For the Record 4/14

Firehouse Launches Station Design Awards Program and Workshop

Firehouse announced plans to launch a station design awards program and design workshop in 2014. The expansion in the station design segment comes on the heels of Firehouse Magazine's successful Fire Station Design supplement, which was published in August, 2013.

"Based on the popularity of the supplement and growing demand from department personnel and municipal officials for expert advice, best practices and education, we see a real opportunity to better serve this segment," said Greg Toritto, Firehouse's group publisher. "We are also thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Janet Wilmoth. Her experience and dedication to helping departments navigate the arduous process of building and renovating their public safety facilities is unparalleled. " 

Wilmoth, the former associate publisher/editorial director of Fire Chief, worked with Toritto more than a decade ago to launch Station Style, a successful station design initiative that included an awards program and conference.

"I'm very pleased that Firehouse is making this commitment to individuals tasked with building and renovating their stations," said Wilmoth. "Designing a new fire station or public safety facility is a monumental task and often a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for department leaders. Working with the Firehouse team, I'm confident we can bring quality resources and networking to people who really need our help."

Firehouse has released a tentative timeline for the Station Design Awards program, which kicked off with a call for entries in late March. Winners will be announced in October, followed by the publication of a station design portfolio that will showcase award-winning and notable station designs

In addition to the Station Design Awards program, Firehouse will host a one-day Station Design Workshop at Firehouse Expo in Baltimore, MD, July 16-19. The program will focus on best practices and design innovations for public safety officials and municipal leaders who are responsible for department facilities.

EVT of the Year Recognized at FDSOA Symposium

The Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) Emergency Vehicle Technician (EVT) of the Year was awarded to Mitch Perry, a mechanic with Clay County, FL, Fire Rescue. The award, which was sponsored by C.E. Niehoff & Co., the maker of charging and power management systems for apparatus and emergency vehicles, was presented to Perry during the opening ceremony of the 26th annual apparatus symposium in Orlando.

Perry was nominated by Deputy Chief Richard Knoff, who is in charge of Clay County Fire Rescue’s logistics division. “He is considered the man who can fix anything,” Knoff wrote in his letter nominating Perry for the award. “He has the ability to diagnose problems from the field to determine where downed units should be sent for outside repair.”

Perry has worked for Clay County for 16 years, 14 as an EVT for the department. The two years prior, he worked for the county’s fleet maintenance division. He was selected as the Clay County Public Safety employee of the year for 2010 and has been a member of the EVT section of the Florida Fire Chief’s Association for several years. He holds certifications for Florida EVT for F-2 Design and Performance Standards and Preventive Maintenance of Fire Apparatus and Accessories.

HFSC Launches Home Sprinkler Online Content

The nonprofit Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) has launched new online content designed to help consumers learn about the life-saving benefits of fire sprinklers. Available at no cost on HFSC’s website, the new Ask for Them! interactive guide (www.homefiresprinkler.org/index.php/Consumer/quick-guide.html) provides consumers who are thinking of building, buying, renting or renovating a home with answers to important questions about home fire safety. The information is easy to understand and covers water supply, installation, how fire sprinklers work, simple maintenance, and much more. The interactive guide also addresses the most common myths about home fire sprinklers.

“If there’s one thing we hear over and over from consumers, it’s that they wish they’d known they could have asked their homebuilder for home fire sprinklers,” says HFSC President Lorraine Carli. “Consumers in every community need access to the facts about home fire dangers as well as the many benefits of fire sprinkler protection. We are hopeful this new guide will help more consumers end up living in a fire-safe dream home.”

Ask for Them! was funded in part by a U.S. FEMA Fire Prevention & Safety Grant.