Last year Fire & Flood Emergency Services Ltd. used its patented ‘wall of water’ technology to protect two communities from wildfires.
The company, headquartered in Red Deer County, was called out to Drayton Valley last May to employ their high-volume, high-pressure, water cannons that connect to a mobile hydrant system.
Terry Raymond, founder and president, said when the wind picked up, it pulled the fire towards the town, but it wasn’t able to cross Fire & Flood’s attack line.
“We stop the fire dead in its tracks,” said Raymond, whose company was recognized by Premier Danielle Smith during the Alberta Municipalities 2023 Convention.
“(Brazeau County) leapt into action, used a private sector company called Fire & Flood to make sure that they had a wall of water matching that wall of fire and they were able to save Drayton Valley,” said Smith who had seen the scorched landscape and just how close the fire came to the town.
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Raymond said on a wildfire scale (one to six), the Brazeau County fire grew to a class five wildfire, with candling tree tops. Fire & Flood also saved 300 houses when the class six Bush Creek East wildfire threatened Scotch Creek, B.C. last August.
“We demonstrated last year that we could do it,” he said about his system to tackle the highest intensity fires to protect lives, property and environment.
Fire & Flood takes on the head of a fire, which is the most dangerous, to make it safer for firefighters to do their work, he added.
“We create a safe area for firefighters to put out hotspots. Firefighters can stay when we’re there because they have a second line of defence.”
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Raymond, who was inspired by the 2016 Fort McMurray to help prevent similar tragedies, said if Alberta doesn’t get much spring rain, it could be another bad wildfire season.
He said two of his three equipped Canadian crews will soon be under contract, and the province is currently looking at contracting Fire & Flood.
The company is also seeking to expand its services internationally in California, Australia and Europe.
Fire & Flood will soon opens its new and larger facility in Red Deer County’s Belich Business Park, just south of Hwy 11, as well as a brand new shop in Kamloops, B.C.
The company also has headquarters in High Level and California.
“I want to see this technology help as many people as it can.”
szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
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