Skip to main content

From spraying fire-extinguishing foam to rescuing people: Drones shape firefighting future

As destructive wildfires become more and more commonplace across the globe, the use of drones in firefighting response is also quickly gaining pace. A new fire rescue drill video by Chinese company EHang shows how drones of different capabilities can work in tandem to accelerate firefighting efforts and emergency rescues at high-rise buildings in urban areas.

EHang is a pioneer in passenger-grade drones and urban air mobility solutions. But its product portfolio isn’t limited to air taxis alone. The company was on hand to help the Chinese government with aerial logistics, inspections, and broadcasting missions during the recent COVID-19 Delta variant flare-up. And now, its EH216F drone has passed a rigorous, 10-month-long technical evaluation by China’s national firefighting equipment quality testing agency.

High-rise fire rescue drill shows what firefighting drones can do

The mock drill was conducted in China’s Laixi City, chiefly to showcase what the newly approved EH216F drone is capable of. However, the drill also utilized EHang’s EH216 passenger-carrying drone as well as the Falcon B Series craft that be equipped with a loudspeaker or used to transport emergency supplies.

Site default logo image

The drill replicates a high-rise fire scenario on a construction site. On receiving the report of a fire, the Emergency Command Bureau of Laixi City quickly dispatches the three drones to provide emergency air support.

These aircraft then successfully complete tasks such as fire detection, aerial broadcasting, airdropping emergency firefighting supplies, breaking high-rise windows and extinguishing fires, and rescuing trapped persons. Watch:

It’s quite clear that drones have a definite advantage in high-rise rescues. They can break through space limitations, offer rapid response, allow for remote monitoring and cluster management, and prevent casualties. As Huazhi Hu, founder, chairman and CEO of EHang, says:

The fire rescue drill in Laixi City demonstrates the practical utilization of EHang to support smart city emergency response and firefighting management in air firefighting and rescue scenarios. EHang provides a new solution for intelligent aerial fire emergency rescue through integrating multiple functions such as aerial fire detection, fire extinguishing, rescue, emergency and firefighting management, etc.

In the future, this can be expected as a fundamental element in building a lifeline for more urban high-rise firefighting scenarios and power the optimization of smart city emergency response and firefighting management systems.

Read more: Drone footage shows apocalyptic scenes of wildfires in Turkey

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

DJI FPV discount sale
You’re reading DroneDJ — experts who break news about DJI and the wider drone ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow DroneDJ on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Comments

Author

Avatar for Ishveena Singh Ishveena Singh

Ishveena Singh is a versatile journalist and writer with a passion for drones and location technologies. She has been named as one of the 50 Rising Stars of the geospatial industry for the year 2021 by Geospatial World magazine.