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