Uncrewed fire trucks prove value in Air Busan fire, winning additional deployments

4 days ago 49

SEOUL - South Korean fire authorities recently announced six additional deployments of uncrewed remotely controlled fire trucks, which played a crucial part in extinguishing the Jan 28 fire that broke out onboard an Air Busan aircraft in Busan.

The additional fire trucks, put into use nationwide last year, will be dispatched in Daegu, Gwangju and Gangwon, North Chungcheong, South Chungcheong and North Jeolla provinces, according to the National Fire Agency. A total of 32 such trucks will be deployed across the country.

The new truck allows officials to extinguish flames without deploying firefighters at hazardous areas, as it is equipped with a 20-meter crane with nozzles that allow it to put out fires within a 10-meter radius. The crane is able to plow through steel plates 4 millimeters thick or concrete blocks 160 millimeters thick, which proved crucial in the recent fire at Gimhae International Airport.

The truck penetrated the fuselage of the blazing plane and poured in water to allow officials to put out the fire as quickly as possible. All passengers and crew survived the ordeal, with only seven suffering minor injuries.

Two of the trucks are deployed for operation in Busan, the second most populated city in the country. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

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