By Chris Mc Loone

Today, there are few things as ubiquitous as the fire apparatus you’ll find in a fire station than Kussmaul’s Auto Eject.

Start the rig, and the shoreline pops out. Back the rig in, shut it down, complete the report, and plug the shoreline back into the Auto Eject. For fire apparatus operators, this is all routine. For those coming into the fire service now or who have entered during the past 25 years, it’s hard to remember a time when their pumpers, aerials, rescues, and so on did not feature this product, but it’s only been around since 1986. This patented device was crafted by Ernest (Ernie) A. Kussmaul and Thomas H. Nugent when the company was just reaching its 20-year milestone. Thirty-one years later, Kussmaul Electronics Company is celebrating 50 years in business.

Garage Shop Origin

What is known today as Kussmaul Electronics Company started out as Kussmaul Engineering Company and was founded in September 1967 by Ernie Kussmaul. It began in the back of a garage in a 10- × 20-foot area as an engineering consulting service, then manufacturing other people’s products, and eventually manufacturing Kussmaul’s own line of products specifically for a niche in the emergency vehicle market. Eventually, Kussmaul outgrew the garage area and rented a barn that provided him with about 100 square feet and stayed there from 1969 until 1980.

Back then, most of the products Kussmaul developed were to help people looking for solutions to problems, and the company’s initial product was a station-mounted battery charger, which ultimately transformed into onboard chargers.

1 This aerial view is of the Kussmaul Electronics Company 34,050-square-foot facility in West Sayville, New York. (Photos courtesy of Kussmaul Electronics Company.)

Nugent joined the company in 1982 as a draftsman and quickly rose to the position of vice president. Kussmaul and Nugent together developed the Auto Eject, and both are on the patents they hold for the product. It was developed in 1986 and disconnects shorelines, and today Air Ejects eject the air line from a vehicle when it starts. The Auto Eject is a registered trademark of Kussmaul Electronics.

Having outgrown the barn structure, Kussmaul built a new building in 1980 at its current location in West Sayville, New York. In the 5,600-square-foot building, business continued - partially manufacturing Kussmaul products and also manufacturing products for others as the business continued to grow. Kussmaul expanded this building in 1995 to 8,450 square feet, and in 2003 it expanded again, this time breaking ground for a 20,000-square-foot addition that brought the building to a total of 34,050 square feet. In 2011, Kussmaul sold the company, and Nugent became president of Kussmaul Electronics Company.

Company Culture

These days, one term that comes up when talking about companies or even the fire service is “culture.” Kussmaul’s culture has its roots in how it began: providing solutions to problems. “The culture or mantra has always been to help the customer when problems surface,” says Colin Chambless, vice president of sales and marketing at Kussmaul. “We solve problems and provide a high-quality product that has been and will continue to be depended on.” He adds, “Ernie and Tom have provided quality products, excellent service, product durabil

By Chris Mc Loone

Today, there are few things as ubiquitous as the fire apparatus you’ll find in a fire station than Kussmaul’s Auto Eject.

Start the rig, and the shoreline pops out. Back the rig in, shut it down, complete the report, and plug the shoreline back into the Auto Eject. For fire apparatus operators, this is all routine. For those coming into the fire service now or who have entered during the past 25 years, it’s hard to remember a time when their pumpers, aerials, rescues, and so on did not feature this product, but it’s only been around since 1986. This patented device was crafted by Ernest (Ernie) A. Kussmaul and Thomas H. Nugent when the company was just reaching its 20-year milestone. Thirty-one years later, Kussmaul Electronics Company is celebrating 50 years in business.

Garage Shop Origin

What is known today as Kussmaul Electronics Company started out as Kussmaul Engineering Company and was founded in September 1967 by Ernie Kussmaul. It began in the back of a garage in a 10- × 20-foot area as an engineering consulting service, then manufacturing other people’s products, and eventually manufacturing Kussmaul’s own line of products specifically for a niche in the emergency vehicle market. Eventually, Kussmaul outgrew the garage area and rented a barn that provided him with about 100 square feet and stayed there from 1969 until 1980.

Back then, most of the products Kussmaul developed were to help people looking for solutions to problems, and the company’s initial product was a station-mounted battery charger, which ultimately transformed into onboard chargers.

1 This aerial view is of the Kussmaul Electronics Company 34,050-square-foot facility in West Sayville, New York. (Photos courtesy of Kussmaul Electronics Company.)

Nugent joined the company in 1982 as a draftsman and quickly rose to the position of vice president. Kussmaul and Nugent together developed the Auto Eject, and both are on the patents they hold for the product. It was developed in 1986 and disconnects shorelines, and today Air Ejects eject the air line from a vehicle when it starts. The Auto Eject is a registered trademark of Kussmaul Electronics.

Having outgrown the barn structure, Kussmaul built a new building in 1980 at its current location in West Sayville, New York. In the 5,600-square-foot building, business continued - partially manufacturing Kussmaul products and also manufacturing products for others as the business continued to grow. Kussmaul expanded this building in 1995 to 8,450 square feet, and in 2003 it expanded again, this time breaking ground for a 20,000-square-foot addition that brought the building to a total of 34,050 square feet. In 2011, Kussmaul sold the company, and Nugent became president of Kussmaul Electronics Company.

Company Culture

These days, one term that comes up when talking about companies or even the fire service is “culture.” Kussmaul’s culture has its roots in how it began: providing solutions to problems. “The culture or mantra has always been to help the customer when problems surface,” says Colin Chambless, vice president of sales and marketing at Kussmaul. “We solve problems and provide a high-quality product that has been and will continue to be depended on.” He adds, “Ernie and Tom have provided quality products, excellent service, product durabil

Robert Tutterow

For the past two months, I have written about the Wingspread VI report that was released early this year. Why the emphasis on this report? It is the one report that looks at our service with a critical eye.

It identifies the threats and opportunities and offers action plans to move forward. Without an honest assessment of our state and a roadmap to move forward, the industry will dwindle - YES, dwindle. Our history and current news articles underline this thought. Staffing and funding are nowhere near the levels needed to professionally provide service to our customers. We must reverse the trend and become a thriving service. Granted, there are pockets within the country where the industry is thriving, but overall it is dwindling.

This is the sixth Wingspread Report, a once-in-a-decade report, to be issued since 1966. The report was developed by 40 people representing a diverse section of the U.S. fire service. The group met in Racine, Wisconsin, at the Johnson Foundation Conference Center last July and came up with 14 “Statements of National Significance to the United States Fire and Emergency Services.” The statements are, in effect, an overview of the threats and opportunities facing fire and emergency services.

In this column, I will highlight a few more of the statements that relate directly to firefighter health, safety, and equipment. Of the 14 statements, at least half of them are directly related. The other half have an indirect influence.

Statement #8

This statement reads, “The United States fire and emergency services must develop an efficient and effective process to collect and manage data.” Capturing and managing data are not in the mindset of most firefighters. We do not mind responding to incidents (the more, the merrier) to assist our communities. However, when it comes to documenting our activities, the “pencil whip” mentality kicks in. No one enjoys the paperwork or data entry part of our profession. Who is this impacting? Us. It has been said that the side with the most (and best data) wins. When we take our case to the body politic for more funds, more equipment, and more training, we often fail to have the data to adequately substantiate our requests. I recently learned that a major metro department’s data showed the city had a disproportionate number of cooking fires. A close examination determined the numbers were skewed because checking the nature of the fire as a cooking fire eliminated the need to fill out most of the rest of the report. Data matter. Accurate data matter more.

Statement #9

This statement reads, “Automatic fire sprinkler use has the ability to solve much of America’s fire problem in every class of occupancy. In addition to automatic fire sprinkler technology, the United States fire and emergency services must embrace all forms of technology where it is efficient, effective, and provides information that adds to organizational and community safety.” There is nothing new in this statement about sprinklers. Almost every organization has a mindset that it exists to mitigate emergencies, especially fire suppression. However, the mission also includes fire prevention. We stress quick response, as we should. However, a sprinkler head is like having a firefighter on the scene with a charged hoseline as soon as the fire breaks out. That is true customer service.

Other technologies are emerging faster than ever. Fire and emergency services must embrace and manage them. Doing so is the sign of an advanced profession that

Robert Tutterow

For the past two months, I have written about the Wingspread VI report that was released early this year. Why the emphasis on this report? It is the one report that looks at our service with a critical eye.

It identifies the threats and opportunities and offers action plans to move forward. Without an honest assessment of our state and a roadmap to move forward, the industry will dwindle - YES, dwindle. Our history and current news articles underline this thought. Staffing and funding are nowhere near the levels needed to professionally provide service to our customers. We must reverse the trend and become a thriving service. Granted, there are pockets within the country where the industry is thriving, but overall it is dwindling.

This is the sixth Wingspread Report, a once-in-a-decade report, to be issued since 1966. The report was developed by 40 people representing a diverse section of the U.S. fire service. The group met in Racine, Wisconsin, at the Johnson Foundation Conference Center last July and came up with 14 “Statements of National Significance to the United States Fire and Emergency Services.” The statements are, in effect, an overview of the threats and opportunities facing fire and emergency services.

In this column, I will highlight a few more of the statements that relate directly to firefighter health, safety, and equipment. Of the 14 statements, at least half of them are directly related. The other half have an indirect influence.

Statement #8

This statement reads, “The United States fire and emergency services must develop an efficient and effective process to collect and manage data.” Capturing and managing data are not in the mindset of most firefighters. We do not mind responding to incidents (the more, the merrier) to assist our communities. However, when it comes to documenting our activities, the “pencil whip” mentality kicks in. No one enjoys the paperwork or data entry part of our profession. Who is this impacting? Us. It has been said that the side with the most (and best data) wins. When we take our case to the body politic for more funds, more equipment, and more training, we often fail to have the data to adequately substantiate our requests. I recently learned that a major metro department’s data showed the city had a disproportionate number of cooking fires. A close examination determined the numbers were skewed because checking the nature of the fire as a cooking fire eliminated the need to fill out most of the rest of the report. Data matter. Accurate data matter more.

Statement #9

This statement reads, “Automatic fire sprinkler use has the ability to solve much of America’s fire problem in every class of occupancy. In addition to automatic fire sprinkler technology, the United States fire and emergency services must embrace all forms of technology where it is efficient, effective, and provides information that adds to organizational and community safety.” There is nothing new in this statement about sprinklers. Almost every organization has a mindset that it exists to mitigate emergencies, especially fire suppression. However, the mission also includes fire prevention. We stress quick response, as we should. However, a sprinkler head is like having a firefighter on the scene with a charged hoseline as soon as the fire breaks out. That is true customer service.

Other technologies are emerging faster than ever. Fire and emergency services must embrace and manage them. Doing so is the sign of an advanced profession that

Robert Tutterow

For the past two months, I have written about the Wingspread VI report that was released early this year. Why the emphasis on this report? It is the one report that looks at our service with a critical eye.

It identifies the threats and opportunities and offers action plans to move forward. Without an honest assessment of our state and a roadmap to move forward, the industry will dwindle - YES, dwindle. Our history and current news articles underline this thought. Staffing and funding are nowhere near the levels needed to professionally provide service to our customers. We must reverse the trend and become a thriving service. Granted, there are pockets within the country where the industry is thriving, but overall it is dwindling.

This is the sixth Wingspread Report, a once-in-a-decade report, to be issued since 1966. The report was developed by 40 people representing a diverse section of the U.S. fire service. The group met in Racine, Wisconsin, at the Johnson Foundation Conference Center last July and came up with 14 “Statements of National Significance to the United States Fire and Emergency Services.” The statements are, in effect, an overview of the threats and opportunities facing fire and emergency services.

In this column, I will highlight a few more of the statements that relate directly to firefighter health, safety, and equipment. Of the 14 statements, at least half of them are directly related. The other half have an indirect influence.

Statement #8

This statement reads, “The United States fire and emergency services must develop an efficient and effective process to collect and manage data.” Capturing and managing data are not in the mindset of most firefighters. We do not mind responding to incidents (the more, the merrier) to assist our communities. However, when it comes to documenting our activities, the “pencil whip” mentality kicks in. No one enjoys the paperwork or data entry part of our profession. Who is this impacting? Us. It has been said that the side with the most (and best data) wins. When we take our case to the body politic for more funds, more equipment, and more training, we often fail to have the data to adequately substantiate our requests. I recently learned that a major metro department’s data showed the city had a disproportionate number of cooking fires. A close examination determined the numbers were skewed because checking the nature of the fire as a cooking fire eliminated the need to fill out most of the rest of the report. Data matter. Accurate data matter more.

Statement #9

This statement reads, “Automatic fire sprinkler use has the ability to solve much of America’s fire problem in every class of occupancy. In addition to automatic fire sprinkler technology, the United States fire and emergency services must embrace all forms of technology where it is efficient, effective, and provides information that adds to organizational and community safety.” There is nothing new in this statement about sprinklers. Almost every organization has a mindset that it exists to mitigate emergencies, especially fire suppression. However, the mission also includes fire prevention. We stress quick response, as we should. However, a sprinkler head is like having a firefighter on the scene with a charged hoseline as soon as the fire breaks out. That is true customer service.

Other technologies are emerging faster than ever. Fire and emergency services must embrace and manage them. Doing so is the sign of an advanced profession that