Families from four apartment units in Kent were displaced Sunday night following a fire in the 22400 block of Benson Road. Firefighters from the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority, who were dispatched at 6:22 p.m., were able to see a smoke column from several miles away. When they arrived on scene, they found the two-story building with flames coming from three units.
- PUB DATE: 4/22/2019 1:06:16 PM - SOURCE: Kent Reporter

Bullard, a global leader in personal protective equipment, is teaming with the Firefighter Cancer Support Network (FCSN) in its mission to aid firefighters and their families following a cancer diagnosis. 

Wells Bullard, CEO of Bullard and Peter Lugo, president and COO of Bullard, presented Lisa Raggio, executive director of FCSN, and Trey Kelson, CFO of FCSN, with a donation of $10,000. Bullard plans to continue its support of the FCSN throughout 2019 by donating a portion of all proceeds from the sale of their Bullard Care Kits and Decon Cloths, two products designed specifically to help protect firefighters from carcinogens.

“Firefighters put a lot of trust in us to protect them. We have a responsibility to further protect firefighters by helping to educate them about dangers they face daily on the job and encourage prevention efforts to keep them safer,” said Wells Bullard. “We are proud to align with the FCSN to support their commitment to cancer prevention education and training to protect the lives of firefighters who risk their lives to protect us.”

“Education is key to helping firefighters reduce their cancer risk,” added Peter Lugo. “That’s why we’ve chosen to team with the FCSN to combine our efforts to raise awareness of the cancer risks firefighters face.” 

According to the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), cancer caused more than 60 percent of career firefighter line-of-duty deaths from January 1, 2002, to December 21, 2017. Cancer, today, is the most dangerous threat to a firefighter’s health and safety.

FCSN educates firefighters about the importance of cancer screenings and early detection. “We’re so grateful for this generous donation from Bullard,” said Lisa Raggio. “This contribution makes a significant difference in delivering our Badge to Badge Mentorship program and toolboxes free of charge to firefighters coping with cancer. It also provides the resources necessary to provide cancer awareness and prevention training nationwide. We are so proud and happy to welcome Bullard to the FCSN family.”

For more information, visit www.bullard.com and www.firefightercanersupport.org.

Several homes were evacuated Monday morning after a natural gas leak in south Seattle. According to the Seattle Fire Department, crews were called shortly after 8:00 a.m. to a home in the 10300 block of Rainier Ave. S. Nearby homes in that block and the 10400 block were evacuated as a precaution, firefighters said.
- PUB DATE: 4/22/2019 10:44:51 AM - SOURCE: KCPQ-TV FOX 13

INDIANAPOLIS, IN—Fotokite recently announced the launch of a new product for firefighters in partnership with Pierce Manufacturing. Pierce Situational Awareness Systems by Fotokite are actively tethered unmanned aerial systems (UAS) integrated directly into public safety vehicles and firefighter operations. The systems provide persistent aerial situational awareness with the single push of a button, no piloting necessary. Pierce Fotokite systems are already installed and operational in major fire departments across the U.S., including integration into Pierce fire apparatus, frontline command vehicles, and fire chiefs’ SUVs. These systems have been used by firefighters in operations such as live fire response, search and rescue missions, and structure collapse inspection.

The Pierce Situational Awareness System by Fotokite has been specifically designed and built from the ground up specifically to help in first responder operations. Pierce Fotokite systems do not require piloting at any point in operation and are the only UAS authorized by the FAA to be used by all public safety teams without requiring pilot licenses or individual authorizations to fly. This reduces the burden on fire departments to train members on every team to operate traditional drones and maintain expensive pilot programs—Fotokite technology can be leveraged by every first responder department in the U.S., today. Pierce Fotokites deliver automatic and reliable hands-off launching, flight, and landing from a small vehicle-integrated enclosure while also providing 24+ hour continuous flight endurance and secure data delivery via tether, rather than wireless data transmission dependency. Thermal and visual video are streamed directly to first responder laptops, tablets, and even remote command centers to gain instant situational awareness capabilities. The lightweight, heavy-duty flight frame is designed for robust long-term operation in demanding environments and is IP55 rated to fly in rain, snow, and windy conditions.

No-hassle use of Pierce Situational Awareness Systems by Fotokite follows the recent HR 302 FAA Reauthorization specific to Public Actively Tethered UAS, which came into effect as of April 4, 2019. Pierce Fotokite technology uniquely fit the criteria defining Actively Tethered UAS today, allowing first responders to gain aerial situational awareness without requiring a piloting license or a certificate of authorization or waiver (i.e. COA or Pt. 107).

For more information, visit https://fotokite.com/.