The Korean Fire Agency is stepping up the application of unmanned technology in firefighting, having successfully tested a heavy-duty drone system for firefighting in high-rise buildings for the first time.
According to information from the National Fire Protection Research Institute of the Korea Fire Agency, cited by a TTXVN correspondent in Seoul on July 30, a demonstration of horizontal water spraying technology using heavy-duty drones was completed at the Daehan Cable Tower in Dangjin City, South Chungcheong Province, on July 28 and 29.
The trial was conducted to overcome the limitations of fire ladder trucks in accessing the upper floors of buildings, and to evaluate the applicability of unmanned firefighting technology in high-rise building fires.
During testing, engineers used commercially available heavy-duty drones connected to fire trucks and hoses.
After taking off vertically to the designated location, the device sprays water horizontally from outside the building into the simulated fire area on the upper floors.
The results showed that the system met the requirements for accurate water supply and spraying from the air, opening up prospects for adding a new firefighting option for high-rise buildings.
The research team also conducted tests on various water supply options, including using a single pump truck and connecting multiple pump trucks in a series to assess the ability to maintain water pressure in real-world situations.
According to the National Institute for Fire Protection Research of Korea, the test results confirmed the feasibility of the technology while also identifying some technical limitations that need further improvement before large-scale deployment.
In the coming period, this agency will continue to verify the technical specifications, improve the stability and operational capabilities of the system in order to soon put the firefighting drone into practical application at fire scenes.
Kim Yeon Sang, president of the National Fire Protection Research Institute, said the test was significant as it demonstrated the feasibility of using commercially available heavy-duty drones to extinguish fires in high-rise buildings, while also collecting safety data to aid in the technology's refinement.
According to him, these results will serve as a basis for accelerating the commercialization and practical application of firefighting drone systems, contributing to improving the capacity to respond to fires in urban areas with increasingly high-rise buildings.