Globe, DuPont Protection Solutions (DuPont), and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have announced the latest round of winners in the 2016 Globe Gear Giveaway. This is the fifth year that Globe has partnered with DuPont and the NVFC to provide volunteer departments with critically needed sets of turnout gear. The Northwest Washington Volunteer Fire Company in Salem, IN, and the Sylvia-Yellow Creek Volunteer Fire Department in Dickson, TN, will each be outfitted with four sets of new, state-of-the-art Globe turnout gear.
“We are pleased to announce two more recipients in the 2016 Globe Gear Giveaway,” said NVFC Chairman Kevin D. Quinn. “Compliant, correctly-fitting gear is paramount to keeping boots-on-the-ground firefighters safe as they work to protect our communities, yet many resource-constrained departments struggle with providing adequate gear to their first responders. We thank Globe and DuPont for their generosity and dedication to the safety and well-being of firefighters throughout the U.S. and Canada.”
To be eligible to apply, departments had to be all-volunteer or mostly-volunteer, serve a population of 25,000 or less, be legally organized in the U.S. or Canada, and be a member of the NVFC. To help departments meet this last requirement, Globe sponsored NVFC Department Memberships for the first 500 applicants.
The Northwest Washington Volunteer Fire Company serves a 44-square-mile area in southern Indiana. After seeing a 25 percent increase in structure fires and a 50 percent increase in brush fires over the last few years, they enacted a recruitment campaign which increased their staffing from four to 11 firefighters. Most of their annual budget is spent on insurance, so they requested donated gear from other area departments to outfit their new volunteers – and traveled hundreds of miles to pick up the donations. Although they were able to get sets for everyone, all of the gear is more than 10 years old with most more than 15 years old. Most of their turnout pants have fraying threads, broken zippers, and damaged knee pads. The coats have the department names and last names of the previous owners. Despite these limitations, they work hard to serve their community, organizing events such as a township clean-up day and children’s toy drive.
“We take pride and care in what we have,” said Assistant Fire Chief William Slusser. “But we know that with up-to-date PPE, we will still see an increase in volunteerism and morale among our current members.”
The Sylvia-Yellow Creek Volunteer Fire Department is a small department in a very rural section of Dickson County, TN. The department was formed in 1998; by 2012 it was on the verge of having to shut down due to lack of member support and funds. With new leadership, the department has revived and has increased from two members in 2013 to 16 members in 2016. The new membership has been hard at work, launching an annual smoke detector campaign, hosting fundraisers, and receiving an Insurance Service Office rating, which saves local homeowners an average of $200 a year on their insurance premium. Unfortunately, they only have 10 sets of turnout gear for their 16 active members. Seven of those sets are more than 10 years old and are worn and mismatched.
“Whether we make one call or 100, the safety of our firefighters is our number one priority,” said Chief Donald Tinsley. The four sets of new, compliant Globe gear will go far in increasing the safety of the department’s firefighters.
Additional awards through the Globe Gear Giveaway will be made monthly throughout 2016. A total of 52 sets of gear will be distributed to departments in need. Stay tuned to the NVFC web site, Dispatch newsletter, and page on Facebook, as well as the Globe page on Facebook, for additional information and announcements regarding the Globe Gear Giveaway.
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