s a result a 2003 Provincial Review Team was tasked to find answers to the many difficult questions & provide solutions. The end result created the Firestorm 2003 Provincial Review via the Chairman & Honourable Gary Filmon P.C., O.M. (http://bcwildfire.ca/History/ReportsandReviews/2003/FirestormReport.pdf)
Page 62 of above reports reads:
The Review Team Recommends: Utilize Structural Sprinklers
Communities and homeowners in the interface should be encouraged to invest in methods of self-protection such as sprinklers as soon as possible. Fast Forward to 2004:
I, Bob Swart, became involved in this process as a Fire Equipment Consultant to the Prime Consultant hired & later tasked to build:
*4 each Provincial Resource "Type 1 - Sprinkler Protection Units (SPU)" housed within 24' enclosed trailers for mutual aid - value over $500K
Trailers were built & delivered for a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony mid-July 2004 in Kamloops, BC. At 10:30pm, the night before I had received a call from Doug Carey from the BC Office of the Fire Commissioner's Office for fire emergencies regarding structure protection duties. We (Firestorm) departed as a 5 person Structure Protection Crew that evening & arrived 18 hrs later at the Lonesome Lake Fire with a Structure Protection Unit (SPU) trailer in tow. Sprinklers were deployed over three different recorded impingement days w/ rank 5 & 6 fire behaviour. All structures (24 total) were saved through our collective effort. (video on Navigation bar of website). Fast forward from 2004 to 2013:
Having filled various Incident Command Positions:
*Structure Branch Director
*Structure Protection Specialist
*Division / Group Supervisor
*Strike Team / Task Force Leader
I observed on numerous occassions room for improvement in our tactics & strategies during structure Protection assignments. After many productive debriefs at our local watering hole that winter; myself & others inside the interface fire community, collectively agreed further training beyond the S-215 Fire Operations in the WUI was immediately required. We became directly involved in supporting of the benchmark of Canada's first "Structure Protection Program". This resulted in an accredited course by the Office of the Fire Commissioner:
S115 - Structure Protection & Site Preparation
Course Goal: To offer standardized terminology, strategies and tactics, and processes to be used by interface responders on structure protection assignments throughout British Columbia. I was selected as one of three authorized to instruct this course. I continue to deliver to Fire Agencies throughout British Columbia. Inclusive I support Fire Agencies within Canada to develop their own Structure Protection capacities. Part of this direction & movement has been to develop & manufacture SPIEDR - Structure Protection Sprinkler Trailers
These enclosed trailers are self-contained comprising of specialized equipment such as portable pumps, 3 types of low GPM sprinklers, bladders, hose & accessories. SPIEDR has benchmarked the innovation & technology of Structure Protection Sprinkler Trailers utilizing our 14 year history of operational experience w/ 20+ years in wildland equipment development. I proudly state that we have manufactured 98% of all purchased Structure Protection Trailers in Canada. We continue to be the "GO TO COMPANY" via communication within the fire service. These Fire Agencies now inventory yet another useful resource in their tool box to mitigate WUI fires. One SPIEDR unit protects up to 50 homes...one fire engine only protects one home at a time.
