Industry News 8/15

TheFireStore has entered into an agreement to supply Baltimore County, MD, with G1 Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), manufactured by MSA. The new SCBAs feature several patent-pending design improvements, including the elimination of all electronic components from the facepiece. The new units are expected to be delivered to Baltimore County by the end of 2015.

 “This conversion to MSA marks a definitive change for the Maryland fire service market,” said James Witmer, TheFireStore’s VP of Sales. Witmer added that Howard County, Anne Arundel County, and the Maryland Aviation Administration (BWI Airport) also all recently purchased the new MSA G1 SCBA.

With one patent granted and 13 patents pending, the G1 SCBA was designed side-by-side with firefighters. The result is an SCBA that features a lighter facepiece; a more ergonomic harness; improved weight distribution; a “Central Power” unit that powers the entire SCBA from a single battery compartment; darkness- and smoke-piercing “buddy lights” that provide visible indicators of critical air supply data from any angle; and improved voice amplification communications, all of which come standard on every MSA G1 SCBA.

Midwest Fire Equipment & Repair Company (Midwest Fire) has hired Tyler LeBrun as a new manufacturing engineer. LeBrun is a graduate of South Dakota State University with a bachelor’s degree in manufacturing engineering technologies. He also has five years of experience in lean manufacturing with Bobcat Company in Gwinner, ND. In addition to a manufacturing background, LeBrun has served on the Gwinner Volunteer Fire Department since 2010.

“We are very fortunate to welcome an engineer to the team with manufacturing and firefighting experience,” said President and CEO of Midwest Fire Sarah Atchison. “LeBrun will assist in production by leading continuous improvement efforts with our manufacturing procedures and processes as well as assisting with design and innovation. We are confident, with his experience, he will be a great asset to the company.”

Oshkosh Fire & Emergency Group has been selected by Saudi Aramco to engineer and manufacture 22 heavy-duty industrial multi-purpose firefighting apparatus. Custom engineered by Oshkosh Corporation subsidiary Pierce Manufacturing, the vehicles will be placed into service beginning in mid-2016 at Saudi Aramco facilities.

“It’s a testament to Pierce’s well-earned reputation for quality and performance, as well as the expanding support infrastructure we have in place to provide an unmatched level of after-the-sale service to customers in the Middle East,” said Jim Johnson, Oshkosh Corporation executive vice president and president, Fire & Emergency.

All 22 of the vehicles are built on a heavy-duty Pierce custom chassis and are specifically engineered for the unique requirements of industrial firefighting applications. Service and support will be provided by Oshkosh Fire & Emergency Group. Oshkosh recently announced an expanded presence in the Middle East to better serve Oshkosh and Pierce customers throughout the region.

Veridian Fire Protective Gear announced that Jon Kemp has joined the company as Eastern Regional sales manager. Aside from his nearly 25 years in sales serving the fire service industry, Kemp is also a former fire chief of the Main-Transit Fire Department in Amherst, NY.

He continues to be an active member of the department, maintaining his interior firefighting certification. An active community volunteer, Kemp is also a member of the New York Association of Fire Chiefs; a member of the Advisory Council of the Niagara University First Responders Disability Training; a member of the Amherst Fire Council; an outspoken advocate for individuals with disabilities; and a charter board member of C-HOPE.

“Jon's knowledge of the industry and the eastern territory will be another great addition to Veridian,” said Rob Gilbertson, national sales manager. “I am confident that Jon will play a definitive role in providing our customers with the support and service that is a trademark of Veridian.”

TargetSolutions has announced that 36 new EMS courses have been approved for credit by the Continuing Education Coordinating Board for Emergency Medical Services (CECBEMS). The courses have been added to TargetSolutions’ online training catalog for CECBEMS, which now features 159 hours of approved continuing education for all levels of EMS personnel. In the past, only a portion of TargetSolutions’ EMS online continuing education was approved for CECBEMS credit. Now, every EMS training course meets CECBEMS requirements, giving providers more access to TargetSolutions’ course content nationwide.

“We are excited about these news courses being available because they increase the quantity of quality training we are able to provide,” said TargetSolutions Executive VP Thom Woodward. “With this latest release of new CECBEMS courses, providers have more access to our extensive EMS content. These providers can now better fulfill continuing education requirements through our platform while expanding their knowledge for responding to medical emergencies.”