Client Spotlight: Prodigy Wildfire Solutions

Prodigy Wildfire Solutions inspects their fire protection work on a property.

Many of us in the Sea to Sky remember the horrific fires and choking skies of summer 2023, when Kelowna, Vancouver Island, and other areas around BC and Canada saw devastating losses. Yet from those losses has come a silver lining – one that could help mitigate, if not entirely prevent, similar devastation in the future. That silver lining is Prodigy Wildfire Solutions, a company bringing advanced wildfire protection systems to commercial and residential properties. These systems are designed to meet the growing threat of wildfires, particularly in the Sea to Sky region.

We were lucky enough to sit down with Co-founder and CEO George Harris to learn more about how it all started, how it works, and his hopes for the future of the company and wildfire protection. 

What's the story behind Prodigy? 

“I came to Canada in 2023 with an elaborate plan to travel the world, and my first stop was Canada. I purchased an RV, and within two weeks of landing in BC, the whole of the province was on fire.”

“I wasn’t able to travel where I originally planned because I couldn’t get up to the Rockies. I went to Vancouver Island instead, but even there I was extremely limited—the entire island was blanketed in smoke and affected by ongoing fires.”

“One night, I sat at a table with a family member and their friend, a structural protection unit firefighter in Whistler, and he was explaining to me how the structural protection firefighters install temporary sprinkler units on properties.” 

George was inspired and took his 15-year background in construction, combined it with his experience as a commercial director, and focussed on how he could "commercialize what the structural protection units do…and it just became a massive passion.”

“Initially, we designed a robust system that could be app-controlled, so the systems could be used under evacuation orders.”

Today, that idea has grown into a technologically advanced system, complete with flame detection units that can ‘spot’ ember showers from multiple kilometers away, scrape AI data for more detailed and relevant wildfire information, track wildfire patterns, and activate the Prodigy systems automatically. 

"It's been a really incredible journey from literally sitting in an RV, pencil sketching these systems, and having to do structural protection courses, to actually working out how to put it all together and then take it to a mass market.”

What's the basic science behind how the system works? 

George begins by explaining that the common misconception is that their systems fight direct flame. Instead, it focuses on building humidity to prevent ignition during ember attacks. 

“90% of the reason we're losing structures is because of an ember attack,” he says. 

"Embers frequently travel 5 – 10 Kilometers but can actually travel up to 50 kilometers. (Prodigy) systems are designed to run at a really low water output and get everything damp, and then humidity is going to build around the property.”

So rather than drowning a property in water, these systems create a humidity bubble around the property, which extinguishes the embers before they can cause damage.

"Structural protection units have been doing this for 50 plus years, but there's no scientifically backed data at the moment, which is why we also think that this isn't everywhere yet, because (...and we know it works.)”

“Our long-term vision is that we have these systems in place across the whole of Whistler or any town, so when that wildfire comes down the valley, we're going to have the best chance possible of extinguishing embers and diverting that fire around.”

“It's pretty simple, but it has to be designed in the right way to be water conscious, to make sure we can remotely activate it, and so that the fire service can connect into our systems and control the water source if needed.”

"There's a lot of engineering that goes into it. We need to ensure that we don't cause damage to the property from water damage, so my surveying background has been fundamental in designing every system so that the water hits the structure like rain would.” 

Is there anything that often surprises people when they hear about what you do? 

“The honest answer is the cost. It is an investment, even starting at $15,000,” George explained.

While some people might say they could put some plastic pipe on a roof for a fraction of that price, Prodigy designs systems that are engineered, tested, and installed to provide real protection against wildfires, not just a temporary fix.

“Our systems are (expertly) engineered. We use approved bracketry to make sure that no roof warranties are voided and that we avoid leaks. We only use type L copper because it's got a thousand-degree burn rating and it doesn't get affected by UV. Plus, it's safer in frost.”

“On the flip side, there's a huge positive shock in seeing firsthand how much our work genuinely reduces anxiety for clients. Watching their stress turn into relief gives the work real meaning, and it’s motivating to know they can see and appreciate the care and attention to detail we put into every installation.”

"Seeing people have their own systems and just seeing the relief of anxiety for me is like what just makes the whole business worth it.”

How many properties have you got covered in the Sea to Sky now? 

"I think we have 44 or 45, and so far, everything is residential.”

“We've priced quite a few commercial properties in the Sea to Sky as well, so they should be picking up soon.” 

“We've done huge commercial projects, like the Banff Gondola and some tourist attractions in Golden. Up in Jasper, and we just landed a contract for multiple hotels, which is the majority of the hotels that were left standing after the 2024 Fires."

Do you have any exciting plans for the business that you can share? 

“Yeah! Here's the first press release: We are launching our own app.”

“The app is going to be free to anybody, but it’s predominantly for our clients so they can activate their Prodigy system through it.”

“But I think my favorite feature that we've built in is a full evacuation alert test system, which uses AI to scrape all the government websites, and it actually gives real-time alerts, evacuation orders, and other vital information.” 

"It will also give you your prompts for what you should be packing in case of evacuation, escape route suggestions, and local shelter information. It is going to give people the ability to have this knowledge in one place, because at the moment, there are multiple different websites.”

“For us to be able to pull that together and actually give communities, individuals, a fighting chance of getting the right information in real time has become a passion project of ours.”

“We hope that's going to build trust in our company and people will want to work with us. But regardless of that, just being able to give back to people and let them have this information is great.”

How has Community Futures Howe Sound been able to support Prodigy Wildfire Solutions? 

“Community Futures have stepped up and helped us with short-term funding."

“We tried to work with many organizations, but it's been a really difficult process because the directors who own the company are a Canadian, an Englishman, and an Australian. But it's quite hard in the lending world because we don't all have Canadian citizenship.”

“So there have been many barriers, and Community Futures have just been great. Our CFO, Steve, speaks so highly of the team and how they've helped us, and it's been just a really great process from start to finish.”

Is there any company in the Sea to Sky that you particularly admire? 

“The one company that's really stood out to me that's really been on a journey with us has been our plumbing supply partner, Andrew Sheret Ltd in Squamish.”

Andrew Sheret Ltd is a distributor of plumbing and heating supplies, with 32 branches across Canada.

“The branch manager down there, Sean, is a young guy like me. His customer service and his willingness to help and promote have been brilliant, and they’ve just been an all-round amazing team.”

"Anything we want, they bend over backwards to get - and they're nice to deal with.”