Robots Against Firefighters

For years if not decades, firefighters have responded to a reported structure fire that turned out to be a fully involved single room. This fire scenario requires a core set of fire tactics and skills to control and extinguished the fire, but is it this simple? Perhaps twenty years it may have been, but new dangers are lurking in every scenario and may have detrimental outcomes for unsuspecting and unaware firefighters and victims. The National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) agency along with the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) have been conducting research to understand fire behavior and fire dynamics. This research is providing firefighters with new information about how and why

Safety should one of the main concerns of the United States people. Dallas law enforcement has found just that for us. By using the robot back in June, the Dallas force has opened up a window of opportunity to make our nation safer. According to Fox news, Chief David Brown stated, “We had an exchange of gunfire with the suspect. We saw no other option but to use our bomb robot and place a device

This paper explores the different aspects in living a firefighter’s life. The topics that will be covered are the various types of technology when being a fireman, the different tactics you see on a day to day basis, the physical abilities one must be capable of, and the types of equipment used. The technology used today to help fight fires is extremely progressed and different than it was even just ten years ago. If it were not for these new inventions, communication would not be as easy and complex for any fire station. Firemen face different obstacles every day and have to be ready to jump right in with whatever the circumstance may be. Tactics such as

The Laguna Fire was said to be the biggest fire during that particular time. Because of its negative impact on the communities of Harbison Canyon and Crest it resulted in the construction of The Modular Airborne Firefighting System. This system allows for firefighters to use aircrafts to contain and stop wildfires at great lengths and one-hundred percent effectiveness. The Laguna Fire resulted in impactful changes to fire suppression and fire ground tactics. In addition, the design of the five tanks allowed for quick and effective transitions. Due to its short loading time it allows for faster preparation for when a wildfire may occur. Which is a key factor when dealing with wildfires. Furthermore, The Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System was updated to better help the firefighters when transporting the tanks. The newly developed system which is Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System II redesigned the tanks. Instead of five huge tanks they changed it and made one ginormous tank. Referring back to the article titled, “ MAFFS II Making an Impact” it mentions, “ The MAFFS II systems allow the MAFFS aircraft to be loaded at the same bases as the larger civilian air tankers due to the built in compressors used to pressurize their load of fire retardant to be forced out of the aircraft.” this is another reason why the new Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System II is extremely effective and widely used. The Firefighter’s do not have to stop at certain bases to have the tanks pressurized, because with the new development with the two compressors inside the aircrafts they can just pressurize the tanks there, and the 24-hour resource allows for better access to these military aircrafts to be used. Because they are a twenty four hour resource it means that they have twenty four hours to arrive on the scene of the fire. Furthermore, the process of

Disasters like earthquakes, tornados, and hurricanes happen almost everyday. It takes help from first responders to get those in the disaster area to safety. But this puts the lives of who perform rescue missions at risk as well. In the November 2014 issue of Popular Mechanics magazine, Davey Alba’s article, “A Robot for Any Disaster,” is unsuccessful in convincing the readers of this idea through the limited use of pathos and redundant use of logos.

Firefighting tactics, like firefighting itself, has a history step in tradition but must also adapt to modern technology and science to stay relevant. Recently, fire research has provided the fire community with new tactics such as fire flow path, pencilling and transitional attack. While all three tactics have their merit, transitional attack has been shown to benefit both the firefighters and civilians in measurable ways.

Did you know that the earliest form of firefighting took place in Rome in 24 B.C? After almost being destroyed by unruly conflagrations, Rome created a fire department consisting of about 7,000 paid firefighters. Their fire crews responded to and fought fires, and also patrolled the streets with the authority to fine anyone who disobeyed the fire prevention codes (Hashgan). The major piece of firefighting equipment the Roman's used was the bucket, which was passed from hand to hand to deliver water to the fire. Additionally, they used an ax, which was utilized to remove the fuel and prevent the spread of fire, as well as to make openings that would allow heat and smoke to escape a burning building.

The security robot is simple and is like a camera it has no eyes or emotion. It just does his job and goes back to it’s station. I think this would be something to look at when designing our recovery robots. The use of the light like a police car is really good it show authority and an emergency. This will work for our short when the robots go to recover the ship they can flash to show there is an emergency. Also it will show they have authority to be on the road. Although they are emotionless you can still get a human feel from them.

The fire shelter is a personal protective device designed to be used by wildland firefighters in the United States. These shelters have been in use since the 1960’s , and since their first introduction into standard wildland firefighter equipment, they have saved over 300 lives and prevented serious injuries to countless others [IWFC-Anderson]. The shelters are easily carried and easily deployed by firefighters as a last resort to protect against heat injury if they find themselves in an emergency situation.

Would you be willing to risk your life to go into a burning house to save someone you have never even met before? Firefighters face this possibility every day. The dedication, training, and pride of firefighters makes this career highly respected on many levels. Few people really have the true desire and makeup to be a firefighter, but those who do find the job challenging and rewarding. As a community, we should be grateful for these brave workers and their dedication.

One of the biggest advancement in the last few years through the help and research of NIST has been that of flow paths and fire. NIST has been able to show the fire service that when there is a fire and say a window is knocked out or a door open and not controlled that the flow of natural ventilation would help the fire grow. This growth then fueled the fire to a point that would catch firefighters off guard maybe even kill them. Such fires as the one in Chicago that killed a fire captain that died from the injuries that he sustained while advancing a hose line into a two story, single family structure (Weinschenk, Overholt, Madrzykowski, 2014). Since NIST determined this to be a real threat to firefighters, departments have been taking genuine efforts to control the flow of air to the best of their ability at structure fires. I think that this new tactic of air control has been a real game changer for fire departments all around the

While Ordnance safety and firefighting standards are the norm today, it took many fatal events, culminating in the loss of 134 lives onboard the USS Forrestal for these changes to become a priority. Every Navy leader should understand the importance of the origins surrounding Ordnance safety and firefighting standards because it prevents future loss of lives and ensure junior Sailors have the resources to fight the ship when needed. This paper will cover the events that lead to improved Ordnance safety standards, standardized firefighting equipment, and firefighting training following two major mishaps culminating in the loss of 134 lives onboard the USS Forrestal in 1967.

Another very important field robots play in is the military. Today, more than ever, soldiers’ lives are being spared because of the robotic soldiers that are stepping in and doing the dangerous jobs that could mean life or death. The Army, Marines, Navy, and the Air Force are all moving towards robotic

The history of military robotics dates back to World War II and the Cold War. During those times of spying, weaponry and strategic attacks, these robots were in the form of Germany’s type of robotics and Russian weaponry called “teletanks”.

Much like all events and natural phenomena that pose a threat to civilization, humans have learned to cope with and prevent the loss of human life and destruction of property in devastating blazes that can break out seemingly at random. Fighting fires was not always the science it is today, but due to the use of new technologies and the fundamental understanding of what fire is, how it spreads, how it can kill, and how it is stopped, our protocol when dealing with fires has increased our success rate and continues to grow with applications of engineering, chemistry, and meteorology.