The case in summary: Tromsø fire and rescue is the first fire service in Norway to use drones for the inspection of chimneys. The use of drones minimizes the risk for fire service employees, reduces exposure to soot and makes work more efficient. The drones give the fire brigade the opportunity to inspect the entire pipe, which is not possible with a normal flashlight. The project has taken place in collaboration with UiT – Norway’s Arctic University, and has faced several challenges, including with regard to privacy, weight, lamp and light technology and camera technology. The drones are made up of their own systems, their own platforms and with their own lights. The collaboration between the fire service and the university has been important for the project’s success. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. In recent years, drones have become an increasingly common sight, and have become part of the working tools of more and more companies, agencies and organisations. And now the area of use for the technology is expanding even further. As the first fire service in Norway, Tromsø fire and rescue is now using drones to inspect chimneys. – We greatly minimize the risk that we expose ourselves to every time we climb a roof. At the same time, we minimize the exposure to soot, of which we want to have the least possible exposure, and we make our work very efficient with this, says Vårin Hofsøy, fire prevention officer at Tromsø fire and rescue. Photo: HANS L. ANDREASSEN / news Profit for more Every year, employees of the Norwegian fire and rescue service carry out several thousand inspections of pipes on roofs all over the country. By using newly acquired drones, which have so far performed surprisingly well, the fire service gets the necessary overview they need at an early stage. – You just have to zoom down, get the light to hit, we also check how much soot there is, what type of soot it is, and whether there is a need to sweep. We can also see if there is any damage or other things with the chimney that we should inform the house owners about, says Hofsøy. Tromsø fire and rescue is the first fire service in the country to use drone technology to inspect chimneys, which fire prevention officer Vårin Hofsøy is proud of. Photo: Hans L. Andreassen / news In contrast to a normal flashlight, which limits how far the sweepers can see, the drones allow the inspection of the entire pipe, she says. – It has been very rewarding to be part of this development, which is very important in our profession. It is impressive to see how it is received by the inhabitants of Tromsø as well, it has been exclusively positive. This photo of the inside of the pipe was taken with a drone. Photo: Tromsø fire and rescue Challenges Along the journey, the fire and rescue service in Tromsø has brought UiT – Norway’s Arctic University. – We combine technology with an area of use that needs technology. There have been a lot of changes within this profession for many years, says university lecturer Markus Kristoffer Dreyer, before he continues: – Now we can contribute with our expertise on drones, and how we can take this into, for example, the sweeping service to carry out inspections. There is something that is completely new, and which is therefore unique with this project. UiT: University lecturer Markus Kristoffer Dreyer is proud of what the university, the students and the fire service have created together. Photo: Hans L. Andreassen / news Close collaboration In the development of the project, which has taken place in close collaboration with Tromsø fire and rescue, there have been many challenges for the students. In addition to regulatory legislation, privacy, weight, lamp and light technology and camera technology have created various challenges, says Dreyer. – The funny thing about this is that the fire service wants to use our students in this project. We have participated in test flights and come up with suggestions. It is the fire service that has taken this further, and has arrived at what they need. In the end, it all ended up with a drone that is built up from its own systems, its own platforms and with its own lamps, says Dreyer. MANAGER: Head of department for the preventive department at Tromsø fire and rescue, Hege Andrea Aamodt. Photo: Hans L. Andreassen / news Head of the preventive department at Tromsø fire and rescue, Hege Andrea Aamodt, has no doubt that it is important to use each other’s strengths. – We are lucky to be so close to the university, and have achieved good cooperation with drone technology there. It is often when different professional circles talk together that magic can happen, and that is what has happened now, she says. The fire and rescue service exposes itself to a great risk when inspecting chimneys. Now the risk has been significantly reduced with the help of drone technology developed together with UiT. Photo: Hans L. Andreassen / news Published 28.10.2024, at 21.46
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Tromsø is the first fire service in Norway to use drones to inspect chimneys – news Troms and Finnmark
