The Civil Defense General Command in the Ministry of Interior announced the introduction of a firefighting service using the firefighting robot Thermite.’ The step comes as the recent addition to the smart technologies incorporated in the of the UAE’s civil defense equipment portfolio. The firefighting robot supports firemen with its ability to enter hazardous areas that human individuals cannot reach.
Major General Jassem Muhammad Al Marzouqui, Civil Defense General Commander-in-Chief, noted that utilizing the firefighting robot comes in line with the UAE’s government vision in fields of innovation and artificial intelligence. He continued that it also comes in implementation of the directions of Lt. General HH Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior to promote the position of the UAE civil defense as a futuristic destination, update firefighting and rescue equipment, provide civil defense centers with advanced equipment in order to reduce the response time, and promote the prevention efforts to tackles risks and challenges.
He said that the inclusion of the firefighting robot in civil defense centers is considered as a new milestone added to other achievements made by the UAE at the global levels in terms of prevention, safety and protection of lives and properties. He mentioned that this is a result of the cooperation between the Ministry of Interior represented by the Civil Defense General Command, and the American Howe and Howe Technologies company that aimed to develop the firefighting robot in line with the UAE civil defense requirements, and equip the robot with additions to increase its effectiveness, contribute to safety and security and fight hazardous fires.
He noted that as per an agreement with the manufacturing company, a number of civil defense personnel will be chosen according to their excellence and efficiency to join a specialized training course to operate and maintain the robot, train on all technical issues related to it, and train on how to address troubleshooting and perform periodical service.
Major General Al Marzouqui explained that the firefighting robot can be deployed and can access areas that are hazardous to firefighters in terms of heat and possible explosions. This is done by controlling it remotely from a distance of one kilometer. It also has the ability to use several firefighting methods such as highly pressurized water, sprayed water and foams. He said that the robot can work in harsh conditions for long hours especially in the event of major fires such as the fires of warehouses, buildings, huge facilities that generate high temperatures and big amounts of smoke and poisonous material.
He mentioned that the robot is used in dealing with incidents in chemical plants and storage areas that include high risks of explosions and poisoning, and large tunnels’ fires where the robot performs fire distinguishing, temporary cooling, ventilating and smoke removal from closed areas including lower floors and narrow areas without putting firemen to danger.
Major General Al Marzouqui noted that the Civil Defense General Command adopts the highest global standards in firefighting by applying fire prevention measures and ensure civil protection as per the UAE Fire and Life Safety Code of Practice with the aim to promote the protection and safety of all community members by using unified and suitable technologies in civil defense services.