The low mechanical hum now heard above Cinniapolis neighborhoods is not traffic, weather, or that of aging power lines. It is the sound of Cinniapolis’s new fire fighting force.

As of January 1st, the city’s fully automated, all-drone firefighting fleet officially went live, marking the end of human-based fire response and the beginning of what city officials describe as a “precision-based, liability-aware, efficiency-maximized emergency era.”

The Cinniapolis Fire Protection Services (CFPS), now consists of 300 aerial units stationed on rooftops, light poles, parking structures, and undisclosed “redundancy zones”, all monitored by roving blimps patrolling the skies. Each drone is equipped with thermal imaging, real-time structural modeling, fire-retardant dispersal systems, and a citywide sensor feed that allows the system to detect combustion events before most residents smell smoke. When necessary, the aerial units summon a ground fleet to fully extinguish the fire.

According to early data released by the Mayor Gondola’s administration, average fire response time has dropped from 6 minutes, 42 seconds under the former human department to 47 seconds under the drone system. Officials say several incidents were extinguished before emergency calls were completed.

Mayor Preston Gondola, speaking at a press conference beneath a hovering press-drone assigned to “crowd compliance,” called the transition “a measurable success.”

“We were told this couldn’t be done safely, ethically, or without feelings getting hurt,” Gondola said. “What the numbers show is fewer fires, faster suppression, and zero overtime. Cinniapolis didn’t lose a fire department. We upgraded one.”

City records indicate the drones have already handled 83 structure fires, 214 vehicle ignitions, and what officials classified as “backyard grill incidents.” No civilian injuries have been reported in those responses.

The system works via surveillance blimps continuously scanning heat signatures across the city. When a thermal anomaly exceeds tolerance thresholds, the nearest drones deploy automatically. There are no dispatchers, no radio chatter, and no judgment calls. Fires are analyzed, categorized, and suppressed according to a proprietary algorithm developed by EyeSky engineers.

Critics initially raised concerns about surveillance, noise, and the absence of human discretion. Those concerns have quieted somewhat as the system’s efficiency has become harder to ignore.

A warehouse fire in Centralis was reportedly extinguished so quickly that the building owner arrived on scene to find the drones already gone, the fire out, and a digitally generated incident report waiting in his inbox.

“I thought the alarm malfunctioned,” the owner said. “Then I saw the scorch marks and the invoice. I checked the video feed and couldn’t believe my eyes.”

Residents have adapted quickly. Parents now point upward when explaining emergency fire services to children. The drones continue their steady patrols scanning structures, ready to respond before panic sets in. All while doing their best to integrate in the community with a blinking light and whimsical beep to say hi to the waving humans below, replacing the exhausted but genuine smile and wave from our former firefighters.