Overcoming High-Rise Fire Suppression Limits with Firefighting Drones

Chungcheong Fire Academy and Professor Kim Heung's team from Hoseo University are conducting a demonstration training using drones to extinguish fires at high-rise building fire sites. Provided by Chungnam Province

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The day is not far off when drones will be deployed to high-rise fire sites to extinguish fires.

On the 12th, according to Chungnam Province, the Chungcheong Fire Academy and Professor Kim Heung's team at Hoseo University recently began building a "high-rise fire extinguishing firefighting drone system."

This system centers on drones carrying hoses connected to fire pump trucks, ascending vertically to reach the fire site, and extinguishing the fire with direct water spray.

Previously, the Chungcheong Fire Academy and Hoseo University conducted demonstration training using commercially available drones (takeoff weight 25 kg, lifting capacity 15 kg) in this manner.

The demonstration training was conducted to verify the height at which the drone can lift a water-filled hose and the level of water pressure it can withstand. During this process, it was confirmed that the drone could spray a water stream about 20 meters long at a pressure of 10 kg/cm² for 5 minutes at an altitude of 15 meters.

Based on the demonstration results, the Chungcheong Fire Academy and Hoseo University plan to develop lightweight hoses and nozzles and establish a drone operation system so that the system can be used at fire sites in high-rise buildings over 50 meters this year and over 120 meters by 2023.

If drones can be deployed to high-rise fire sites, it is expected to overcome the limitations of aerial ladder trucks and reduce the burden on firefighters who must enter the building directly.

Until now, when fires occurred in high-rise buildings, it was common for aerial ladder trucks to be dispatched to the site to extinguish the fire. However, aerial ladder trucks often face difficulties accessing fire sites, and significant time is required to deploy outriggers and ladders.

In fact, it is known that even veteran firefighters take an average of 7 to 10 minutes to deploy outriggers in obstacle-free spaces. Additionally, the maximum deployment height of aerial ladder trucks owned by domestic firefighting authorities is 70 meters, which has been a vulnerability in fires in super high-rise buildings.

Moreover, firefighters entering fire sites must carry equipment and climb to the upper floors of buildings themselves, resulting in relatively long times and high risks of accidents.

Regarding this, Bang Jang-won, head of the Chungcheong Fire Academy, said, "The tallest building in Chungnam Province is 66 floors, and there are about 3,000 apartment buildings with 16 floors or more. Despite the recent increase in high-rise buildings, there have been limitations in fire response at high-rise buildings."

He added, "However, if drones can be deployed to fire sites in the future, optimal responses to high-rise building fires are expected. Chungnam is the first firefighting-related institution nationwide to promote drone deployment at high-rise fire sites, and we will strive to establish and utilize the related system as quickly as possible."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.