By Carl J. Haddon

Simple truth: Had it not been for FDIC International, I would likely not have had the privilege of writing the “To the Rescue” and “Rurally Speaking” columns for this magazine. You see, this column was literally born on the floor of FDIC all those years ago.

Much has been written about the benefits of attending FDIC International - the networking; the educational opportunities; and all the countless apparatus, equipment, and goods and services that the global fire service has to offer, all found under one (collective) roof on that massive trade show floor. To echo the words of most souls who enter the trade show floor for the first time, “WOW!”

For me, attending FDIC International and being an FDIC instructor since 2011 have afforded me opportunities that I never would have imagined. The effects of FDIC International’s reach are far and wide, and I am living proof of that. Even before it had the moniker “FDIC International,” FDIC was, in part, responsible for my becoming an “international” fire service instructor who is blessed to travel the United States and the world teaching, sharing, and consulting in fire departments, emergency services groups, and equipment manufacturers.

This summer, I will travel to Vietnam to provide training and consulting. One of the criteria for awarding this opportunity was my having been an FDIC instructor for five or more years. The good folks from Vietnam have attended FDIC International and understand the weight and value bestowed on those of us who are fortunate to have been chosen to present programs at the largest yearly gathering of firefighters and fire instructors in the world.

As I write this piece, I am sitting on a Polynesian island in the South Pacific for a fire service/consulting work assignment. This assignment requires that I return to this tropical paradise for a week to 10 days each month for four months. Not a bad gig, right? In addition to doing a couple of things right in my 35 years in the fire service, being a part of FDIC International was one of the major players on my résumé that helped to get me this assignment.

I’m not some superfamous fire service guru that hails from a large urban department. Nor am I one of the present generation of fire service keyboard warriors who have more tech and Internet technology skills than I could ever even hope to comprehend. For the past 15 years, I have lived and served in the very rural Rocky Mountains of Idaho. Both this column and “Rurally Speaking” are based on my travels to fire departments and fire service equipment manufacturers all over the country and abroad. Every article is based on events that I’ve been a firsthand part of as a direct result of face-to-face interactions with firefighters and manufacturers the world over. I couldn’t have had the experiences to write these columns had I not had the opportunities afforded me by FDIC International. My point is, I’m just another soul with a badge (just like you) who was able to work hard and take advantage of some great opportunities that were enhanced by attending, learning, and teaching at FDIC International.

It still amazes me that some fellow firefighters don’t know about FDIC International. On my way to the islands, I was waiting for a flight in Spokane, Washington, when I happened across a couple of firefighters awaiting the same flight (they were traveling to Atlanta to take delivery of a new apparatus). As our conversation progressed, I asked if they were going to attend this year’s conference. They looked at me like I had three heads, as they were unfamiliar with FDIC International. With that said, in all fairness, I too have to admit that for all of my prior years working in Southern California (prior to semiretirement an

By Carl J. Haddon

Simple truth: Had it not been for FDIC International, I would likely not have had the privilege of writing the “To the Rescue” and “Rurally Speaking” columns for this magazine. You see, this column was literally born on the floor of FDIC all those years ago.

Much has been written about the benefits of attending FDIC International - the networking; the educational opportunities; and all the countless apparatus, equipment, and goods and services that the global fire service has to offer, all found under one (collective) roof on that massive trade show floor. To echo the words of most souls who enter the trade show floor for the first time, “WOW!”

For me, attending FDIC International and being an FDIC instructor since 2011 have afforded me opportunities that I never would have imagined. The effects of FDIC International’s reach are far and wide, and I am living proof of that. Even before it had the moniker “FDIC International,” FDIC was, in part, responsible for my becoming an “international” fire service instructor who is blessed to travel the United States and the world teaching, sharing, and consulting in fire departments, emergency services groups, and equipment manufacturers.

This summer, I will travel to Vietnam to provide training and consulting. One of the criteria for awarding this opportunity was my having been an FDIC instructor for five or more years. The good folks from Vietnam have attended FDIC International and understand the weight and value bestowed on those of us who are fortunate to have been chosen to present programs at the largest yearly gathering of firefighters and fire instructors in the world.

As I write this piece, I am sitting on a Polynesian island in the South Pacific for a fire service/consulting work assignment. This assignment requires that I return to this tropical paradise for a week to 10 days each month for four months. Not a bad gig, right? In addition to doing a couple of things right in my 35 years in the fire service, being a part of FDIC International was one of the major players on my résumé that helped to get me this assignment.

I’m not some superfamous fire service guru that hails from a large urban department. Nor am I one of the present generation of fire service keyboard warriors who have more tech and Internet technology skills than I could ever even hope to comprehend. For the past 15 years, I have lived and served in the very rural Rocky Mountains of Idaho. Both this column and “Rurally Speaking” are based on my travels to fire departments and fire service equipment manufacturers all over the country and abroad. Every article is based on events that I’ve been a firsthand part of as a direct result of face-to-face interactions with firefighters and manufacturers the world over. I couldn’t have had the experiences to write these columns had I not had the opportunities afforded me by FDIC International. My point is, I’m just another soul with a badge (just like you) who was able to work hard and take advantage of some great opportunities that were enhanced by attending, learning, and teaching at FDIC International.

It still amazes me that some fellow firefighters don’t know about FDIC International. On my way to the islands, I was waiting for a flight in Spokane, Washington, when I happened across a couple of firefighters awaiting the same flight (they were traveling to Atlanta to take delivery of a new apparatus). As our conversation progressed, I asked if they were going to attend this year’s conference. They looked at me like I had three heads, as they were unfamiliar with FDIC International. With that said, in all fairness, I too have to admit that for all of my prior years working in Southern California (prior to semiretirement an

By Carl J. Haddon

Simple truth: Had it not been for FDIC International, I would likely not have had the privilege of writing the “To the Rescue” and “Rurally Speaking” columns for this magazine. You see, this column was literally born on the floor of FDIC all those years ago.

Much has been written about the benefits of attending FDIC International - the networking; the educational opportunities; and all the countless apparatus, equipment, and goods and services that the global fire service has to offer, all found under one (collective) roof on that massive trade show floor. To echo the words of most souls who enter the trade show floor for the first time, “WOW!”

For me, attending FDIC International and being an FDIC instructor since 2011 have afforded me opportunities that I never would have imagined. The effects of FDIC International’s reach are far and wide, and I am living proof of that. Even before it had the moniker “FDIC International,” FDIC was, in part, responsible for my becoming an “international” fire service instructor who is blessed to travel the United States and the world teaching, sharing, and consulting in fire departments, emergency services groups, and equipment manufacturers.

This summer, I will travel to Vietnam to provide training and consulting. One of the criteria for awarding this opportunity was my having been an FDIC instructor for five or more years. The good folks from Vietnam have attended FDIC International and understand the weight and value bestowed on those of us who are fortunate to have been chosen to present programs at the largest yearly gathering of firefighters and fire instructors in the world.

As I write this piece, I am sitting on a Polynesian island in the South Pacific for a fire service/consulting work assignment. This assignment requires that I return to this tropical paradise for a week to 10 days each month for four months. Not a bad gig, right? In addition to doing a couple of things right in my 35 years in the fire service, being a part of FDIC International was one of the major players on my résumé that helped to get me this assignment.

I’m not some superfamous fire service guru that hails from a large urban department. Nor am I one of the present generation of fire service keyboard warriors who have more tech and Internet technology skills than I could ever even hope to comprehend. For the past 15 years, I have lived and served in the very rural Rocky Mountains of Idaho. Both this column and “Rurally Speaking” are based on my travels to fire departments and fire service equipment manufacturers all over the country and abroad. Every article is based on events that I’ve been a firsthand part of as a direct result of face-to-face interactions with firefighters and manufacturers the world over. I couldn’t have had the experiences to write these columns had I not had the opportunities afforded me by FDIC International. My point is, I’m just another soul with a badge (just like you) who was able to work hard and take advantage of some great opportunities that were enhanced by attending, learning, and teaching at FDIC International.

It still amazes me that some fellow firefighters don’t know about FDIC International. On my way to the islands, I was waiting for a flight in Spokane, Washington, when I happened across a couple of firefighters awaiting the same flight (they were traveling to Atlanta to take delivery of a new apparatus). As our conversation progressed, I asked if they were going to attend this year’s conference. They looked at me like I had three heads, as they were unfamiliar with FDIC International. With that said, in all fairness, I too have to admit that for all of my prior years working in Southern California (prior to semiretirement an

By Chris Mc Loone

This year, Oshkosh Corporation celebrates its 100th year in business.

The company’s connection to the fire service is both as a manufacturer of aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) vehicles and as the parent company of Pierce Manufacturing, which it acquired in 1996.

History

William Besserdich and B.A. Mosling founded Oshkosh Corporation in 1917. Besserdich and Mosling designed two innovations to help improve mobility in a time when roads were primarily dirt and gravel. These innovations gave people the courage and confidence to drive places they didn’t even think possible before. The first patent was a transfer case that is responsible for transferring the power from the front axle to the rear. Elements of the second patent improved the steering and drive capacity of the front axle.

Since that time, Oshkosh Corporation has grown in size, capabilities, and footprint. Products in the Oshkosh Corporation family of brands respond to emergencies, save lives, help others reach new heights, and serve the world. Today, Oshkosh Corporation has more than 13,500 team members and is an integrated global industrial company.

1 One premise that Oshkosh Corporation was founded on was allowing people the courage and confidence to drive places and do things they didn’t think possible. In the case of its Ascendant aerial product, the company as told reaching 107 feet in the air on a single axle wasn’t possible - but Oshkosh proved it is. (Photos courtesy of Oshkosh Corporation.)

The company brings together a set of integrated capabilities and diverse end markets and is a leader in designing, manufacturing, and servicing a broad range of access equipment, commercial vehicles, fire and emergency vehicles, military and specialty vehicles, and vehicle bodies under the Oshkosh®, JLG®, Pierce®, McNeilus®, Jerr-Dan®, Frontline™, CON-E-CO®, London®, and IMT® brands.

Today Oshkosh Corporation is a Fortune 500 company with manufacturing operations on four continents, and its products can be found in more than 150 countries around the globe. It has manufacturing operations in eight U.S. states and in Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Mexico, and Romania and through investments in joint ventures in Mexico and Brazil.

“One reason that we’re a different kind of global industrial company is our culture,” says Rob Messina, chief technology officer at Oshkosh. “Since our beginnings in 1917, many people told us ‘no.’ Instead of giving up, our founders persevered - even after receiving 53 rejection letters for their first two patents. That can-do spirit is very much alive today. Our JLG 1850SJ carries operators 185 feet in the air, and we were told it couldn’t be done - but we did it. Our Ascendant reaches 107 feet in the air on a single rear axle. Again, we were told it wasn’t possible. Our people truly make a difference in the world around us and are committed to finding solutions even when others tell us it’s not possible.”

Innovations

To remain in business for 100 years or more, there must have been successes through the years that allow it to experience such longevity. It is n