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 manufacture, market, and sell a firefighting device he invented. He also accuses the company of attempting to take credit for the invention itself.
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, delivering water directly to the affected floor, which could save lives in high-rise fires.
The idea was conceived by Michael Wielgat, now a captain, back in 2004 after a devastating 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 them. This experience inspired him to develop a more effective solution for high-rise emergencies.
In 2007, the U.S. Patent Office issued Wielgat a patent for his invention. By 2010, after years of testing with both the Chicago and New York fire departments, the FDNY requested that the HERO Pipe be equipped with a remote control or movable monitor to improve water spray direction. Wielgat asked Elkhart Brass to loan him one, and the tests were successful, leading the FDNY to order four units.
In April 2010, Wielgat founded Hero Systems Inc. Later that year, Elkhart Brass’s COO, Don Sjolin, approached him with an offer to manufacture the product, promising sales of over $1 million in the first year and significant growth afterward. A licensing and manufacturing agreement was signed in April 2011.
However, just a month before the deal was finalized, Elkhart Brass allegedly filed patent applications for the HERO Pipe in both the U.S. and China under its own name, listing three of its employees as inventors. This occurred despite having received Wielgat’s technical drawings and engineering reports.
The lawsuit claims that Elkhart Brass intentionally failed to market or sell the device, eventually terminating the agreement under false pretenses. Once the contract ended, the company reportedly began selling the HERO Pipe as its own invention. According to the suit, payments to Wielgat for expenses ceased in December, effectively ending the partnership.
Hero Systems Inc. filed the lawsuit on January 9, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana in South Bend.
Thanks, Dan
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