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Residents press fire officials on pumps, sprinklers and drone firefighting
Summary
During Q&A, residents asked whether building pumps and rooftop storage could mitigate vertical pressure loss and whether drones or foam could be used to fight high‑rise fires; fire officials said pumps are critical, rooftop towers are rare in Grand Rapids, and drones are used for surveillance not active firefighting.
After the presentations, residents used the public‑comment portion to press fire officials for technical clarification. Mr. Fine, who said he lives on the 28th floor of Plaza Towers, asked why sprinklers alone wouldn’t stop a fire if water is present in the system and whether rooftop storage tanks would solve pressure issues; the Fire Chief explained that pump pressure and friction loss can deprive sprinkler heads of sufficient flow and that rooftop storage towers have largely fallen out of favor here because of maintenance and winter weather concerns.
Another resident, who said they had lived at 144 Oak Street during a recent ninth‑floor fire, asked whether drones or foam‑delivery systems are being considered for high‑rise response. The department said drones are used for surveillance and victim search but said they are not currently an operational method for applying foam at high‑rise interiors: drone payload, endurance and the need to access the seat of a fire make that approach impractical today. The chief also noted the department uses drones for victim searches and incident assessment and that the operations division continually reviews emerging technologies.
Officials recommended that residents report safety concerns through the fire department hotline (456‑3900) and call 911 for immediate hazards. No policy change or pilot program for drone firefighting was announced at the meeting.
