FIRE ENGINEERING was a finalist in the how-to article category in this year’s Jesse H. Neal Awards, sponsored by American Business Media. “Managing the Mayday,” by Rick Lasky and John F. (Skip) Coleman (January 2000), focused on training firefighters for dealing with a fireground situation involving a lost or trapped firefighter. Lasky is chief of the Lewisville (TX) Fire Department, and Coleman is deputy chief of operations for the Toledo (OH) Fire Department.
AMERICAN LAFRANCE CORPORATION opened a 35,000-foot refurbishment and service center adjacent to its manufacturing facility in Cleveland, North Carolina. The building includes three 80-foot-long drive-through bays, an almost 8,000-square-foot fabrication space, and one of the largest paint booths in the area. The facility can perform component upgrades, custom installations, and repairs on a variety of vehicles regardless of make or model. It is an authorized service center for American LaFrance aerials, including Ladder Towers, Inc. (LTI), Aerial Innovations (AI), and Snorkel Fire Equipment products.
ALDAN INDUSTRIES, INC. has moved its sales and executive offices to King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and its manufacturing facilities to Danville, Pennsylvania. Executive Office: 250 King Manor Drive, King of Prussia, PA 19406, Telephone: (800) 220-1776, (610) 272-1500. Fax: (610) 272-1700. Factory: 115 Woodbine Lane, Danville, PA 17821. Telephone: (800) 220-2273, (570) 275-7511. Fax: (570) 271-7541.
CUMMINS INC. and VALVOLINE signed another five-year sales and marketing alliance in which Cummins endorses and recommends Valvoline’s Premium BlueT engine oil for Cummins heavy-duty diesel engines. Cummins will sell the oil through its distributor and dealer channels, and Cummins engine plants will use Valvoline products.
FEDERAL SIGNAL CORPORATION’s FIRE RESCUE GROUP (FRG) named Jim Schwaller president of the FRG, North America. He will focus on integrating the operations of the FRG, which includes Emergency One, Bronto, Saulsbury, and Superior. John Foord was named general manager of Superior Emergency Vehicles. Wilson Jones was named senior vice president of sales and marketing for FRG North America. Jay Johnson was promoted to vice president of marketing, responsible for product management, marketing communications, sales support, and telemarketing for FRG North American and international operations. Bob Alm was promoted to vice president of international sales for FRG North America, and will continue to develop an international dealer network and global customer relationships. Paul Sim was named vice president for sales for FRG North America and will direct sales for E-One, Saulsbury, Superior, and Bronto. Michael Gordon has joined Emergency One as product manager for pumpers and tankers. Vesa Latvio has been named product manager for Bronto, North America. Alan Saulsbury was named product manager for Saulsbury. Phil Lincoln was named sales training coordinator for FRG, responsible for training all North American dealers in products, sales techniques, and NFPA standards. Steve Stefanides is now Saulsbury sales specialist/ regional manager for the southern United States from the Atlantic to Pacific coasts.
FREIGHTLINER LLC has named Roger Nielson president of the Specialized Vehicles Group. He will oversee the American LaFrance, Freightliner Custom Chassis, Thomas Built Buses, and Orion Bus Industries subsidiaries.
SPARTAN MOTORS, INC. named Kim Korth to the board of directors for a three-year term. An automotive analyst, Korth founded IRN, an international automotive consulting firm that provides strategic planning, market research, and operations consulting to diversified manufacturing and service firms.
The NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION (NFPA) awarded 62 North American classes prizes for participating in the NFPA’s Fire Prevention Week 2000 program, “Fire Drills: The Great Escape!” The randomly selected winners will receive a complete DellT computer package worth more than $1,000.
The NFPA and Lifetime Learning Systems (LLS) distributed the materials to more than 300,000 elementary school teachers throughout the United States and Canada. LLS reported that more than seven million students learned the “ins and outs” of home fire escape after receiving the materials, and more than five million students developed and practiced home drills with their families.
AETHER SYSTEMS, INC. announced the city of Seattle, Washington, has purchased the company’s mobile government software to outfit the city’s police and fire departments with a mobile data system. The city handles 70,000 fire department and more than 800,000 law enforcement calls annually. The company’s PacketClusterT software will provide 80 fire and 330 police mobile users with information over a cellular digital packet data network.
THE DISTRICT SIX FIRE DEPARTMENT received an ISO Class 1 fire insurance rating from the Insurance Services Organization. It is estimated that residential property owners in the district will save approximately five percent on fire insurance premiums and commercial businesses will save five percent or more. Fire district employees improved in areas such as training, inspection/maintenance, and off-duty structure fire response. The 22-member, two-station department serves an 18-square mile area with 17,000 residents and responds to 1,700 emergencies annually.
NAMES IN THE NEWS
SHAWN GILMARTIN, a battalion captain with the Pembroke Pines (FL) Fire Department, was named the 2000 Pembroke Pines Firefighter of the Year. On September 22, 2000, Gilmartin, then off-duty, saw a vehicle leave the interstate and enter a roadside canal and flip over, three feet below the water’s surface. One occupant escaped, but a second person was still in the vehicle. After making several attempts to rescue the victim, Gilmartin rolled the car on its side and opened the door. With the assistance of a passerby, Gilmartin extricated the victim from the car. Other passersby started CPR; the local EMS responded but was unable to resuscitate the victim.
