Fort Collins, CO — C & S Supply is giving away free, brand new, firefighting equipment to volunteer fire departments. Their Helping Hands program gives the winning department $900 of credit to buy new firefighting equipment. The best part; the winning department can select exactly what they need from the wide range of products that C & S Supply carries. 

Frenchport, a small 100% Volunteer Fire Department, received the most Likes on the Helping Hands Facebook page this past August. The Frenchport VFD, located in South Arkansas, covers 50 square miles and is responsible for the protection of about 450 people and commercial properties. "We run the department on around $12,000 a year in state funding,” according to Lieutenant Tate Chanler. “We recently discovered that we did not have any 2 1/2 inch nozzles and it will be difficult to buy any." (Click here to see photos of the Frenchport Volunteer Fire Department and their mascot K.J.)  

Helping Hands starts when a volunteer fire department shares their story on the C & S Supply Facebook page. The department with the most “Likes” wins that month’s giveaway. Next, they get to “go shopping” on the C & S Supply website, selecting items that meet their specific need.  

“A department can help themselves out with a $900 budget.” According to Chris Wills, Sales and Marketing Director for C & S Supply and a former volunteer firefighter, that was part of the plan. “Rather then sending them any nozzle, we wanted to make sure they received exactly the right product to fit their unique need. The winner gets to chose what works best for them.” Frenchport VFD selected the Blue Devil Select Gallonage 2 1/2” nozzle.   

C & S Supply’s founder, Sherman (Sherm) Stark was a volunteer firefighter and committed to helping other volunteers. Helping Hands fulfills on Sherm’s promise to support the volunteers in all communities. 

If you know of a volunteer fire department in need, follow the Frenchport Volunteer Fire Department’s example and nominate them for the Helping Hands program.  

For more information go to: http://cssupplyinc.com/helping-hands/ or call 970-663-4966 

The Connersville (IN) Fire Department had an old, no longer effective exhaust removal system that needed to be replaced. In addition, the fire stations have low ceilings and tight aisles between apparatus. These situations are ideally suited to MagneGrip Sliding Flexhose Track (SFT) System that features less hanging hose.

Using a grant from Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG), three stations were outfitted with the Sliding Flexhose Track (SFT) System, the compact-system designed for firehouses with back-in bays, low ceilings, and narrow spaces. The patented, 100-percent sealed system includes an ambient air intake for cooler operation.

“The SFT System is great because the hose gets out of the way,” Battalion Chief Tim McFarland said. “The hoses in other systems would knock things over and interfere with our runs.”

Before the MagneGrip installation, the air quality was poor; fumes hung in the air and soot covered the walls of the firehouses. “The health of our firefighters is critical to us,“ McFarland continued. “With living quarters upstairs and firefighters working 24-on/48-off we needed a system to reduce the risk of breathing contaminants. The air quality is a 100-percent improvement from before. We can feel the difference.”

About the installation process, McFarland added, “The MagneGrip team is top-notch. They are very knowledgeable and there was no question they couldn’t answer. The workers cared about what they were doing and worked together well during installation. It was a pleasure to work with them.”

MagneGrip Exhaust Removal Systems remove diesel exhaust emissions in firehouses to reduce firefighter risk for cancer, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. The patented magnetic nozzle provides an airtight seal and is 100-percent effective in removing exhaust emissions. Systems have wireless auto-start activation. MagneGrip’s 1,000° F rated hose is now standard equipment.

MagneGrip Group also manufactures AirHAWK Air Purification Systems with ceiling-mounted air filtration units positioned to remove hazardous airborne contaminants.

MagneGrip Group offers a free Grant Assistance program through FireGrantsHelp.com. Grant experts provide personalized assistance until a grant is found. The program includes local, state, and national grant alerts, online grant-writing training, narrative review, and optional grant writing at 50-percent discount.

For information, call 800-875-5440 or visit www.magnegrip.com.