Globe, DuPont Protection Solutions (DuPont), and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) are pleased to announce the latest round of winners in the 2016 Globe Gear Giveaway. This is the fifth year that Globe has partnered with DuPont and the NVFC to provide volunteer departments with critically needed sets of turnout gear. The Brindle Ridge Fire Department in Mount Vernon, KY, and the Eastern Douglas County Fire Department in Drury, MO, will each be outfitted with four sets of new, state-of-the-art Globe turnout gear.
“We appreciate of the opportunity to partner with Globe and DuPont to help volunteer departments enhance the safety and effectiveness of their firefighters,” said NVFC Chairman Kevin D. Quinn. “Since the Globe Gear Giveaway program began four years ago, over 300 sets of gear have been awarded to departments across the U.S. and Canada. This program is having an immense impact on the safety and readiness of boots-on-the-ground volunteer firefighters in North America.”
To be eligible to apply, departments had to be all-volunteer or mostly-volunteer, serve a population of 25,000 or less, be legally organized in the U.S. or Canada, and be a member of the NVFC. To help departments meet this last requirement, Globe sponsored NVFC Department Memberships for the first 500 applicants.
The Brindle Ridge Fire Department (BRFD) serves 1,700 people over 91 square miles in Rockcastle County, KY. Department fundraising proceeds are used for purchasing equipment and essential tools as well as helping pay for basic utilities. BRFD attempts to replace old turnout gear on a yearly basis, but with 38 members on the roster and only eight sets of gear that are National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) compliant, the department has a large number of members that do not have the gear required to fight fires. This reduces their ability to provide training to their volunteers, as the state requires all members to have compliant gear in order to work in live fire training situations. This gear donation will provide BRFD members desperately needed protective equipment, enabling them to better protect their community.
Eastern Douglas County Volunteer Fire Department (EDCVFD) is a small rural department providing fire and medical services to approximately 2,200 citizens in Drury, MO. They are a membership-based department, receiving no tax funding. More than half of their annual budget is dedicated to insurance coverage. Their 24 volunteers have only 14 sets of gear among them, all of which are more than 10 years old. Even with this obstacle, EDCVFD is very active in the community; they were named a national Firewise Community in 2015 and 2016. “Departments like ours depend on companies like Globe to provide grant programs to acquire new gear,” said Chief Chris Hammett.
The final two 2016 Globe Gear Giveaway awards will be announced in December. Stay tuned to the NVFC web site, Dispatch newsletter, and page on Facebook, as well as the Globe page on Facebook, for additional information and announcements regarding the Globe Gear Giveaway.
About Globe
Firefighters need to be prepared to perform at their peak, on every call. That’s why Globe delivers the most advanced, best-fitting, and longest lasting protection by listening to our customers, creating breakthrough designs, and applying the engineering skills of the nation’s most trusted turnout gear manufacturer. Globe turnout gear is designed to protect you, move with you, and improve your performance. It’s athletic gear for firefighters. Learn more at www.globeturnoutgear.com.