The NATIONAL VOLUNTEER FIRE COUNCIL (NVFC) and MERCK/SCHERING-PLOUGH (MSP) announced five of the 10 winners of the Heart-Healthy Challenge contest, part of the Sounding the Alarm for High Cholesterol program. Winners were the Memphis Fire & EMS Department Engine 35, Shelby County, Tennessee; Earl Township Volunteer Fire Company #1, Berks County, Pennsylvania; David Crockett Steam Fire Company #1, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana; Willard Fire Protection District, Greene County, Missouri; and Durham Fire Department Station 12, Durham County, North Carolina. The names of the other finalists are to be announced at a later date. Additional information on the program is at www.healthy-firefighter.org. To sign up for the NVFC Heart-Healthy program newsletter, The Pulse, e-mail Iricardo@nvfc.org; provide your name and mailing address, and request that your name be added to the distribution list.
In 2007, SCOTT HEALTH & SAFETY celebrates its diamond anniversary. The company was founded as Scott Aviation in 1932 when Earl M. Scott began manufacturing the first pivoting tail wheel for airplanes in Lancaster, New York. The company grew significantly during World War II, when the British Royal Air Force asked Scott to develop a walk-around, on-board oxygen system for its pilots so they could safely fly at altitudes of 30,000 feet over the Burma Hump into China.
From invention, Scott developed the first Air-Pak® SCBA in 1945, the 6000 B4A. Scott approached the local fire departments about his SCBA, but it wasn’t an overnight sensation. Then, firefighters were called “smoke eaters,” simply using wet handkerchiefs or canister masks to filter smoke. Now the Scott Air-Pak is used by hundreds of thousands of U.S. firefighters. For more information about Scott Health & Safety, visit www.scotthealthsafety.com.
AKRON BRASS has added the following new sales personnel. David Wunderlin joined the company as district sales manager for Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Arkansas, and Southern Illinois. Kent Clasen was named district sales manager for Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and South Dakota. David Hradek is the new district sales manager for Ohio, eastern Kentucky, and West Virginia. Brian Barrington has joined Akron as an OEM account manager for the bus and specialty vehicle segments. Jeff Park was named as an ambulance OEM account manager.
The EFJOHNSON subsidiary of EFJ, INC. has implemented the new enhanced Project 25 Vocoder into its Project 25-compliant portable and mobile radios. A digital voice coder or Vocoder determines the speech quality performance of a communication system, significantly improving voice quality and audio performance. According to enhanced Project 25 Vocoder developer DIGITAL VOICE SYSTEMS INC. (DVSI), its patented Enhanced P25 Vocoder achieves substantially higher voice quality in virtually all test conditions, significantly better performance in background noise, and full interoperability with the P25 Vocoder standard (TIA-102BABA). The company is shipping the Enhanced P25 Vocoder technology in its radios, Jalbert added. EFJohnson received a $3 million order from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). to provide Project 25-compliant portable radios.
The National EMS Information System’s (NEMSIS) Technical Assistance Center has certified EMERGENCY TECHNOLOGIES, INC. (ETI) as a NEMSIS silver-compliant software vendor. ETI’s Visual Fire and Visual EMS meet the data gathering, reporting, and security requirements established by NEMSIS. The NEMSIS comprehensive requirements encompass more than 400 data fields, specific to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 2.2.1 dataset. ETI’s Visual EMS e-PCR module manages information on patients and the care provided by emergency personnel on-scene, is fully integrated with CAD systems, and is customizable to handle an agency’s codes and protocols. Data stored in Visual EMS can be exported for reporting, billing, or other purposes and is HIPAA-compliant.
FIREMAN’S FUND INSURANCE COMPANY has launched a new wildfire readiness program to help San Francisco Bay area homeowners protect their homes from wildfires. Where appropriate, California requires homeowners to create a defensible space of between 30 to 100 feet around their homes by clearing brush and grass. With Fireman’s Fund’s new Wildfire Readiness Helpline, (800) 317-0575),
homeowners can call for a free on-site inspection of their home. In partnership with FireProtec, a full-service vegetation removal company, a firefighting professional will visit and provide advice on creating a defensible space around the person’s home, including tips on what brush, grass, and trees to clear. Homeowners will have the option of getting the brush professionally removed at a 10-percent discount, an offer typically available only to Fireman’s Fund policyholders.
The free program is available to homeowners in the following counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma.
Fireman’s Fund will also offer an expanded home inspection to all of its homeowner’s insurance policyholders. A Wildfire Home Protection Review will be available at no charge to provide a more comprehensive assessment of all dangers in and around the homeowner’s property. The analysis covers a broad range of risks, from easy-to-fix items like removing propane tanks from under decks to more extensive items like replacing flammable roofing materials. For additional information, visit www.firemansfund.com.
KME FIRE APPARATUS announced that John J. Kovatch IV has joined KME with a full-time position in materials management. Kovach graduated from King’s College with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He has been involved with KME and Kovatch auto dealerships over the past five years, and will now focus specifically on materials management for KME Fire Apparatus while overseeing the Kovatch family of auto dealerships.
NAMES IN THE NEWS
ADAM THIEL has been named chief of the Alexandria (VA) Fire and EMS Department. Since 2004, Thiel has been the deputy chief of emergency services for Goodyear, Arizona, managing the city’s response to fires, medical emergencies, hazardous materials releases, and rescue situations. He is a certified fire officer, fire-rescue instructor, rescue diver, hazardous materials technician, and former paramedic. In 2002, Thiel was appointed as executive director of the Virginia Department of Fire Programs. He also was a member of the Commonwealth Preparedness Working Group, the Virginia Emergency Response Council, the State Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Advisory Committee, and the Critical Infrastructure Working Group. From 1995 to 2002, Thiel was a member of the Fairfax County (VA) Fire and Rescue Department, rising to the rank of lieutenant.
TIM BIRR, a retired firefighter, received the 2007 Oregon Fire Chiefs Association President’s Award for his lifelong efforts to get fire-safe cigarette legislation passed in Oregon. Birr’s work with legislators and fire service partners played a key role in the bill becoming law in 2007. Birr is a Fire Engineering author and an FDIC speaker.
