Vancouver stunt company wins Academy Award for Scientific and Technical Achievement
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Vancouver's Fire4Hire stunt company, which has been setting TV/film productions on fire for over two decades, just picked up an Academy Award for Scientific and Technical Achievement.
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'It's the craziest and coolest thing ever,' said Colin Decker, who started Fire4Hire 20 years ago with partner Dustin Brooks.
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'Stunt people don't typically get an Academy Award, so to be a stuntman getting an Academy Award, two years before they actually have the category, is pretty special,' added Decker, referring to the recent news that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will be debuting an Achievement in Stunt Design award at the 100th Academy Awards in 2028.
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The Scientific and Technical Achievement awards recognize original developments resulting in significant improvements in film production. The awards are usually given out in mid-February, just a couple of weeks before the televised Academy Awards, but the L.A. fires forced postponement of the event.
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Fire4Hire was recognized for its game-changing fire gel, which allows for safe 'naked' burns.
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'That's the best part, because we were awarded for our product. But technically, what our product is the service we provide. We've never actually sold the gel independently of our service,' said Decker, who has been in the stunt business for 22 years and is currently the stunt coordinator on the Global/Fox Gibsons-shot TV series Murder in a Small Town.
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