>> FIREMAN’S FUND INSURANCE COMPANY and its employees have donated $94,496 to the American Red Cross to support Haiti relief and redevelopment efforts. Since the earthquake, employees made individual donations to the American Red Cross totaling $47,248; Fireman’s Fund matched that amount, and made a total donation of $94,496 to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund. Following the earthquake, Fireman’s Fund pledged to match any employee donation up to $1,000 per person to the American Red Cross. www.firemansfund.com.
>> EMSRESPONDER.COM, the largest EMS online community, has partnered with CENTRELEARN SOLUTIONS and EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS SYSTEMS to launch the RapidCE.com Helping Heroes program, which offers free continuing education (CE) to certified first responders, EMTs, and paramedics affected by the recession to maintain their professional license or certification during a layoff or furlough. Documentation of circumstances and EMS certification or licensure is required. Certified first responders, EMTs or paramedics who qualify will receive a free subscription to RapidCE.com, which offers unlimited access to more than 200 Continuing Education Coordinating Board for Emergency Medical Services accredited CE lessons. To enroll in the Helping Heroes program, visit www.rapidce.com/helpingheroes.
>> FERRARA FIRE APPARATUS, INC. was awarded a contract by the city of Houston, Texas for 10 new custom pumper apparatus. The trucks will be built on Ferrara Igniter custom chassis, each equipped with a 3/16-inch thick, marine-grade aluminum cab and body. Ferrara fire trucks have been in service to the City of Houston since 2005. When these new apparatus are delivered, there will be nearly 70 Ferrara vehicles in their fleet. The Houston Fire Department, America’s fourth largest department with 88 engine companies and 92 fire stations, protects an area with more than two million city residents and a large industrial base.
>>E-ONE has appointed KEMET AIRPORT SUPPLIERS as Egypt’s new E-ONE dealer. For more than 20 years, Kemet has supplied various airport equipment and aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicles to customers throughout their territory. Kemet will rely on its experienced sales, parts, and service staff to assist new customers and support the substantial existing fleet of E-ONE ARFF vehicles in Egypt. www.E-ONE.com. (352) 237-1122. www.kemetairport.com.
>> OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH DYNAMICS (OHD) has named Bruce Schorer as its national sales manager. In this position, Schorer will report to Andy Coats, OHD owner and president. In a 30-plus year career, Schorer has represented manufacturers of respiratory protection systems and contributed to the formulation of standards within the United States and Canada. He has also successfully managed the European company Kemira Safety after its acquisition by Scott Health and Safety. OHD was founded in 1992 and continues to serve occupational health and industrial safety customers.
>> SMITHS DETECTION agreed on a worldwide distribution partnership with 20/20 BIORESPONSE for its BioCheck powder screening test kits. The partnership adds a low-cost biological threat assessment tool to strengthen Smiths Detection’s portfolio of emergency and first response products. BioCheck is a patented and easy-to-use screening kit that combines a ‘best in class’ protein assay with a pH test to rapidly assess suspicious powders representing potential biological threats. Emergency responder teams and government agencies worldwide have used the sensitive kits for more than seven years.
>> SPARTAN MOTORS CHASSIS, INC. received an order for 22 Metro Star™ Pumper chassis for the Beijing (China) Fire Department. The order is the largest ever from China since the company first began doing business there in 2002. Under the contract, Spartan will provide the chassis to W.S. DARLEY & CO., which will add the body and pump systems to fulfill the order. Each vehicle will include the model’s spacious cab with a flat floor, various seating configurations, and raised roof. W.S. Darley & Co. will install a heavy-duty compressed air foam system on the chassis. Designed for Chinese departments, it features special pumps that can pump water and foam to the top floors of buildings that are more than 300 meters tall.
>> FM GLOBALawarded $375,000 in fire prevention grants during 2009 to help organizations worldwide more effectively prevent fire in their communities. Fire departments, brigades, and related agencies in the United States, Canada, India, Brazil, and the United Kingdom benefited from FM Global fire prevention grants last year. On average, each grant recipient received $2,500 to bolster loss prevention initiatives, such as community education, prefire planning, and arson prevention. FM Global has contributed millions of dollars in fire prevention grants to fire service organizations around the globe through its Fire Prevention Grant Program. www.fmglobal.com/grants.
>> The 2010 JUVENILE FIRESETTER RESOURCE GUIDE is now available for free online download at www.theideabank.com/jfs_guide/index.php. Published by The Idea Bank, the guide lists 650 professionals and programs throughout the United States and Canada. It is also is divided into three separate sections—People and Programs, a Speaker’s Directory, and a Calendar of Events.
>> VIKING LIFE-SAVING EQUIPMENT celebrates its 50th anniversary as a company and the 50th anniversary of its chairman of the board, Tage Sørensen. Viking began in Denmark as a small life raft manufacturer with just a few employees. It has since grown into a global leader in maritime and offshore lifesaving equipment. The company’s international expansion was launched with the establishment of the first foreign subsidiary in Rotterdam in 1977. Today, with 52 sales and service facilities and more than 270 certified servicing stations, VIKING is a global corporation offering its customers the biggest global safety network.
>> PHYSIO-CONTROL, INC. received approval by Health Canada to market the LIFEPAK 15 monitor/defibrillator within Canada; official license notification was received on September 1, 2009. With an all-new product platform, the LIFEPAK 15 delivers best-in-class clinical and operational innovations and provides the widest range of energy dosing (up to 360 joules) and the broadest selection of monitoring options available. It is the first monitor/defibrillator to integrate Masimo Rainbow SET® Pulse CO-Oximetry™ technology for the noninvasive detection of carboxyhemoglobin (carbon monoxide in the blood) and methemoglobin in the blood (which may result from exposure to certain chemicals and drugs).
>> William M. Brown, president of UTC FIRE & SECURITY, was named an honorary battalion chief for the Fire Department of New York (FDNY). At a ceremony at FDNY headquarters, Brown became the first honorary chief named by newly appointed Commissioner Salvatore Cassano. The FDNY protects more than eight million residents and an area of 321.8 square miles. UTC Fire & Security, through its Kidde division, has teamed with WABC-TV and the station’s Operation 7 Save A Life program to donate 180,000 smoke alarms to NYC families since 2002. Kidde has also raised awareness of New York State’s new “Amanda’s Law,” which requires carbon monoxide alarms in all residential dwellings.
>> UNDERWRITERS LABORATORIES (UL) and ICC EVALUATION SERVICE, INC® (ICC-ES®) have partnered to provide the building materials industry with a dual evaluation and certification program for building products. Together, the highly regarded UL Mark and the trusted ICC-ES Mark will evaluate the building products and systems for tens of thousands of regulators, building officials, architects, and insurers to ensure that they are compliant with appropriate codes and product safety standards. The dual evaluation and certification program simplifies the testing and evaluation process for manufacturers.
>> The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has named Dave Nuss as its wildland fire protection divison manager. Nuss will manage all of the NFPA’s wildland fire activities, including the well-known Firewise Communities program. He will also oversee NFPA’s wildfire codes and standards for public safety; coordinate a new advisory board of federal, state, nonprofit representatives; and expand wildfire safety and training opportunities for fire service professionals. Nuss is a 22-year fire service veteran in the states of Colorado and Oregon.
