- Vancouver Fire & Rescue Services (VFRS) Lieutenant CHARLES MULDER was named the city’s Firefighter of the Year after he donated one of his kidneys to his former boss, retired Chief Wayne Oudijn, who was battling kidney disease. Oudijn, now 60, had worked with the VFRS for 35 years and was assistant chief of occupational health and safety prior to his retirement 2½ years ago. Oudijn has had some minor complications following the transplant, but he has been slowly taken off medication and was able to join Mulder and other former colleagues for the award presentation.
- SCOTT METZLER was named the new chief of the Newton (KS) Fire Department (NFD). Metzler, a 26-year NFD veteran, will take over for Chief Mark Willis, who retired in September. Metzler rose through the ranks in the department and had been the NFD’s deputy chief since 2012. He earned associate degrees from Hutchinson Community College, a bachelor’s degree from Wichita State University, and a master’s degree from Baker University. Last year, Metzler completed the Executive Fire Officer Program from the National Fire Academy. He led the implementation of a community paramedicine program in partnership with Newton Medical Center.
- Shropshire (UK) Fire and Rescue Service Chief ROD HAMMERTON led more than 20 colleagues, friends, and family on a 239-mile bike tour of all 23 Shropshire fire stations to raise money for charity. The three-day event benefitted the Severn Hospice and the Fire Fighters’ Charity, which helps sick and injured firefighters and their families. The Tour de Shropshire began at Shrewsbury fire headquarters for a 67-mile trek through Church Stretton, Much Wenlock, Bridgnorth, and Cleobury Mortimer, ending in Ludlow. Day two covered 97 miles to Whitchurch fire station via Craven Arms, Clun, and Bishops Castle, among many other stops. The tour’s final day went through Market Drayton, Hodnet, and Newport before finishing at Shrewsbury fire station. Donations can be made at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Mainpage.
company/association news
- MSA SAFETY INC. honored the 15th anniversary of September 11 by having representatives such as President and CEO William M. Lambert and Logistics Associate Judy Colfer—who escaped the 55th floor of the World Trade Center’s North Tower that morning—help ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Immediately following the terrorist attacks on 9/11, MSA associates in Pittsburgh worked around the clock to provide equipment and assistance to New York City firefighters and first responders tasked with rescue and recovery efforts, delivering more than $3 million worth of safety products including respirators, breathing apparatus, and thermal imaging cameras to Ground Zero. www.MSAsafety.com.
- The METROPOLITAN FIRE CHIEFS ASSOCIATION named Ernest Mitchell, Jr. as an honorary member of the “Metro.” Mitchell, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s U.S. Fire Administrator for the U.S. Fire Administration, is the third person to have received this honor in the Metro’s 51-year history. Prior to his appointment as fire administrator, Mitchell retired as chief and assistant director of disaster emergency services for the Pasadena (CA) Fire Department after 33 years in the fire service. During his last year in Pasadena, Mitchell was president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. www.nfpa.org.
Fire Engineering Archives
