Air-Cranes for high-rise fires?

The video has an animated demonstration of how Erickson Air-Cranes might use a front-mounted water cannon and a personnel rescue basket on high-rise fires. The water cannon has been around for a while, as you can see in this 2011 video, but I have not heard of it being actually used on a structure fire. Does anyone have more information?

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3 thoughts on “Air-Cranes for high-rise fires?”

  1. Most high-rise structures built in the last 50 plus years are required to have fire sprinklers installed. They severely limit the spread and intensity of high rise fires.
    Exceptions do occur when multiple back up systems fail. Structural damage, such as the World Trade Building had supply pipes cut by the impacting aircraft, and when systems are turned off for unknown reasons. I can’t think of any cities that could pull a appropriate aircraft out of it’s pocket in a rush to do this kind of aerial attack. It’s up to the fire crews to drag heavy structural hose’s up all the stairs and attach them to standpipes on the involved floor.

  2. Bill, this idea was demonstrated as far back as 1997 in British Columbia and also demonstrated in the US around that time as well. I have never heard of it actually being used as designed.

    I think most people understood the reality of having a suitably equipped aircraft located close by a catastrophic highrise fire was less than a once-per-career scenario and just didn’t warrant the investment. Some structural fire department experts also shuddered at the potential for inexperienced aviators exacerbating an already difficult incident by blasting water (which in turn propels burning material) through a building filled with people and responders.

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