Plant Fire Brigade Robotics: Thermal Patrol for KRITIS

A smouldering nest in an outdoor chip storage area takes around four minutes at 12 °C ambient temperature before a classical optical smoke detector inside the hall responds. During that interval the hotspot temperature climbs from 80 °C to over 400 °C. Plant fire brigade robotics shortens this window. It does not replace responders. It hands them the first 200 to 300 seconds that decide between property damage, production loss, and KRITIS reporting obligation.

Plant Fire Brigade Robotics: Why Thermal Patrol Halves Detection Time

Stationary fire detectors only work when smoke reaches them. In halls with 12 metre ceiling height, 4 to 7 minutes pass on average between hotspot emergence and detector response. In lithium battery storage, outdoor chip storage, or under PV inverters, this delay becomes a risk multiplier.

The QR-2 with thermal sensor patrols autonomously and reports temperature anomalies from 60 °C differential to ambient. In the 2024 and 2025 pilot operations, the mean detection time was 78 seconds for hotspots in lithium battery storage. One robot covers 40,000 m² of outdoor storage at 15-minute intervals. Alarm forwarding to the plant fire brigade control system runs via OPC-UA or MQTT in under 3 seconds.

The sensor is FLIR-based and calibrated for the industrial range of minus 20 °C to plus 550 °C. Hotspots below 60 °C differential are logged but not alarmed. This threshold was tuned empirically in the pilot operations to a false alarm rate of under one event per month.

Next operational step: review the KRITIS requirements overview and reconcile with the existing fire protection plan.

Legal Framework: Plant Fire Brigade Duties under KRITIS Umbrella Act and State Law

§ 8 KRITIS-Dachgesetz obliges operators to take demonstrable resilience measures against physical incidents, including fire. Bundestag-Drucksache 20/9262 formulates the requirement explicitly as a documented measure, not a self-commitment (Bundestag-Drucksache 20/9262).

State fire protection laws apply in parallel. § 15 FwG Baden-Württemberg mandates a plant fire brigade above a defined fire load, and comparable regulations exist in all area states. Robotics does not replace this mandatory headcount. It documents patrols without gaps and relieves existing personnel of repetitive walkthroughs.

The BBK risk analysis for KRITIS operators demands documented fire early detection outside classical BMA areas, meaning explicitly in outdoor storage, on roof surfaces, and in areas without stationary sensors (BBK). From January 2027, EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 additionally applies to autonomous systems in plant environments (EUR-Lex VO 2023/1230). Anyone piloting now has 18 months of lead time for conformity assessment.

EN ISO 13482 defines the safety requirements for personal care service robots, including patrol systems (ISO 13482). QR-2 is type-certified to this standard.

Next step: test the 12 obligations of the KRITIS-Dachgesetz checklist against your own measure concept.

Use Cases: Where Security Robots Operationally Relieve the Plant Fire Brigade

Five scenarios proved economically viable during the pilot phase.

Lithium battery storage. Thermal drift in individual cells appears 10 to 40 minutes before visible smoke. QR-2 detects the drift from 60 °C cell temperature above ambient. In a logistics centre in Lower Saxony, the early warning led to three verified hotspots in 2025, all extinguished without hall evacuation.

Outdoor tank storage. Patrols at night and in fog work where visual inspection by a posten fails. The thermal sensor operates independently of lighting conditions.

Chip and timber storage. Smouldering nests after end of shift are the most frequent fire trigger in the metalworking industry. Stationary sensors are typically absent in outdoor areas. A robot patrols the storage every 15 minutes and reports hotspots before open flames develop.

Photovoltaic roof installations. Hotspots at inverters can be thermally verified from ground perspective. The robot does not replace the roof walkthrough, but it prioritises it.

Underground car parks with EVs. Thermal monitoring without permanently installed IR cameras is only economically feasible through a mobile platform. The investment for stationary IR sensors in an underground car park with 400 spaces sits between 180,000 and 240,000 euro.

Next step: review perimeter protection in industrial parks and thermal patrol as combined measures.

Integration into the Existing Plant Fire Brigade Alarm Chain

Technical integration into the fire alarm system follows DIN 14675 via a protocol-compliant gateway. The robot is registered as a line type with its own address, not as an external system. The plant fire brigade retains sovereignty over the alarm chain.

Operationally we recommend a two-stage alarm. Stage one: the robot detects an anomaly, drives to the verification point, and delivers a second thermal image from 2 metres distance. Stage two: on confirmed differential above 60 °C, the responder is dispatched. This logic lowers the false alarm rate in the pilot operations to 0.8 per month. Pure stationary IR installations sat at 4.2 during the same period.

The live stream to the response vehicle tablet accelerates tactical situation assessment by 60 to 90 seconds. The incident commander sees the hotspot position, temperature curve, and surroundings before the vehicle arrives on site.

Every patrol is documented as a tamper-evident log. Insurers (HDI, Allianz Industrial, AXA XL) accept these logs as proof of fire early detection and reduce property insurance premiums by 4 to 7 percent across several pilot operations.

Next step: pilot request via pilot request to Marcus Köhnlein for a fire alarm system integration check at your own site.

TCO: What a QR-2 Costs Compared to Additional Plant Fire Brigade Personnel

A 24/7 plant fire brigade posten costs 18,000 to 26,000 euro per month on a full-cost basis. The figure accounts for collective bargaining wages under Manteltarifvertrag, employer contributions, equipment, training, and substitution during leave and sickness. BDSW cost rates for 24/7 guarding sit in a comparable range (BDSW figures, data, facts).

QR-2 as a Robotics-as-a-Service model costs 3,500 euro per month. Maintenance, software updates, and replacement unit within 48 hours on failure are included. No CapEx, no depreciation, fully OpEx-eligible, and immediately tax-deductible.

Contract term is 24 months. Delivery within 48 hours of signed pilot contract. A completed site walkthrough is the precondition.

The hybrid model is economically viable. One robot complements a reduction from two to one human night shift. Personnel costs drop by around 20,000 euro per month, robotics costs rise by 3,500 euro. The plant fire brigade loses no intervention capability, because the remaining night shift operates alarm-driven instead of patrol-based.

Next step: use full-cost guard service comparison as the basis for the CFO submission.

Pilot: 14-Week Plan for Plant Fire Brigade Introduction

The introduction follows a standardised 14-week plan. Deviations are possible in individual cases, but the plan covers the typical industrial site with 50,000 to 200,000 m² of plant area.

Weeks 1 to 2. Risk walkthrough with plant manager, head of plant fire brigade, and Quarero engineering. Identification of critical areas, reconciliation with the fire protection plan, definition of patrol zones.

Weeks 3 to 4. Definition of patrol routes and threshold values for thermal alarms. Threshold values are parameterised by area. A tank storage has different thermal signatures than an outdoor chip storage.

Weeks 5 to 6. Fire alarm system integration and test of the alarm chain including escalation matrix. In this phase the connection to the control system is implemented and verified with test alarms.

Weeks 7 to 10. Parallel operation with human patrol for calibration. The plant fire brigade retains full operational control. The robot runs alongside, alarms are evaluated, thresholds are readjusted.

Weeks 11 to 14. Transition to regular operation. Training of the incident command. Acceptance report by plant manager and head of plant fire brigade. Handover of tamper-evident documentation for insurers and KRITIS audit.

Next step: appointment request for week 1 via pilot request to Marcus Köhnlein.

Limits: Where Robotics Does Not Replace the Plant Fire Brigade

We separate detection and intervention. The robot detects. The plant fire brigade intervenes. This separation is not negotiable.

No firefighting. No first response measures. No personal rescue. QR-2 carries neither extinguishing agent nor is it designed for rescuing persons. These tasks remain with the plant fire brigade.

Stairwells and multi-storey facilities still require stationary sensors. The robot operates on one level or via barrier-free ramps, not via stairs.

In storms above wind force 8, the outdoor patrol is automatically suspended. The robot returns to the protected charging station. The plant fire brigade takes over the manual walkthrough for the storm duration.

Explosion protection zones under ATEX are outside the current QR-2 certification scope. In Zone 1 and Zone 2 the deployment is not permitted. For these areas stationary Ex sensors remain the only legally compliant option.

The robot delivers data. The deployment decision stays with the incident command of the plant fire brigade. We deliver seconds of lead time, not autonomy in hazard response.

Operational Recommendation

Plant fire brigade robotics is not a personnel replacement. It is a detection amplifier with measurable effect: 78 seconds mean detection time, 0.8 false alarms per month, 60 to 90 seconds of tactical lead time. For KRITIS operators with outdoor storage, lithium battery inventories, or PV roof installations, the investment of 3,500 euro per month is economical from the first prevented hotspot onward. For legal documentation under § 8 KRITIS-Dachgesetz, it is a defensible record from the entry into force of the follow-up regulations.

The next action is a site walkthrough. Book it directly via the product page QR-2 with thermal sensor.