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The
Rookie - In The News
THE ROOKIE MAKES A DIFFERENCE
By Lori Gleichman
Cascade Business News-Small Manufacturing Edition
November 16, 2005
Life can change in an instant, but sometimes
that's a good thing. At least it was for David Johnston.
Johnston worked for Willamette Industries for 27 years,
the last 10 as a millwright, before he learned the mill
would be closing in 2002 and he'd be losing his
job. Knowing he needed some work, a friend asked him to
build six portable hose rollers for the local forest service
office.
Fast forward to 2005. Johnston now has a thriving business
building portable hose rollers designed to make the work
of firefighting easier and safer for fire fighters.
His company, Deschutes River Manufacturing, has patents
on The Rookie Sidekick and The Rookie Sidekick LDH. The
technology is relatively simple, but the impact is huge,
according to Johnston.
"First of all, with the light-weight Rookie Sidekick
portable hose roller attached to a receiver hitch, an
ATV or using an optional portable stand, firefighters
can transport hoses quickly to remote fire locations.
This is particularly important when they're out
fighting wild land fires," explained Johnston.
"And once they're done fighting the fire,
they can have thousands of feet of hose rolled out over
miles of terrain. The Rookie quickly rolls hoses in a
matter of minutes, when it would have taken fire fighters
hours to roll the same hoses manually."
The Rookie products are designed to save time, money and
energy. It can take firefighters several minutes and lots
of back-breaking effort to roll a hundred foot, hundred
pound large diameter hose (LDH). Powered by a gas engine,
it takes The Rookie Sidekick LDH about 30 seconds to roll
while removing air and water. After rolling the hose,
it can be placed in The Rookie Reloader for reloading
back on the engines.
"I like to say that there is life after retirement
for a fire fighter and The Rookie saves the hurt on their
backs and arms," Johnston continued.
Johnston has the parts for The Rookie machined and powder
coated separately and then he and one part-time employee
assemble the equipment in his small warehouse. Johnston
also handles all the sales and marketing (with the help
of the team at Every Idea), but his best marketing strategy
so far is "loaning" a Rookie to a fire department
for 30 days so they can see how it works and experience
the benefits.
"So far, every fire department I've loaned
it to has purchased one," said Johnston. "Once
they use it, they love it and really understand the strain
it can relieve and the time it can save at a fire."
However, the equipment's use extends beyond an actual
fire scene. Every fire department in the country –
both public and private -- is legally required to unroll,
inspect and test every hose in service. It can take larger
departments weeks to complete the inspection and more
than half the time involved is rolling the hoses back
up.
"Many fire fighters think reducing time involved
with re-rolling the hoses at inspection time is worth
the cost of one Rookie alone," said Johnston.
Rookies range from $3,300 to $4,200. It may seem like
a lot, according to Johnston, but it's also a lot
less than the cost of one back injury.
And while sales are obviously important, Johnston prides
himself on the fact that his customers are only going
to buy The Rookies once because of the quality of his
product. "Quality is so important to me that I guarantee
what I build personally. I understand that when it needs
to work, it needs to work so I've incorporated Honda
engines, industrial gear reducers, and oil impregnated
chain to eliminate problems with the equipment. Basically,
once a station is supplied, The Rookies are going to be
there working for a long time."
Johnston's first target market was forest service
fire fighting departments, and he's since moved
into marketing to municipal and industrial fire departments.
He's also realized there is a large potential market
for The Rookie line of products in heavy industry, including
large manufacturers, nuclear power plants, paper mills,
and oil and gas companies. He's had several inquiries
from companies in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia as well, and
is excited about the international market potential.
"The potential really is mind-boggling," said
Johnston. "I'm working harder than I've
ever worked before, but I sure am having fun."
For more product information and to purchase, please contact
us or call toll free 877-868 -1951.
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