FERRARA FIRE APPARATUS, INC. sponsored the 2010 Brotherhood Ride. Beginning in Tallahassee, Florida, on April 1 and ending in Houston, Texas, on April 10, the ride covered more than 850 miles. The Brotherhood Ride is a group of firefighters, law enforcement officers, and emergency medical personnel that first formed to honor the nine fallen firefighters of the Charleston (SC) Fire Department who died in the line of duty on June 18, 2007. Each year, the Brotherhood Ride honors newly-fallen firefighters with a bike ride from Florida to the fallens’ hometown, providing emotional and financial support to family and friends of the fallen. The 2010 Brotherhood Ride was dedicated to two Houston firefighters, Captain James Harlow and Firefighter Damion Hobbs, who died while responding to an early morning house fire on April 12, 2009. www.brotherhoodride.com.
NAVISTAR INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION reached an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in which the EPA promised to hold a public workshop or hearing to address issues Navistar raised in its federal court appeal of EPA’s certification policies for selective catalytic reduction (SCR)-equipped diesel powered trucks. Navistar had asked the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., to void those polices because the EPA adopted them without the public process required by law, but instead following input only from the SCR engine makers. Navistar charged the EPA with using those policies to allow SCR-equipped diesel powered trucks to operate for extended periods without any control of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and is certifying SCR engines as meeting NOx emission requirements when they do not. www.Navistar.com/newsroom.
RAE SYSTEMS INC. placed personnel on-scene and is providing 24/7 support to private, federal, and state environmental management responders with technical experts to deal with the by-products of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. RAE Systems has activated its 24-hour response line at (408) 952-8200, ext. 8, to provide technical support, replacement sensors, and equipment as needed. AreaRAE™ wireless networks, UltraRAE™ 3000 benzene monitors, and handheld colorimetric detection tubes are being used to provide protection and detection of benzene and flammable gasses from the oil slick in the clean-up areas and by operations managers on the neighboring drilling rigs and platforms. www.RAESystems.com.
The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) has selected RADIATION SHIELD TECHNOLOGIES’ (RST) new Demron personal-protection armor to improve firefighter safety. Demron is the world’s first fabric that provides multihazard protection from all nuclear, biological, chemical, bomb, and ballistic threats as well as infrared radiation and heat. FDNY will incorporate Demron in its chemical protective clothing upgrade program to enhance its response capabilities with universal protection. Hazardous Materials Company 1, one of the first FDNY teams to deploy Demron, is using RST’s Demron Two-Ply Radiation Torso Vest, Demron-W High Energy Nuclear/Ballistic IED/RDD/RED Shield, and Crew Protection Blanket. www.radshield.com. (866) 7-DEMRON.
BLACK DIAMOND is the first fire boot company to be awarded the Seal of Acceptance from the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA). The APMA Seal of Acceptance was created to inform podiatric physicians and consumers about products whose quality, safety, and effectiveness promote good foot health. To qualify for the Seal products must pass an extensive scientific evaluation by a panel of APMA members and testing at a recognized laboratory. The results are then evaluated by a committee of doctors of podiatric medicine who decide to grant or deny the use of the Seal. www.blackdiamondfootwear.com.
CUMMINS INC. announced a multiyear extension of its current agreement with Chrysler Group, LLC. Cummins will supply 6.7-liter Turbo Diesel engines for Ram Heavy Duty pickups and Chassis Cab trucks while continuing to grow its partnership with Chrysler, which began 21 years ago. Cummins has produced over 1.7 million Cummins Turbo Diesel engines for Dodge Ram Heavy Duty trucks since 1989. Today, over 80 percent of Ram Heavy Duty truck customers purchase their truck with the Cummins Turbo Diesel. In 2007, Dodge and Cummins produced the cleanest heavy-duty diesel pickup in the market by meeting U.S Environmental Protection Agency 2010 emissions levels three years in advance. www.cummins.com.
SPARTAN MOTORS CHASSIS, INC. collaborated with SIMULATION TECHNOLOGY, LLC to create a custom system representative of Spartan’s emergency response products that simulates the driving environment of a first responder at FDIC 2010. The FDIC driving simulator features a Spartan Chassis cockpit with high-resolution graphics on five LCD displays. The display creates a true 230° continuous field of view that is geometrically correct from the driver’s eye point. Since 2001, Simulation Technology has designed, engineered, developed and produced driver training simulators for fire apparatus, EMS/Rescue vehicles, law enforcement, and other specialty vehicles. The company offers mobile training and has extensive experience and expertise in funding resources, including grants and loans for municipalities. www.spartanchassis.com. www.simulationtechnologyllc.com.
SAINT-GOBAIN PERFORMANCE PLASTICS opened its new ONESuit Service and Support Center in Suwa, Japan, to provide technical assistance and repair services to Asia-Pacific-based customers using Saint-Gobain’s ONESuit® Flash and ONESuit® Gard. OneSuit products meet National Fire Protective Association (NFPA) requirements and are certified to NFPA 1991 standards with lightweight, single-skin designs. www.onesuittec.com.
