As a firefighter and wildfire contracting company owner, Frank Assu has had a rewarding career battling blazes across the province.
Now, the former Quadra Island resident who lives in Comox Valley, wants to inspire younger generations, like his two little grandchildren 鈥� Kiara and Nova 鈥� to pursue the profession and help protect forests.
To do this, he's sharing his exciting exploits in a self-published children's book, Adventures with Bob: A Wildfire Journey with Kiara and Nova.
"I wanted to record our adventures and deployment through their eyes," he said. "So, kids learn they can do anything."
The inspiration to feature his grandchildren on a wildfire adventure came to Assu while returning from deployment late last August.
He quickly got to work writing the story and finished the first draft on the ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo. It is based on photographs he and his employees took while deployed throughout B.C. during the 2023 wildfire season.
While letting the material percolate for a few months, Assu said he came across his book's illustrator, Sareh Puetz, by chance at a craft fair in Courtney. He fell in love with her artwork, which was on display and featured in another children's book.
"The whole story of the book is the girls get to go every place and then they do different things along the way," said Assu, who is a member of the We Wai Kai Nation.
"Bob, the fire truck, sort of comes alive through the kids' imagination. He talks the girls into going on this kind of adventure."
The name "Bob" is fitting for the fire truck because it was Kiara鈥檚 idea, he said. His juggernaut of a truck is a one-of-a-kind tactical water tender, with off-road capabilities that can carry up to 2400 USG/200 IG of water. It's designed to help wildfire fighters more effectively and efficiently save forests.
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Assu has worked as a firefighter in Comox for several years and developed his own company, Lak鈥橶as Wildfire Water Service Limited, in 2021.
He has published many newspaper articles over the years. His first book, Lekwiltok Anthology: A collection of essays about the We Wai Kai people of Cape Mudge, was published in 2009.
Adventures with Bob: A Wildfire Journey with Kiara and Nova will be available on Amazon. It can also be ordered via the .
