The Los Angeles Fire Department raised $272,000 to purchase the country’s first firefighting robot, the Thermite RS3 that can spray 2,500 gallons of water or foam per minute for up to 20 hours. Los Angeles Firefighters watch a demonstration of the country’s first Thermite RS3 firefighting robot on October 13, 2020. (Photo Credit: Hans Gutknecht, The Orange County Register via A.P.)
Wildfires aren’t the only type of incendiary situation where firefighters need a helping hand. Commercial and residential buildings present equally unstable and explosive situations where quickly evolving conditions make it too dangerous for humans to enter burning structures or need additional resources to get the fire under control.
To support firefighters’ efforts, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) privately raised $272,000 to purchase the country’s first-ever firefighting robot, the Thermite Robotics System 3 (RS3). This surprisingly agile piece of machinery can climb stairs and weighs 3,500 pounds, nearly 2,000 pounds heavier than earlier counterparts. It can spray 2,500 gallons of water or foam per minute over as many as 20 hours.
The RS3 is flame and heat resistant for up to 10 hours. It is equipped with high-definition video and infrared cameras to assist in locating people, assessing fires and identifying the sources. Add-on features, such as the front plow and 5,000-pound winch that the LAFD requested, further customize the RS3. The plow aids in removing fire debris from the robot’s path and the winch has a towing capacity of 1,750 pounds. Using a handheld controller, firefighters have the option to operate the RS3 remotely, or they can be tethered to the robot when tackling flames.
Guests at the RS3’s debut demonstration at the Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center in Los Angeles on October 13, 2020, were ‘wowed’ by the robot’s ability to push a Chevy Celebrity vehicle with its plow and easily tackle uneven ground with its industrial-grade steel and rubber treads.
The LAFD’s new RS3 didn’t have long to wait before it got to tackle its first fire when two industrial textile buildings went up in flames in downtown Los Angeles on the same day of the demonstrations. To bolster the efforts of the 130 firefighters on the scene, the RS3 was sent in to help battle the flames as the situation escalated, and crews were instructed to evacuate the building. The RS3’s ability to continue to fight the blaze from inside buildings gives crews an edge in getting the fire under control, making their work safer and more efficient.
LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas said that 11 of their crew members were severely injured earlier this year while fighting hazardous-material fires that spread to four downtown L.A. buildings. Terrazas called the RS3 a “game-changer” and said, “It may make us rethink some of the ways we tackle fires when it’s available.”
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