Industry News 4/12

SCOTT SAFETY has pledged $10,000 to the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) Volunteer Firefighter Support Fund. The donation will go to help firefighters impacted by severe disasters such as Hurricane Sandy. The fund provides stipends of $250 to help firefighters meet basic needs in the wake of a federal- or state-declared disaster.

“We are grateful for this generous contribution from Scott Safety and their continued support of the fire and emergency services,” said NVFC Executive Director Heather Schafer. “We have received over a hundred requests for assistance from volunteer first responders whose homes were destroyed or damaged by Sandy. Thanks to support from individuals and organizations like Scott Safety, we are able to provide assistance to those in need.”

The NVFC Volunteer Firefighter Support Fund relies entirely on the support of individuals and organizations to assist volunteer first responders in need. The NVFC donates all administrative costs associated with the fund, so 100% of contributions go to help volunteer first responders impacted by disaster. With Hurricane Sandy, the fund was receiving more requests than it could fulfill, but donations from Scott Safety, the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY) and individuals enabled the NVFC to meet the demand.

In addition to donating to the Volunteer Firefighter Support Fund, Scott Safety donated 30 Air-Pak self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) to the Point Breeze Volunteer Fire Department and two other volunteer departments in Breezy Point, NY, and will also donate 20 Air-Paks to an affected fire department in New Jersey. Breezy Point, a community largely populated by firefighters and police officers, was hit especially hard by Sandy. At the same time a storm surge caused flooding, the community was hit by one of New York City’s worst residential fires in 150 years. In all, 111 houses were lost in the fire, and many more were ruined or damaged by wind and flood waters.

HOME FIRE SPRINKLER COALITION (HFSC), through funding from a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Fire Prevention & Safety Grant, will offer two new stipend programs to U.S. fire departments looking to increase home fire sprinkler education in their communities.

One of the two stipend programs this year is a new concept in home fire sprinkler education. The non-profit HFSC will award 15 U.S. fire departments with $1,500 stipends to partner and complete an education program with local technical/vocational schools where students will learn about the benefits of home fire sprinkler systems. Students will work with the fire departments to construct side-by-side fire and sprinkler burn demonstration units, which will be used for demonstrations during public education events. The students will also review an HFSC educational video and complete a corresponding quiz. Students who participate in the program will be recognized with “Built For Life” certificates.

The partnerships will establish a home fire sprinkler education program within each school, teaching students about the benefits of home fire sprinkler systems and how the systems can be incorporated as selling features in future home-builds. Each program will culminate with students constructing the demonstration units for a live home fire sprinkler demonstration to be hosted by the fire department for a public education event.

“Through the fire department partnerships with local technical schools, HFSC’s educational materials will be able to reach future building trades people to establish facts about home fire sprinklers early on,” said Peg Paul, HFSC communication manager.

The second stipend program replicates the success of HFSC stipends of the past, once again offering $1,000 stipends to U.S. fire departments nationwide to conduct live home fire sprinkler demonstrations within their communities. This year, 25 U.S. fire departments will receive the $1,000 stipends to pay for materials to build the demonstration units. HFSC provides guidance for building the units and conducting a public education event through its free Fire and Sprinkler Burn Demonstration Kit.

Only U.S. fire departments that are members of HFSC’s free “Built For Life” Fire Department (BFLFD) Program can apply for the stipends (see www.homefiresprinkler.org/index.php/residential-fire-sprinkler-programs). To apply for the $1,500 technical/vocational education program stipend, visit homefiresprinkler.org/fire-services/student-program-2013-application.html. To apply for the $1,000 side-by-side demo stipend, visit:homefiresprinkler.org/fire-services/stipend-program-application.html.

RESCUE 42 INC. has relocated its offices and factory to accommodate the planned manufacturing expansion for both the rescue product division and the new VAULT product line. The new site, located at 370 Ryan Ave. in Chico, CA, was once a Fleetwood Motorhome manufacturing plant. Rescue 42’s portion of the facility encompasses nearly 20,000 square feet of manufacturing and 3,000 square feet of office space.

“We are astounded at how much growth Rescue 42 has experienced over the years,” Tim O’Connell, company owner, said. “With every move, we’ve doubled or tripled our space and outgrown it within just a few years...We had simply run out of room to increase the volume of our current rescue products and could not begin production on our new VAULT line.”

The expansion of the production lines will be executed in stages to minimize down time, but several upgrades to the existing system were executed during the move. New power systems were installed to support the machinery and welding stations, while the compressed-air and vacuum systems were upgraded. Future plans include adding more manufacturing machinery and expanded welding and assembly stations.

PIERCE MANUFACTURING has joined New Jersey’s first state-sponsored cooperative purchasing program for fire and emergency apparatus. The program enables fire departments to buy Pierce vehicles quickly and easily through its local dealer, FIRE & SAFETY SERVICES LTD. Pierce’s contract (A83457) runs through January 2018.

“By providing fire departments with a broad selection of vehicle choices from multiple manufacturers, this New Jersey state contract enables precisely what was intended,” said Bobby Williams, vice president of sales and marketing. “We are confident that fire departments, after close evaluation, will see the many advantages Pierce offers in terms of quality, performance, long-term value and low cost of ownership.”

The program is an organized state effort to obtain pricing and contract process efficiency benefits for municipal fire departments.

“We’re excited to participate in the program, and we applaud the state for quickly putting it in place – especially in light of the severe damage caused by Hurricane Sandy to fire apparatus across the state,” said David Russell, president of Fire and Safety Services. “In addition, our team of 14 salespeople – all current or former firefighters – understands that fire departments need vehicles and after-the-sale support they can count on for the long term.”

Pierce has developed a comprehensive list of vehicles – including pumpers, rescues, tankers, aerials and wildland trucks – that can be ordered through the program. Fire and Safety Services has posted component lists for all available vehicles at www.f-ss.com.

ALL-AMERICAN HOSE LLC has appointed Jeff Hale as national sales manager. Hale, a retired fire chief, previously was regional sales manager.

“Jeff has been an integral part of our organization’s rapid growth,” company President Dan Corner said. “His track record of success within AAH, along with his relationships with our customers, has earned tremendous respect from the entire sales organization making him a perfect fit to lead the sales division.”

R•O•M CORP. has hired Don Fishel as vice president of sales and marketing. Fishel has more than 20 years of experience in manufacturing and industry. Most recently, he was the senior director of sales and marketing strategy for Commercial Vehicle Group Inc.

“Don has a proven track record of driving change and growth. He understands the results we’re looking for and has a great vision of how we can take R•O•M to the next level,” CEO Jeff Hupke said. “His well-rounded background in sales, engineering and marketing are a great fit for ROM and will help us continue to drive year-over-year growth during difficult economic times.”