Source: Connected World (João Gabriel Nogueira)
A drone helped firefighters from the Jacksonville department in the United States contain a fire that was happening inside a ship. Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department (JFRD – Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department) used the assistance of a drone equipped with a thermal imaging camera to locate the hotspots on the ship and direct their efforts to contain the fire from the outside.
The images were shared on JFRD's official Twitter page and clearly show how streams of liters and liters of water help keep the exterior of the ship cool. The vessel, named M/V Hoegh Xiamen, transports vehicles. At a certain point, for reasons not yet disclosed, the focus of the fire started on the ship's deck, where the cars were stored. The entire crew was evacuated without injury, and firefighters boarded, closing the cargo compartment doors to try to smother the fire and let it consume itself for lack of oxygen. An explosion even injured eight firefighters, with three of them still hospitalized at this time.
With the fire contained inside the ship, fireboats began spraying water from the outside to keep the Xiamen cool and prevent the blaze from gaining strength. This is where the drone with a thermal imaging camera played an important role, showing where the ship was hottest and allowing the firefighters to direct the cold water to where it was most needed.
In the corner of the released images, the DJI logo can be seen, revealing that a drone from the manufacturer was used to help fight the fire, but the JFRD post does not reveal exactly which model.
The use of drones to assist the activities of various rescue authorities is already starting to become commonplace abroad, especially in the US. At the end of May, for example, a missing woman was found thanks to the help of a drone, and both she and her dog were safely rescued.
SOURCE:
FIRE MAGAZINE
