For Vanderhoof's Ron Fawcett, fighting wildfire has become a yearly routine.
Since Fawcett was 16, he has been fighting wildfires in the local area. He also recently — as the president of White River Contracting — transformed his heavy-duty logging company into a wildfire suppression manufacturing firm.
His decades of experience fighting fires came to a head when he developed the idea for his newest invention, the Fawcett Cannon.
“I was fighting fire out in the bush here about three years ago and there were lots of fires going on, and then all of a sudden a fire started up in Kamloops and down in the Kelowna area,” said Fawcett. “They took all the crews down there and we were just left with the equipment and we couldn't put water on the fire, so I decided I was going to make a machine to put water on the fire.”
The Fawcett Cannon is a Cat Skidder with heavy modifications, including a water tank capable of holding more than 8,000 litres (2,113 gallons), as well as lights and cameras for visibility and to help fight fires at night.
Fawcett emphasized that safety and the ability to quickly respond to threats were among the most important features when he designed the machine.
“You can put water on the fire with just one person,” said Fawcett. “You run everything from inside the cab and so you're safe. The only time you're outside the cab is filling up — and usually that's in a safe area. It fills itself up from the lake or from a creek. Any water source — or we've made some water tenders that supply water for the machine to fill up with. It's set up so you can fill bladders or you can hook fire hoses to it and run fire hoses off it. It's all run on hydraulics from the machine.”
The Fawcett Cannon is also equipped with a blade that can help remove debris or improve access to areas damaged by wildfires. The Cat Skidder is able to roll over debris or felled trees to access critical areas needing fire suppression.
It can hold up to 2,225 gallons (10,093 litres), and the cannon itself can spray up to 160 feet (48.8 metres) on its lowest setting; its highest setting can spray water up to 200 feet (61 metres). With the current water-carrying capacity, it can effectively fight fires for up to half an hour.
It is also all-terrain and designed to reach areas where traditional wildfire equipment may struggle to go.
Fawcett's invention has already been put to the test and has effectively fought several local wildfires.
“We ran over to Canada Lake in Saskatchewan and fought fire over there. In eight hours, we put 33,000 gallons (149,757 litres) of it on the fire. We went down to Princeton and we were on the plaza fire and we put 44,000 gallons (199,785 litres) on in 10 hours. There, in seven days, we put 275,000 gallons (1,250,180 litres) on the fire. It's very operator-friendly, very mechanically friendly and there are lots of unique things on it that make it very, very aggressive.”
Fawcett's invention has also received attention for possible purchases from various local and international firefighting bodies — showcasing both its effectiveness and viability.
“I've been getting phone calls from Hawaii asking about it and France,” said Fawcett. “Down south, Colorado is looking to buy one and Nashville, Tennessee, Florida — lots of areas in the States are looking to purchase these. Tumble Ridger is looking. And I sold one to Tsay Keh Dene up in Williston Lake — they bought one. A lot of bands are very interested in purchasing a machine, as well as some of the Burns Lake bands. There's a lot of interest there.”
Fawcett was also proud to show off his invention at the recent Minerals North Conference and the Canada North Resources Expo, where he said it received a host of positive feedback.
The positive feedback from interested individuals doesn't end at the conference — a YouTube video showcasing the Fawcett Cannon, hosted on the Forestnet YouTube channel, has received approximately 200,000 views.
The comments are also filled with suggestions for improvements — including putting premier sparklers around the machine itself, a pull-down blind to protect from heat, and a reserve tank to help if the machine gets engulfed.
While he is interested in selling the equipment and marketing his product, Fawcett stated that he is far more interested in protecting communities and lives from wildfires with this new invention.
“Heavenly Father has blessed me to figure this out. It wasn't just me on my own,” said Fawcett. “What I like about this whole thing is it's there to protect communities, and it's very safe for people to fight fire. It keeps people out of danger — on the fire line — the people that are on foot. And it's very well needed.”
