One of the biggest factors that can hinder the progress of any workforce is having an inadequate fire prevention system. The oil and gas industry has seen its fair share of fires throughout the years, which have made a significant impact on costs, managing deadlines and worker injuries. Between 2005 and 2015, the oil and gas industry saw 85 fire-related deaths and millions of dollars in damages due to outof- control fires.
Jaco du Plessis, president and CEO, Protect-O-Burn North America LLC.
Since it was first established, Protect-OBurn has made great strides in developing a solution to these hazards by introducing its Self Expanding Fire Fighting Foam (SEFFF), which now also utilizes environmentally friendly fluorine-free foam concentrate and does not require a connection to a water supply, firewater pumps or foam proportioning equipment. To learn more about the development of SEFFF and what the future holds, BIC Magazine visited with Protect-O-Burn President and CEO Jaco du Plessis.
BIC: What led you to develop Protect- O-Burn and SEFFF?
du Plessis: The company started as an idea back in 2001, after a fire in a passenger vehicle. This led me to develop and patent an extinguishing mechanism and a Self Expanding Firefighting Foam designed specifically to combat fires that could occur in passenger vehicles. From there, we were able to expand upon this solution to other areas in the fire industry.
Protect-O-Burn was officially established in 2003, which was no doubt one of the most pivotal moments for me personally, as well as for my career. As the years have gone by, Protect-O-Burn has continued to develop SEFFF through extensive research and development. We are also a proud American and Texas Registered local company.
BIC: Will SEFFF be available to service other markets?
du Plessis: Currently we are growing our oil and gas market, yet we are also gaining momentum in the forestry, agriculture, wind turbine, marine and offshore markets.
We are busy with our listing process, in the same sense as an FM Listing, which will have a tremendous additional growth potential for both our company and its products.
BIC: When did Protect-O-Burn realize the positive results of its services?
du Plessis: The vast amounts of applications that were sent to come work for us began to show us how we were impacting the industry. To see others who share the same vision as you dedicating themselves to make that vision a reality is inspiring within itself.
Positive feedback from engineers has also been beneficial. There really is nothing like sitting at a table with engineers and listening to them sell our product and solutions to one another!
BIC: How has good leadership helped Protect-O-Burn succeed?
du Plessis: It is important to begin any project or start any career with a positive attitude. It must be your passion. If development and being a leader in the industry you serve are not considered to being your passion, then they will not be best suited for you and the results will show. Success through leadership comes from responsibility, managing a great team of individuals who hold the same passions as you, leading from the front and being an overall team player.
You will face many doubters along your journey as well as multiple failings before you may find any success. You have to be bold and expect these failures. Keep on grinding and learning from your mistakes in order to find the right solution. You also have to have faith in not just yourself, but in the product you are working toward.
For more information, visit www.protectoburn.com or call (682) 500-4234.
