Fighting Fires with Jet Packs

March 15, 2017

Jet packs are giving folks a new vantage point from which to attack fires.

Iron Man doesn’t have anything on firefighters in Dubai these days. The city is now outfitting many of its firefighters with water-powered jet packs so they can easily attack fires from above. The jet pack technology is particularly well-suited to attacking fires along waterways and in boating-related incidents.

In a demonstration video showcased on the Digital Trends site, a Dubai fire fighter speeds to the scene of a burning car on a bridge and then deploys his jet pack, which shoots him up into the air to attack the flames from a higher vantage point. As if the ride to rescue isn’t dramatic enough, the demo shows the civil servant hero activating a hose from the on-board jet pack that allows him to snuff out the flames by drawing water from the canal below.

A New Zealand company, Martin Aircraft, is the brains and brawn behind the new jet packs, which the article says costs around $35,000 a piece. Because the pack is powered by water, ability to reach skyscraper level seems questionable.

Nevertheless, technology like this gives our everyday heroes some serious super powers.

About the Author

Beth Stackpole, contributing writer

Contributing Editor, Automation World

Beth Stackpole is a veteran journalist covering the intersection of business and technology, from the early days of personal computing to the modern era of digital transformation. As a contributing editor to Automation World, Beth's coverage traverses a range of industries and technologies, including AI/machine learning, analytics, automation hardware and software, cloud, security, edge computing, and supply chain. In addition to her high-tech and business journalism work, Beth writes an array of custom editorial content and thought leadership pieces.