Reconsider Your Photos

I have a comment regarding the photo by Michael J. Coppola that appears on the cover of the January 2014 issue of Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment. I would ask that you and your staff pay closer attention to detail before using a picture like this as a moniker for some apparatus manufacturer. I have always found many of the articles in your publication both educational and useful. I am using this photo as a training session at our department on what not to do at a structure fire!

Both Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and, I am sure, state or department rules are violated over, and over, and over. The photo depicts active fire in the center of the picture. There is one firefighter shown on the second-story roof to the left without helmet or gloves on. Really? He appears to be yelling some type of communication to the guy on the ladder. What, they have never heard of radios? The next firefighter is seen on the ground ladder without a helmet, gloves, or structure coat. He must be the hero firefighter since he doesn't believe he has to wear his mandatory OSHA-required gear on the fireground. So when he falls off the ladder or it slides out from underneath him, what do you tell the widow when he dies? And finally, the superhero on the aerial with his designer shades and his bottle of water looks like a nice pose for some friend-no gear whatsoever! They call this professional firefighting? These actions are why every single month the fire service is burying firefighters or reporting another "close call."

I understand this fireground scene had absolutely nothing to do with your magazine or your staff. But please, show some professional responsibility and do not publish photos that are so completely offensive to the men and women of the fire service who do it right every day. This truly is an insult. If you do not have a professional staff level fire officer to review photos such as this prior to publication, I would gladly submit my name.

Dennis D. Fouchia
Chief
Lenox Township (MI) Fire Department

Associate Editor Chris Mc Loone responds: Whenever a nonstaged photo is considered for a cover, there is a possibility that those in the image could be captured in a less than flattering light. With that in mind, the photos we choose focus on the apparatus operating at the scene of a fire. However, the advantage of using such images means that personnel are depicted in real-world environments. We encourage all readers to take cover photos and use them for teaching purposes.

AMERICAN LaFRANCE unexpectedly closed its doors on January 17, 2014. Shortly after the news spread, the company issued this statement:

"American LaFrance, LLC, the manufacturer of fire, rescue, and vocational vehicles, announced the closing of its warehouse, production, and service facilities in Monks Corner, South Carolina, Ephrata, Pennsylvania, and Los Angeles, California.

"The company is advising its customers that they will be able to continue obtaining replacement parts and service for vehicles manufactured by American LaFrance from a new third party vendor. American LaFrance will contact customers with information about where they can obtain parts and service for their vehicles in the near future.

"Unfortunately, the company's unexpected current financial condition requires the discontinuation of operations in these locations at this time and these facilities are not expected to reopen."

FERRARA FIRE APPARATUS, INC., announced that America's Bravest Equipment Company is its new dealer in Central and Eastern Kentucky. America's Bravest is led by company president Dave Goldsmith. Chris Ferrara, Ferrara Fire Apparatus president and CEO, says, "We've been aggressively growing our dealer network over the past year. In doing so, we are seeking out companies established in the fire service with a good customer base and a first-rate reputation. America's Bravest is a 12-year-old company with a loyal following and a long track record of success with their equipment lines. They also have an excellent sales and service team that is extremely excited about selling fire trucks." Dave Goldsmith, America's Bravest Equipment Company owner, adds, "America's Bravest Equipment Company has the same high standards as Ferrara. Our company is very selective on who works for us, and what products we offer our customers. We took a very hard look at which fire apparatus manufacturer we represented, and Ferrara exceeded our expectations. The sales team at America's Bravest is very excited in being able to offer our customers a quality fire apparatus."

Following its November 2013 Product Safety Alert for firefighter turnout gear, W. L. GORE & ASSOCIATES has worked with fire departments, dealers, and manufacturers throughout North America to assess and reseal, as necessary, the seams of turnouts with Gore moisture barriers. In the first two months since the alert, Gore has successfully remediated both stored and worn gear for metropolitan and volunteer departments that enrolled in the remediation program early. Industry response has been positive to Gore's remediation program, and Gore will continue to collaborate with all responding departments on potentially affected gear. In conjunction with the remediation program, Gore has developed a new GORE-SEAM® tape. This new tape is unaffected by storage interactions, and it eliminates the need for new gear to be stored in open air. Turnout gear manufacturers are working to rapidly incorporate the new tape into their products using Gore moisture barriers.

HARRISON has announced that Tim Allaband has been added to Harrison Hydraulic Solutions as the northeastern region manager. In this position, Allaband will be responsible for the forecasting, marketing, training, and sales of Harrison products into all the business segments that Harrison serves in the northeastern region. He will also be responsible for integrating Harrison Products and Services into new markets outside of the traditional fire and emergency segment. Allaband most recently served as vice president of Redstorm Fire & Rescue Apparatus, in Gainesville, Virginia, where he was responsible for overall sales and service to five states, focusing on both

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Zico QUIC-MOUNT Premixed Can Holder, Model QM-PMH-1, helps prevent cans from rolling, falling, leaking, or puncturing. The heavy-duty steel and aluminum design keeps cylindrical cans up to 32 ounces (3 3⁄8 inches in diameter) secured and organized where firefighters need them most. Suitable for use with various premixes, rapid tool guard, silicone spray, bug spray, WD-40, and more. The bracket mounts to nearly any flat surface and is powder-coated yellow for maximum durability and can protection. Hang the bracket from the compartment wall to save space on the shelf below. www.ziamatic.com, 800-711-FIRE

Hansen International roll-up door offers many features at an affordable price, including double wall extruded anodized aluminum box lath construction; anodized sand blast finish aluminum box lath that retains its color and promotes the adhesion of graphics and decals; interlocking end caps; available adjustable track mounted door ajar switch on mounting plate; one-piece flocked surface on side seals; PVC seal between each mechanical box lath; seven-year warranty; adjustable counterbalance that allows for the operator to lift the door approximately halfway before it is "assisted" by the counterbalance; and ergonomically designed handles that allow gloved hands easy access and operation. www.hansenint.com, 800-850-8070

Panasonic Toughpad FZ-M1 tablet is a rugged seven-inch fanless tablet with a fourth-generation Intel® Core™ i5 processor. Running Windows 8.1 Pro, the Toughpad FZ-M1 c