W.S. DARLEY & CO and the NATIONAL VOLUNTEER FIRE COUNCIL (NVFC) have announced a partnership to provide all NVFC members the benefit of a 10 percent discount on orders placed on edarley.com. In addition, Darley has also agreed to donate 10 percent of all proceeds from member sales to the NVFC. Darley supports more than 300 charitable organizations each year and aims to donate at least 10 percent of all profits back to the communities that it serves. Paul Darley, president and CEO, praises the NVFC for its great work and comments, “We’ve been long-time supporters of the NVFC and believe it’s more important than ever to support our volunteer fire departments. They are the backbone of the fire service in the USA. It is our hope that this program will assist them with the budget constraints they’re facing while providing financial assistance to the organization that supports them.” Under the program, Darley will donate $100,000 to the NVFC for every $1 million in equipment purchased by the NVFC’s nearly 20,000 members.
HME has announced that the Bridpot (VT) Fire Department has taken delivery of an all-new HME MiniEvo™, which is integrated onto a 2015 Ford F-550 Super-Duty Crew Cab XL. This MiniEvo combines exclusive HME Ahrens-Fox Hydra Technology™ with a 1,500-gpm Hale DSD midship pump, all mounted within a 24-inch heated pump house. Other features include a Powerstroke 6.7-liter V-8 OHV direct diesel injection 32-valve intercooled turbo diesel engine; six-speed electronic Select-Shift automatic transmission; stainless steel piping, panels, and framework; Fire Research TankVision; dual 1½-inch crosslays; TurboFoam Class A foam system with a 17-gallon foam tank; and a 400-gallon T-tank for water.
BETTER TOOLS, LLC announced that the Oxnard College Fire Academy & Technology in Oxnard, California, has taken delivery of the EZ Spanner™ Ratcheting Fire Hydrant Wrench to incorporate into its fire recruit training curriculum. Faculty/department chair and retired Los Angeles City (CA) Captain Mike Ketaily comments, “I am very happy to incorporate the EZ Spanner Ratcheting Hydrant Wrench into our curriculum. We have identified the benefit that the EZ Spanner brings to the profession of firefighting. We can teach our students to keep their body in a safe position while opening hydrants and reduce the chance of injuries.” Because of the ratcheting mechanism, the EZ Spanner™ enables firefighters to open obstructed fire hydrants faster.
As part of LION’s ongoing commitment to fulfill the personal safety, readiness, and identity needs of first responders, the company recently completed construction of a new training center. Housed in LION’s corporate office, LION University provides advanced education on the complex and technical nature of firefighter personal protective equipment (PPE). Each course, designed to challenge and engage participants, is supported with a comprehensive curriculum with instruction from leading industry professionals. LION University is an innovation in industry training, keeping LION dealer sales representatives current on requirements of first responders and technical advancements across the marketplace. “We are proud to educate dealer sales representatives of LION on the unique differences built into each LION PPE product,” says Mark Smith, senior vice president of LION. “We recognize the complexity and technical nature of PPE sales to first responders. LION is pleased to have this strategic initiative come to life and keep our sales representatives, as well as first responders, ready for action.”
GLOBE, DUPONT PROTECTION TECHNOLOGIES (DUPONT), and the NATIONAL VOLUNTEER FIRE COUNCIL (NVFC) recently announced a new group of recipients in the 2015 Globe Gear Giveaway: Pinal Rural Fire Rescue in Mammoth, Arizona; the Roby (MO) Volunteer Fire Department; the Georgetown (ME) Volunteer Fire Department; and the North Fork (ID) Fire Protection District.
Pinal Rural Fire Rescue (PRFR) serves an economically depressed rural area of 1,500 residents within a 305-square-mile response area around Mammoth, Arizona. Sixteen of the PRFR’s 17 sets of gear are more than 10 years old, and many of these sets aren’t a complete ensemble, endangering the volunteers who use them. PRFR will receive four new sets of turnout gear.
The Roby Volunteer Fire Department (RVFD) operates three stations that provide fire protection and medical response to 1,200 households over 155 square miles. Its 18 personnel strive to make themselves and the department stronger by attending and paying for their own fire and EMS classes, including Firefighter I and II. However, with all of their current gear more than 10 years old, these students must borrow gear to continue in class. The RVFD will also receive four new sets of turnout gear.
The Georgetown Volunteer Fire Department provides fire and emergency medical services to its island community as well as several mutual-aid communities on the mainland. Currently, it has only one set of gear that is less than 10 years old. The department will receive four new sets of turnout gear.
The North Fork Fire Protection District, in Lemhi County, Idaho, is an all-volunteer department serving 34 square miles that are surrounded by the Salmon-Challis National Forest. The department’s budget for turnout gear has been exhausted by keeping the current members outfitted, and the few surplus sets are old and not the correct sizes for the new recruits, two of whom are the first women on the department. The department will receive four new sets of turnout gear.
HALE PRODUCTS, INC., has hired Matthew Butcher as its Southwest regional sales manager. Butcher will be based in Fort Worth, Texas, and is fully responsible for the company’s growth initiatives and providing support for its customers in the southwestern United States. His territory will include Arkansas, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas.
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT SAFETY OFFICERS ASSOCIATION (FDSOA) announced that Richard Maddox, RN, MPA HSO/ISO-Certified, was elected as the new chairman of the board of directors by its membership through electronic voting. Maddox, a member of FDSOA since 1993, has served as Eastern Region director and twice as vice chairman over the past 12 years. In 1992, Maddox was appointed safety officer for the Sayville (NY) Fire Department. He was one of the first safety officers to participate in the original Incident Scene Safety Officer training program and certification exam. Maddox is a registered nurse, has a master’s degree in public health administration, and is a clinical risk management specialist for the New York State Office of Mental Health.
Pierce Manufacturing and The IAFC Honor Fire Chiefs Of The Year The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and Pierce Manufacturing Inc., recently announced the 2015 winners of the annual “Fire Chief of the Year” awards. Volunteer Chief Dr. Charles Addington II, of Wolfforth (TX) Fire & EMS, and career Chief Dan Eggleston, of the Albemarle County Department of Fire Rescue in Charlottesville, Virginia, are this year’s recipients. Winners, selected by a committee appointed by the IAFC, are honored for their dedication and leadership in fire and emergency services.
“With these awards, we recognize the accomplishments and leadership of Chief Dan Eggleston and Chief Charles Addington, as well as their contributions to their departments and communities and the fire service,” says Jim Johnson, Oshkosh Corporation executive vice president and president of the Fire & Emergency segment and Pierce Manufacturing. “Pierce is honored to again participate in this important event; we are happy to join with the fire service to pay tribute to these remarkable leaders.”
F.I.E.R.O. FIRE STATION DESIGN TIP
The latest version of the International Building Code (IBC) requires a “hardened” crew area within structures erected for emergency services. Apparatus floors are not required to be hardened on the theory that mutual-aid companies will bring apparatus and equipment. With crew survivability in mind, arriving mutual aid will have local personnel familiar with the area to direct resources.
Don Collins
Captain, Clemson University Fire Department
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| The PennWell Fire Group entered three foursomes in a recent golf tournament in Ivyland, Pennsylvania, to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. Players pictured are (from left): Jason Messerschmidt, FLIR; Paul Carpenter, Harrington, Inc.; Ted Billick, PennWell Fire Group; Dan Reese, Holmatro; Tom Hurd, Junkyard Dog Industries; and Fran Dunigan, Holmatro. Not pictured are Mike Dineen, Streamlight; Allen Lance, Streamlight; Eric Schlett, PennWell Fire Group; and Joe Porter, PennWell Fire Group. |