The date 9 May 2008 will be etched in the memory of many Drenthe firefighters. On that day there was a major fire at a shipyard in De Punt. Three firefighters were killed. A robot has been developed to prevent this in the future. In the event of a fire, they can be the first to enter instead of people.
“It’s a beautiful thing,” says Jeroen Antoons of the Drenthe Safety Region. He is the Chief Officer of the Fire Service, which means that he is ultimately responsible for firefighters in the event of an incident. “It’s great that BAS is doing this for us. It could certainly save lives.”
The robot, called BAS, looks like a mini-tank with caterpillar tracks. It is equipped with a 360-degree camera, a gas measurement sensor and a thermal imager. With virtual reality glasses, Antoons can see through the eyes of BAS in the event of a fire. This allows him to remain outside when BAS drives in.
During the major fire at a shipyard in De Punt, the fire raged in a large shed. Three firefighters went in to scout. Unburnt gases that had collected in the ridge caused a large explosion. The three men were killed.
This incident has changed the fire service’s view of firefighting in industrial buildings. The fire brigade is used to going in immediately in the event of a fire, but perhaps it is better not to. Antoons: “We no longer have to go directly inside. BAS does that and explores. And we can put out the fire from the outside.”
See here how BAS can look around 360 degrees. This works best on a PC or laptop: