By Hilary Maynard, The Courier-Herald

With forest fires sweeping through both the state and the nation this summer, fire fighters and their efforts are continually in the spotlight.

According to former Buckley Fire Chief Bob Roy, it is becoming more crucial than ever that the first firefighter arriving at the scene of a fire be able to extinguish it in its early stages, whether it's a brush fire or a house fire.

"As a captain in Hollywood a number of years ago as part of the Los Angeles Fire Department, I came across a small house fire," Roy said, "but I didn’t have any water on the rig I was driving. It was frustrating to have been driving a vehicle that said 'fire department' and be in uniform but not be able to do anything."

Roy said he ended up searching the yard of the house for a garden hose or any source of water until the fire truck arrived on the scene.

"It was an embarrassing experience. A firefighter without water is like a cop without a gun," Roy said.

According to Roy, the first vehicles to get to the scene of a fire are not necessarily the large, water-carrying trucks, but are often "command rigs," half-ton pickups and utility vehicles that act as a small headquarters at the scene of a fire.

When Roy moved from California to Buckley, he began creating a system that allows all firefighting vehicles to be equipped with a way to extinguish fires before they get out of control. He named his invention the Air Kwik Firefighting System, because pressurized air (not gas) powers the system.

"I made up a prototype in Buckley," Roy said, "and we have a small manufacturing plant in California."

Roy was Buckley's fire chief from 1993 to 1997 when he was forced to retire due to an ongoing battle with cancer. Healthy once again, he said he is excited about what Air Kwik might mean to the future of firefighting.

"In the past, the fire service didn't really consider a 'light vehicle' as a fire resource," Roy said. "Air Kwik does not replace the big engines, but it allows the fire service to make every one of their vehicles count. To me, everything that says 'fire department' on it should be able to fight fires."

Bob Olson once worked under Roy as Buckley's assistant fire chief but now spends his days working as a sales representative, traveling the Northwest, giving presentations about Air Kwik Foam Firefighting Equipment. The slogan for the equipment is "Better quick with a little, than late with a lot," and Olson said he couldn't agree more.

"This is a first-response piece of fire equipment," Olson said. "You can teach someone to use it in under two minutes. It's literally that easy."

According to Olson, the Air Kwik system comes in various sizes ranging from a 15-gallon tank to a 100-gallon tank, and ranges in price from $3,000 to $9,000. The tank can be filled with foam or water.

"It's extremely affordable," Olson said. "Stations sometimes spend more on sirens and lights than they would on this."

Olson said the system has many advantages. There are no fumes, no maintenance and a seven-year guarantee, he explained; the 15-gallon tanks can sit on the back of an ATV, and leave plenty of space in the bed of a small pickup truck.

"Look at all the homes up in the mountains and the woods where fire trucks cannot get to," Olson said. "Think of the RV parks and resorts that could use the product. One man can stop a fire before it gets out of control. It's something new and beneficial to firefighting."

Olson said the system can be for commercial use and he is happy to do home inspections, but his main objective is to better equip fire stations around the Northwest.

"Every time you see a firefighting rig, you should know its going to be able to fight fire," he said. "We're not trying to replace anything, we're just adding to the firefighting arsenal. We're adding to what we've already got."

The Air Kwik system is catching on. According to Olson, Roy's system has been sold to fire departments throughout the country, including Los Angeles and San Diego, as well as Lincon City, Ore., and as far away as Kodiak, Alaska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Carolina. Olson said the Buckley Fire Department has used their system on many occasions.

However, the first fire department in the Northwest to purchase Air Kwik was Mountainview Fire and Rescue, District 44, which covers a region primarily northwest of Enumclaw.

According to Deputy Fire Chief Mike Barlow, the station purchased a 50-gallon tank to put on the back of its first response mobile unit.

"We used the system just a few weeks ago on a brushfire," Barlow said. "It fills a need for us. It fills a niche in our response."