Sean O’Tuama, the founder of Firemole, discusses his ‘eureka’ moment, his invention, how he developed his product and the support he received at Cork’s Republic of Work.
My invention
Firemole is all about fire prevention over fire detection. We aim to catch rising temperatures and alert users to issues before a fire breaks out. There has been a 35% increase in residential fires over the last year and a 13% increase in workplace fires. We plan to reduce these figures with our innovative patent-pending fire safety device called Firemole, which sounds an inbuilt alarm when it detects high temperatures from the surface to which it is attached, and by doing so, potentially saving lives and properties.
My ‘eureka’ moment
I worked as an electrician and attended the aftermath of numerous fires in residential and commercial buildings. I found that in many of these cases the fire was caused by a specific electrical or electronic device. It was after an incident in my own home when the fuse board nearly caught fire (I didn’t install it), that got me thinking about developing a device like Firemole.
Why I applied for a Bank of Ireland scholarship desk at Republic of Work?
Being in a startup is tough, especially when you are the only one involved in it. While working on your own, in your bedroom or wherever you may be, you tend to ask yourself regularly “Am I crazy for doing this?” or “Should I just go and get a regular job?” and you can beat yourself up about things. I knew the scholarship desk in Republic of Work would give me the opportunity to be working alongside like-minded people. You may be in entirely different industries to the people you’re working alongside, but the problems are the same.
How was my experience as a scholar?
My experience in Republic of
