Fire Industry News

CFSI Names Pascrell Legislator of the Year

The Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) has selected Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. as the 2016 CFSI Legislator of the Year.

Throughout his distinguished career in Congress, Pascrell has been a leading advocate for the nation’s fire and emergency services. The current chairman of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, Pascrell has been a staunch advocate for a number of federal fire service programs, including the Assistance to Firefighters (FIRE) and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs, as well as the U.S. Fire Administration. Recently, Pascrell introduced H.R. 5123, the Honoring Emergency Response Officers Benefits Reform Act. The legislation is intended to improve the timeliness and transparency of Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) program’s death, disability and education claims.

“It has been an honor and pleasure to work closely with the Congressman for many years to advance the cause of America’s fire and emergency services on Capitol Hill,” said Bill Webb, CFSI’s executive director. “CFSI is honored to present him our Legislator of the Year Award.”

Pascrell said of the recognition: “I am honored to receive the 2016 CFSI Legislator of the Year Award and will continue to fight for the first responders on the front lines who make our communities safer. Going forward, I will continue to prioritize an agenda to better train, equip and staff firehouses across the country.”

NVFC Offers Jr. Firefighter Program Starter Kit

Starting a youth firefighting program may seem like a daunting task, requiring a large amount of time and dedication from your department/organization’s time-constrained leadership and members. But such programs can actually become a source of volunteers to help you achieve non-operational tasks today and provide trained, effective recruits in the future.

In order to help fire departments in these efforts, the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC)—through support from California Casualty—has developed a turnkey tool to help departments build a solid foundation for a youth firefighting program. The NVFC’s Junior Firefighter Program Starter Kit features simple, step-by-step instructions as well as links to additional resources that can be utilized to jumpstart youth involvement, find funding, train junior firefighters, and maintain the program throughout the years.

Download a free version of the starter kit at tinyurl.com/hhpazmq. For more information on developing and growing a junior firefighter program, visit nvfc.org/juniors.

iWomen, RescueAir Announce Partnership

The International Association of Women in Fire & Emergency Services (iWomen) and Rescue Air Systems have announced a new partnership that will help iWomen continue to advance its advocacy, education and training programs.

RescueAir, a provider of firefighter air replenishment systems (FARS), will support iWomen throughout the year as a gold-level sponsor, and help underwrite the organization's annual leadership event.

“We’re delighted to welcome RescueAir to our family of supporters,” said Angela Hughes, president of iWomen. “They are an innovative company offering a vital life safety product for the fire service and they have a long-standing commitment to safety, education and training. They have shown a genuine interest in advancing our mission, and we are honored to work with them."

RescueAir CEO Anthony J. Turiello was equally excited about the partnership. “The positive agenda of the iWomen is a great match with the mission, values and forward-thinking culture of our company,” he said. “Together, I believe we can help develop the next generation of leadership within the fire service.”