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 them of trying to take credit for 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 traditional 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 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 gain access.
In 2007, the U.S. Patent Office issued 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, including a remote control or movable monitor to better direct the water spray. Wielgat asked Elkhart Brass to provide such a monitor, and the tests were successful, leading the FDNY to order four HERO Pipes.
In April 2010, Wielgat formed Hero Systems Inc. Later that year, Elkhart Brass’ COO, Don Sjolin, approached him with an offer to manufacture the product, projecting first-year sales of over $1 million and significant growth thereafter. In April 2011, they signed a licensing and manufacturing agreement.
However, just a month before the deal was finalized, Elkhart Brass allegedly filed patent applications in the U.S. and China under its own name, listing three of its employees as inventors. This happened without Wielgat’s knowledge, despite having shared all the drawings and engineering details with the company.
The lawsuit claims that Elkhart Brass intentionally failed to market the HERO Pipe, eventually terminating the agreement by "feigning an inability" to sell it. Once the contract ended, the company reportedly began marketing the device as its own invention. According to the suit, the agreement effectively ended in December when Elkhart Brass stopped reimbursing Wielgat for expenses.
Hero Systems Inc. filed the lawsuit on January 9 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana in South Bend.
Thanks, Dan
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