Chicago FF files lawsuit against Elkhart Brass

Excerpts from The Elkharttruth.com

A Chicago firefighter is taking legal action against Elkhart Brass and two of its top executives, claiming the company has breached their contract by failing to properly produce, market, and sell a firefighting device he invented. He also alleges that the company is attempting to falsely claim ownership of the invention.

The HERO (High-rise Emergency Response Offensive) Pipe is designed to be mounted on a window sill or floor below a fire that occurs above the 12th floor—too high for standard ladder trucks to reach. It features a telescoping arm that extends upward, allowing water to be delivered directly to the affected floor.

Michael Wielgat, now a fire captain, came up with the idea in 2004 after battling a massive fire at Chicago’s 45-story LaSalle Bank building. During that incident, dozens of people were trapped above the 29th floor for hours, as firefighters struggled to access the upper levels.

In 2007, the U.S. Patent Office granted Wielgat a patent for his invention. By 2010, after years of testing prototypes with both the Chicago and New York Fire Departments, the FDNY requested modifications to the device, including a remote-controlled nozzle to improve water spray direction. Wielgat asked Elkhart Brass to provide such a component, and successful tests led the FDNY to place an order for four HERO Pipes.

In April 2010, Wielgat established Hero Systems Inc. Later that year, Elkhart Brass’s COO, Don Sjolin, approached him with an offer to manufacture the product, projecting over $1 million in first-year sales and significant growth thereafter. A licensing and manufacturing agreement was signed in April 2011.

However, just a month before the deal was finalized, according to the lawsuit, Elkhart Brass had already submitted patent applications for the HERO Pipe in both the U.S. and China—listing its own employees as inventors. This occurred despite having access to Wielgat’s original designs and engineering data.

The suit claims that Elkhart Brass, along with Sjolin and CEO Hans Ashbaugh, conspired to undermine the marketing and sales of the HERO Pipe. They allegedly failed to promote the product effectively, eventually terminated the agreement under false pretenses, and then began selling it as their own invention once the deal ended. The agreement officially came to an end in December when Elkhart Brass stopped reimbursing Wielgat for expenses.

The lawsuit, filed on Friday, January 9, was submitted to the U.S. District Court in South Bend, Indiana.

Thanks, Dan

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