West Bengal govt to procure fire fighting robots, drones

West Bengal fire department was contemplating to procure fire fighting robots and drones for effective combat of fire incidents and prevent casualties, a senior official said on Friday.

These robots could be used in situations where it is too dangerous for fire brigade personnel to venture.

Such machines would also come in handy in congested areas and in the cases where a fire is caused by a chemical leakage or short circuits.

Drones can also be helpful to assist the robots or fire officials to find out crucial spots where access by firefighters are not possible.

"We are planning to procure robots and drones," Director General of Fire Services, Jag Mohan, said on the sidelines of a seminar.

Officials said the department has planned to procure at least two robots and as many drones and the process has already been initiated.

Armed with thermal cameras, the robots would be able to see through both smoke and darkness and the machines could be remotely guided and controlled by the fire officers.

Fire fighting robots can also spray water and foam mist up to a distance of 80 meters.