Firefighters battling Canada’s out-of control blazes are adding a locally invented weapon to their arsenal.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Hundreds of Fair Air fire masks are being shipped to the front as the country grapples with huge wildfires which have consumed at least 1600 homes.
The masks provide protection from radiant heat and smoke inhalation.
Dane Taylor Technology director Mike Taylor says the fourth shipment of masks left Bendigo this afternoon.
He said many firefighters liked them because they offered better filtration, protection and fire resistance than their disposable counterparts.
Firefighters test masks in line of fire
A Canadian fire captain recently emailed Mr Taylor requesting masks and relating a story about a colleague who had just come off a 60-hour deployment fighting the Canada fires.
The colleague had been sent to the city of Fort McMurray, where 88,000 people were recently evacuated.
During his deployment he compared the Fair Air masks with those currently used by his brigade. He wore it for 80 per cent of his deployment, even it while he slept.
“If you’re in the bush, deployed for days, there is a lot of smoke,” Mr Taylor said.
“You can’t sleep in a cartridge mask and the disposables are hard to breathe through. And they break easily, especially the straps.”
A former firefighter, Mr Taylor invented Fair Air masks after becoming convinced plastic disposable masks were not up to scratch.
His design took out the Bendigo Inventor Award’s $10,000 innovator prize in 2011.
The mask is manufactured in Bendigo and supplied to brigades and stations throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Mr Taylor said the company was preparing for an increase in demand, with a number of American brigades currently using or testing the masks.
Battle for Alberta continues
Meanwhile, the wildfires around Fort McMurray continue to rage.
In a statement last night local time Alberta province’s premier Rachel Notley said fire conditions remained extreme.
The statement said 1715 firefighters were battling 19 wildfires across the province.
There are 700 firefighters battling the Fort McMurray wildfire, which is about 229,000 hectares in size.
They are joined by 32 helicopters, 13 air tankers and 83 pieces of heavy equipment.
