HispanicBusiness

The viewers of an ABC television program have picked Greg Chavez, a firefighter, husband and father of six from Camarillo, California, as the nation's top new inventor for his device to make Christmas trees safer.

Voting by viewers concluded Wednesday night in the second season of the program "American Inventor." Having won their tally, Mr. Chavez also takes home the $1 million grand prize, money he says will help him get his Guardian Angel system into production.

In reaching the finals, Mr. Chavez was first chosen during a casting call in San Francisco, one of six cities across the country where thousands of inventors and entrepreneurs applied. A panel of judges, including former heavyweight boxing champion and entrepreneur George Foreman, selected one winner from each city to receive $50,000, a ticket to Los Angeles and one month to perfect their invention. The inventors worked with design companies and focus groups to develop a prototype and pitch it on television. The judges then chose three finalists, and the audience selected the final winner.

Unable to afford to build his own prototype, Mr. Chavez needed the show's initial infusion of $50,000 in seed money to get his product to the next level.

During the program, Mr. Chavez received an offer from First Alert president and CEO Tom Russo to further develop his safety device.

Mr. Chavez said the inspiration for his invention came during a Christmas holiday 15 years ago, when he saw a news report of a Christmas tree fire that killed a small child.

His wife encouraged and supported his dream to keep pursuing the idea over the many years, even though there were several times when he wanted to give up.

He describes his Guardian Angel Christmas tree fire suppression system invention as, "A small, pressurized tank of water, disguised as a Christmas present, which is placed under the Christmas tree and attached to a small hose leading to the top of the tree, where a fusible link is disguised as an angel. The heat from a fire pops the link and water suppresses the fire. There is also an alarm that works without a battery, intended to suppress (not fully extinguish) a Christmas tree fire and sound an alarm to get people out of the house alive."

"American Inventor" is a reality show from the production company of Simon Cowell, better known as the acerbic judge on Fox's hit show "American Idol."