>> The NATIONAL FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS FOUNDATION (NFFF) and FIREMAN’S FUND INSURANCE COMPANY announced that six fire departments have been selected to receive a thermal imaging camera or other equipment from a nationwide grant selection process. The winners were chosen out of more than 1,249 grant submissions. Four departments (Cressona (PA) Fire Company No. 1; Exeter Park (PA) Volunteer Hose Co.; Farmington Hills (MI) Fire Department; and Jefferson (ME) Fire & Rescue) will receive new thermal imaging cameras. Two departments (Espen (KS) Volunteer Fire Company and Po-Mar-Lin Fire Company, Unionville, Pennsylvania) will receive water pumps, personal protective clothing, and other equipment. The grant program is funded by DVD sales, T-shirt sales, screening events, and other fundraising related to the film “Into the Fire.” www.firehero.org. (301) 447-1365.
>> MSA presented three Detroit (MI) firefightersLieutenant Robert Distelrath and firefighters Mike Risher and Brendan Milewskiwith the MSA Fireslayer of the Year Award at the 2008 Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) in Indianapolis, Indiana. On the morning after Thanksgiving 2007, Distelrath, Risher, and Milewski risked their lives entering a burning house to search for two trapped children, ages one and three. Equipped with just axes, sledgehammers, and SCBA, Milewski and Distelrath entered the three-bedroom dwelling first, followed by apparatus driver Risher. After the children were rescued, paramedics rushed them to Children’s Hospital of Michigan. Although the one-year-old survived, the three-year-old perished. MSA created the Fireslayer of the Year Award to honor the outstanding achievements by individual firefighters and departments that serve as role models for others. www.msafire.com. (888) MSA-HOW2.
>> FIRE-DEX announced that Lieutenant Gene Marcheschi of the Blue Island (IL) Fire Department won the grand prize of the “Take the Fire-Dex Challenge” contest held at FDIC, the company’s firefighter-inspired “Heat of the Battle” custom-built Orange County Chopper (OCC). [FDIC is sad to report that Marcheschi suddenly passed away since then. He was a 24-year veteran firefighter who had worked for the Blue Island Fire Department since 1979.]
Donald Haynes, Tony DeCap, and Shannon Tanner each won a set of turnout gear autographed by OCC Founder Paul Teutul Sr. www.fire-dex.com. (216) 781-2400.
>> PIERCE MANUFACTURING, INC. honored firefighters at FDIC by commissioning live-art painter Michael Israel to create two original paintings during the conference. Pierce donated the paintings to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, which later auctioned the artwork for $9,800. Accompanied by music, Israel first turned a blank canvas into a painting of a Pierce fire truck as part of the company’s legacy as a leader in the fire service industry and to recognize the Pierce Ultimate Configuration (PUC) apparatus on display at FDIC. Then, Israel performed his tribute to firefighters with “Hero”a painting of a firefighter rescuing a child with the American flag in the background. www.piercemfg.com. www.firehero.org.
>> The FIREFIGHTER CANCER FOUNDATION and THE MAGNEGRIP GROUP are working together to help extinguish firefighter cancer. The foundation provides education to alert firefighters to the cancer-causing exposures in their occupation, and it advocates for cancer research and presumptive legislation. It also helps active and retired firefighters who have cancer by providing resource information and assistance during treatment. The MagneGrip Group provides support for the Foundation’s programs. This partnership will help firefighters benefit from the Foundation’s work and take preventive measures to reduce cancer risks that are prevalent in their occupation. www.ffcancer.org. www.magnegrip.com.
>> At the 2008 FDIC, more than 600 firefighters tried on the new Warrior SCBA at the SPERIAN FIRE booth. Six firefighters won prizesthree iPods, a Nintendo Wii, a Playstation III, and a 20-inch iMac computer, but no one has yet won the grand $250,000 prize. Linemen, chiefs, captains, and safety officers tried on the sleek, ergonomic Warrior; took a ticket with a code number; and logged on to Sperian’s Web site on the booth’s computers to see if they won. For firefighters who did not attend FDIC, Sperian Fire distributors will be visiting fire stations across North America with the Warrior and stacks of game pieces. Firefighters are encouraged to call their distributors or Sperian to arrange a firehouse demonstration. www.sperianfire.com. (800) 682-0839.
>> WOLFPACK GEAR, INC.introduces the first fire line hydration pack system to meet the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) 1977, Standard on Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Firefighting (2005 edition). Wolfpack Gear’s fire line packs become the first to be certified by Underwriters Laboratories as meeting NFPA 1977, 2005 edition. A donation from State Farm Insurance Companies, in cooperation with the California Fire Safe Council, after the 2007 firestorms in Southern California, allowed the first 1,500 NFPA-compliant Wolfpack Gear Low Profile Hydration Packs leaving the assembly line to be delivered directly to CAL FIRE. www.wolfpackgear.com. (888) 246-1241.
>> ONSPOT OF NORTH AMERICA, INC. announces that the company has been certified under ISO 9001 status. ISO 9001 is a quality management system known throughout the world that is designed to improve shop quality and productivity, resulting in delivery of a better product to the end customer. www.onspot.com. (800) 766-7768.
>> LACROSSE FOOTWEAR, INC., provider of Danner and LaCrosse brands, announces three salesman awards for 2007. Ken Blanco of Ahead of the Curve agency received the Overall Salesman of the Year award as an exceptional contributor to company’s success and growth for the two brands in 2007 in the Washington and Alaska territories. John Ager of Heartland Sales and Associates, Inc. was named Salesman of the Year for the LaCrosse brand for his sales performance in Illinois and Iowa. Morris Swarts of S&R Outdoors was named Salesman of the Year for the Danner brand for his efforts in Alabama and Georgia. www.lacrossefootwear.com. www.danner.com.
>> AKRON BRASS named Sarah O’Connoras district sales manager for the Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana markets. Based in Dallas, Texas, she will work with authorized Akron distributors to meet municipal fire departments’ needs throughout her territory. This includes sales support for all Akron Brass nozzles, monitors, and fireground appliances, as well as Akron’s line of reels, scene lighting, warning lighting, and hand tools. Steve Rowland has been appointed OEM account manager and will be responsible for managing the southeast U.S. region, focusing on fire, ambulance, and specialty vehicles. www.akronbrass.com. (330) 264-5678.
