Electronics make firefighters' work safer

Can technology reduce the risks for firefighters and even save lives? According to Robbert Heinecke, manager of the Digital Exploration Team of the Dutch Fire Brigade at the NIPV, the answer is a resounding 'yes'. Together with colleagues from the fire brigade, Heinecke came up with technological applications that make firefighting work more effective, efficient and safer, including the fire-fighting robot. During the D&E event In Den Bosch he will talk about the fascinating combination of electronics and incident management.  

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The recent fire disaster in Valencia, in which a fourteen-storey apartment building completely burned down within minutes, once again makes it clear how important and dangerous the work of the fire brigade is. Because this time too, there were firefighters among the victims. “It is great work, but also unpredictable and risky,” says Heinecke, who himself started as a volunteer with the fire brigade and then went on to work as an ICT specialist. Operationally, he climbed the ranks to Officer on Duty (OvD), which gave him good insight into the problems that firefighters encounter in daily practice.

Limit damage
“During major incidents where I was in charge as a OvD, I saw the need for the use of unmanned systems such as indoor and outdoor drones but also fire-fighting robots.” A Dutch pump company gave Heinecke the opportunity to develop a reconnaissance robot that could also extinguish fires, in keeping with the risky work of firefighters. It turned out that such a robot did not yet exist. Together with colleagues, Heinecke worked on the project every Thursday evening in the fire station.

“We did this in our spare time, because we were really convinced of the importance of a fire-fighting robot. Not only for the safety of firefighters, but also for society. If you can get a fire under control faster, you prevent a lot of human suffering and limit damage,” says the passionate firefighter. “The robot itself is basically simple: a controllable tracked vehicle with a water cannon on it, ten cameras and many sensors. One of the challenges was protecting the electronics. The robot had to be resistant to water and to extremely high temperatures of up to 1100 degrees Celsius.”

Brutus
After half a year, Brutus, as the fire-fighting robot is jokingly called, was ready for use. And this happy fact did not go unnoticed. “Our business partner also saw the potential of Brutus and further developed the robot into what it is today.” After this success, Heinecke and his colleagues got the taste for it.

“Technically, there is so much possible in the field of incident management. And you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. It is often a matter of creative thinking by investigating how you can use existing technologies in a new way. For example, we use drones that were actually developed for the inspection of sewers and tanks. We have only developed strategies and tactics, so that the drones can now also be used in the extreme conditions of firefighting.”

Burning ship
In the meantime, Heinecke and his teammates are already working on the next project. “The fire brigade mainly uses drones for imaging, but you can do much more with them. At the moment we are working on the development of a fire-fighting drone that can carry approximately sixty litres of water. The water is converted into mist during the extinguishing process, which allows you to fight a fire from above with sixty litres in a very targeted manner. Especially in combination with an RGB and thermal imaging camera in the drone that provides a good image of the incident location.”

This is not only effective, but also safe. Some fires are too dangerous to fight with people, for example if toxic fumes are released or if there is a risk of collapse. Heinecke: “New technological developments and the energy transition bring other and sometimes greater risks. “You cannot extinguish a fire in an electric car or a vehicle powered by hydrogen in the traditional way. That is extremely dangerous. An unmanned drone or robot offers a solution.”

Manned drone
Sometimes situations arise where the physical presence of a firefighter is desirable, but it is not possible. Heinecke: "Think of a burning ship in the North Sea. It is then crucial to get firefighters and tools on board as quickly as possible. In that case, you could use a drone that transports people through the air from the shore to the ship instead of or together with a helicopter. A normal drone has a maximum take off-weight of 25 kilos, but we are working on a drone that is suitable for short manned transport with people and/or tools. These developments are on the way. Small-scale tests have already been done in Asia and we are now also going to take the first steps in the Netherlands.”

If everything goes according to plan, the first prototypes of the new drones will be ready in September of this year and testing can begin. Heinecke: “We will start with a test of up to sixty kilos of material (or sixty liters of water) and then expand from there. We hope to be able to test with people by the end of this year or early next year.”

Leader
Although there is still a lot of work to be done, according to Heinecke, the Netherlands is 'miles' ahead internationally when it comes to the use of technology within the fire service. "The sector has traditionally been conservative, but everyone realizes that traditional firefighting equipment is no longer sufficient. The increasing popularity of electric cars, the rise of alternative energy sources and increasingly higher buildings force us to innovate and apply new techniques. Not only to reduce the risks of firefighting, but also to nip fires in the bud in time. This is already possible by combining data from scouting drones with AI. The techniques are there, but we are still doing too little with them."

Support base
To increase the support for innovation, Heinecke is happy to share his experiences with visitors and potential partners at the D&E event. The focus is on the challenges surrounding the electronics in the equipment. “I hope that the audience will see the enormous interests at stake and that companies will want to think along with us. We are open to new ideas.”  

Do you want to see the presentation of Heinecke? live If you would like to attend, we cordially invite you to a free visit to the D&E event on March 20 in 's-Hertogenbosch.
Registration is free via the event website.

Photographer: Megin Zondervan