Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Napanee’s FireRein Inc. is one of four finalists in the small/medium business category of the 2020 Nature Inspiration Awards.
Presented by the Canadian Museum of Nature, the national awards honour ‘projects by individuals, groups and organizations whose leadership and innovation connect Canadians with the natural world.’
FireRein caught the eye of the nomination committee with their bio-based, non-toxic foam known as Eco-Gel, which is used to suppress fires.
“It’s amazing just to be nominated and to have people realizing all the hard work that we’re doing here and that we’re trying to change the face of firefighting and make a product that is safer to use for the community,” said Quincy Emmons, president of FireRein. “It’s a good feeling.”
FireRein first burst onto the scene in 2012 with their product, which offers an alternative to other fire suppressants that contain toxins and chemicals.
“We’ve got about five fire departments that are using it on a regular basis,” Emmons said of Eco-Gel. “We have a bunch more lined up for training once COVID allows to get their training back on schedule and everybody can catch up and then we’ll go in and do that. Our products are being tested all over the world, we sent samples to Australia, Europe, South America, the States, we have people using our product down there and we’ve talked to some people in Asia as well.”
They’ve been working on getting fire departments to use Eco-Gel as an option to contain wildfires, which would reduce the harm done to the environment. They also have a line of products for the home as well.
“People say why does it take seven years to do something like this, but we’re up against giants in the industry and there’s a lot of education that’s involved on our part,” said Emmons. “Education to our customers on what they’re currently using. It’s going to take time to build a technology that is revolutionary. Lately a lot of the people that we’re talking to are referring to us as a disruptive technology, which is what we were. Now we’re starting to get the recognition through bigger players in the game that are starting to recognize what we have here and what we can do.”
A nomination by the Nature Inspiration Awards could be a huge breakthrough for the small but growing outfit.
“Getting recognition like this and through some other avenues, we’re starting to get some credibility behind it,” said Emmons. “It’s not just us saying that we are (an eco-friendly product), it’s other bodies and agencies and other groups recognizing that we are. This is a big deal for us.”
The finalists will now be determined by a panel of judges from a wide assortment of backgrounds, with the winners announced during a virtual event on Nov. 25. Each category winner earns $5,000 that they can designate to a nature-related program of their choice.
“If we do win we plan that we’d like to donate the money to the Lennox and Addington Community Foundation to help support environmental efforts in the County,” said Emmons. “The County’s been a big supporter of us since Day 1 and we try to do what we can to give back and as we get bigger we will be giving more back.”
Emmons adds he’s committed to growing his business in Napanee and plans to remain in town for the long haul and add to their staff of nine full-time employees as well as some part-time staff.