The lack of protection from radiant heat for tractor operators in fire operations was of concern, and in 1988 the North Altona Fire Equipment Development Centre was directed to develop a prototype protection system.
A Cat D3B bulldozer was transferred to North Altona from the field and, after consideration, fitted with two heat shielding blinds, a wrap-around type and a drop-down version. The blinds were manufactured from canvas flame retardant fabric manufactured by Bradmill.
A second option was developed, and simultaneously installed, consisting of a water spray system with spray jets delivering 65 litres per minute installed around the inside of the ROPS canopy. Water was provided via a hydraulically driven water pump mounted to a 340 litre steel tank, attached to the rear of the dozer above the winch, providing the operator with visual access to the winch if required. As this was a trial development the 340 litre tank of water would last approximately 5 minutes in an emergency completely surrounding the operator area including the heat shielding blinds in a water spray curtain.
The systems were trialled in the Dandenongs, and the video below shows the trial. The system was not trialled in a wildfire situation and development did not proceed.