Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) have introduced a firefighting robot to its equipment, becoming one of the first services in the UK to do so.
The robot will be deployed in large incidents, such as fires at industrial and commercial sites, to help protect firefighters and provide better situational awareness. It can record video, detect hotspots with thermal imaging, communicate via audio, give instructions, and assist with evacuations using a stretcher.
It is controlled by firefighters outside of the danger area and zones can be set to define its areas of operation.
It’s also capable of helping fight the fires with a hose attachment that can spray up to 2,000 litres of water a minute.
Mark, Group Manager at Kent Fire and Rescue Service, said “This is a really exciting addition for us. We’re always developing new tactics, and we want to have the best resources at incidents.”
“There are three main reasons why we’ve introduced it into the service and that is keeping firefighters safe, reducing the number of resources at an incident and limiting the amount of time we’re there. This robot drives our service forward in our ability to help keep firefighters safe and to provide the best response we can.”
