REV Group, Inc, a Milwaukee-based manufacturer of specialty vehicle brands, along with Road America, have teamed up to pay tribute to first responders at the inaugural NTT IndyCar series REV Group Grand Prix June 20-23, 2019.

“We got involved in racing about three years ago with Team Penske when we were taking the company public,” says Tim Sullivan, president, and CEO of REV Group. “We looked at where all of our vehicles congregate in one spot—it’s a race track. Everything we do finds its way to a race track.” Sullivan says he was talking to George Bruggenthies, an old friend and recently retired president of Road America, who asked if REV would sponsor an IndyCar series for the next three years to take place in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. “We started talking about it, and he told me that on any given day there are 200 first responders around the track. We said if we sponsored it, we would make it a tribute to first responders. I said if we’re going to do it, I want to do it right. I want to make sure all first responders get in for free all weekend. It’s really a tribute to them.”

As part of the tribute, all active-duty first responders will receive free entry to the REV Group Grand Prix during the entire weekend of activities including the NTT IndyCar feature race. Additionally, REV Group and Road America have planned a unique race experience to honor the men and women who answer the call to protect and serve our communities. First responders, including law enforcement, fire, paramedics, and EMTs, will be admitted free of charge by showing valid identification indicating active service Thursday, June 20 through Sunday, June 23. Free admission must be redeemed at the gate and is only valid during the event weekend.

Fire and ambulance vehicles from REV’s E-ONE, KME, Horton, AEV, and Wheeled Coach brands will be on display, allowing race fans to get a close look at some of the vehicles that equip the nation’s first responders. “We are honored to have the REV Group Grand Prix as a platform to recognize first responders. The employees of REV wanted to share our appreciation for the dedicated people who use our vehicles each day to serve their communities,” says Sullivan.

The NTT IndyCar Series (NICS) will take center stage at Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI, June 20 to 23, where an international lineup of drivers will compete on one of the world’s most revered road courses. NICS Championship driver, Josef Newgarden, will return to defend his 2018 Road America win in a REV-branded Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet. “Safety is paramount at our track and in this sport, and the fire and medical team are critically important. Our award-winning Road America Safety Team, which is entirely first responders, have saved many lives over the years, and we are thrilled that the REV Group Grand Prix gives us the opportunity to recognize all first responders on and off the track,” says Mike Kertscher, Road America’s president and general manager. 

Sullivan explains that getting involved with the race is about being part of the industry. “My grandfather was a fire chief for 30 years. My father was a firefighter. My uncle just retired as a captain,” he says. “It’s more than just providing vehicles. It’s being part of the industry. It’s being connected with firefighters and EMTs. It’s above and beyond vehicles. We want to be part of the industry. You can’t be part of the industry unless you really embrace the people who are part of the industry. It’s beyond vehicles for us. It’s something we want to be deeply involved in. It goes back to my personal roots, but it is also the right thing to do: t

In 2014, MSA embarked on a new journey in the fire service—one driven by our customer’s needs, fueled by more than 100 years of a passion for safety—to develop an innovative SCBA, which became the G1. This SCBA delivered customer benefits including: an electronics-free facepiece, world class ergonomics, and an ability to be a “platform of the future” helping firefighters stay up to date with the best technology the world has to offer. Since that time, MSA has continued to deliver to its customers with Bluetooth voice connectivity to Motorola, Harris, and Kenwood radios; a Bluetooth link to MSA’s Altair 4X and 5X gas detectors; and iTIC—a TIC integrated into an SCBA.

At FDIC International 2019, MSA is announcing the next evolution of its platform for the future approach: The Connected Firefighter. MSA recognizes the importance of connection on the fireground: to the hoseline, to your crew, to your officers over the radio. Firefighters want to be connected, and today’s technology lets us deliver like never before possible. 

The MSA Connected Firefighter is a system of products that provides situational awareness for all personnel on the fireground, driven and powered by LUNAR. LUNAR is a new, connected firefighter device that helps firefighters whether they’re working on a fireground,or working to respond to any other type of hazard. LUNAR is a wireless, handheld device that provides firefighters with thermal imaging, firefighter-to-firefighter ranging, a person-down alarm, and an “always on” cloud connection, including GNSS location. For firefighters, this helps them know where they are now, and what their next move should be. For incident commanders, this ushers in a new era of on-scene awareness and accountability for their crews. This new product works to keep firefighters safe, connected, and accounted for: no matter what type of job they are facing.

Global Manager, Product PR and Influencer Engagement, Sam D’Uva, offers this advice for firefighters hitting the show floor at FDIC International for the first time: “Don’t miss it! There are very few places in the world where you can see the latest innovations in the fire service all under one roof—and FDIC is it!”

MSA is located at Booth 2309.

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (CBS4) – A fire alarm went off for a crew of firefighters at an Adams County fire station on Thursday and the fire turned out to be inside their own building. One of their fire trucks caught fire at the South Adams County Fire Station located in Commerce City.

The firefighters grabbed their equipment and along with the sprinkler system were able to put the fire out. MORE

By Alan M. Petrillo

The Wabash (IN) Fire Department covers the city of Wabash and the southern two thirds of Wabash County, servicing approximately 28,000 residents in 300 square miles. When it came time to retire a 2009 PL Custom Body and Equipment Co. Type III ALS ambulance, the department chose to continue to work with PL Custom and have it build a rig to replace the one it was retiring.

The PL Custom-built ambulance for Wabash has Whelen M series warning lights, Whelen LED 90 series scene lights, and a Whelen traffic advisor at the rear.

Chad Newsome, national sales manager for PL Custom, says that Wabash first purchased a PL Custom rig in 2009, followed by purchases in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2019.  "They have been a good customer for a very long time," Newsome observes. "This most recent purchase is our Medallion model Type III with a 170-inch body and 72 inches of headroom. It's on a 2019  Ford E-450 Super Duty chassis with XL trim, a 100-inch cab-to-axle length, a wheelbase of 158 inches, a GVWR of 14,500 pounds, and is powered by a Triton V-10 gasoline engine."

The interior of the Wabash ambulance is lit by Whelen high-load LED dome lights, and three TecNiq LED panel lights directly over the cot.

Kenny Kine, inspector/paramedic for the Wabash Fire Department, says, "We cover fire, rescue, and EMS for the city of Wabash, and rescue and EMS for the southern two thirds of Wabash County, and as a fire-based service, we carry some fire equipment on our ambulances, like SCBA, irons, and turnout gear, so we needed to increase the size of some outside compartments to have room for all of that."

The Wabash ambulance is built on a 2019 Ford E-450 Super Duty chassis with XL trim powered by a Triton V-10 gasoline engine, with a wheelbase of 158 inches, a 100-inch cab-to-axle length, and a GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) of 14,500 pounds.

Inside the rig, Kine notes, Wabash had PL Custom install opaque doors on a couple of narcotic cabinets to prevent anyone from getting a look at the narcotics carried. "We also wanted more electrical outlets inside the patient area," Kine says. "We got two in the action area, two where the IV pumps are located, one in the bench seat area, three 110-volt outlets in our front compartments for monitors and a narcotics safe, and four 12-volt outlets in the front compartment. Also, there is a high-end inverter on the rig to keep everything charged when we aren't plugged into a shore line."

The bench seat on the curb side of the ambulance can seat two medics, each protected by a six-point harness.

Dean Martin, owner of Crossroads Ambulance Sales & Service, who sold the PL Custom ambulance to Wabash, says the department asked for a unique CPR seat that would allow its medics more room to work on a patient. "PL Custom widened the CPR seat at 45 degrees in both front and back, which gives the medic the ability, depending on the