DeSoto Parish sheriff’s investigators are seeking information on a man wanted for vandalizing a fire truck, reports KTBS 3.

According to the sheriff’s office, Harley Clay Giecek and an accomplice illegally entered a fire station and spray painted graffiti on the inside and outside of a fire truck.

The sheriff’s department already has one suspect in custody.

According to a report from The Sandwich Enterprise, the former Forestdale Fire Station on Route 130 in Sandwich will be converted as the base of operations for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Emergency Management Department. The station was sold at auction in October 2020.

Prior to leasing the building, the department was based out of the Mashpee Wampanoag Government Center on Holland Mill Road in Mashpee.

Emergency Management Department Director Nelson Andrews Jr. said the department is operated under the National Incident Management System and is the tribal equivalent of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. He also said the fire station was chosen because it has the size capacity to house the department’s response vehicles as well as its proximity to Mashpee.

The department owns a boat and a drone, both of which are equipped with thermal vision capabilities, allowing the department to help locate missing persons in the water and on land. It also has an SUV and a Chevrolet Silverado, both equipped with lights and sirens, and an HVAC trailer, so if there is a power outage, the department can generate heat in the winter and cooling in the summer.

Just last week, the department was dispatched to Yarmouth for that very reason.

The department wants to help with emergency management operations across the county, although Andrews said that it wants to focus on the tribe’s elders, whom the department help secure air conditioners, smoke detectors, and air purifiers. Department personnel also plow driveways in snowstorms and helps with debris cleanup after thunderstorms.

Andrews is a six-year veteran of the department after working previously with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. When he started, the department was run through one small grant, but he has been able to work up to about $4 million in funding, primarily through federal grant money.

How safe is your aerial? From SMART controls technology to short jacking, centralized command seats and pedestals, new technology is helping make today’s aerials safer than ever before. In this webinar, we’ll discuss new aerial technologies and how to specify them in your next aerial apparatus. Our job at Rosenbauer is to help you save lives and protect property, and an aerial apparatus is a key component to that. 

Join this webcast to learn:

• New technologies for aerial fire trucks
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VIKING Life-Saving Equipment launches fully certified, three-in-one protective gear so first responders can be ready for wildland fires, technical rescue/extrication or emergency medical operations.

The VIKING Shield is a new generation of multi-purpose protective gear that allows crews answering emergency calls to get underway assured of having the gear that is fit-to-purpose, whatever lies ahead.

The challenges are growing with more frequent and larger wildland fires and frequent exposure to bloodborne pathogens during emergency rescues. VIKING Shield is the only gear certified by UL as compliant with NFPA 1977, 1951 and 1999 standards, offering bloodborne pathogen protection for technical rescue/extrication and emergency medical operations.

“Three-in-one protection is part of the design for the VIKING Shield,” said Grant Grinstead, Fire Segment Sales Manager, VIKING Life-Saving Equipment. “The Gore® SR moisture barrier liner protects against water ingress, bloodborne pathogens and chemicals for crews responding to vehicle extrications and emergency medical operations. For wildland fires, push buttons snap the liner out, making the VIKING Shield an NFPA 1977-compliant wildland garment.”

The Gore® SR moisture barrier is a lightweight film laminated to a substrate, which is both durable and tear resistant while remaining comfortable against the skin. The VIKING Shield’s outer shell is made from Safety Components Sigma™ with a comfort twill weave and a unique blend of fibers to provide the resistance to flame spread and fire required for NFPA compliance.

As well as being multi-functional, VIKING Shield gear is tailored to fit responders rather than being limited to standard sizes. “If it fits better and feels better, you can wear it longer,” commented Grinstead. “We develop gear with firefighters, conducting wear trials to evaluate real situations.”

“Hardworking firefighters deserve higher quality gear that’s better to wear than what’s on the market,” said Camilla Callesen, VIKING design engineer. “VIKING Shield gear is as lightweight and form-fit as we can make it, with no compromise on safety. All good gear starts with extensive research,” she says.

The collaborative approach set VIKING apart, he said, when it came to details such as waterproof press buttons and zippers, and lay-flat pockets on pants and coats. VIKING has also added a shoulder pad design to make coats more comfortable for responders wearing heavy equipment or backpacks. Departments have a choice of traditional tan, black and dark navy blue, with dual color garments available for visibility.

“Firefighters out on the interstate may be called on when they don’t have full turnout gear on, or to rescues where heavily insulated turnout gear isn’t necessary,” said Grinstead. “Either way, VIKING Shield offers the triple-certified garment to cover the gap.”

About VIKING

VIKING Life-Saving Equipment A/S is a global leader in maritime, offshore and fire safety solutions.

We manufacture, market and service safety and fire-fighting equipment for passenger and cargo ships, offshore installations, offshore wind turbines, fishing vessels, navies, helicopter services, fire departments and leisure yachts around the world.

VIKING is a privately held corporation, founded in 1960. In recent years, VIKING acquired the Norwegian company Norsafe, whose lifeboats have been used around the world since 1904, and Drew Marine’s FSR division, one of the world’s three largest providers of Marine Fire Service.

www.VIKING-life.com