Mumbai: City to soon have firefighting drones capable of extinguishing blaze at high-rises

Soon, the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) will have a drone capable of extinguishing fires at high-rises. Taking further the objective of constantly upgrading its array of firefighting equipment, the MFB had initiated a plan with select startups led by IIT graduates. Two years ago, the fire brigade and these startups brainstormed on constructing a drone having special features. Finally, a drone has been made which can fly up to 50 metre. The MFB officials inspected the newly-developed drone weighing more than 100 kg and suggested some tweaks to optimise its technical capability.

According to the MFB's requirement, the drone should be able to reach up to 80 floors and be fitted with a camera. “Few years back, we had a meeting with the aerospace department of the Bombay IIT. We need drones which can fly up to 250-300 metre, which is near about 80 floors. It should be able to click the photos and give an aerial view of the top floors. Also, these drones should have the capacity to carry water and spray it at the speed of 300 litre per minute. They should fly at least two hours,” said chief fire brigade officer Hemant Parab.

The startups have assured the MFB that it will surely come up with the tailor-made design as their research is still underway. “We have seen their presentation and suggested some changes. But one thing is sure soon we will have a firefighting drone,” he asserted.

Currently, the firefighting ladders can reach up to 30 floors.