Firefighters in Dubai could soon use jetpacks to fight skyscraper blazes
Firefighters in Dubai could use soon jetpacks to fight skyscraper blazes
What’s cooler than taking to the skies on a jetpack? Maybe using said jetpack to fight fire in skyscrapers. Firefighters in Dubai could soon strap on these futuristic packs to battle blazes in high-rise buildings, complete with thermal imaging cameras to help size up the conflagration.
Dubai has 916 high-rise buildings, and winds at those altitudes can fan the flames and cause them to reach even higher floors. The city has reportedly purchased 20 manned and unmanned jetpacks from manufacturer Martin Jetpack that will be used by first responders to tackle fires.
The standard Martin Jetpack model is powered by a four-cylinder V4 engine and can reach a top speed of 74km/h. It can also reach heights of 1,000m, more than enough for Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, which at 828m tall is the world’s tallest building.
Firefighters using the jetpack would be able to pinpoint which floor of the building a fire was on and also decide what needs to be done to put it out. Each unit cost Dubai US$150,000 – a pretty penny – but perhaps chump change to the emirate whose police department has a fleet of US$1.5 million Bugatti Veyron squad cars.