The FIRE DEPARTMENT INSTRUCTORS CONFERENCE (FDIC) has been ranked the 54th largest tradeshow in the United States and Canada, according to the April 2006 edition of the Tradeshow Week 200. In the magazine’s 2005 list, the show ranked 62nd; in the 2004 list, 70th. The Tradeshow Week 200 is compiled through a year-long process of analyzing data on tradeshows in the United States and Canada. Show statistics are collected and compared to the previous year’s numbers and to industry standards to validate the information. The 2005 FDIC’s 335,191 net square feet (315,805 in 2004) of exhibit space, 864 exhibitors, and 22,081 attendees earned the show its current place in the tradeshow ranking list. FDIC is part of Pennwell’s Fire Group, which includes Fire Engineering magazine.
AMERICAN LuFRANCE LLC will locate its corporate headquarters and emergency and vocational vehicle assembly plant in North Charleston, South Carolina, adjacent to the Charleston Southern University campus. Construction is to begin soon and is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2007.
The $35 million complex will include a 57,500-square-foot headquarters and a 420,000-square-foot assembly plant. The project is expected to create at least 200 new jobs, in addition to the company’s 430 existing employees in Charleston County.
PIERCE MANUFACTURING, INC. has given Global Emergency Products, a Temco Company, based in Aurora, Illinois, responsibility for Indiana for Pierce® and Contender® by Pierce fire apparatus, in addition to its current responsibility for Illinois. Global has completed final negotiations to expand into Indiana, with a sales and service office located in Indianapolis. Global Emergency Products is an authorized Pierce service dealer. The Temco Company also sells Oshkosh® airport rescue, firefighting, and snow removal products. For more information, call (800) 582-8818 or visit www.gep3.com.
MUTUAL AID AMERICA is a 501(c) 3 public charity that assists underfunded fire departments in Latin America. It seeks donations of well-maintained and low-mileage used fire apparatus, particularly from those from the mid 1970s through the early 1980s, but newer models are also acceptable. For more information, contact Daniel P. Sheridan at (845) 598-0297. E-mail: Daniel.sheridan@mutual-aid.org.
The PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY (MD) FIRE/EMS DEPARTMENT has implemented a $10.5 million ambulance replacement program that will totally revamp the county-owned ambulance and paramedic unit fleet. The department accepted the initial delivery of eight, state-of-the-art EMS vehicles in May; a total of 70 new vehicles will be delivered and placed into service by the end of the year. The new EMS vehicles will feature the Freightliner M2 chassis, with the ambulance body built by American LaFrance/Medic Master, and are powered by a Mercedes Benz MBE900-260 -hp engine and an Allison 3000EVS transmission. Other features include anti-lock brakes; an ignition security system; electric locks on all doors operated from cab; a backup camera with cab display screen; and backing sensors with an audible alarm. The new units will replace an aging fleet in which some units date back to 1989, and have more than 200,000 miles.
 |
The program includes a trade-in of 70 existing ambulances, which was used as a reserve fleet. This plan is expected to save more than $2 million over the next five years, compared to the previous practice of replacing seven or eight vehicles a year.
These new vehicles will not be permanently assigned to a fire/EMS stations; instead each station will have two removable placards, one identifying the station, and a second one marked “Out of Service.” When a unit is placed out of serve for repairs or maintenance, another ambulance will substituted, with the station’s numbered placard affixed to the new unit. (photo 1)
To ensure equitable usage of each vehicle, the new EMS units will be cycled throughout the department to eliminate downtime for repairs. The reserve EMS units will be as new as the one being dropped off for repair. Additionally, the vehicles may be switched between high- and low-response-volume fire/EMS stations to ensure that, after a five-year period, none of the units will exceed 100,000 miles.
The NATIONAL FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS FOUNDATION (NFFF) awarded the Anne Arundel (MD) County Fire Department the Firefighter Life Safety Seal of Excellence Award, which recognizes the commitment of individuals, groups, departments, and organizations to making the American fire service safer.
The NFFF cited Chief Ronald D. Blackwell’s commitment to firefighter life safety, including the adoption of a new county-wide response plan to emergencies, production of a video, and complete department participation for the National Firefighter Safety Stand Down Day in 2005. He also had the department’s Health and Safety Division review existing policies and procedures to ensure they support the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives.
The NFFF also awarded Pennsylvania State Fire Commissioner Ed Mann the Firefighter Life Safety Seal of Excellence Award, for his efforts in promoting the line-of-duty death (LODD) prevention-reduction program, “The Courage to Be Safe… So Everyone Goes Home.” The program outlines the history of the life safety initiatives and examines LODDs in Pennsylvania and the nation. A key part of the program is the story of LODD survivors, revealing the pain and heartbreak the loss of a firefighter brings to a family and a fire department.
The NFFF received a $1 million grant from the Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, which will allow the foundation to continue its mission of reducing firefighter fatalities nationwide by 50 percent over the next 10 years. The foundation launched a major initiative in 2005 to bring prevention to the forefront. Year one funding for the project was also provided by the Department of Homeland Security Assistance to Firefighters grant and a corporate match by The Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company. The 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives are at the core of the program and are intended to to reduce firefighter fatalities and injuries nationwide. For more information on the initiatives, visit: www.EveryoneGoesHome.com.
