Monthly Archives: May 2014

Drone is only one aspect of this research project in Texas and California

“WUI Fire Data Collection using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)”
NIST is leading the world in development of UAVs for wildland fire data. The NIST UAVs were successfully flown at the Winn Ranch, in Wimberley, Texas. Proficiency testing to meet FAA requirements has been maintained and is scheduled throughout the coming year. A Certificate of Authorization (COA) for the entire state of Texas will be submitted and work will begin for a site specific COA in California.² UAVs have been upgraded to enhance field data collection both in terms of IR signature and data communication. UAVs are essential for collecting critical prescribed fire behavior information. Participation in prescribed burns³ will typically occur during the winter/spring months.

So this is LITERALLY anticipated in a Tom Swift book I retained from my childhood.

“Firefighters from Connecticut and Melbourne have also used drones to check out fires before sending in manned crews. In one recent incident at a quarry near New Haven, they used a quadcopter to see how close a fire had got to a stack of explosives.

As well as scouting fires, Dubai is also exploring using a robot-like machine to fight them. Called Knight Hawk, it comes with water hoses and a foam and ventilation kit. Within 10 years, its creator, a Dutch company called Geoborn, expects to see completely autonomous machines. In the future, firefighters may not fight fires at all.

“Most fire brigades, whether in Belgium, the Netherlands or the U.K., do not allow their firefighters to enter a burning building,” says Folmer Kamminga, Geoborn’s managing director. “If a firefighter isn’t going to do that, then let a robot do it. Once there is demand for this, it will revolutionize the industry.”