Grace Industries Inc. recently announced the new “one-of-a-kind” NFPA-compliant firefighter stand-alone Personal Alert Safety System (PASS) and RF PASS. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is responsible for establishing safety standards for the fire industry including fire department personal protective equipment (PPE) which must be compliant with NFPA standards in order to be eligible to receive government funding for purchases.

PASS is a fire industry acronym for Personal Alert Safety System and sometimes referred to as a DSU- Distress Signal Unit. The traditional firefighter PASS or DSU alarm provides only a loud audible alarm in the hopes that another crew member will hear it; no longer will a firefighter need to rely on just audible alarms of a traditional PASS. Grace has designed a new NFPA compliant RF PASS that is both a loud audible alarm and an RF PASS, that uses radio signaling to alert the fire ground and the Incident Commander directly via wireless connectivity. RF PASS provides the Incident Commander the ability to receive wireless RF MAYDAY distress alarm signals from the firefighter and issue automated wireless Personnel Accountability Report (PAR) and wireless EVAC commands.

A problem within the fire industry exists for firefighters who remove their self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and then continue to work on the fireground during fire overhaul and other operations. Most firefighters today are using PASS and RF PASS systems which are integrated into the SCBA, and require the firefighter to wear the SCBA to use the PASS system. When the firefighter removes the SCBA, and continues to work on the fire ground, it places them in danger and out of compliance with NFPA standards. Grace devices can be moved from one piece of protective clothing to another to keep the firefighter within NFPA compliance at all times.

Grace has solved this problem for the firefighter with their new “one-of-a-kind” standalone fifth generation SuperPASS®5, SuperPASS®5X and TPASS®5 (NFPA compliant standalone PASS and RF PASS). The Grace stand-alone PASS and RF PASS are not integrated into any SCBA and do not rely on a firefighter having to wear the SCBA to stay protected. Grace is the only manufacturer with a stand-alone NFPA compliant PASS and RF PASS that protects every firefighter regardless of whether an SCBA is worn.

A major contributing factor leading to fireground injuries has been congested radio voice channels. High levels of voice radio traffic lead to chaos and confusion, putting firefighters at risk of not hearing critical messages such as the evacuation command or call for PAR; this is a second problem solved by Grace RF PASS and NFPA In-Command® compliant accountability system. The wireless Personnel Accountability Report (PAR) check is a function of the accountability system that significantly reduces radio voice traffic on the fireground while keeping the Incident Commander “in the know” with a full report of acknowledgements from their crew.

Grace has developed the “one-of-a-kind” stand-alone firefighter SuperPASS®5X functioning as a traditional audio PASS alarm that when field upgraded becomes an RF PASS with all of the performance and features of a TPASS®5 for use with Grace In-Command® accountability systems. The SuperPASS®5X is the first device to provide a field upgradable migration path for budget conscious departments and a

Fire Equipment Manufacturers’ Association has selected M. Dwayne Garriss, Georgia State Fire Marshal, for its 2016 Fire Safety Advocate Award.

The annual award is given to a fire safety professional who has demonstrated a commitment to enhancing the safety of the public through innovative efforts, including legislative, educational, enforcement, or other effective means.

“Dwayne Garriss has dedicated much of his career to fire safety, particularly to educating and training fire inspectors, fire marshals, and other code officials,” said Bill Vegso, president of Fire Equipment Manufacturers’ Association. “Dwayne’s lasting commitment and ongoing efforts to promote fire safety through engineering, education, and enforcement make him eminently qualified to receive this prestigious award.”

The incoming president of the International Code Council (ICC), Garriss has served as the chairman of the Georgia Fire Safety Symposium for 21 years, providing leadership and guidance to the delivery of thousands of hours of training and education to fire safety professionals. In addition, he works as a professor at numerous colleges and universities, and serves as an instructor at the Georgia Fire Academy and several other educational endeavors.

During his nearly 28-year firefighting career and five-and-a-half years as Georgia State Fire Marshal, Garriss has also been a member of Georgia’s Joint Fire Service Legislative Committee, the National Association of State Fire Marshals’ Model Codes Committee, ICC’s Joint Fire Service Review Committee and ICC’s Board of Directors, and served two years as president of the Georgia Fire Inspectors’ Association.

“Few have dedicated themselves to this extent of furthering the fire prevention profession as Dwayne Garriss,” added Vegso. “His contributions to the industry make him the ideal recipient of the Fire Equipment Manufacturers’ Association’s 2016 Fire Safety Advocate Award.”

Dwayne Garriss will be formally presented with the Fire Safety Advocate Award during the Fire Equipment Manufacturers’ Association’s Annual Meeting on October 12-14, 2016 in Charleston, South Carolina.

More: www.femalifesafety.org/membership.html.

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Photographer Steve Redick recently took in a job in a far south Chicago, Illinios, suburb.

From Redick, “Had the chance to take in a job in an area I seldom ever get to—Evergreen Park, a far southern suburb of Chicago. The fire was in a local landmark restaurant. Admittedly I got a late start but arrived as they were again going defensive. I was able to document some widely varying conditions as well as some fire apparatus I have never seen before. SS3, the Snorkel, actually once belonged to the North Shore suburb of Wilmette, Illinois. In my opinion, the turning point of the fire was when they used the basket close to the ground and put the master stream into the front door where some heavy smoke conditions were present. I also observed an unusual operation using engines in line and a three-way divider. I was able to play with video and fill in flash and available light settings with my new camera too. All in all a very interesting, but locally tragic, morning. All the images, and video can be seen at: https://ksc711.smugmug.com/Suburban-Fires-and-Rigs/Evergreen-park-2nd-Alarm-3701/.”