Evidence of meeting #160 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 42nd Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was fire.
A video is available from Parliament.
William Stewart Board Chair, FireRein Inc.
If I may add this, through you, Mr. Bossio, certainly the impact of firefighting foams is that they, traditionally, have caused numerous cancers in firefighters across the country. Depending on the province, there could be up to 15 or 18 different cancers recognized as being derived from foam.
Certainly the Eco-Gel, the product that we have developed, takes all of that away. It is very effective.
Liberal
Mike Bossio Liberal Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON
I've been very fortunate to see you in action knocking down a fire in one of your testing processes that you went through for the gel. I was just astounded at how quickly you guys were able to knock down that fire. The beauty of it is that you knocked down the fire. Typically, if you you use another product to knock down the fire, then you've got a toxic mess to clean up afterwards.
Essentially what you guys have is compost—
Liberal
President, FireRein Inc.
It depends on the fire. If it's a wild land fire, yes, you just basically have compost. If it's a class B fuel fire, you have to get it removed mechanically—
Liberal
Mike Bossio Liberal Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON
But that's because of the fuel, not because of the Eco-Gel.
President, FireRein Inc.
It's because of the fuel. You're containing that spill, though.
Liberal
Mike Bossio Liberal Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON
Oh, right. Yes, because you're stopping the fuel from spreading farther. You've created a barrier with the gel to be able to knock it down.
I also saw some videos and other highlights of your spraying a house to protect it. You were spraying something to protect it. You've applied the flames and all the rest of it, and it's protected. After the flames were gone, you used a power washer to wash it all down. It was just like new.
Liberal
Mike Bossio Liberal Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON
Once again, there was no impact whatsoever on the building, and there was no impact whatsoever on the environment.
President, FireRein Inc.
No. They're 100% food-based ingredients. It's plant based.
Liberal
Mike Bossio Liberal Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON
It's the same thing if you want to create a forest barrier to a fire. If a fire is bearing down on a town, you're able to circle the town with your product. Right now, we're seeing this in High Level, Alberta; and Slave Lake, which burned down in 2011, is now under threat again, eight years later.
If you had the ability to provide enough gel in the forested areas around the town, do you feel that you would be able to mitigate the impact of the wildfire on that town?
President, FireRein Inc.
Yes, you significantly reduce the risk, without any harmful chemicals that could end up harming the trees in the future.
Liberal
Mike Bossio Liberal Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON
Yes, and once again, if anything, it would help to feed the trees, after the fire has gone through, in their regrowth.
Liberal
Mike Bossio Liberal Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON
Really, once again, you're providing compost on the ground, and therefore it's food to the trees themselves.
Once again, is there anything you would like to add that you would like to see, such as a barrier removed that would allow this product to come to market more quickly? Is there anything we could do as a government that would assist you in getting this product to market more quickly?
President, FireRein Inc.
Encourage the communities that need help and the fire crew leaders in the area to let them know that this product is available.
Liberal
Mike Bossio Liberal Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON
Actually, you've even offered to provide it for free, haven't you?
Liberal
Mike Bossio Liberal Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON
Oh, but he should answer that.
Seriously, go ahead, Quincy.
