Ukrainian First Responders Train with Thermite RS3
At Howe & Howe, we will travel where our customers need us most. Our team traveled to Ukraine, bringing our Thermite® robotic firefighter, one of the most capable and durable on the market, to demonstrate, test and train with the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU) and the Lviv State University of Life Safety. The Thermite system is built with the safety of first responders in mind, providing situational awareness and intelligence gathering capabilities. When large structure fires, oil burns and other hazardous situations break out, the Thermite firefighting robot can be used as the first line of defense – keeping firefighters out of harm’s way.
During the training exercises, our Howe & Howe team provided Ukrainian first responders with hands-on experience with the Thermite RS3 to master the basics of operating the robot, system maintenance and understanding the capabilities of the vehicle. During the demonstration, Ukrainian first responders completed six tests of the Thermite RS3 ranging from basic extinguishing of an oil fire to extracting automobiles from the scene of an accident. The Thermite RS3 and Ukrainian team exceeded expectations on all of these tests.
Thermite has already been successfully operated and deployed within the Los Angeles Fire Department, accumulating hundreds of hours of operations to become a premiere solution for combating fires of critical infrastructure. Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Rich Diede is the main operator of their Thermite RS3 unit, and he proudly attests to his hundreds of hours of operating with the vehicle. “The more time you train with it, the better you will become. Soon enough it could be your favorite tool in the toolbox just like it has become mine,” says Captain Diede.
Howe & Howe recognizes the importance of this type of support for continued success. As stated by the SESU team, “Howe & Howe is the only robotic firefighting vehicle manufacturer to deliver a robot and send personnel over to our country to train and work with us. Other manufacturers send us robots but require us to train at their facilities and do not provide support in our country once we have issues with their product.”
Our team was humbled and proud to provide Ukrainian first responders with the necessary training for a system to support first responder lives and the protection of critical infrastructure.