● The LOUISIANA STATE FIREMEN’S ASSOCIATION and the LOUISIANA FIRE CHIEF’S ASSOCIATION have asked FERRARA FIRE APPARATUS, INC., of Holden, Louisiana, to function as a logistical resource center for collecting and distributing supplies for firefighters involved in Hurricane Katrina-related operations. Emergency personnel are overwhelmed with the enormous logistics related to rescue and care for the evacuees. Ferrara has received numerous calls from fire service customers and contacts wanting help. Those interested in donating the items listed below should email [email protected] or fax (225) 567-7668.
The following items are needed immediately: cots, pillows, blankets, towels, socks, underwear, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, bottled water, and ready-to-eat foods and snacks. This list is continually updated and is available at the Ferrara Web site at www.ferrarafire.com.
Fire service organizations are working to develop additional command post communications using satellite cell phones with the fire departments in the affected areas so that supplies can be delivered to where they are most needed. Supplies may be shipped to the following address: Ferrara Fire Apparatus, Inc., 27855 James Chapel Road, Holden, LA 70744-0249.
● The FAMA/FEMSA GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE (GAC) announced that it has dispatched the first issue of the FAMA/FEMSA GAC Congressional Fire Watch (CFW) newsletter to members of Congress, their staff, and leading fire services organizations. The newsletter serves as an information clearinghouse on current news and statistics affecting the fire service industry, and is an independent research publication of Lambert, Edwards & Associates produced in coordination with the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers Association, the Fire and Emergency Manufacturers and Services Association, and other information providers. For more information, contact Lambert, Edwards & Associates at (616) 233-0500.
● AMERICAN LAFRANCE and BRUNSWICK COMMERCIAL AND GOVERNMENT PRODUCTS (CGP) have signed a joint venture agreement in which American LaFrance will exclusively market and distribute Brunswick CGP fire and rescue boats and equipment in North America. Brunswick CGP, previously known as the commercial and government products division of Boston Whaler, will continue manufacturing and branding the boats, and will provide extensive ongoing product sales and customer service support.
● FREIGHTLINER LLC donated a new $240,000 fire truck to the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training Academy. The 2005 pumper featuring an American LaFrance body on a Freightliner M2 medium duty chassis, carries five firefighters, has a 1,000 gallon water tank, and pumps up to 1,000 gpm.
● PIERCE MANUFACTURING INC. received an order from the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security (OKOHS) for five weapons of mass destruction (WMD) command response vehicles, designed to facilitate a statewide response to a large-scale terrorist attack or natural disaster. The $2.1 million vehicles are funded with U.S. Department of Homeland Security grants; delivery should begin in 2006.
The vehicles will be part of Regional Response System, and will be housed by local fire departments in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Claremore, Lawton, and Moore/Norman. They will be available to respond to local emergencies in the area, and the local departments will assume primary responsibility for vehicle storage, maintenance, replenishment of supplies, and personnel training.
The vehicles are built on Pierce Lance® chassis and feature seating for six, a three-door cab, a 22-inch raised roof, TAK-4® independent front suspension, a Cummins 450 hp engine, a 400-amp alternator, a fully interoperable communications system, a Weatherpak-400 weather station, a GPS system, a six-station computer network, roll-up compartment doors, and a full length awning on both sides of the body.
● PBI PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS and Fairfax County (VA) Fire and Rescue recently marked 20 years of cooperation. Battalion Chief Dean W. Cox, responsible for equipping the more than 1,500 firefighters in the department with personal protective equipment, chose PBI Matrix for the department’s turnout replacement program. In the early 1990s, Cox and other firefighting professionals, together with PBI Performance Products, worked to develop a new lighter weight protective garment that protects against flash fires and hazards associated with terrorism and urban search and rescue disasters. Prototype garments are now being evaluated and tested by USAR teams around the country and abroad. As a member of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Cox also works to develop standards for protective clothing.
The NATIONAL VOLUNTEER FIRE COUNCIL (NVFC) named Michael Bitney of Spooner, Wisconsin, the winner of the first annual Fired Up For Fitness Challenge, Bitney, a 45-year-old district attorney, joined his local fire department in response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11. After reading about the Challenge in Fire Engineering and reviewing the statistics on firefighter fatalities from heart attacks, Bitney started walking and working out at the gym regularly, and now exercises five days a week for at least an hour. Since starting the Challenge in January, he has lowered his blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and standing heart rate. In recognition for his efforts, he received a Cable Cross machine donated by FreeMotion Fitness, valued at more than $6,000.
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The Challenge is an online program in which firefighters can log their daily physical activity and at certain milestones be rewarded. To date, more than 1,400 individuals are logged on to the Challenge. In its second year, the NVFC’s Heart-Healthy Firefighter program educates firefighters and the communities they serve about the risks of heart attacks and other heart-related dangers inherent to firefighting. The NVFC Heart-Healthy Firefighter Resource Guide, offering valuable information on combating cholesterol and heart disease, and promoting better nutrition and overall physical fitness, is available at www.healthy-firefighter.org. For more information on the National Volunteer Fire Council’s health and safety efforts, including the Heart-Healthy Firefighter program, contact Maggie Wilson, Director of Health & Safety, at (888) ASK-NVFC or (202)-887-5700, or via e-mail at [email protected].
