Scuttlebutt 9/20

Coping with LODDs

“When an LODD Occurs: Incident Commanders Speak” is a proactive, one-hour training module that’s designed to prepare officers for the unique challenges that occur in the aftermath of a line-of-duty death (LODD). Created by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, in cooperation with Stonehouse Media, this course provides the incident commander with guidance for meeting the needs of the surviving family and department members as well as tips for accessing behavioral health resources.

For more information, visit fireherolearningnetwork.com.

First Recipients of 2020 Globe Gear Giveaway

The first two recipients of MSA and DuPont’s 2020 Globe Gear Giveaway are the Haynesville, ME, Volunteer Fire Department (HVFD) and Washington Borough, NJ, Fire Department (WBFD).

Even though the HVFD have only eight active members, seven sets of their turnout gear are more than 10 years old. All of the department’s existing gear is secondhand; the department is unable to purchase new gear because of budget constraints.

WBFD has 30 active members, yet they only have five sets of turnout gear that are less than 10 years old. The department has tried to replace their outdated turnout gear, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they canceled several planned fundraisers.

Each department will receive four new sets of turnout gear and four new helmets to help to enhance the safety of their firefighters.

For more information, visit MSAsafety.com.

Virtual 'Fill the Boot' Campaign

COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on fundraising for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). For 66 years, the IAFF has collected critical funds in the community–one dollar at a time–as part of the Fill the Boot program. This year, because of social distancing, that isn’t possible. So, the Fill the Boot campaign is being conducted virtually. Donations help to meet the urgent need for MDA’s Frontline COVID-19 Emergency Fund to continue services for more than 250,000 people who live with neuromuscular diseases across the country.

To donate, visit filltheboot.donordrive.com.

2020 Training Officer Recognition Award

2020 Training Officer Award 5f1879a751cc6

Karl Neubecker of the Ellington, CT, Volunteer Fire Department is the recipient of the 2020 VCOS Training Officer Recognition Award. The award honors training officers for exemplary conduct and dedication to their fire department’s training program. Neubecker, who is his department’s deputy chief of training, earned this recognition after working tirelessly to coordinate training for local fire agencies on Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) as well as for his innovative training solutions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The award is sponsored by TargetSolutions and the International Association of Fire Chief’s Volunteer & Combination Officers Section.

For more information, visit TargetSolutions.com.

NFFF Restructures Scholarship Awards

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) and its partners have restructured the Sarbanes Scholarship Program to help to ease the college and graduate school tuition burden for applicants who lost a parent firefighter to a line-of-duty death. The awards now are based on an assessment of a student’s financial need and academic performance.

Under the new guidelines, the NFFF was able to make scholarship awards that cover 100 percent of the tuition and book expense for 21 students, and 75 percent of the tuition and book expenses of another student, each of whom demonstrated pressing financial need and stellar academic performance. Forty-two other applicants also received meaningful support from the NFFF. In total, the NFFF awarded $423,720 for the 2020-2021 academic year.

For more information, visit firehero.org.

NVFC Brings Dehydration Relief to Volunteer Firefighters

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and DripDrop Hydration teamed up to provide dehydration relief to the nation’s volunteer firefighters. The combination of summer heat, wildfire season and the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the nation’s healthcare system to the limit of its capacity. DripDrop provided a one-to-one “buy one, give one” product donation to volunteer fire departments across the United States. for every 80-count, multiflavor box of DripDrop Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) that’s purchased by consumers.

Volunteer firefighters can claim two free 80-count multiflavor packages of DripDrop ORS to help to provide dehydration relief to their department. Up to 100,000 units of product will be donated.

For more information, visit dripdrop.com/pages/firefighter-relief or nvfc.org.

USDOT Updates Emergency Response Guidebook

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) released the 2020 edition of its Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG), which provides first responders with a revised go-to manual that offers guidance on what to do during the critical first 30 minutes of a hazmat transportation accident.

The ERG contains an indexed list of dangerous goods and their associated ID numbers, general hazards that they pose and recommended safety precautions. It is available to public safety agencies in all states and territories for free through designated state emergency management coordinators’ offices. PHMSA also partnered with the National Library of Medicine to provide the ERG as a free mobile app.

For more information, visit phmsa.dot.gov.

Virtual Light Tower Demo

In light of COVID-19 forcing a decline in in-person demonstrations, Command Light launched a light tower demo that lets departments operate a virtual tower, along with its standard controller, allowing users to illuminate a 360-degree scene and operate the many functions of a Command Light tower. After demoing the tower, departments can build their own light tower using the website’s configurator to select the tower’s size, color, power, head quantity, fixture brand and optional backlight. Once built, the configurator provides tower specs.

For more information, visit commandlight.com