A passion for firefighting runs in Gerry O’Hearn’s family, and the Peabody resident channeled that passion into an invention that has garnered both local and nationwide attention.
The purpose of the “Gerry Pipe” is to safely and efficiently neutralize electric-car fires. The unique utility is designed so it can be placed underneath a vehicle from a safe distance and apply water to the necessary area. Once connected to a fire hydrant, it can dispense approximately 300 gallons per minute. O’Hearn explained the potential danger of an overheated electric vehicle. The sounds of “hissing and popping” can be a sign of an impending incendiary instigation.
“Lithium batteries might not look like much, but it could be a real hassle,” O’Hearn explained. “You got to cool this thing down because if you don’t, you’re going to have an explosion and they call that thermal runaway… you could have some real problems under there.”
He stated that the ideal temperature to try to cool a battery down to is 140 degrees Fahrenheit. According to O’Hearn, the device can be assembled in three minutes. The long distance of the pipe and the upward angle of the nozzle allows operators to keep a safe distance from any fire.
“It’s a safety factor,” O’Hearn said. “Everything that I do here is a safety factor to protect the firefighter.”
He suggested that an electric-car fire in Wakefield inspired him to try and solve the problem through innovation.
“I was reading in the paper that they had an incident with an electric car up in Wakefield at 128. They had all kinds of problems with this because they had never dealt with it before,” O’Hearn said. “And they didn’t have any of these tools… so they ended up tipping the vehicle on its side.”
The son of a 35-year firefighting veteran, O’Hearn logged the same amount of time himself as a captain for the Everett Fire Department. While he misses being a “jake,” he is happy to be able to contribute in his current role as an independent fire consultant.
O’Hearn has taught classes on how to use the pipe to the Nahant, Woburn, and Hamilton fire departments since the tool’s creation last spring. O’Hearn made sure to give credit to his neighbor Jamie Jalbert of Jalbert Plumbing and Heating for his contributions in helping create the pipe.
O’Hearn said that the National Fire Museum in Phoenix has reached out expressing interest in immortalizing the “Gerry Pipe.”
“The National Fire Museum wants this pipe in there as a relic to hang up,” O’Hearn said. “And they want me to write an article for them about it.”
Anyone interested in learning more about the device can reach O’Hearn at 617-771-0632.
