From Fire Station in Gothenburg to Exercise in Ukraine – Robots Could Change Future Rescue Operations

Fredrik, who has worked as a firefighter since 2006, has since 2020 been involved in a project exploring the possibilities of using fire robots within Swedish rescue services. The Storgöteborg rescue service then began mapping available robot solutions on the market and the experiences other rescue services across Europe had with the technology. When the Civil Defense Agency was invited to participate in a Ukrainian rescue service exercise with various fire robots in Ukraine, Fredrik had the opportunity to go – We are the first in Sweden to have a fire robot, and therefore I was asked to participate in the exercise. The exercise gave us the chance to examine both how we should organize work with new technology and also multidimensional collaboration between different platforms such as drones and ground robots, Fredrik explains. Participants also practiced handling unexploded ammunition, where robots and drones were used together to identify and manage risks without exposing people to danger. – We have much to learn about how we can implement this type of system and how civilians can support rescue services in a war situation, he says.