InterviewKorea looks to AI, drones, robots to make firefighting safer

Korea is moving toward a future firefighting system in which drones and robots enter hazardous zones first, artificial intelligence (AI) helps commanders make decisions and more advanced protective gear gives firefighters a better chance of surviving extreme conditions.

“Drones and robots will be deployed to collect information on risks at the scene. Once they finish the task, AI will analyze it and provide commanders with the information they need,” Kim Yeon-sang, head of the National Fire Research Institute, said in a written interview with The Korea Times. “All this will enable faster and more accurate situational judgments.”

The envisioned changes reflect a broader effort to adapt firefighting to increasingly complex emergencies, including high-rise blazes, electric vehicle fires — as seen in the 2024 Incheon underground parking garage fire, which damaged more than 900 vehicles — and large warehouse and logistics-center fires, such as the recent four-day blaze at a Coupang facility in Incheon.

Kim said the institute is developing AI-assisted search drones, firefighting robots and heavy-lift drones for high-rise fires, while adapting new materials such as boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) — a heat-resistant material originally developed for defense purposes — for better protective equipment.

“There are two major risk factors that account for the largest share of line-of-duty deaths during operations. The first is oxygen depletion caused by firefighters becoming trapped and disoriented in dense smoke; it accounts for about 40 percent of such deaths. The second is thermal shock — such as flashovers and backdrafts in which temperatures can rapidly exceed 800 degrees Celsius — accounting for about 20 percent,” Kim said.

“If firefighting robots can first secure entry routes and AI can provide real-time guidance on escape routes, firefighters will be less likely to enter hazardous areas blindly, reducing those risks.”

Kim said incorporating BNNTs into firefighting devices could mark a major shift in protective equipment. Conventional fire suits require multiple layers of heat-blocking fabric, adding weight and increasing firefighters’ risk of heat stress and exhaustion. They also have clear physical limits in sudden flashover conditions, he said.

The material could eventually allow fire suits to withstand temperatures above 900 degrees Celsius while becoming significantly lighter and providing stronger protection, he said.

The institute also aims to develop an AI early-warning system that uses temperature and gas data to predict explosion risks with more than 90 percent accuracy, Kim said.

The long-term objective, he added, is to gradually reduce their line-of-duty deaths to zero. Between 2015 and 2024, 35 firefighters died while carrying out hazardous duties, including firefighting and rescue operations, an average of 3.5 per year, according to the National Fire Agency.

Kim said the recent demonstration offered a firsthand look at the technology’s potential. During a test held on July 28 and 29 in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, a heavy-lift drone sprayed water at a cable tower in a simulated fire scenario.

“The tests confirmed that the system could be operated relatively stably at heights of up to 70 meters. But additional technological improvements are needed before it can be used to fight fires in high-rise buildings around 120 meters tall,” Kim said. “In particular, the system must minimize wind-induced hose movement and reduce pressure loss as water is pumped to upper floors, ensuring an adequate spray range. If these limitations can be addressed, we believe the technology could be used as a new firefighting tool.”

Another major area of research is AI-assisted victim detection. The institute is training AI systems to analyze video captured by drones and identify possible rescue targets over large areas. It has accumulated more than 50,000 data samples related to people in rescue scenarios, Kim said, adding that the institute is now studying thermal cameras and image-enhancement technologies to improve accuracy.

He said one of the institute’s long-term plans is to build a system connecting research, field testing and commercialization, creating a virtuous cycle of innovation and market growth.

“Our institute adapts and develops new technologies and materials to meet firefighting-equipment standards, then conducts extreme-fire tests with firefighters to reduce the risk of commercialization failure. Once their safety and suitability for field use have been verified, private firms can focus on expanding production capacity and improving quality to bring world-class products to market,” Kim said.

“We expect this collaborative framework to help transform Korea’s firefighting industry from a manufacturer of individual equipment into an exporter of high-value disaster-response solutions.”

Kim said his short-term priority is to set up an end-to-end testing system linking firefighting research and development from planning through field application. The institute is building an advanced firefighting research and development and testing collaboration platform at its new headquarters in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, where it plans to simulate and test equipment for emerging threats such as electric vehicle fires.

Its ultimate measure of success, he said, will be whether its research makes firefighters safer, strengthens their response capabilities and provides the fire-safety industry with credible, independently validated testing data as a nationally recognized credible think tank.