● The CHICAGO (IL) FIRE DEPARTMENT (CFD) received the 2004 MSA Fireslayer of the Year (FOTY) Award, presented to Chicago Fire Commissioner Cortez Trotter during the annual Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) in Indianapolis, Indiana. The department was recognized for its response to a December 6, 2004, fire at the 45-story LaSalle Bank Building. In responding to the five-alarm high-rise fire, CFD firefighters ascended 29 floors to reach trapped victims, using the east stairwell to evacuate the building, reserving the west stairwell to fight the fire. The CFD evacuated several hundred victims from the fire, which burned for more than five hours and severely damaged the 29th and 30th floors. In the fire, 39 people including 24 firefighters were injured but no lives were lost. The injured firefighters are expected to make a complete recovery and return to duty.
The award, created in 2000, honors the outstanding achievements by individual firefighters and departments that serve as role models for others. Trotter was presented with a special leather New Yorker Cairns Helmet and a commemorative plaque recognizing the department’s acts of heroism. In addition, MSA will donate $5,000 on behalf of the CFD to the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Burn Foundation, which benefits the Firefighters’ National Children’s Burn Camp and vital burn research, rehabilitation, and education programs.
● The HOME SAFETY COUNCIL (HSC) received a second federal grant to continue its home fire safety campaign, which is being implemented nationally with ProLiteracy Worldwide and Oklahoma State University’s Fire Protection Publications to help reach adults with low literacy skills. With a one-third match of more than $270,000 from the Home Safety Council, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has awarded $631,698 to the project. The Fire Safety Literacy Project (FSLP) is designed to reach 90 million adults in the United States who have limited reading ability and thus may be unable to read critical home safety information designed to reduce death and injury from fire in the home. For more information, visit www.homesafetycouncil.org.
● The INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE CHIEFS with support from NEXTEL COMMUNICATIONS has developed a 32-page handbook, Top Priority: The Fire Service Guide to Interoperable Communications, to help fire and emergency services chiefs and officers understand communications interoperability and to provide steps to improving communications in their region. The handbook provides a common operational definition of interoperability; discusses the foundation for interoperable communications; and provides direction to establish interoperability among fire, emergency medical service, and law enforcement organizations. For a free copy, go to www.iafc.org/home/nextel_handbook.asp.
● AMERICAN LAFRANCE has joined forces with the NATIONAL FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS FOUNDATION (NFFF) to help recognize firefighting heroes who have died in the line of duty. American LaFrance will donate $100 from every invoiced vehicle sale directly to the NFFF. In addition, company employees will staff many of the upcoming NFFF events, including the 2005 Memorial Weekend, October 7-9.
● SPARTAN CHASSIS secured 217 orders for its custom fire truck chassis in the first quarter of 2005, the most ever in a single quarter, from more than a dozen OEMs. A large portion of the orders included its Gladiator and new Gladiator Evolution trucks, among other products.
In its 25th year of participation at the Fire Department Instructors Conference, Spartan served as Gold Sponsor, helping support the FDIC’s training workshops, presentations, and demonstrations.
● The Houston (TX) Fire Department (HFD) extended its 2001 contract with LION APPAREL to supply firefighter protective clothing by 36 months. To date, Lion has supplied almost 2,700 sets of turnout gear. The extension allows for additional purchases to replace aging gear and build up reserve inventory. Since the inception of the contract, the department has added Janesville Aero Commando proximity gear and Lion RescueWear Tactix TR51 rescue gear to the agreement. The department employs approximately 3,600 career firefighters operating out of 89 stations.
● FIRE DEX promoted Lance Matiste to senior regional sales manager, responsible for working with and training regional sales managers along with his current responsibilities in the eastern region. Cyndi Williamson was named to inside sales support staff; previously she worked in the turnout production area. Paula Komm joins Fire-Dex accounting staff; previously, she worked in inside sales.
● VIVOMETRICS GOVERNMENT SERVICES and STORM KING MOUNTAIN TECHNOLOGIES received a grant for $748,699 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness to conduct a physiologic assessment of 500 wildland firefighters during their annual work capacity fitness pack tests. Firefighters will wear the VivoMetrics LifeShirt System beneath their protective gear, which will monitor their cardiopulmonary functions; the recorded physiological data will then be analyzed to better understand what a wildland firefighter experiences during the stress of fighting a forest fire.
NAMESINTHENEWS
● Recently retired Tualatin Valley (OR) Fire and Rescue Division Chief of Community Services TIM BIRR received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal, its highest honor. He was recognized for his dedication to fire prevention and protection. Birr’s 30 years of service included public affairs and media and community relations. He served 21 years with the Eugene Fire Department before joining Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue. Birr is author of the book Public and Media Relations for the Fire Service, published by Fire Engineering.
● Eight senior fire officials have been awarded fellowships to attend the Harvard University’s Senior Executives in State & Local Government Program this summer at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. The awardees are Chief THOMAS CARR, Montgomery County (MD) Fire and Rescue; Chief ROSEMARY CLOUD, East Point (GA) Fire Department; Deputy Chief MICHAEL JENSEN, Unified Fire Authority, Salt Lake County, Utah; Deputy Chief CHARLES MYERS, North Shore (WI) Fire Department; Division Chief JIM SIDERAS, Sioux Falls (SD) Fire Department; Chief STEVEN WESTERMANN, Central Jackson Fire Protection District, Blue Springs, MO; Deputy Commissioner JOHN MCGRATH, Philadelphia (PA) Fire Department; and Battalion Chief MANUEL NEVES, Honolulu (HI) Fire Department.
