Watch: Sharjah To Use Drones To Fight Fires In High-Rise Buildings

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Published: Fri 6 Sep 2024, 10:26 PM

Last updated: Fri 6 Sep 2024, 10:46 PM

The Sharjah Civil Defence will use drone technology to deal with fires in high-rise buildings in the emirate, starting next year.

The new Technology will enter service in the first quarter of 2025 and will contribute significantly to achieving the strategic and operational goals set by the authority related to reducing firefighting time and achieving rapid response, especially in high-rise buildings, and moving from traditional firefighting methods to advanced and creative methods.

The authority tested the drone with a technical team from the Civil Defence and the company Drone First Building Services, based in the UAE.

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Brigadier Sami Al Naqbi, Director General of Sharjah Civil Defence, said:“We tested the drone, and it passed the test successfully, reaching a height of 150 metres, equivalent to about 40 floors, in just 18 seconds,” adding that the drone demonstrated the ability at this height to spray water up to 15 metres from an internal tank with a capacity of 5,000 litres, which is refilled via a water hose connected to a ground tank.

Watch the video below:

Brigadier Al Naqbi explained that the drone can be equipped with a thermal camera that helps firefighting teams determine the source and intensity of heat and its concentration, especially in areas with large spaces, which will give firefighting teams the ability to make important decisions quickly to control the incident.

Brigadier Al Naqbi pointed out that due to the large size of fire engines and the nature of some narrow buildings, firefighting teams may face traffic obstructions, which causes a delay in the speed of response, while the drone can be transported in a small vehicle and launched directly to the site, which ensures a much faster response.

Brigadier Al Naqbi pointed out that two drones will be put into service in the first quarter of next year, explaining that the drones are largely ready to operate, but they are subject to performance improvements in some details such as the diameter of the water spray hose, the power of pumping water, and the use of other extinguishing materials such as foam or dry powder, and the possibility of adding voice evacuation instructions and increasing the maximum height of the drone from 150 to 200 metres, equivalent to about 60 floors, with the aim of making it more efficient in high-rise building fires.

He explained that the drone, which weighs 27kg, can be operated by battery or electricity, and can operate for 12 continuous hours, noting that it is equipped with night lights, heat sensors and a parachute system for emergency landing in the event of a malfunction, which prevents the drone from colliding with the ground.

Brigadier Al Naqbi said that the drone's efficiency in reaching greater heights far exceeds the current limit of 60 metres for the authority's fire-fighting ladder, which costs around Dh5.5 million.

He said:“This confirms that investing in drones is not only a more efficient method of fighting fires, but also cost-effective,” noting that past events have confirmed the value and importance of drones in dealing with fire incidents.

Compared to a previous incident, Brigadier Al Naqbi gave an example of the huge difference that drone technology makes. He said:“For example, if a drone had been used during a fire that broke out in a tower in Sharjah four years ago, we could have contained the fire within one hour instead of about six hours, and this technology would have allowed us to protect lives better and faster and reduce damage to property.”

“We need to go beyond traditional methods and embrace current developments that provide us with high-resolution data, conduct more experiments, learn about best practices, harness all technologies for firefighting and combating operations, and enhance innovation,” said Brigadier Al Naqbi.

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