Lancashire Fire and Rescue successfully trial firefighting drones which ‘could be a game-changer’

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With the number of wildfires on the rise, Lancashire Fire and Rescue have been trialling state-of-the-art robots to help battle them.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, has tested a swarm of self-coordinating drones to help battle ongoing wildfires in the county.

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The service, which in 2018 spent 41 days battling a wildfire across 18 square kilometres of moorland near Bolton, has been using the drones as part of an effort to develop cost-effective early mitigation strategies for wildfires.

The project brought Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service together with Windracers, the British developer of self-flying cargo aircraft, and some of the country’s most respected AI and robotics scientists based at the University of Bristol and the University of Sheffield. 

The drones and self-flying aircrafts will be able to hold heavy loads of fire retardant.The drones and self-flying aircrafts will be able to hold heavy loads of fire retardant.
The drones and self-flying aircrafts will be able to hold heavy loads of fire retardant. | Lancashire Fire and Rescue

Together they have developed unique technology for autonomously detecting and suppressing fires before they spread into uncontrollable wildfires. 

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Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service’s Chief Fire Officer, Justin Johnston said: “The earlier we reach fires, the less harm they pose to firefighters, communities, infrastructure and the environment.” 

These self-flying cargo aircrafts, which have also been used to carry parcels to the Orkney Islands as well as collect scientific data in Antarctica, are each able to carry 100kg of fire retardant. 

They can fly autonomously in a search pattern to monitor danger areas over the summer months, with a swarm of drones potentially covering areas the size of Greece.

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Using AI technology, the drones can automatically detect and investigate fires, and relay all the information to the fire team. 

Under the supervision of fire and rescue teams, the drones can then intelligently self-coordinate as first responders to rapidly deploy fire retardant onto the fire, monitor the situation and return to base. 

The project has been funded by The Future Flight challenge at UK Research and Innovation an is one of 17 projects that shared £73 million in funding to develop new vehicle technologies.The project has been funded by The Future Flight challenge at UK Research and Innovation an is one of 17 projects that shared £73 million in funding to develop new vehicle technologies.
The project has been funded by The Future Flight challenge at UK Research and Innovation an is one of 17 projects that shared £73 million in funding to develop new vehicle technologies. | Lancashire Fire and Rescue

Stephen Wright, Founder and Executive Chairman at Windracers said: “This successful trial was the culmination of four years of research and development which brought together some of the country’s greatest minds in autonomous aviation, AI and robotics to help tackle one of society’s greatest challenges.

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“We believe this highly cost-effective technology could be a game-changer.”

The week-long trial, which was based at Preddanack airport in Cornwall, rigorously tested the autonomous fire detection and swarm capabilities of these drones which successfully identified and approached a number of small, controlled fires.

Developers of the drones spoke to firefighters around the world to design a swarm that is useful and easy for them to operate.Developers of the drones spoke to firefighters around the world to design a swarm that is useful and easy for them to operate.
Developers of the drones spoke to firefighters around the world to design a swarm that is useful and easy for them to operate. | Lancashire Fire and Rescue

Justin Johnson said: “The self-governing swarm of flying drones could help firefighters detect a wildfire earlier, while being able to locate the exact place of fire and summon other drones to control the fire before firefighters get to the scene. 

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“We are proud and delighted to be part of this trial, the first of its kind in the world, and have a say in technology that could greatly reduce the risk of wildfires.”

Wildfires have become more frequent, large, and severe in the United Kingdom. Factors such as land use changes, higher temperatures, drought conditions, and climate change contribute to this trend. 

In 2022, there were over 44,000 wildfires - a rise of 72% from the previous year.

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