The newly acquired smart firefighting robots will help boost Makati City’s emergency response capabilities, Mayor Abby Binay said.
Last week, the city government acquired three units of the Rosenbauer Smart Firefighting Robot to enhance the modern emergency response in Makati City.
According to Binay, the robots offer an alternative way to aid in fire suppression and rescue efforts, especially in high-risk incidents. These include hazardous materials that reduce the risk to rescuers’ lives.
“The smart firefighting robots will help our response teams handle complex and dangerous situations more effectively through advance[d] features that can compensate for human limitations,” Binay said.
The Rosenbauer Smart Firefighting Robots are designed to withstand extreme heat, poor visibility, and hazardous environments. Moreover, they are equipped with an acoustic warning device that “emits audible signals during operations to alert nearby personnel.”
Binay highlighted that the robots are equipped with remote-controlled mobility operated via dual joysticks. This allows for rapid deployment in high-risk scenarios like commercial fires, confined space rescues, and other complex emergencies.
She also noted that each robot has a maximum payload capacity of 600 kilograms and can drag injured responders or trapped civilians out of harm’s way, which minimizes the need to send additional personnel into hazardous zones.
Its turret can also discharge between 1,500 to 3,500 liters of water per minute to 10 bar pressure, with a vertical reach of up to 80 feet.
“We recognize that being a smart city isn’t just about going digital—it’s about using technology to keep people safe and save lives when emergencies happen,” the Makati Mayor said.
The additional equipment comes after Makati was recognized as the first-ever Resilience Hub in the Philippines and Southeast Asia by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) in 2022.
Under Mayor Binay, Makati has continued to modernize and improve its disaster and emergency response gear. These include: four mobile command vehicles, one advanced mobile emergency communication vehicle, one aerial fire ladder truck, one super tanker, two chemical fire trucks, two rescue trucks, two Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) trailers, 10 rescue boats, two mobile kitchen, 13 basic life support ambulances, three motorcycles, and two mobile clinics.
