Firefighters rely on a variety of technologies to help them respond to fires, search and rescue operations, wildfires and respond to hazardous chemical releases. The use of drones in firefighting operations opens up new possibilities for firefighting tactics. Fire departments are increasingly using drones in their work, using thermal drones to support firefighters. This type of drones designed for firefighting missions become firefighting drones.
Firefighting drone applications not only improve the efficiency of emergency response, but also significantly enhance firefighter safety. Fire departments are second only to police departments in using drones.
Fighting Fire With Thermal
During urban fires, when entering buildings filled with smoke and with little or no visibility, thermal imaging can provide visual aid to help analyze and assess the situation, identify obstacles and help save lives. Firefighting teams often use handheld thermal imaging cameras to go deep into fire scenes for fire extinguishing and rescue.
In wild fires, thermal drones collect aerial intelligence, coordinate emergency response, see the scene clearly amidst thick smoke and fire, and ensure the safety of firefighting and rescue teams.
Whether indoors or outdoors, discovering hidden fire points, extinguishing fires, emergency rescue, collecting fire data on site, preventing secondary fires, etc. are all full of challenges and dangers. Firefighting drones can collect aerial intelligence, gain situational awareness of fast-moving flames, protect firefighters and civilians, and have unparalleled visibility into emergency hazards.
Deploying thermal imaging drones to fight fires is a new aerial solution for the fire department and the most revolutionary fire aid for firefighting work.
What is a firefighting drone?
Firefighting drones, or drone firefighters, are equipped with advanced features specifically designed to fight fires. These specialized drones are able to navigate challenging environments and provide critical support to firefighters on the ground, becoming an integral part of fire rescue operations.
Firefighting drones are often equipped with lidar (light detection and ranging) sensors and thermal imaging cameras, and other payload options include foam sprayers, water cannons and dry powder, speakers, and searchlights. These drone payloads not only help identify targets in smoke and collect important information, but can also provide accurate information for personnel rescue and enable rapid deployment of resources.
Firefighting drones help fire departments achieve rapid risk assessment, real-time aerial surveillance and data collection, communication and coordination. Training and simulation drones can even be used as part of fire simulation exercises for training purposes.
How do firefighting drones work for the fire department?
1. Fire monitoring and assessment
The drone is equipped with a thermal imaging camera, which can monitor the fire scene in real time and generate heat maps to help commanders quickly judge the distribution and development trend of the fire. This technology plays an important role in forest fires in particular. It is difficult to fully understand the fire situation through traditional ground observation, but drones can provide a comprehensive view from the air and help fire brigade develop more effective fire-fighting strategies.
2. Search and rescue mission
In search and rescue missions after fires or other disasters (such as earthquakes), drones can quickly scan large areas to find trapped people. Equipped with high-resolution cameras and infrared imaging technology, drones can quickly locate heat sources in complex environments, thereby improving search and rescue efficiency and shortening rescue time.
3. Reconnaissance of dangerous areas
In high-risk incidents such as chemical leaks or toxic gas leaks, drones can remotely detect dangerous areas, detect the concentration and distribution of harmful substances, and prevent firefighters from directly entering dangerous areas, thereby reducing personnel risk exposure.
4. Communications and data transmission
In some remote areas or areas with poor communication, drones can serve as temporary communication relay stations to help the emergency command center maintain contact with the on-site fire brigade. At the same time, drones can transmit on-site videos and data in real time, providing key information to decision makers and ensuring the scientificity and accuracy of command decisions.
5. Post-analysis and training
The fire scene videos and data recorded by drones can not only be used for emergency response at the time, but also for post-event analysis and training. By analyzing videos captured by drones, fire departments can learn lessons learned, optimize future emergency response strategies, and improve overall combat capabilities.
What kind of drones do firefighters use?
The best use of aerial firefighting drones is aerial observation and heat detection in disaster-stricken areas. Therefore, here we will focus on thermal imaging firefighting drones.
Thermal drones designed specifically for firefighting will transform the entire firefighting and search and rescue industry, bringing unprecedented potential benefits to fire departments and the fire service as a whole.
Autel EVO II Dual 640T V3 - Affordable Thermal Drone
Autel EVO II Dual 640T V3 continues the easy-to-use, easy-to-carry and lightweight design of the EVO drone. It is an affordable thermal imaging drone designed for professionals who require efficient and accurate temperature measurement, such as public Security, fire search and rescue, building inspection and agriculture.
The drone has a flight time of up to 38 minutes and includes a high-resolution 640*512@30fps thermal imaging camera and an 8K visible light camera, which can help locate and assess fire points. EVO II Dual 640T V3 is also equipped with a variety of intelligent flight modes, such as automatic path planning, point of interest surround, intelligent obstacle avoidance, etc., to help operators complete tasks more easily.
The EVO II Dual 640T V3 thermal drone can be paired with Autel Live Deck 2 for real-time video transmission of multiple terminal devices, helping the firefighting team better analyze and utilize the collected data.
- 38 minutes flight time
- 15km transmission and control range
- 8K 1/1.28 inch 50MP camera
- 640x512 px uncooled infrared camera
- Artificial Intelligence Identification and Tracking
- 20°C to 50°C operating temperature
- Open SDK
- Omnidirectional obstacle avoidance
Autel EVO MAX 4N – Best Autonomous Firefighting Drone
The Autel EVO MAX 4N industrial drone has an independent design, a foldable and portable design. It has a flight time of 42 minutes and a flight distance of 20 kilometers. The starlight camera can see everything clearly at night and can be used as the first responder at a fire scene. responders, quickly assisting the fire department in their efforts.
The Autel EVO MAX 4N camera has multiple built-in sensors, supporting starlight cameras, wide-angle cameras, laser rangefinders and 640*512 thermal imaging cameras. The drone remote control screen can be displayed in split screens, with up to 16x zoom, and can carry out target recognition and tracking. It can also navigate and fly smoothly in complex GPS-less environments, and can be fully used in the firefighting industry.
The Autel EVO MAX 4N operates without the need for constant manual control thanks to an advanced flight control system and navigation algorithm. With automatic flight path, takeoff, landing and precise waypoint tracking, it eases the workload of firefighters.
- 42 minutes flight time
- 20 kilometers transmission and control range
- 2.3MP starlight camera
- 50MP 1/1.28" CMOS wide camera
- 640x512 px uncooled infrared camera
- laser rangefinder
- Hot-swappable battery
- IP43 protection level
- Artificial Intelligence Identification and Tracking
- 20°C to 50°C operating temperature
- Omnidirectional obstacle avoidance
The impact of firefighting drones on the firefighting industry in 2024
According to statistics, between 2022 and 2024, at least 3.7 million fires occurred in the United States, causing more than 3,700 deaths and $15.5 billion in property damage. Among public safety agencies using drones, fire departments have been the second largest agency type behind police departments.
The integration of firefighting drones into the firefighting industry has the potential to revolutionize traditional practices. By leveraging the capabilities offered by this emerging technology, fire agencies can enhance their preparedness, response and recovery capabilities when responding to wildfires, urban fires and other emergencies.
Drone swarm technology also has the potential to play a key role in combating widespread forest fires. Drone swarm fire prevention can respond to large-area fire emergencies, search for potential fire points, conduct large-area aerial monitoring, and report the situation in real time.
Conclusion
The application of drones has brought revolutionary changes to the work of the fire department. They not only improve the efficiency of monitoring and search and rescue at fire scenes, but also greatly enhance the safety of firefighters. As drone technology continues to advance, they will play a greater role in more emergency response scenarios in the future and become an indispensable assistant to the fire department.
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