Fire-Dex announced the promotion of Jenny McPherson to Marketing Manager. Jenny's primary responsibility will be to ensure effective and consistent communication of the Fire-Dex Family of Brands message and value proposition. This will include the development of initiatives, programs, and collateral to support our company's continued growth, as well as oversight of internal and external resources needed to execute these programs.

“Over the past year, Jenny has been excellent in the strategic development and execution of the Fire-Dex message ‘You take care of them.  We take care of you.’  Jenny has been a major player in the Fire-Dex external message and internal focus on product development aimed at reducing heat stress, cardiac fatigue, and regular exposure to carcinogens,” says Steve Allison, VP of Sales and Marketing.  “Additionally, as a world class marketer one must be able to work with the entire value chain (fire departments, distributors, and suppliers).  Since joining Fire-Dex, Jenny has worked very hard at developing excellent relationships with all. We are thrilled for her to take on the next level of responsibility and continue the growth of the Fire-Dex brand.”

Jenny joined Fire-Dex in July 2015 as our Assistant Marketing Manager. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Baldwin Wallace University. 

Please join us in congratulating Jenny on her continued success with Fire-Dex!

Fire-Dex, headquartered in Medina, Ohio, is a leading manufacturer and marketer of protective firefighting clothing, emergency response apparel, NFPA hoods, helmets, gloves, and boots. Fire-Dex proudly acquired TECGEN PPE in September of 2015, as its latest addition to the Fire-Dex family of brands. Visit www.firedex.com for more information.   

Pictured left to right: Captain Scott Pascu of the Akron OH Fire Department, Chief Ken Farmer National Fire Academy Education, Training and Partnership Branch,  IFSI E-Learning Program Director Richie Valenta

Rich Valenta, E-Learning Program Director for the Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI) was honored with the “J Faherty Casey Award” for Region V. It was presented by the Training Resource and Data Exchange (TRADE) group of the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

The Award is given to those who best exemplify the core values of excellence in fire service, education, training, sharing of resources, and dedication to the development of human capacities in the U.S. fire service. TRADE established the award to honor J. Faherty "Jim" Casey, the father of the TRADE concept whose efforts transformed TRADE from a concept to reality. Award winners exhibit those skills and qualities that Casey demonstrated in concert with colleagues nationwide. Casey served as Deputy Superintendent of the National Fire Academy for many years and coordinated the activities of its field training division.

Rich Valenta serves as Program Director for IFSI’s delivery of more than 15 online classes. He oversees class and program development and manages the delivery of those classes. Prior to joining IFSI, Rich served on the Carol Stream Fire District, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant. He has made presentations about electronic class development and delivery at the National Fire Academy and various eLearning seminars. He represents IFSI at the National Fire Academy for the TRADE and FESHE organizations.

The Illinois Fire Service Institute is the statutory State Fire Academy for Illinois. In addition to training provided at its Champaign campus, the Institute offers one-day hands-on classes for fire departments at Regional Training Centers and local fire stations across the State. The mission of the Illinois Fire Service Institute is to help firefighters do their work through training, education, information, and research.

For more information about the Institute, call 217-333-3800.