Shaping the future of aerial platforms for urban and industrial firefighting
6 March, 2025
As cities expand and buildings rise to new heights, fire services must adapt to increasingly complex challenges. Aerial platforms are a cornerstone of modern firefighting and provide the versatility needed to address the increased demands of firefighting in the 21st century. We sat down with Stefano Leporale, Fire and Rescue Segment Director at Bronto Skylift to talk about how digitisation, automation and design are shaping the future of urban and industrial firefighting.
As urban landscapes expand both horizontally and vertically, what challenges do fire services face, and how can aerial platform technology aid in these environments?
Truck mounted platforms are and will remain the best tool for fire service to provide a way to rescue people and property in big cities in a limited time, where the height of the buildings is growing constantly. The cities around the world are very different, but one aspect is quite similar: the urban landscape holds a multitude of structures requiring the utmost versatility from fire fighting equipment. Versatility is the single most important benefit of an aerial platform. You can use it in a variety of missions from rescuing people to clearing storm damage and to reach up to a high building to going up and over structures in historical buildings for example.
What are the latest innovations in aerial platform technology?
Through technological advancement in robotics and automation the control system is taking more and more role in operating the cage to a certain position, instead of the firefighters needing to operate certain boom movements. There are also memory functions where the control system can be “taught” to operate selected route automatically.
Electrification and alternative power sources are of course a big trend at the moment and still evolving in many ways. The digital transformation in terms of IoT and AI are bringing their own set of possibilities especially in terms of situational awareness and pre-planning of operations.
What are the most pressing technological gaps in current aerial firefighting solutions, particularly when responding to tall structures and densely populated urban areas?
The buildings height is growing constantly but there are constraints about dimensions of the roads, limits of allowed loads and heights that must be taken into consideration when developing even higher platforms. On the digital side we see there is a lot of data, but utilizing and sharing this valuable information across various authorities can be tricky. Not to mention the collaboration between the private and public sector. There have been situations where a fire crew could have utilized an aerial platform from the private sector, but neither side was aware of this. Here the IoT has a lot of potential to help us.
What future technologies or concepts do you envision that could revolutionise firefighting at extreme heights?
In any firefighting operation the safety is of paramount importance and when working at extreme heights, it is emphasized even more. There is already a lot of drone technology in place that supports operation at heights, but in terms of lifting people up, there are still many open questions. Buildings are getting more and more intelligent, which may help in suppressing fires at extreme heights. Moreover, we see that the role of an aerial platform is evolving and in the future it could be more holistically integrated to provide situational data to crews on site as well as the command centres.
The currents aerial platforms already reach an extremely high technological level and it´s difficult to think a massive revolution in the medium term. Maybe some revolutionary, lighter material with better performances could revolutionise the future platforms totally
How are automation and smart technologies influencing the design and functionality of aerial platforms, and what potential do they hold for enhancing firefighter safety in complex urban settings?
As mentioned, the robotics and further automated functions of the control systems are already having an influence in usability and safety. When the platform is more and more sensing the environment and helping in operation, it frees the capacity of the firefighters to focus on the mission at hand.
There is still a lot of untapped potential for the equipment to sense and communicate the changes in a dynamic firefighting environment to drive the safety of everyone in the scene.
How can modern aerial platforms contribute to more sustainable firefighting practices in the face of increasing environmental concerns and climate change?
It must be said that the environmental impact of a truck mounted platform is extremely limited compared with all the other types of trucks, due to the limited mileage and operational times they make. The electrification and alternative fuels are still developing and the platforms will benefit from this development too. Modern control systems create the ability to optimise the usage so that it is the most energy efficient and thus most sustainable choice for each situation. Electric use of the booms has been an option for quite a long time and usage of electric boom operations can help to reduce quite a lot of emissions in certain missions.
What are the key design considerations for aerial platforms when balancing the need for height, stability, and manoeuvrability?
In terms of height and stability in the operation we are always battling with the laws of physics. The further we reach, the more tipping forces we create. And the heavier the booms, more challenging it gets. Modern control systems and their safety features are there to make sure the safety limits in terms of reach or load are not exceeded.
As large aerial platforms have a high gravity point there is also the stability on the road to consider. This is a very important training topic, as the fire crews need to be aware of the safe manoeuvring in tight twists and turns for example. The bigger the aerial, the heavier and longer it gets, so the main limitations for the design and manoeuvrability are given by the dimensions of the roads, the presence of bridges with limited height or allowed load.
How do aerial platforms differ depending on application, for example municipal and industrial?
The municipal aerial platforms are developed to be lighter, more manoeuvrable, more flexible in order to rescue people but extinguish at the same time. The industrial ones have the focus on the extinguishing features of the platform, such as water and foam tanks capacity, higher pumps, foam missing systems and monitor outputs. Some industrial models don’t have the rescue cage at all, but are so called Water and Foam Towers with high outputs and advanced water, foam and powder systems.
How important is communication with first responders to adaption and innovation in technology?
Communication with first responders is fundamental to assure a successful operation. Our customers do a great job keeping us innovative on a daily basis. When we work closely with our customers and preparing tailored solutions for their needs, we get a good understanding of the current trends and are able to adapt our development accordingly.
What is the importance of maintenance in the safety of aerial platforms?
Bronto platforms are worldwide known for their robustness, safety and extremely long lifespan. We have a saying that old Bronto’s never die, which has a truth in it. With regular and thorough service, maintenance, modernizations or later on refurbishments, a Bronto can serve for decades.
Regular and specialized service and maintenance is fundamental to assure the safety of these vehicles. As a manufacturer we offer regular, thorough service plans and instructions and our customers usually take a very good care of their equipment. Digital tools like Bronto One are helping a lot in maintaining the equipment according manufacturer’s instructions, scheduling preventive maintenance and having digital logs of all actions. Advanced remote service capabilities are also a must, as we need to ensure support in unexpected situations in the field.