More on KentOnline
A remote control firefighting robot will be put to use across the county in the next few weeks.
Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) is one of the first in the country to acquire the gadget and says it will protect firefighters and reduce the impact of an incident on the community.
The robot, which is controlled by technical rescue teams, will be sent into larger incidents such as fires at industrial and commercial sites where maintaining the safety of those involved can prove to be particularly difficult.
The gadget, which cost around £90,000, can record video and audio, has thermal capabilities to check where the hotspots are, can give instructions and even help remove people from areas with a stretcher while spraying up to 2,000 litres of water a minute.
Mark Gosling, group manager at KFRS, said: “This is a really exciting addition for us. We’re always developing new tactics, and we want to have the best resources at incidents.
“There are three main reasons why we’ve introduced it into the service and that is keeping firefighters safe, reducing the number of resources at an incident and limiting the amount of time we’re there.
“This robot drives our service forward in our ability to help keep firefighters safe and to provide the best response we can.”
Carl Eastwell, technical rescue at KFRS, added: “The robot can gather a range of intelligence that can then be fed back to the crews, who are a safe distance away.
“Any innovative technology that we utilise in the service to improve the safety of personnel is vital. The robot has got a lot of capabilities and potential and we will learn from this in time when it’s used at incidents.
“It’s like when we started flying drones in the service, we knew what they could do but not the extent of how they could be used. Now they’re a tool which we utilise for a range of different incidents. The robot will already bring so much to the service, but there’ll be lots more it can do!”
The robot will be out responding to incidents across the county in the next few weeks.