New Delhi: Days after the Mundka fire tragedy, the Arvind Kejriwal government took initiative and will now use robots to extinguish fires in the city. According to ANI, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government on Friday inducted two robots into Delhi's firefighting fleet that will be able to douse fires in narrow streets, warehouses, basements, stairs, forests and enter places like oil and chemical tankers and factories.
Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain while talking about the new initiative said, "For the first time such remote control robots have been brought into the country which is capable of controlling fire remotely. At present, the Delhi Government has inducted 2 such robots, if the trial is successful, more such robots will be inducted into the fleet. These remote-controlled robots will prove to be major troubleshooters for the firefighters", as per ANI.
These robots can release high water pressure at the rate of 2,400 litres per minute, Jain said.
"After the induction of these robots, there will be a drastic reduction in the risk that the firefighters have to put up with. Apart from this, these robots will also be capable of releasing high water pressure at the rate of 2,400 litres per minute," he said.
The Home Minister said that these have a wireless remote which is capable of controlling the spray of the water.
"This means that the robot will be able to douse fire even in places which firefighters cannot possibly access," he added.
The firefighters of Delhi Fire Service have been given special training on how to operate these robots and a separate SOP has also been prepared which will be followed to control the fire.
"The robots were bought from an Austrian company. A few months ago, the fire incident that happened in the PVC market of Tikri Kalan was controlled with the help of these robots," said the Minister according to ANI.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in a tweet said that the initiative will help “reduce collateral damage and save the precious lives”.
How It Works?
These robots are built like army tanks which will help them climb stairs etc. with the help of remote control, it can be sent inside the areas affected by the fire and can be tracked. It has a 140-horsepower engine. This robot can run at a speed of four kilometres per hour.
The robot will spray water from a distance of 300 metres so it will not be affected by fire, smoke, heat, or any other adverse condition. Also, there are many nozzles for water showers. It can be modified according to the need and the level of fire, the government said, according to the ANI report.
The robot has a sensor and a camera in the front, through the sensor the robot will release water based on the temperature in the area. With the camera, it can take stock of the situation inside the building, etc, so it can give information in case somebody is trapped. The AAP government further said that various types of equipment can also be installed in the front part of the robot, with the help of which it can break the window or door and extinguish the fire inside.
The robot will have a pipe attached to its rear to draw water from the tankers standing outside. With this, the fire can be brought under control in less time without any risk. It also comes with a ventilation fan which can be used to keep the machine cool.
The fire-resistant robots equipped with modern technology can cover an area of about 100 metres at once and are capable of dousing the fire immediately.