Toronto Fire Services gets a new ladder truck
Toronto News Release
04 May 2022
Today, Mayor John Tory and Matthew Pegg, Toronto Fire Services Chief and General Manager unveiled Toronto’s newest piece of specialized firefighting and rescue equipment the Bronto Skylift 70m articulated aerial unit, nicknamed “Tower 1.”
At full extension, the aerial platform will reach an elevation of 70 metres, or 230 feet, from the ground to the base of platform, which is approximately 22 storeys high. Tower 1 reaches double the height of Toronto’s next tallest aerial apparatus that can reach 11 storeys. The new apparatus will provide Toronto Fire Services with much-needed operational versatility and extra protection in a “vertical city” that is expected to continue to grow in height and density over the coming decades.
The truck will be stationed downtown at 207 Front St. E., where there is the greatest density of high rises, but can be redeployed where needed to help with fighting fires, search and rescue, industrial emergencies, rope rescues such as at the Scarborough Bluffs and more. Specialized training of staff is underway.
Tower 1 will also provide Toronto firefighters with an unparalleled ability to get above and over top of buildings and to work around overhead obstructions that are common in the high-density urban areas of Toronto.
The high volume, master stream nozzle at the end of the platform is capable of flowing up to 3,800 litres of water per minute, providing crews with enhanced aerial firefighting capabilities.
It looks like a good addition to Toronto’s fire fighting equipment. However, there are disadvantages to having ladder trucks. They are very expensive, they take a lot of time to get to a fire and they often cannot access all four-sides of a highrise building.
Is there a better way? Several Chinese companies have developed fire-fighting drones.
These very powerful drones use different ways of fighting fires. A couple of designs can lift heavy water hoses up to the floor where they are needed and they can direct the high-pressure water directly into the building’s windows. Others shoot fire-fighting foam through the upper windows.
As this technology improves, fire in the upper floors of highrise buildings should become easier and quicker to extinguish.
Autonomous Firefighting Drone For High-Rise Fires in China
Intelligent Living
by Luana Steffen 30 September 2020
As populations increase and building densities rise, high-rise buildings are in particular threat of fires. Fire rescue ladders and the length of fire hoses are usually under 50 meters, and their operations are often restricted to one side of the building.
Simultaneously, traffic can also play a role in delaying the firefighters from reaching the location in time, as most high-rise buildings are located in the heart of cities.
The new firefighting version of EHang 216, “EHang 216F”, is specifically designed for high-rise firefighting. In a single trip, the drone can carry six fire extinguisher bombs and 150 liters of firefighting foam with the ability to fly within a radius of 5 kilometers from the fire station.
The intelligent 216F can quickly identify the location of fire via its visible-light zoom camera. Once the camera identifies the fire, it hovers exactly in position and uses laser aiming to fire a window breaker, followed by fire extinguishing “bombs” and a full-range spray of white firefighting foam.