Industry News 7/13

E-ONE recently recognized dealers and sales representatives for their outstanding performance over the past year. An appreciation breakfast and awards ceremony took place prior to the 2013 Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) in Indianapolis, IN.

“We have the best dealer network in the industry and it’s always nice to be able to take a moment out of our busy schedules to recognize and honor their efforts,” said Sam Iain, E-ONE’s vice president of global sales and distribution. “From bid opening to final delivery and service after the sale, our dealers’ and sales representatives’ hard work and long hours are a huge part of the reason our customers continue to rely on E-ONE.”

Dealerships taking top honors were:

• Dealership Sales Excellence Award – Fire Service Inc., Greenwood Emergency Vehicles, Hall-Mark Fire Apparatus Inc. and Sunbelt Fire Techno Feud Inc.

• Dealer Achievement Award – Fire Service Inc.

• Dealer Parts Sales Award – Hall-Mark Fire Apparatus Inc.

• Customer Service Award –Chief Fire & Safety Co. Inc., Fire line Inc., Greenwood Emergency Vehicles and Sunbelt Fire

Sales representatives honored were as follows:

• Regional Sales Excellence Award – Randy Powell of Advantech Service & Parts (Mid-Atlantic Region); Tom Pour of Banner Fire Equipment Inc. (North-Central Region); Curtis Go of Sunbelt Fire (South-Central Region); Bertrand Bouchard of Techno Feud Inc. (Northeast Region); and Nate Gilman of Hall-Mark Fire Apparatus Inc. (Southeast Region)

• Sales Achievement Award for the Stainless Steel Product – John Buckley of Greenwood Emergency Vehicles

Also, E-ONE, through Techno Feud Apparatus Maintenance, has been awarded a two-year, multi-truck contract with the Department of National Defense (DND) Canada.

“We are very excited that DND has trusted E-ONE to meet their emergency apparatus needs yet again,” said RJ Jones, E-ONE’s manager for U.S. Government and Airport Products Sales. “We’re in the process of completing an order for 24 4x4 aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) vehicles, along with this latest pumper order. Sales to DND for E-ONE trucks have totaled 48 units in the last five years.”

The initial order has been placed for six Cyclone II top-mount enclosed custom pumpers featuring E-ONE’s cold-weather package. Up to six more pumpers may be ordered during the duration of the two-year contract.

EAGLE COMPRESSORS INC., manufacturer of high-pressure breathing air systems and components designed to refill SCBA and SCUBA cylinders, has promoted Becky Dreier to vice president, finance. In addition to managing all aspects of accounting and finance work, in her new position she will coordinate external auditor statement reviews and oversee all administrative departments, material handling and warehouse operations. She formerly was finance manager.

“It is a special privilege to add Becky to an already strong and experienced management team at Eagle,” said Anthony M. Gonzalez, president of Eagle. “In working closely with her for many years, she has earned my respect and confidence in her business acumen, ethics and outstanding work in her field. Her talents and integrity will contribute significantly to the success of our company.”

PIERCE MANUFACTURING has received an order for 10 fire apparatus from Polk County, FL, Fire Rescue. The purchase includes five pumpers, a 100-foot Pierce aerial platform and a heavy-duty rescue/hazmat vehicle, all built on the Pierce Velocity chassis, as well as three tandem rear-axle tanker/pumpers.

“Polk County Fire Rescue became a new Pierce customer just over two years ago, and this significant new purchase is a direct result of how our first vehicles have performed on front line duty over that time,” said Jim Johnson, Oshkosh Corp. executive vice president and president, Fire & Emergency. “We are proud to be selected to build these 10 new apparatus for one of Florida’s largest fire departments.”

Fire Chief David Cash of Polk County Fire Rescue said, “We purchased our first Pierce Velocity engine in 2010, and our personnel are very impressed with its dependability and overall build quality, so when the time came to order new vehicles, we concluded that it was the right decision to continue with Pierce. These new Pierce vehicles will reduce a significant amount of our ongoing maintenance costs, while providing state-of-the-art technology to help our firefighters save lives and protect property.”

The PCFR pumpers and aerial platform feature an optional forward roof cab design, which enhances interior space for the crew and improves visibility. The department’s pumpers are designed to function as paramedic engines and will be assigned to the busiest of its 45 stations. Each vehicle features seating for six firefighters and a forward-facing EMS cabinet inside the cab.

The Pierce tanker/pumpers, built on Freightliner chassis, each feature a 2,500-gallon water tank. “The larger Pierce tankers will enable our department to replace 18 smaller and aging tankers that have ongoing maintenance issues,” Cash said.

Also, Pierce has announced a strategic purchasing agreement with FAW Bus and Coach Co. Ltd. of Changchun, China, a subsidiary of China FAW Group Corp. Pierce will manufacture fire apparatus bodies and crane-mounted rescue bodies in the U.S. to be exported to China, where they will be mounted on FAW chassis.

KUSSMAUL ELECTRONICS has named Colin Chambliss to the newly created position of vice president of sales. Previously, he was the regional sales manager covering accounts in the eastern U.S. and a portion of Canada. Before joining Kussmaul, Chambless was the Eastern Seaboard regional sales manager for ONSPOT of North America Inc.and director of sales for America LaFrance.

HURST JAWS OF LIFE has launched the new www.jawsoflife.com, built on a responsive platform designed to optimize the user experience on desktops, tablets and mobile devices. It is a single-source location for user manuals, bid specifications and detailed performance characteristics for Hurst Jaws of Life tools.

“We’re very excited to bring our customers a new, easy-to-navigate source of information online,” said Bruce Johnston, director of marketing and product management. “The new jawsoflife.com website offers our customers a better experience with our brand, whether they are at their desk or engaging with the site via a mobile device or tablet.”

The website features a new layout, updated product information, videos and photography, warranty registration, downloadable catalogs, Green Cross registration and a searchable dealer database.

W. L. GORE & ASSOCIATES INC. has reported on new research that highlights the importance of moisture barriers in managing firefighter heat stress. Although firefighters need protection against extreme heat, the vast majority of calls do not involve this kind of challenge. Instead, managing heat stress is often the real challenge. Gore studied the effects of working in warm conditions and those with low-level radiant loads such as from the sun, asphalt highways, rooftops and even fireground sources, which often pose significant heat-stress challenges.

Allen Maples, product manager in Gore’s Technical Fabrics division, said, “The human body is extremely sensitive to seemingly small increases in core temperature, and these increases can potentially lead to impaired decision-making and heat exhaustion events. The ability for turnout layers to allow greater moisture vapor transmission for evaporative cooling to take place is key to preventing the rise in body core temperatures. Gore evaluated the performance of turnout gear in warmer and low-level radiant conditions, for example when exposed to the sun, and was able to link the heat loss ability of various turnout technologies to the performance in a garment and the impact on the wearer.”

For more information about the study, see www.GoreProtectiveFabrics.com/Heat-Stress-Management.

KME and dealer Cascade Fire and Safety have been awarded a five-year contract for multiple pumpers by the City of Vancouver, WA.

Chuck Winkler, Vancouver’s emergency equipment supervisor, said, “We were very impressed with the KME facility, and the workmanship and quality of their products. We are happy to partner with KME and Cascade Fire and Safety on the apparatus contract.”

The first pumper will be a KME Predator with seating for six, external EMS cab compartment access, 450-hp engine and dual secondary braking with a transmission retarder. The pumpers include a 1,250-gpm pump and 500 gallons of water.

Also, KME and Tennessee dealer NAFECO have received a contract for a 101-foot, tractor-drawn AerialCat ladder by the City of Nashville Fire Department. The tiller will include a KME Predator MFD cab with seating for six and an EMS compartment. The KME 101-foot ladder includes a pre-piped waterway with a 1,500-gpm rating and a 2.5:1 structural safety factor based on an NFPA 500-pound-rated tip load. The apparatus is scheduled for completion and delivery in the spring of 2014.

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.”

INVISTA has acquired ASHBURN HILL CORP., associated intellectual property (including the TECGEN brands) and a manufacturing operation in Texas.

“INVISTA has an aggressive growth strategy that includes identifying new business opportunities to allow us to continue building a product portfolio that delivers value to customers,” said Jeff Brown, executive vice president, INVISTA Performance Materials. “The TECGEN flame-resistant brands have quickly gained trust in the marketplace, and by coupling that expertise with INVISTA’s existing global workwear capabilities, we have high expectations for the specialized garment segment.”

The acquisition includes two flame-resistant brands: TECGEN Xtreme, NFPA/UL-certified, lightweight apparel that repels moisture and designed for firefighters for wildland and technical rescue applications; and TECGEN Select clothing developed for manufacturing, transportation, mining, oil and gas and energy utility operations. The brands will fall under INVISTA’s existing Performance Materials business segment, which includes the CORDURA fabric brand.

ZOLL MEDICAL CORP., a manufacturer of resuscitation devices and related software solutions, has entered into an agreement with REFLECTANCE MEDICAL INC. to develop and market a ruggedized version of the Mobile CareGuide sensor for detecting the onset of shock in patients during air and ground military and EMS patient transports as well as hospitalizations. Reflectance Medical’s CareGuide sensor continuously and noninvasively monitors tissue metabolism and can be used to determine when a patient has undetected internal bleeding and may be in danger of going into shock.

Rapid treatment of traumatic injuries and shock has been shown to help save lives and reduce complications. By incorporating these new clinical parameters, ZOLL’s patient monitor/defibrillators will provide more than just standard vital signs monitoring. Having early indicators of blood volume loss and impending circulatory failure in the ZOLL monitor/defibrillators will ensure rapid treatment is given to the patients who need it the most. The technology measures muscle oxygen saturation (SmO2), to determine the adequacy of tissue perfusion.

TETRAKO LLC, the fire suppression subsidiary of EARTHCLEAN CORP., has announced that Fire X Protections of Amherstview, Ontario, and Al Aman Firefighting Materials Manufacturing of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, are the TetraKO water-enhancer distributors for Canada and the UAE, respectively.

“We are very excited to have these two fine companies join the TetraKO team as distributors of our game-changing water enhancer,” said Scott Bocklund, TetraKO president. “Fire X Protections is an aggressive and hands-on distributor that will help introduce TetraKO across Canada. Al Aman is a quality organization focused on firefighting and dedicated to introducing innovative products in the UAE.”