Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) company, highlighted its broad range of fire apparatus including numerous recent aerial product developments at the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) in Indianapolis, Indiana. Pierce’s FDIC presence put a spotlight on the theme: Deserve Better. Serve Better., with an exhibit focus that includes an extensive scope of apparatus and technology, represented by the strongest dealer network in the industry, along with the introduction of expanded aftermarket support offerings.

ALSO: Pierce to Feature Broad Scope of Products, New Technology, and More at FDIC International 2019

Pierce kicked-off FDIC 2019 with an opening announcement that specifically addressed firefighters and shared the company’s dedicated focus on producing unrivaled apparatus. Event attendees couldn’t miss Pierce’s unique message, ‘Deserve Better. Serve Better.’ that honored the brave men and women in service and centered around four key themes:

-       You Speak. We Listen.

-       You Question. We Answer.

-       You Ask. We Act.

-       You Lead. We Honor.

“FDIC is the perfect opportunity for our team to connect with firefighters and learn about their needs,” said Mike Dufrane, vice president of sales and marketing, Pierce Manufacturing. “With 18 apparatus on display and representatives from our network of 26 dealers, we are able to show first-hand how Pierce has developed custom apparatus configurations that address the unique regional challenges many fire departments face. We also love having the opportunity to thank fire service representatives and build a deeper understanding of the risks they face each day.”

Following Pierce’s FDIC opening remarks, event attendees had the opportunity to experience an extensive scope of apparatus and service innovations on display, including emergency response vehicles that include fully customized, sophisticated communications systems manufactured by Pierce in Clearwater, Florida. Representing regions from across North America, fire trucks on display featured the latest chassis design, pump panels, aerial configurations, electrical systems, and much more. The new Pierce Situational Awareness System by Fotokite actively tethered aerial device was featured in demonstrations showing ease of deployment from any apparatus and capability to be retrofitted with apparatus currently in service.

Dufrane added, “The booth represents product configurations and enhancements based on customer feedback and demonstrates how the specific needs of fire departments are addressed during the design and manufacturing processes. We’ve also enjoyed having the opportunity to unveil the new Pierce Situational Awareness System by Fotokite actively tethered aerial device and how this tool provides immediate aerial views of a scene to help increase response effectiveness.”

Present to walk booth visitors through Pierce’s FDIC exhibit were representatives from the strongest fire apparatus dealer network in North America. Now 26 locations strong, 765 collective years of Pierce product sales, and one million total square feet of service center space, Pierce dealers made themselves readily available to provide educated and experienced insight.

In line with the over-arching theme of supporting the needs of firefighters, Pierce’s aftermarket service specialists introduced expanded product support capabilities and

Pittsburgh (PA) – Given the unpredictable and hazardous nature of firefighting, where seconds could mean the difference between life and death, there’s nothing more important for firefighters than being connected as a team. That’s why MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE: MSA), a the global leader in firefighter safety, today announced a breakthrough innovation to help make firefighting a safer profession. At the annual Fire Department Instructor’s Conference (FDIC) International in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Pittsburgh-based company today unveiled LUNAR–a small, wireless, cloud-ready device designed to provide higher levels of protection for firefighters through enhanced vision, improved situational awareness and team connectivity. LUNAR represents the latest addition to a suite–or ecosystem–of MSA products that enable a level of accountability never before achieved in the fire service industry. When used together on a fireground or while responding to any other type of hazard, this suite of products provides a new platform for firefighter safety the company has branded as “Connected Firefighter.” 

Designed for use as a stand-alone device, or as part of an MSA SCBA system, LUNAR’s proprietary technology keeps firefighters connected in a broad range of ways, including:

• Person-to-person ranging, which enables firefighters to find each other using distance and direction data, even when one may be incapacitated;
• GPS location, which provides safety officers or incident commanders a birds-eye view of all LUNAR devices on scene;
• Personal thermal imaging, which is visible through an immersive 3.5” high-resolution display; and
• A motion-detected, man-down alarm, which provides an added value for those responding to fire calls where an SCBA is not deployed.

“Accounting for all firefighters on a fire ground has been a consistent need expressed by the fire service profession, but it’s also been a challenge for many manufacturers to solve,” said Jason Traynor, General Manager of Global Respiratory Protection and Fire Helmets for MSA.  “When we looked at what we could do to enhance firefighter safety, we listened to feedback from thousands of firefighters.  We then took those insights and used a holistic approach to build a connected ecosystem of products where the sum of the individual components is the key to keeping firefighters better connected – and safer – than ever before.”   

Other products comprising the Connected Firefighter platform include:

• The company’s industry-leading G1 SCBA;
• The MSA Hub, a small, modular device that enables on scene data and asset management; and
• The MSA Cloud Platform, which gives incident commanders the ability to evaluate and manage multiple situations at one time from any location. 

According to Nish Vartanian, MSA President and CEO, the introduction of LUNAR–and the potential it represents–delivers on the vision of having it’s G1 SCBA serve as a flexible platform for the future. 

“When we introduced the G1 SCBA in 2014, we did so with the goal of making it adaptable to new technology as soon as it becomes available which, in turn, raises the level of firefighter safety on a continuous and rolling basis,” commented Mr. Vartanian. “LUNAR and our Connected Firefighter platform are great examples of how we’ve continued to invest in R&D and technology to make this vision a reality.” 

In addition to LUNAR, MSA introduced two other new products that also represent a step forward in the evolution of firefighter safety equipment technology.  These a