Firefighting

Following up on the Bronco Overland concept, Ford has teamed up with Filson to create the Bronco + Filson Wildland Fire Rig concept. The upgraded Bronco celebrates wildfire fighters and shows how the newest body-on-frame 4x4 can help teams douse flames.

The Los Angeles Fire Department has welcomed aboard a new member of the team. The Thermite RS3 is a rover capable of pumping out thousands of gallons of water a minute, with these capabilities tested on its very first day on the job.

If there's one thing that all types of first responders have in common, it's the fact that they put a premium on speed. The Recruit quadcopter was created for such users, as it can reportedly fly at 140 mph and has a claimed 3-hour flight time.

So far, much of the development focus of China's EHang has been on providing air taxi and air tourism services, but now the air mobility company has launched a firefighting version of its two-person multi-rotor flying pod.

When it comes to putting out forest fires, the sooner that they're detected, the better. That's where a new forest-deployed sensor could come in, as it's powered by swaying tree branches.

Milrem Robotics and InnoVfoam have teamed up to create a new family of foam-shooting firefighting robots that are designed to help or replace human firefighters in dangerous situations by using remotely controlled fire monitors and foam proportioners.

If you were heading into a burning building, you'd probably want someone else to know your location within it at all times. German scientists have developed a system that's said to serve that purpose, for use by firefighters and other rescue workers.

One of the good things about drones is the fact that they can safely be flown in conditions that would prove hazardous for crewed aircraft. That's where the JC260 unmanned helicopter comes in, as it's designed to fight forest fires.

Firefighting teams tend to carry hand-held devices to help them see in harsh, smoky conditions, but an American company has built edge-detecting thermal vision into a single eye heads-up display inside the breathing mask for hands-free use.

Once inside a burning building, smoke may prevent first responders from being able to see where they're going. The Haptic Helmet from Carnegie Mellon University's Engineering department could help.

As part of an effort to make firefighting safer and more effective, Elbit Systems has demonstrated a new high-altitude, high-precision aerial firefighting system that allows aircraft to drop fire suppressants from much higher altitudes.

​When a forest fire is starting, it's vitally important for firefighting crews to know exactly what it is that they're up against, so they can prepare most effectively. A new Spanish project is helping to make that happen, utilizing an autonomous intel-gathering drone.