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.
