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JUNE 8, 2012 Peachland, BC Volume 08 | Number 23
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WASP unit invented in Peachland Darrell Pyke demonstrated the capabilities of the WASP unit to firefighting crews at Cousins Park last week.
Joanne Layh photo
Fire chiefs and crews impressed with WASP Joanne Layh Editor, Peachland View Provincial and municipal firefighting crews from around the province came to Peachland last week for the launch demonstration of the Wildfire Automated Suppression and Protection (WASP) unit, a new kind of firefighting technology invented in Peachland and manufactured in West Kelowna by Wasp Manufacturing Ltd. The firefighting crews came to see a demonstration of what the WASP does and how it works. Essentially, the WASP is a remotely operated mobile firefighting unit that can deliver large volumes of water over a large area
when it is connected to a water source. Once deployed, it can operate completely unattended for up to five days, which means that fire crews can set it up and then get out of the area, leaving the unit to continue operating when it is no longer practical or safe for firefighters to stay. “It’s all satellite controlled. You can turn it off and on from anywhere on the planet with a cell phone or laptop. So if we deployed it out in the bush, up where the trees meet the houses, we could let it sit. If the town is evacuated, that’s okay. Nobody needs to man it,” Peachlander and WASP inventor Darrell Pyke told The View. “I can start it and it can start pumping water remotely. The key is that if you have to evacu-
ate it is ready to go”. Pyke originally got the idea for the unit during his 17-year career working as a firefighter and logger. They introduced the equipment in Alberta three years ago under a contract with the Alberta government. Since then, it has been used with success in fires outside of Grand Prairie. The company took a hiatus for a couple of years to do some more research and development to the system, which resulted in the improved model that was presented last week. The firefighting crews at the demonstration were visibly impressed as they watched Continued on page 2
Our May winners were Roger & Evelyn Knoblauch. These lucky winners received two $50.00 Petro Canada gift cards. Don’t forget to pop in and enter for the month of June! 5878C Beach Avenue, Peachland, BC
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