Dayton, Ohio (April 17, 2016) - Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today announced the launch of four products for first responders and is co-sponsoring a scholarship program for first responders at the Fire Department Instructor’s Conference (FDIC) April 18-23 in Indianapolis. An expanded portfolio of first responder products and firefighter training support are part of the company’s commitment to providing long-term, innovative solutions to the firefighting industry.

“The firefighting industry knows Honeywell for our leadership in fire detection and control systems, and for our popular personal protective equipment such as Morning Pride TAILS turnout gear; but now, we hope they will come to know us more as a complete head-to-toe supplier of personal protective equipment,” said Ken Schmidt, president of Honeywell First Responder.  “Our aim is to improve safety, efficiency and productivity on the fireground through a new generation of smart, simple-to-use cyber-industrial solutions.”

At FDIC, Honeywell First Responder is introducing:

•    TITAN, an intelligent self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) that combines high-performance Honeywell materials, proprietary electronics, wireless communications and unique ergonomic features to offer firefighters a greater degree of maneuverability, safety and efficiency on the fireground.


•    Morning Pride TAILS, the company’s flagship turnout gear used by more than 50 percent of North America’s top 20 municipal fire departments, which has been reengineered using proprietary Honeywell patterning design to include several ergonomic and safety refinements providing a better fit and allow more range of motion and protection.


•    FIRST, a cloud hosted software solution that manages and tracks a fire department’s inventory of personal protective equipment through automation and simplified barcode scanning, enabling fire departments to simplify NFPA 1851 compliance, records-keeping and PPE program management.

•    NightHawk, a firefighter boot that builds on the legacy Pro Warrington line, redesigned with new materials and ergonomic features resulting in greater athletic fit, performance, comfort and protection.

In addition, Honeywell is co-sponsoring a scholarship program that awards 20 firefighters with expenses-paid trips to the industry’s major training and educational event for first responders. The scholarship awards accomplished firefighters who also have demonstrated an intense desire for education and training.

“The annual scholarship program helps furthers the professional development of 20 exemplary firefighters who will benefit their communities greatly by applying the knowledge they acquire from their training at FDIC,” said Schmidt.
For more information on Honeywell First Responder products, visit: http://www.honeywellfirstresponder.com

Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; turbochargers; and performance materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell's shares are traded on the New York, London, and

By Derek Rosenfeld

FDIC International 2016's pre-conference workshops moved into its second day with this informative look at one of the more rare and unique incidents to which firefighters respond, as Woodbridge (NJ) Fire Department Captain Jeffrey Moran presented Railroad Incident Safety, Planning, and Operations in the Crude Oil Unit Train Era.

According to Moran, he initially became interested in presenting this topic after discussions with other members of the fire service regarding the high-profile derailments, particularly of high-hazard flammability trains. "This lead me to the realization that there is an information gap. The National Transportation Safety Board report on the Paulsboro, New Jersey, freight train derailment and vinyl chloride release highlighted this gap in information on emergency service/railroad interface and planning."

Moran's background includes working in the refining industry safety and fire protection field as well as in the municipal fire service in a city that includes freight rail lines, a freight yard, and petro-chemical facilities. He said, "These positions afforded me experience in dealing with railroads, petro-chemicals, and a combination of the two. I believe that by sharing my knowledge, experiences and the importance of planning I can enhance the effectiveness, efficiency and safety of fire service/railroad interface."

Here, Moran talks about the initial preplanning considerations a department must make when considering train derailment responses:

"Currently, freight trains traverse every state and province, and high-hazard flammability trains operate in almost every one of them. Operating on or near rail lines presents some unique challenges and hazards. Fires and hazardous materials spills involving trains are a different fireground than the fire service commonly trains for or is used to, and therefore it requires that strategy and tactics be adjusted to meet the demands of these incidents."

Moran continues, "The fire service needs to attain current knowledge and training, engage in planning, and establish railroad interaction prior to being faced with a significant trainwreck, or it will be playing 'catch-up' while the incident runs its path of damage and destruction."

Next, Moran talks about rail car reporting marks, which helps responders quickly identify the rail cars as they arrive on scene:

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Moran says that this topic also relates to, "The need for a dynamic training and education program as well as the need to continuously keep current while learning from the past. The fireground is constantly changing, but we must also be cognizant of history so we can benefit from the good and not repeat the bad."

Here, Moran talks about tank car class and specification markings:

FDIC International 2016 represents Moran's fourth conference visit. He says, "I like the large variety of subjects presented and the various view points of the many instructors, particularly in the classroom sessions."

The one thing Moran hopes student's take away from his presentation is, "That planning and interaction with responsible parties prior to an incident is critical to a safe, efficient, and effective operation.

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) has partnered with San Diego-based company VaultRMS in the fight against firefighter cancer. NVFC members will be able to use VaultRMS’s Exposure Tracker Program for the extra low rate of just $1 per month for the first year and $2 per month after that so they can easily track their exposure to possible carcinogens over the course of their careers.

Cancer is one of the biggest threats to firefighter health and safety. Studies show that firefighters are at a higher risk of contracting multiple forms of cancer than the general population. A significant factor in this is that firefighters are routinely exposed to high levels of carcinogens found in burning building materials and other hazardous environments. While there are steps firefighters can take to help protect themselves, tracking their exposure is key in getting the appropriate benefits in the event of a cancer diagnosis.

“A recent study conducted by the National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health illustrates the relationship between time spent at fires and cancer rates among firefighters. All too often firefighters face a bureaucratic challenge to get timely benefits if they can’t provide documentation on the exposures they’ve gotten,” said Chris Memmott, Founder of VaultRMS.

Through the Exposure Tracker Program, firefighters and other first responders can track their toxic and communicable disease exposures and injuries. This allows them to better understand their risks, more effectively communicate these risks to their healthcare provider, and provide needed documentation to receive benefits if they contract cancer or other illness caused by on-the-job exposures.

“We feel that the people on the front lines volunteering to save the lives of others – such as NVFC members – should not have to battle for benefits and struggle to prove that their illnesses were work-related,” Memmott said. “With Exposure Tracker, firefighters can log the number of fires they’ve fought, the duration of their exposure, their role at the fire, and the ages of the burning structures they enter. This information is critical to get the benefits they deserve and provide data for further research.”

“The NVFC is committed to firefighter and emergency responder health and safety, and our partnership with VaultRMS will provide an affordable way for volunteers to efficiently and effectively track their exposures and analyze these exposure incidents over time,” said Heather Schafer, CEO of the NVFC. “The Exposure Tracker Program is a vital tool in the battle against cancer.”

An important step in addressing firefighter cancer is understanding risks, exposure rates, and other data. A large part of VaultRMS’ mission is to donate the anonymized datasets to cancer researchers to further the fight against cancer in the fire service.

To take advantage of the special NVFC member rate for Exposure Tracker, visit the Members-Only section of the NVFC web site. Learn more about membership and join at www.nvfc.org/BeYourBest.

About The National Volunteer Fire Council
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is the leading nonprofit membership association representing the interests of the volunteer fire, EMS, and rescue services. The NVFC serves as the voice of the volunteer in the national arena and provides invaluable tools, education, programs, and advocacy for first responders across the nation. Learn more at http://www.nvfc.org

About VaultRMS’ Exposure Tracker
VaultRMS launched the Exposure Tracker in January 2015 to give first responders a simple way to document and track al

In this series, Fire Engineering Senior Editor Mary Jane Dittmar looks at the things that motivated and inspired instructors to present on their topics at FDIC International 2016. Segments will be posted on a regular basis up to and through the conference, April 18-23.

Paul Strong, Captain, Valley Regional Fire Authority, King County, Washington

RIC for Real: How Ready Are You to Save Firefighters’ Lives?

Thursday, April 21, 1:30 p.m.-3:15 p.m.

When it comes to a firefighter rescue, being average is not good enough. Our traditional way of training for rapid intervention in response to a Mayday needed revision. We need to incorporate realism and creativity and train in an elevated-stress environment. The more foreign you find it to work in an environment with stress, the more narrow your focus will become. Your brain will literally open up if it has been trained and prepared for accomplishing those tasks under stressful conditions.

Our approach to firefighter rescue has to be from a different mindset than the approach to civilian search and rescue. Because of personal protective equipment, firefighters are more likely to be alive and savable when things go bad inside the structure. But we know that our PPE has a limit. In particular, the amount of life (air) left in the downed firefighter’s bottle is the big concern. With the exception of serious traumatic injury, the downed firefighter most likely needs to be located quickly and provided with more air. If your crew doesn’t operate like a well-oiled machine, then the possibility of survival is reduced. Every slight delay in forward progress because of miscommunication, unfamiliarity of equipment, subpar skill level, or inadequate leadership will result in time being taken off the downed firefighters remaining life (air).

If we’re not honest with our knowledge, skills, and abilities then we’re lying to ourselves. Keep training, mix it up, get real, and be honest. We owe it to each other to be prepared. It is very important that our firefighters are aware of these facts.