Sharjah Civil Defence uses drones to fight fires in high-rise buildings

Sharjah Civil Defence Authority intends to use drone technology to deal with fires in high-rise buildings in Sharjah starting next year, explaining that the new technology, which will enter service in the first quarter of 2025, will contribute significantly to achieving the strategic and operational goals set by the authority related to reducing firefighting time and achieving rapid response, especially in high-rise buildings, and moving from traditional firefighting methods to advanced and creative methods..

Last Wednesday morning, Sharjah Civil Defence Authority conducted a practical application of this technology in the presence of the technical team from Civil Defence and Drone First Building Service, headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, to ensure the efficient use of the new technology and add the required improvements to reach the highest level of performance with full efficiency and effectiveness in fighting fires..

“We tested the drone and it passed the test successfully, reaching a height of 150 metres, equivalent to about 40 floors, in just 18 seconds,” said Brigadier Sami Al Naqbi, Director General of Sharjah Civil Defence. He added that at this height, the drone demonstrated the ability to spray water up to 15 metres from a 5,000-litre internal tank, which is refilled via a water hose connected to a ground tank..

Al Naqbi explained that the drone can be equipped with a thermal camera that helps firefighting teams determine the source and intensity of the heat and its concentration, especially in areas with large spaces. This will give firefighting teams the ability to make important decisions quickly to control the incident. .

Al Naqbi pointed out that due to the large size of fire engines and the nature of some narrow buildings, firefighting teams may face traffic obstructions, which causes a delay in the speed of response, while the drone can be transported in a small vehicle and launched directly to the site, which ensures a much faster response..

He pointed out that two drones will be put into service in the first quarter of next year, explaining that the drones are largely ready for operation, but they are subject to performance improvements in some details such as the diameter of the water spray hose, the power of pumping water, the use of other extinguishing materials such as foam or dry powder, the possibility of adding the issuance of voice evacuation instructions and increasing the maximum height of the drone from 150 to 200 meters, equivalent to about 60 floors, with the aim of making it more efficient in high-rise building fires..

He explained that the drone, which weighs 27 kilograms, can be operated by battery or electricity, and can operate for 12 continuous hours, noting that it is equipped with night lights, heat sensors and a parachute system for emergency landing in the event of a malfunction, which prevents the drone from colliding with the ground..

He said the drone’s ability to reach greater heights far exceeds the current 60-metre limit of the authority’s firefighting ladder, which costs around Dh5.5 million. “This confirms that investing in drones is not only a more efficient method of fighting fires, but also cost-effective,” he said, noting that past events have demonstrated the value and importance of drones in responding to fire incidents..

In comparison to a previous incident, Al Naqbi gave an example of the huge difference drone technology makes..

“For example, if drones had been used during a fire that broke out in a tower in Sharjah four years ago, we could have contained the fire within one hour instead of about six hours, and this technology would have allowed us to protect lives better and faster and reduce damage to property,” he said..

Al Naqbi said: “We need to go beyond traditional methods and adopt current developments that provide us with high-precision data, conduct more experiments, learn about best practices, harness all technologies for firefighting and combating operations, and enhance innovation.”

The CEO of Drone Building Service, which supplies the authority with drones, Mohammed Ghaith Jiraatli, said that the vision of the Sharjah Civil Defence Authority to use drones in fighting fires is a creative idea and a future vision adopted by the authority as the first specialized entity and has been actually tested on the ground..

“Since partnering with them two months ago, we have customized the drones based on their feedback to meet the unique needs of high-rise fires in the emirate,” he added, explaining that the integration of drones will undoubtedly set a new standard in firefighting efficiency, adding that their team is focused on improving the drones’ capabilities to ensure that they not only meet but exceed Sharjah Civil Defence’s expectations..