• PETER Rutherford is thinking in the right direction when he suggests planes dumping large quantities of water on fires, (Questions remain about firefighting capabilities in the aftermath of Grenfell, July 4).

The only problem is that you need to get the water to the base of the fire. The average pump (fire engine) is fine for small fires but once the fire takes hold the water turns into rain before it reaches the core and no matter how many pumps you send it is an uphill battle. We still have too many fires that burn for hours before being brought under control.

Firefighting has not really moved on since my late father almost got killed by a bomb fighting fires during the Blitz. What London needs is one or more “super pumps”.

These would be high-tech appliances with long lances that can punch their way through windows and roofs and fill the building full of foam.

They should also have remotely controlled caterpillar robots that can climb stairs spraying foam as they go. It is a tragedy to lose one of our brave firefighters, it’s not the end of the world to lose a robot.

I have been gently nagging the London Fire Brigade to start experimenting with this technology. Who knows it might save lives.

JONNY BUCKNELL
NW1