We’re at the second-most eastern point in our journey through Canada and were welcomed for our MARK-3® WATSON edition demonstration by the Department of Forest Resources and Agrifoods in Corner Brook, Newfoundland.
Our demo was very well received by a large group of senior operations personnel. Everyone was eager to advocate for the MARK-3® WATSON edition, given the operational benefits that it could provide. “If it’s more user-friendly and efficient—and we’re all hoping that it is—it’s going to make our job for initial attack much easier by keeping fires small, which keeps them cheaper for everyone," we were told. “I’ll support this 110% if it means better productivity and improved safety for our crews in the field. We've used choppers before to go drop someone off so that we could get a pump started,” said one participant.
At first, our hosts were apprehensive about not having a primer cap but following the demo they really appreciated that the pump head can be run at different angles on discharge, “we're looking at something that we've never seen on another pump. You’re making the pump more efficient.”
Absorbing vibration
The pump’s capacity to absorb vibration was a huge plus for our hosts. In the past, participants said they had to be careful that the vibration from the MARK-3® didn’t wear holes in their hose near the pump.They were impressed: “Wow, it just sits right in one spot. There's hardly any vibration at all. The base is nice, the frame is going to help a lot, even on harder surfaces like rocks”.
Great portability
After being given a chance to wear the MARK-3® WATSON edition pump on their backs, our hosts were impressed, saying, “it’s a joke how light it is—the weight ratio and balance is way better!”
WATSON carries on the MARK-3® tradition
Over the 55-year history of the MARK-3® “the reason that agencies stuck with the MARK-3® is because it’s bullet-proof”. However, being able to continue the tradition of innovation and improvement struck a truly positive cord with our Newfoundland hosts, "from our perspective, you are showing us a pump that is 30% lighter and more efficient. We all carry pumps for initial attack and know how big bulky, heavy and clumsy they are. The WATSON compares to the weight of the MARK-26 but has the performance of the MARK-3®. If you are going to make our world easier … obviously, we are all 100% in agreement!”
