UAS will be used in Dubai for the first time to send live videos of fire incidents to emergency services, officials revealed during the Intersec safety and security show in Dubai on Sunday.The “quad-copters” will be sent ahead of first-responders to fire incidents to cover all angles of the blaze to help Dubai Civil Defence (DCD) teams in dousing operations.
The flying machines can beam live feeds to handheld receivers with fire crews and to the main operations control room.
Visitors to Intersec on Sunday were taking mobile phone pictures of a demo version in flight at the Civil Defence stand. The three-day event is taking place at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The expo was inaugurated by Shaikh Mansour Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The smaller versions of the copters can be remote controlled within a range of 300 metres. Using four sets of helicopter-like blades, the devices can stay airborne for 25 minutes.
However, the larger versions, with a flight time of 45 minutes, can be programmed to zip to a set location using GPS coordinates on Google Earth.
“We’re now starting this system for Dubai Civil Defence. I understand other emirates can also request the machines to be sent over in the future,” said Second Lieutenant Ali Ghalaita from DCD.
Col Rashid Al Falasi of the Dubai Civil Defence said the UAS were being trialled before being fully rolled out across the force, which was likely to happen this year.
A special division of the Operations Department at Dubai Civil Defence has been set up to operate the UAS. The division has two staffers, but six more are being trained.
“In case of a fire, four helicopters will circle the building,” said Ali Salem Ghalaita, the head of the division. “The officer-in-charge will check the monitor and will find what they need exactly to fight the fire.”
There are three main quad-copters – one for patrol and checking offences, another for supporting fire-fighting operations, and the third to provide aerial shots for media activities.
Each UAS has a 45-minute battery life. To boost their effectiveness, patrol bikes have been equippped with special cases to carry the UAS for easy deployment at the scene of a fire.
Col Falasi said the Dubai Government wanted the civil defence agency to have cutting-edge technology.
“Because of that, we will look at all new technology, but we must check if it has gone through proper testing first,” he said.
The annual show’s 16th edition is seeing the participation of 1,210 companies from 54 countries.
Show organiser Epoc Messe Frankfurt said demand for safety and security systems is growing in the UAE and region, with a 22 per cent surge in Intersec exhibitors this year.
Sources: Gulf News, The National