Vanderhoof business owner and former wildfire fighter Ron Fawcett has found new markets for his wildfire-fighting invention, the Fawcett Cannon.

Fawcett, the president of White River Contracting, a heavy-duty logging company he transformed into a wildfire suppression manufacturing firm, has been working to see his invention change how fire crews fight wildfires across the province and around the world.

Fawcett invented the cannon in June 2024 and has been expanding its use ever since.

The Fawcett Cannon is a Cat skidder with wildfire-fighting modifications, including a water tank capable of holding more than 8,000 litres (2,113 gallons), along with lights and cameras for safely fighting wildfires in low-visibility conditions. All machines are manufactured locally in Vanderhoof, BC.

The machines are designed to increase safety for fire crews and address issues faced by on-foot firefighting teams, such as fatigue and daylight restrictions.

White River Contracting also adds these modifications to used heavy-duty equipment for clients or installs them on new machines, depending on customer needs.

As well, the Fawcett Cannon is equipped with water tenders that supply water to bladders installed throughout the machine, as well as connection points for traditional fire hoses.

A front-mounted blade can also help remove fallen debris and ensure the machine can reach the scene of a wildfire more quickly and safely.

The wildfire-fighting machines have seen success and have been used to fight fires in BC and Saskatchewan, among other locations.

Units have been sold in BC, with U.S. sales steadily growing, Fawcett said.

Closer to home, one interested party is a drilling outfit in Wells. Its interest was not in the machine’s firefighting capabilities but rather its water-holding capacity.

“The drills down at Wells are finding the trucks couldn’t deliver water because they couldn’t travel in the terrain and it was a little too far for them to pump water,” said Fawcett. “So they hired us to start delivering water, and it’s working 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The drilling outfit really likes it. There’s no downtime. When they move, they just move the drill and the tank, and then they can start drilling because the water is coming right away, instead of having to spend a lot of time moving hoses and pumps and resetting everything.”

He added the system is new to mine workers near Wells and they are already pleased with the results.

“This is a whole new aspect to the system because they’ve never done this before. They’re finding it’s very, very efficient. Not only does it deliver water, but in the summertime it will also support any fire suppression they need,” he said.

Fawcett has previously seen significant interest in the Fawcett Cannon from various local First Nations, buyers in Nashville, Tennessee, and Florida, as well as France.

However, one new buyer has identified a constant need for the machine in a part of the world often overlooked when it comes to firefighting.

“We’re just finishing up a machine to go to Hawaii. It’s a new machine that we’re building. It sounds like those two customers are interested in it. We went down to San Diego to a summit and it was very well received there, and we received a lot of contacts,” said Fawcett.

The machine is headed to Kona, also known as the Big Island, and has been purchased by a township there for use in firefighting efforts.

He added that if all goes well, the island may be interested in buying more Fawcett Cannons.

The 2023 Lahaina fire, which resulted in the deaths of 102 people, has increased demand for all-terrain firefighting machines.

“It’s good fire support. It’s going to the Big Island and they want to try it out because it’s a new system and if it works half as good as they think, they’re gonna buy a few more,” he said.

The terrain in Kona, particularly in areas where firefighting efforts are most needed, is often inaccessible by traditional means, which is where the Fawcett Cannon comes in.

“They can use it on the highways or off-road, wherever the fire may be. Anywhere access is limited, they have had some fires over there, and so they’re very interested. Now it sounds like Maui is interested in one,” said Fawcett.

Fawcett told The Citizen that the Fawcett Cannon owes part of its success to the wider northern forestry community, which has helped make connections across the country.

“It is helping and the wider forestry community has been really supportive of this, and we really appreciate all the community support,” he said.