud Beeping Alarm

The Kestrel 5400 is revolutionary in size, cost and capability for those in need of measuring Heat Stress.  

Along with having a Wet Bulb Global Temperature reading, the Kestrel 5400 displays thermal work limit (“TWL”), another recognized composite heat stress prediction tool. For both WBGT and TWL, the Kestrel 5400 provides on-screen alarms when conditions enter the caution and danger zones, providing clear and immediate guidance that heat illness prevention steps must be taken.  Clothing levels can also be customized, making the Kestrel 4400 particularly useful in activities requiring heavy protective gear which worsens heat stress.  The Kestrel 5400 also displays natural wet bulb temperature, and black globe temperature.

How Does the Kestrel 5400 Work?

The Kestrel 5400 uses a 1-inch black globe to gather information about the environment, which isn't possible with current Kestrels. As is true with the original Wet Bulb Globe Temperature apparatus, a temperature sensor is installed inside the globe that will measure the temperature inside. The temperature inside the globe is a function of the ambient air temperature, solar insolation and wind speed.

As one can imagine, a sunny day will make the globe hotter because it's painted black, and colder ambient temperatures will have a tendency to cool off the globe. Lastly, the wind will cause the globe to get closer to the ambient air temperature because it will carry heat away from the globe when the air is cooler, or increase heat transfer to the globe if the air is warmer than the globe.

The Kestrel must sit out for a period of time to allow the globe to adjust to true atmospheric conditions; we recommend a minimum of 7-10 minutes. The globe temperature is then taken into account along with other measurements, such as ambient temperature, humidity and pressure, to calculate more meaningful measurements, such as Wet Bulb Globe Temperature and Thermal Work Limit.

Why Use WBGT as a Heat Stress Indicator vs. just using the Heat Index?

Wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) is based on an equation that uses a combination of environmental elements to calculate the reading. The calculation is a measure of the heat stress in direct sunlight, which takes into account: temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle and cloud cover (solar radiation).

Heat index takes into consideration temperature and humidity, and is calculated for shady areas.

There is a difference.

Monitoring the WBGT of the environment is quickly becoming the accepted and preferred method of measuring heat stress. Several sports organizations use WBGT to assess the potential risk of environmental stress on athletes. These organizations include the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA), National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).

Refer to the chart below for a comparison of WBGT and heat stress index.

Thermal Work Limit (TWL) The unit will also display a measure of human heat stress known as “Thermal Work Limit” which, is measured in terms of the heat energy a person can dissipate from their surface area in Watts per square meter (w/m2). The measurement is based upon Globe Temperature, Relative Humidity, Ambient Temperature, Barometric Pressure, Wind Speed, and four parameters specific to an individual and their clothing. 4 Settings with preset constants are pre-installed in meter however for more specific applications:

Iclo: Intrinsic Clothing Insulation Factor 

See: https://www.ashrae.org/resources--publications/bookstore/standard-55-and-user-s-manual

Reference values: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.258.8876&rep=rep1&type=pdf

VPF : Vapor Permeation Factor

See https://www.ashrae.org/resources--publications/bookstore/standard-55-and-user-s-manual

• For reference values range between 0.37 - 0.45
• 0.37 is a Long sleeve shirt/tweed suit jacket & long, loose trousers
• 0.45 is shorts and a t shirt

Pos: Position of the body

• 1 for standing
• 0 for lying down

Area: Area of a human male

• Values are approximately 1.7m^2 or 1.8m^2 
• Meter assumes 1.7m^2

TWL Reference Table:

The Kestrel Meter 5400FW Heat Stress Meter measures/features

• PIG Screen (Probability of Ignition) 
• FDFM Screen (Fine Dead Fuel Moisture)
• Wet Bulb Globe Temperature ("WBGT")
• Thermal Work Limit ("TWL")
• Waterless! Natural Wet Bulb Temperature accurately calculated from on-board digital sensors with no tedious setup or maintenance.
• Large, hi-res, hi-contrast, graphic display is perfectly readable in the brightest sunlight and is backlit for use in low-light conditions.
• Globe Temperature
• Naturally Aspirated Wet Bulb Temperature
• Wind Speed (Current, Average, & Maximum)
• Altitude
• Pressure trend
• Barometric pressure
• Relative humidity in %
• Accuracy:  +/- 2%RH
• Sensors:  10 to 90% 25°C non-condensing
• Calibration Drift: Typically less than +/- 0.25% per year!
• Heat stress index 
• Dewpoint
• Wet bulb temperature
• Density altitude
• Wind chill
• Air, water, and snow temperature °F or °C
• Waterproof
• Time and date
• Easy- to-read backlit display
• Data Logger (automatic and manual)
• Customizable data storage - 2900 data points
• Humidity sensor can be calibrated in the field with our Relative Humidity Calibration Kit.
• Customize screens to display user-selected measurements
• Graph and recall trends
• User-replaceable impeller
• Data charting
• Upload to a computer (with optional interface)
• Meets MIL-STD-810F 516.5 Procedure IV Transit Shock test - 20 drops from 5 ft. IP-67 sealed to exclude dust and water at 3 ft. submersion
• Five languages (English, French, Spanish, German, and Italian)
• US Patent Nos. 5,783,753 and 5,939,645 and 6,257,074
• Made in the USA
• 5 Year Warranty

Includes: