Globe, DuPont Protection Solutions (DuPont), and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) are pleased to announce the third round of winners in the 2016 Globe Gear Giveaway. In its fifth year the Giveaway will provide a total of 13 departments with four sets of new, state-of-the-art turnout gear. The latest recipients of the 2016 Globe Gear Giveaway are the LaGrange (ME) Fire Department and the Pekin Volunteer Fire Department and First Responders from Mount Gilead, North Carolina.
“We are pleased to partner with Globe and DuPont to help volunteer departments who are struggling to provide proper protection to their members,” said NVFC Chair Kevin D. Quinn. “This program increases the safety and well-being of boots-on-the-ground volunteer firefighters and is a terrific example of companies giving back to the community. Over 60 departments have benefited from the program to date, directly impacting the safety of hundreds of firefighters.”
To be eligible to apply for the four sets of new Globe turnout gear, 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, demonstrate a need for the gear, 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 LaGrange (ME) Fire Department serves 750 citizens in a 50-square-mile area. Their 15 volunteer firefighters respond to 125 calls per year. Unfortunately, due to an extremely limited annual budget, the department only has 10 sets of gear and all are more than 10 years old. They have been unsuccessful in applying for local, state, and federal grants. “Receiving this turnout gear from Globe will go a long way in our community,” said Chief Michael Bacon.
The Pekin Volunteer Fire Department and First Responders serves a rural area in two counties in south central NC. Their 20 volunteers respond to approximately 120 calls each year. Most of their apparatus and turnout gear was received used when the department was founded in 1985. They operate on a $15,000 annual budget, of which only $5,000 is from their counties and the rest from fundraising efforts. Their last gear purchase was in 2002, when they received an Assistance to Firefighters Grant.
“This new gear will allow our department to be compliant with National Fire Protection Association standards, to continue our departmental certification, and to provide for the safety of our members and our community,” said Lt. Steve Hutchinson, Secretary. “The four new sets will give us a primary attack squad and start us on a piecemeal replacement of our gear.”
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.