MY MISSION
My name is Kenney Pierce and, for the past 25 years, I have had one mission in life...to save people in danger of drowning by developing excellent water rescue gear for rescue professionals.
I had no idea it would take decades to make an impact but nothing I could have ever dreamed of would have as much impact as the Quick Collar is going to make. The Quick Collar will put a strong, small but versatile lifesaving tool in the hands of regular firemen and first responders so they don't always have to wait for a special water rescue team to perform a rescue.
It is a proven product that will save thousdands of lives over time while keeping rescuers out of the water where they, too, could become victims. It is truly the Holy Grail of water rescue equipment and the time has come to pull out all the stops in order to get these into the proper hands as fast as possible. But I need your help.
If I can raise enough money to make a production run and travel to some important cities who are most likely to implememnt this new evolution in water rescue, the Quick Collar will become as common on fire/rescue vehicles as first aid kits.
My Story
I currently design and build professional lifeguard gear for San Diego lifeguards and lifeguards around the workd but, a few years ago, I finally finished designing something that I have been working on ever since I watched a horribly tragic accident unfold on TV in my home state of Texas back in 1987.
A church bus full of kids from Summer camp got swamped in a then-raging Guadalupe river, dumping dozens of kids in the 40 MPH flow of water and a news helicopter was right there to film the whole thing. Ten kids died that day. Ten kids, all gone just because they didn't have the right equipment for the job. My life hasn't been the same since because I've poured all my time and money and heart into making sure those kids didn't die in vain.
20 years later, all that blood, sweat and tears finally paid off when, one day, I accidentally stumbled upon the Holy Grail of water rescue equipment designs....the one I'd been searching for my whole life. And it was PERFECT.
It took many more years and thousands of dollars to build all the prototypes, get a patent and convince reluctant helicopter pilots and swift water technicians to help me test it thoroughly.
And, just as I was getting real traction, the recession hit, I lost my job and every fire department in America went on a budget freeze.
But I kept going, borrowed some money from my sisters (my biggest supporters) and flew out to New York City to meet with their water rescue captains and some chiefs of their R&D battalion...and they loved it!
Now the hard, expensive work of actually getting this critical piece of gear on board every fire truck in America begins. I hope you'll consider helping me.
![in the garage]()
The Quick Collar Is a New Generation of Water Rescue Gear
Remember those life rings that are hanging around swimming pools, docks and on boats? Or the lifeguard buoys? They've been around since before the turn of the LAST century and so has just about every other piece of water rescue equipment that is currently being used by rescue professionals.
What I discovered after the Comfort, TX flood is that no one ever bothered to innovate in this crucial part of the rescue profession...not lifeguards or firemen or anyone else. And that bothered me. So I did something about it.
The Quick Collar represents the next generation of water rescue gear and, with your help and a lot of hard work on my part, it will be as common on emergency vehicles as a first-aid kit. And will save thousands of lives over time. Maybe even someone you know and love.
Structurally, the Quick Collar is just a bag of rope...but a bag of rope with a very special inflatable collar in it. The bag itself is pretty small (about the size of a college football), easy to use and it's unbelievably strong. It is so strong it could tow a full-sized car up a hill, no problem. I've done it.
The Quick Collar Design
There are 3 important components to the Quick Collar...the rope bag, the auto-inflator and the cinch collar itself.
1) The Throw Bag - The throw bag contains the whole device. It holds roughly 70 feet of specialized rope in the upper compartment and the patented cinch collar in the lower compartment. An outer bag (not shown) is for storing the Quick Collar and keeping instructions and recharge parts handy.
![The Throw Bag]()
2) The Auto-Inflator - When the bag hits the water, the auto-inflator detonates within seconds to blast 23 grams of compressed CO2 into the collar. This happens because the trigger mechanism is being held back by a little white cellulose tablet (shown below in the little square window) that dissolves when it gets wet. The auto-inflator I use is a Secumatic.....very expensive but the very best one made today. The inflator can also be manually detonated.
![Inflation system]()
![rapid inflation]()
3) The Cinch Collar - The patented cinch collar is the magic behind the whole system. That inflatable tube is built a lot like a kid's floatie...it's actually hollow down the middle...and the strap (webbing) runs right through the middle of it, sandwiched between inflatable layers. That makes it so it holds you very tightly but doesn't crush your rib cage and allows you to breathe when they're lifting you out of the water and carrying you safely to shore.
It also is what makes it so incredibly strong because the inflatable really just rides on top of the webbing that is actually holding all the weight. I've taken the collar to certified testing laboratory and lifted a 3,000 lb block of concrete with the very same cinch collar you see in the picture below and you could still use it.
![Cinch Collar]()
How the Quick Collar Is Used
I'll keep this part short and sweet because it's REALLY basic. The call goes out that someone is in the water, in danger of drowning. The fire truck (or other emergency vehicle) shows up, the rescue guy jumps out of the truck, grabs a Quick Collar and runs to the scene. Then he throws the Quick Collar into the water as close to the victim as possible.
Now the victim has a buoyant device AND a lifeline AND a super-strong, cinchable lifting collar in the time it took you to read this sentence.
Many fire/rescue dept's have water rescue teams but too many do not. And even if there is a water rescue team, it takes time to get them together, hook up the trailer, drive to the scene, put on their wetsuits, assess the situation and make a plan. By that time, many times, it's too late.
If the first person on the scene has a Quick Collar, however, that buys them the critical time they need for the water rescue team to get there and plan out a safe technical rescue.
And if they don't have a water rescue team or the team is busy somewhere else or the situation is so dangerous that they just can't wait, then the Quick Collar can be the difference between life and death. It's really that simple.
What I need help with...
Besides needing you to spread the word as widely as possible and contribute, I'd love for you to LIKE me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter and maybe even send me your local fire dept's contact info as well as any help you think I could use.
As far as the money goes, I need funds to accomplish my 3 primary goals...
1) Manufacturing
I need to manufacture 50 more Quick Collars (minimum) so I can donate those 10 Quick Collars down around Comfort TX and fulfill the ones for perks here. 50 is the very minimum number of units my manufacturers will do and that is only because they believe in me and my product. Their typical minimum is closer to 500 units.
The cost breakdown is as follows;
$9,000 for 50 tubes, bags, inflators and hardware
+$3,500 for 3 spools of high-strength, floating technical grade water rescue rope. That is the minimum buy for wholesale and will give me extra rope.
+$1,500 for 3 cases of 23 gm CO2 cartridges and 500 inflator tablets. That gives me plenty of extras to take to New York for R&D at the FDNY
=$14,000 Total Manufacturing Costs
2) Research and Development/Travel to New York
If the Quick Collar is going to be widely adopted in the US and internationally in my lifetime, I really need to keep working closely with the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) to get this gear into their hands as quickly as possible. And I can do it but I estimate that effort alone will involve at least 6 months and many trips back and forth demonstrating, training and implementing the system. That means many plane tickets and just as many cheap hotel rooms and rental cars...and maybe a pizza or two.
= $7,000+ Estimated Travel Costs to New York
3) Comfort Texas Lifeline -
I want to throw a meaningful, heartfelt lifeline out to Comfort Texas in memory of their loss. It's a lifeline from me and you and all the people that contribute to this campaign to make sure this never happens again in their community. The tragedy they endured inspired me to create this device and I want to make sure every rescue agency in the area has one of these in their trucks and helicopters for the future.
And EVERYONE that contributes at least $10 to this campaign will get their name on a special card that I will personally present to each recipient of a donated Quick Collar. I'll be driving all over Texas to deliver donated Quick Collars and blogging and tweeting and updating my progress the entire way. That will take about a week and cover over 2,000 miles!
= $3000 Estimated Travel Costs to Texas
I Need To Buy Some Cool Perks For All Your Help
I know most of you are doing this because you believe in me and believe that we can make a difference in the world. But I want to give you some cool stuff to say THANK YOU and to remember me by. And if you want to save some lives in your town and maybe drum up some great PR for you or your business, DEFINITELY consider the $499 perk that will give you your very own Quick Collar to keep or donate to your local fire department. That will help me spread the word far and wide and, you never know...it might just save someone's life in your area. Maybe someone you know. Maybe YOU!
Cost of perks plus shipping = approx. $3,000
And Don't Forget Indiegogo's Hard Earned Percentage
I am SO grateful to Indiegogo for all their help on this. I don't know what I would have done without them. THANK YOU INDIEGOGO!!!
$1,200+
I will be constantly updating this campaign with progress reports, new videos of it being used in training and how I am spending your hard earned money.
Don't hesitate to ask any questions or pass along any contacts or suggestions that will help me to get the Quick Collar into as many hands as possible as fast as possible.
THANK YOU for your financial support!
HELP ME ANY WAY YOU CAN!
Watch my videos and share this project as far and as wide as possible RIGHT NOW...TIME IS SHORT!
![Quick Collar Rescue Ready Quick Collar Fully Deployed]()