Firefighting helicopter refill pump awarded “Coolest Thing Made in
Illinois” in 2025
[April 10, 2025]
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker announced the sixth annual
winner of the “Makers Madness” contest Wednesday in Springfield.
Chosen in a bracket-style competition from a field of more than 250
products, MTH Pumps’ aerial firefighting helicopter refill pump is the
2025 “Coolest Thing Made in Illinois.” This specific pump was designed
to cut the refill time of water tanks used on helicopters to fight fires
in half, taking as little as 30 seconds to refill.
The contest is organized annually by the Illinois Manufacturers
Association, a trade group that lobbies lawmakers in Springfield.
The product was used by fire departments in California to fight
wildfires in January. Tim Tremain, president of MTH Pumps, said the Los
Angeles Fire Department praised the pump, calling it, “very consistent,
very helpful and very reliable out in the field.”
MTH Pumps is a family owned and operated business based in Plano,
Illinois, that was started in 1965 by Tremain’s grandfather, Dave
Tremain, who he thanked during the ceremony.
“What’s cool about it is the fact that we built it from scratch
ourselves,” he said. “We designed it from the ground up and produced it
ourselves right here in Illinois. And just the fact that these pumps are
flying all around the world fighting fires is really an amazing thing to
think about.”
Other finalists included an aircrew systems tester made by Chemring
Energetic Devices of Downers Grove, donor breastmilk distributed by
Mother’s Milk Bank of Western Great Lakes of Elk Grove Village and a
remote-operated oil skimmer made by Elastec of Carmi.
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The Aerial Firefighting Helicopter Refill Pump made by MTH pumps in
Plano. (Photo provided by MTH Pumps)
Pritzker praised previous award winners during the ceremony, including
Rivian’s R1T, the first all-electric truck in production, General Mills’
Fruit by the Foot, Mullin’s imitation French dressing and last year’s
winner — a mining truck manufactured by Komatsu that features a hauling
capacity of up to 400 tons.
“For generations, Illinois has been a place where things get made,”
Pritzker said. “From John Deere and the first steel plow in Grand de
Tour to Josephine Cochran and the first dishwasher in Shelbyville to
Martin Cooper and the first cell phone in Schaumburg. So much of the
world as we know it right now was made here in Illinois.”
Capitol News Illinois is
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coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily
by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
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