By Alan M. Petrillo
It all started with two mining engineers, John T. Ryan Sr. and George H. Deike, who developed safety equipment for use in mines 100 years ago but quickly moved into the broader market of fire safety by providing firefighters with breathing apparatus and then personal protective equipment (PPE).
This year MSA celebrates its 100th anniversary in business, which coincides with the introduction of a new product that echoes the company's early efforts in self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).
William M. Lambert, chief executive officer and president of MSA Safety Inc., says the company now makes products in five core areas: SCBA, head protection, portable gas detection instruments, fixed gas and flame detection products, and fall protection. "In the North American market, the fire service is extremely important to us," Lambert says. "Of our $1.2 billion in sales worldwide, half of that is from the North American market and nearly 30 percent of those sales come from the fire service, so it's a very important market segment for us."
Nish Vartanian, president of MSA North America, says MSA's key products for the fire service are SCBA, which is the largest category for the company; head protection, through its Cairns fire helmets brand; and thermal imaging cameras. Portable gas detection instrumentation also plays a critical role. "In terms of market penetration, we have about 90 percent of the fire departments in the United States market in one of those four product categories," Vartanian points out. "We have the leading market share position with our Cairns helmets and either a number one or number two market share position for SCBA, thermal imaging cameras, and portable instruments."
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1 The G1 SCBA is MSA's newest product, a whole new system designed from the ground up with input from thousands of firefighters and fire departments. (Photos courtesy of MSA.) |
Protective Equipment History
Lambert notes that MSA first got into the SCBA fire service market in 1919 with the Gibbs breathing apparatus, the first SCBA rebreather marketed to fire departments. The following decade, the company began selling turnout gear, featuring rubber-surfaced fabric turnout gear in its 1929 catalog. In 1934, MSA introduced the first firefighting helmet made of Micarta while continuing to make respiratory protection for the fire service. Its work in SCBA culminated with the 401, Custom 4500, and FireHawk M7 models, Lambert says, which are the forerunners of the recently introduced G1.
Lambert, who started with MSA in 1971, served on the design and development team in 1987 to meet the then new National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1981, Standard on Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for Emergency Services.
"In 1987 we introduced the Quick-Fill system, the first and only NIOSH-approved buddy breathing system that allowed a firefighter to share air without removing his mask," Lambert says. "It became the basis for the high-pressure fitting, often called a quick-disconnect fitting or coupler, that allows high-pressure transfer of air from one system to another. The fitting enables a rapid intervention team to quickly transfill air to a trapped firefighter's system without having to remove the mask or disconnect air in any way."
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2 The G1 SCBA face piece was changed to improve its fie
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Posted: Aug 6, 2014
Michael Petroff
The Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) and Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment have entered into a partnership that establishes Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment as the official magazine of the FDSOA's Apparatus Specification and Maintenance Symposium.
The 27th annual event will take place January 18-20, 2015, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. This is the first such arrangement between these two groups and promises to be beneficial to both organizations and to the fire service.
The Symposium offers a unique opportunity for attendees as it focuses solely on apparatus. It is this uniqueness that makes the partnership with Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment natural and logical. Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment is the only trade journal committed to just apparatus and equipment and maintains its focus in this important area. It has a great circulation and reaches those with a specific interest. Those that subscribe to and read Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment are the same individuals who will benefit from attending the Apparatus Specification and Maintenance Symposium.
In today's world, partnerships and joint ventures are very common. They take place when two organizations come to the realization that by joining forces they can accomplish more-a true synergistic approach. In this case, the FDSOA's Symposium will benefit from more promotion of the event that comes from the reach and penetration of Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment. With the resources available, there should be more people in attendance, which will be good for more members of the fire service.
Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment believes that the FDSOA Apparatus Specification and Maintenance Symposium is a good program with great potential to expand its influence. It desires a partnership with a show that demonstrates a commitment to improving the fire service and recognizes the uniqueness of this specific Symposium. Jointly, both organizations can contribute to the success of the program, which is good for not only the fire service but also Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment and the FDSOA.
As many people know, Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment is owned by PennWell Corporation, which is also the parent organization of Fire Engineering, Fire Rescue, and JEMS, among many others. They have a wealth of knowledge that offers tremendous information to members of the fire service in many areas of the job.
The FDSOA has had a very good product for the past 26 years that has offered training and information to a niche market. There is nothing else like the Apparatus Specification and Maintenance Symposium. It fills a void on a national and international level with regard to educating those within the fire service to do a better job. This is an opportunity for manufacturers, vendors, and end users to meet in a relatively intimate setting to gain valuable information regarding apparatus. The networking that takes place proves to be beneficial to all attendees. Those who choose to attend should obtain knowledge that allows them to make better decisions regarding all of their apparatus needs. By partnering with Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment and PennWell, the FDSOA will have the chance to reach more fire service members so they can take advantage of this great opportunity. For more information and to register, go to www.fdsoa.org.
MICHAEL PETROFF is the chairman of the board of directors of the Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Everyone Goes Home program Region VII Regional Advocate. A retired battalion chief with the Ferguson (MO) Fire Department, he started his fire service career as a v
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