Watch: Sharjah to use drones to fight fires in high-rise buildings

The Sharjah Civil Defence will use drone technology to deal with fires in high-rise buildings in the emirate, starting next year.

The new technology will enter service in the first quarter of 2025 and 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.

The authority tested the drone with a technical team from the Civil Defence and the company Drone First Building Services, based in the UAE.

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Brigadier Sami Al Naqbi, Director General of Sharjah Civil Defence, said: “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,” adding that the drone demonstrated the ability at this height to spray water up to 15 metres from an internal tank with a capacity of 5,000 litres, which is refilled via a water hose connected to a ground tank.

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

Reducing response time

Brigadier 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.

Performance improvements

Brigadier Al Naqbi pointed out that two drones will be put into service in the first quarter of next year, explaining that the drones are largely ready to operate, but they are subject to performance improvements in some details such as the diameter of the water spray hose, the power of pumping water, and the use of other extinguishing materials such as foam or dry powder, and the possibility of adding voice evacuation instructions and increasing the maximum height of the drone from 150 to 200 metres, 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 27kg, 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.

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