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The Province
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Province
Vancouver stunt company wins Academy Award for Scientific and Technical Achievement
With Deadpool 2, The Last of Us and Final Destination credits, Fire4Hire is celebrated for its naked burn fire barrier gel Vancouver's Fire4Hire stunt company picked up an Academy Award for Scientific and Technical Achievement for their development and use of a game-changing fire gel that can be used directly on skin. Photo by Courtesy of Colin Decker / Courtesy of Colin Decker Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. 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. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. 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REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors 'It's the craziest and coolest thing ever,' said Colin Decker, who started Fire4Hire 20 years ago with partner Dustin Brooks. '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. 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. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Colin Decker (l) and Dustin Brooks, partners in the Vancouver stunt company Fire4Hire, were in Los Angeles recently to receive an Academy Award for Scientific and Technical Achievement. The pair developed a burn gel that can be used on naked skin. The gel has been used in fire stunts on such bold type projects as The Last of Us, Deadpool 2 and Final Destination 3 and 6. Photo by Courtesy of Colin Decker / Courtesy of Colin Decker Fire4Hire was recognized for its game-changing fire gel, which allows for safe 'naked' burns. '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. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Fire4Hire, which has 52 films and 76 TV series under its belt, has used its fire gel technology on bold-type projects including The Last of Us and Deadpool 2. It won the Specialty Stunt Award at the 2019 Taurus World Stunt Awards for a Deadpool 2 scene where actor Anthony Moyer is running around on fire in the background for a full 30 seconds while Deadpool fights a room full of bad guys. Fire4Hire's handiwork can be seen in the soon-to-be-released film Final Destination: Bloodlines, the sixth one in the franchise. This job was special, as the fire gel was first used on Final Destination 3. (Fans will likely remember the gruesome tanning bed deaths.) This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. There are other fire gels on the market, but they are used over clothing. Fire4Hire's water soluble, non-toxic gel, which Decker and Brooks developed through trial and error in Brooks' backyard two decades ago, is designed to be used directly on skin. 'Imagine putting your hand in a pot of water, putting it on the stove, and turning it on. At first you feel nothing. Then it slowly heats up until you feel discomfort. Then you put it out and you're fine,' said Decker, describing how the product works. 'If you push it, you could get into trouble. But if you're smart, you're fine.' Decker also explained Fire4Hire's gel doesn't have to be refrigerated, which makes it way more comfortable for the people it's applied to. 'It definitely puts you in a state of hypothermia, which also reduces the mental state of the person being set on fire,' said Decker of other cold-gel formulas. 'You have to rush and hurry because of that situation. So, all in all, it's just a far superior product than what was out there in the past.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. While the number of naked skin burns is small, Decker said last year was a red hot one for the company. 'Last year was probably the greatest year of fire I've ever had. On average, I would say you might do six burns a year. And last year was close to 100,' said Decker, who himself has over 200 stunt credits to his name. 'Final Destination 6 was one of the biggest. The Last of Us season 2, hands down the biggest. I had my biggest sequence ever, where we set 10 different people on fire all at the same time. There was a crowd of zombies that are infected, bombs going off and fire everywhere, snow machines — it was absolute chaos. It went so smoothly and so perfectly, and no one got hurt.' Vancouver stunt company Fire4Hire has offered up its burn expertise to well over 50 films and 75 plus TV series during its 20 years in business. One of the biggest jobs on their resume has been the hit TV series The Last of Us. Seen here is stunt person Jonathan Vellner at work on the HBO series. Photo by Courtesy of Colin Decker / Courtesy of Colin Decker An obvious question here is what kind of blood pressure numbers does a person who is lighting 10 people on fire have? This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Honestly, I'm very chill when it comes to doing these things. You tend to see me, and I have this great, big s—-eating grin on my face. Because I'm just in love with what I do.' Dgee@ Read More Vancouver Canucks Sports Sports News News
Calgary Herald
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Vancouver stunt company wins Academy Award for Scientific and Technical Achievement
Article content 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. Article content Article content 'It's the craziest and coolest thing ever,' said Colin Decker, who started Fire4Hire 20 years ago with partner Dustin Brooks. Article content '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. Article content Article content 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. Article content Article content Article content Fire4Hire was recognized for its game-changing fire gel, which allows for safe 'naked' burns. Article content '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. Article content
