AI Robots In The Fire Service? The Time Has Come!

In the age of artificial intelligence, believe it or not, robots have been under development to fight fires.  For example, the Washington Post in 2019 had an article entitled, “Firefighters had a secret weapon when Notre Dame caught fire: A robot named ‘Colossus.”

French firefighters used a firefighting robot named Colossus to fight the 2019 Notre Dame fire. Colossus was credited with suppressing the blaze when firefighters were forced to withdraw.  With a wall of red-orange flames rapidly advancing, and Notre Dame’s vast chambers reaching oven-like temperatures, the commander of the Paris Fire Brigade made a painful choice.

He told his firefighters to retreat.

Losing a beloved medieval relic would be devastating, of course, but losing human lives in a hopeless effort to save the building would be even worse.  Jean-Claude Gallet, the commander, had a backup plan: Colossus, a 1,100-pound tanklike robot with the ability to venture into danger zones where conditions would quickly kill a person.

Using a motorized water cannon capable of firing more than 660 gallons per minute, Colossus took aim at the stone walls of the ancient cathedral and began spraying. Gallet credited the firefighting robot with lowering temperatures inside the glass-filled nave and saving the lives of its human counterparts as an even greater disaster loomed.

“Time was against us, the wind was against us and we had to get the upper hand,” Gabriel Plus, a spokesman for the fire brigade said, “The priority we set was to save the two belfries. Imagine if the timber of the belfries had been weakened and the bells had collapsed. That was really our fear. In the beginning, it was not impossible to imagine that the cathedral structure could collapse.”

The machine’s heroic role in the defense of Notre Dame may be remembered as the beginning of a new era of robotic firefighting. Over the last decade or so, experts say, various countries and organizations have begun developing machines that fight fires and gather information, potentially offering a sophisticated new tool in a fire department’s arsenal. The machines keep people out of harm’s way and provide an alternative to the age-old practice of hauling a heavy, unwieldy fire hose into a cluttered building.

Colossus is far from the only robotic firefighter available for action.

In China, video has emerged of firefighting robots taking part in drills alongside human firefighters. Howe and Howe Technologies — a company that specializes in creating military vehicles and robots — has developed several firefighting robots that are designed to operate in industrial environments using foam or water.

Lockheed Martin’s Fire Ox, a robotic firetruck that can be controlled using a “game style controller,” was designed to fight wildfires or structure fires, Myron Mills, who helped develop the vehicle, told Bloomberg News in 2014. The U.S. Navy has also begun experimenting with a 5-foot 10-inch humanoid robot to fight fires. The Terminator-like machine was designed to throw propelled extinguishing agent (PEAT) grenades and handle a fire hose.

Shark Robotics says the Colossus — which is 2.5 feet wide and 5.25 feet long — can carry 1,200 pounds and be operated from almost 1,000 feet away. Controlled using a joystick, the machine is waterproof and fireproof and can even withstand thermal radiation, according to the company. It can crawl up stairs.

The machine’s lithium ion batteries can last for up to eight hours, and the robot can be equipped with cameras, sensors and a smoke-extracting fan.

Brian Lattimer, the vice president of research and development at the safety engineering and consulting firm Jensen Hughes, said operating in dangerous environments is only part of the appeal of firefighting robots. In the near future, he said, robots will be equipped with sensors that allow them to see through heavy smoke and steam, locating obstacles and identifying “hot spots” that can be targeted with water.

Right now, he said, one of the downsides to robots is they operate best in open environments — like a warehouse or a spacious cathedral. Over time, he said, the machines will be equipped with increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence that will allow them to operate with more autonomy, presumably as the machines become more agile.

“The goal will be for firefighters to be in the loop with these robots to assist and evaluate the hazards so they can plan an effective response,” Lattimer said. “Eventually, we’ll have collaborative teams of robots — in the air and on the ground — that will work closely with people and reduce the risk to human life.”

Use of firefighting robots has also been developed in the U.S.   The Los Angeles Fire Department has deployed an RS3 Firefighting Robot on several occasions. In October 2020, the robot was used to help combat the downtown LA Boyd Street fire, marking the first time the technology was used in a real-world scenario in the U.S.

Swiss company Flyability has developed the Elios 2, a drone designed to enter complex and confined spaces. The drone has been used to aid firefighting efforts in complex industrial settings, allowing for reconnaissance and strategy planning while keeping human firefighters out of harm's way.

WATERBORO, Maine, April 17, 2023 – Howe & Howe, Inc. announced today that the company will introduce its Thermite® EV1 firefighting robot at this year’s FDIC International. The company will be located in booth 5162 at the prestigious fire service event, which is scheduled for April 24-29 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The latest evolution in Howe & Howe’s trusted family of electric firefighting robots, the Thermite EV1 safely and effectively targets fires with a modular design that can accommodate its multi-position, 700 gallon-per-minute nozzle and additional available attachments. Powered with the latest in high-capacity battery technology, the EV1 can move farther into high-temperature, oxygen-deprived environments, unlike equipment with traditional, fuel-consuming engines that have oxygen requirements for the drivetrain. This will be the fourth vehicle in the Thermite family, the only firefighting robots built, made, and sold right here in the United States.

So, use of artificial intelligence and robots for firefighting are not science fiction, they are now a reality.