Globe Gear Giveaway Winners
The final three recipients of MSA and DuPont’s 2023 Globe Gear Giveaway, which was conducted in partnership with the National Volunteer Fire Council, were selected: the Bell County Volunteer Fire Department (BCVFD), which is located in Pineville, KY; Broadway, VA, Volunteer Department (BVFD); and Scotts Hill, TN, Fire Department (SHFD). Each will receive four sets of turnout gear and four helmets.
BCVFD Battalion Chief Viola Howard said that the donated turnout gear and helmets will allow members who previously had to sit out on calls to respond and will make them “a better firefighter than they already are.”
Limited funding has made it difficult for the BVFD to supply its members with compliant PPE. This has affected recruitment initiatives, because new members often must use turnout gear that’s more than 10 years old. Chief Josh Lohr expects that the donation will greatly assist the department’s efforts to provide compliant gear to personnel who currently lack it.
SHFD members currently use PPE that was handed down several times. The donation will make responders feel safer when they go into the unsafe environment of a structure that’s on fire, David Austin, who is the department’s planning director, said.
The final three awards of 2023 bring the total sets of turnout gear and helmets that were donated to 52 each.
Visit nvfc.org for additional information.
FSRI Expands Online Learning Platform
A major update to UL’s Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI) online Fire Safety Academy learning platform, or FSA 2.0, includes numerous benefits, such as the capability to integrate with other learning platforms; integration of NFPA standards; a certification program for custom learning pathways that permits bundling of lessons; providing training officers the ability to manage personnel, track students’ achievements, view vital metrics and compare their department’s performance against established benchmarks; and bite-size training modules that allow learners to fit training content into their busy workdays.
This is the first significant update to the platform since it was launched in 2020. The platform features more than 30 science-based courses on fire dynamics, firefighting tactics and firefighter health, among others.
To learn more, go to fsri.org.
Tool Connects Responders with Mental Health Professionals
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) launched an online, searchable directory of behavioral health professionals who are ready and able to help firefighters, EMS providers, rescue workers and family members. The new tool replaces the previous directory that was in .pdf form and makes it easier for responders and family members to find assistance.
The behavioral health professionals who are listed in the directory were vetted by the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FBHA) and have either firsthand experience with the fire and emergency services or completed a training course through the FBHA to educate them on the fire service and the particular challenges that responders face. Peer support specialists and chaplains also are listed in the directory.
The new tool is searchable based on location, areas of expertise, accepted insurance, whether the provider is licensed and whether the provider offers telehealth services.
Access to the directory is at nvfc.org/provider-directory.
New CFSI Symposium Date
The Congressional Fire Services Institute changed the date of the 34th Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Symposium and Dinner to April 29–30, 2024. The change was made so that the program can be conducted while Congress is in session.
Registration and the hotel block now is open.
For more information, contact [email protected].
Line-of-Duty Deaths
4 U.S. firefighters died in the line of duty. Two died from a heart attack after responding to a call, one died from heart-related issues three-and-a-half years after he collapsed on scene of a residential fire and one died from a heart attack while on duty at the station. This issue of Firehouse is dedicated to these firefighters.
FIREFIGHTER LAMONT KILLIAN JR., 51, of the Mount Vernon, NY, Fire Department, died on Dec. 11. On June 22, 2019, Killian was on scene of a residential fire when he collapsed. He immediately was transported to the hospital, where he suffered a heart attack. Since that time, he was unable to return to work. He passed away from heart-related issues.
LT. CHARLES GALLANT, 56, of Rye, NH, Fire Rescue, died on Dec. 15. Gallant worked an overtime shift at the station, where he participated in a training exercise and responded to a call. After his shift, he returned home and went to sleep. He was found deceased by family members the next morning. It was determined that he passed away from a heart attack.
CHIEF ROBERT WYSONG, 70, of the Clinton-Warren Joint Fire District in Clarksville, OH, died on Dec. 26. On Dec. 24, Wysong responded to a brush fire. After the call, he returned home. Later in the evening, he was found unresponsive. He immediately was transported to Clinton Memorial Hospital, where he was evaluated. He was transferred via air medical services to Miami Valley Hospital, where he passed away on Dec. 26 from a heart attack.
ENGINEER RYAN PLEASANTS, 41, of the Walla Walla, WA, Fire Department, died on Jan. 7. While he worked a 48-hour shift, Pleasants was found deceased in his bed at Fire Station 1 from an apparent heart attack.
