Company/Association News

• FUEL IN A BOTTLE® has signed on as a new supporter of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). Fuel in a Bottle® donations will be directed to NFFF programs that honor the fallen, assist their survivors, and help prevent future line-of-duty deaths and injuries. Through this partnership, Fuel in a Bottle will help sponsor local events held by NFFF such as memorial stair climbs. www.firehero.org/donate. www.fuelinabottle.com.
• NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION (NFPA) named AnnMarie Pickett, lieutenant and public education officer for the Worcester (MA) Fire Department (WFD), as its 2015 Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year. Pickett is known for her steadfast commitment to bringing fire and life safety messages to as many people as possible. In 2014, under her leadership, the WFD’s public education division conducted more than 700 workshops, reaching 40,000 residents (compared to 10 workshops reaching 161 residents in 2008, just before she joined the division). Pickett formed an intergenerational partnership between the city’s senior center and a nearby elementary school. One of the many highlights from this collaboration occurred at the senior center when older adults worked with third grade students to create home escape plans using NFPA materials. www.nfpa.org/freeaccess.
• HALE PRODUCTS, INC. is now offering free Class 1 electronics-along with a five-year parts and labor warranty-with the purchase of a Qtwo two-stage pump. The free electronics include a Sentry Pressure Governor and Twister throttle control. The Qtwo features a strong flow rate knocks down large fires and a high-pressure delivery great for high-rise applications. The Qtwo is based on the Qmax pump, the bestselling single-stage pump in North America and is contained in a multiport, innovative, single-piece body that minimizes plumbing requirements and pressure loss. To qualify for this promotion, the pump must be purchased by June 30, 2015. Visit www.haleproducts.com for more information. (800) 533-3569.
• DRI INTERNATIONAL, the world’s leading business continuity and disaster recovery training organization, named REGROUP as its 2015 Notification System of the Year award winner. The award recognizes the company whose product demonstrates that its notification system is innovative and features an original design. The award criteria also includes the notification provider who has done the most for companies of all sizes to improve its crisis communications, whether servicing the public or private sector. Regroup is a leading Emergency Notification and Mass Communication provider and offers easy one-click messaging to mobile phones (text/voice), landlines, e-mail, social media, Web sites, and more. www.regroup.com.
• PRIORITY DISPATCH CORPORATION™ and ATRUS, INC. have signed a partnership agreement to support their mutual missions to dramatically improve sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) survival rates. Atrus’s AED Link software quickly connects SCA victims with potentially available AEDs and volunteer citizen users. With AED Link available directly through ProQA, when a cardiac arrest alert is received by the dispatch center, AED Link will notify volunteers automatically by text message or voice message as well as display a map showing telecommunicators the location of each AED and potential responders. Atrus’s bi-directional communication capabilities also allow the telecommunicators to be aware of the responders’ activities. www.atrusinc.com. www.prioritydispatch.net.
• STATE FARM® provided a grant to the National Fire Protection Association’s Year of Living Less Dangerously from Wildfire campaign. Aimed at residents and fire departments to keep wildfire safety top of mind for people living in the nation’s highest risk areas, the year-long campaign highlights and provides actionable, information, and specific activities and projects under three major themes: Plan, Act, and Embrace. From February to April, the focus of the campaign was on “Plan,” which promoted resources to help residents plan for projects to take place on Wildfire Community Preparedness Day. From May to August, the theme of “Act” will kick off with Wildfire Community Preparedness Day. From September to December, the theme will be “Embrace.” www.nfpa.org/yearoflivinglessdangerously. www.statefarm.com.
• THE FIRE PROTECTION RESEARCH FOUNDATION named Casey Grant as its executive director. The Foundation manages research on a broad range of fire safety issues in support of the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA’s) mission. Grant previously served as research director for the Foundation. He is a registered professional engineer in fire protection engineering in California and Tennessee and is a fellow of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers and the Institute of Fire Engineers. Prior to joining the Research Foundation in 2007, Grant was the secretary of the NFPA Standards Council and assistant chief engineer for nearly 20 years. http://nfpa.typepad.com/researchfoundation.

Names in the News

• MATT PEREZ was appointed as the Illinois Fire Marshal by Governor Bruce Rauner. Perez assumed the post on April 1. Perez started his career as a deputy with the Aurora (IL) Sheriff’s Department. In July 1987, he joined the Aurora Fire Department (AFD) as a firefighter. He eventually became a paramedic and rose through the ranks as a lieutenant and captain. Before becoming the fire marshal in 2010, he worked in the AFD’s training division. He graduated from Southern Illinois University ith a bachelor’s degree in fire service management.

• MIKE THOMPSON was sworn in as chief of the Shelby (OH) Fire Department (SFD), replacing Scott Hartman, who retired in January. Thompson has been with the SFD for 14 years, previously holding the rank of firefighter; he also works part-time for the Shiloh (OH) Fire Department. Thompson has a degree in elementary education and learning disabilities. Thompson taught for more than eight years in the Plymouth-Shiloh district.
   
   

• JIM FRAWLEY was named chief of the Santa Cruz (CA) Fire Department. Frawley replaces interim chief Mark Ramos, who held the post since Jeff Trapp retired in December 2014. Frawley will oversee 61 firefighters, 71 seasonal employees, and four administrative staff. Frawley began his fire service career as a firefighter and paramedic at Glendale (CA) Fire Department in 1989. He joined San Marino (CA) Fire Department in 2008 as a division chief, and has been its chief, fire marshal, emergency services coordinator, and public information officer. Frawley was previously chief of the San Gabriel and South Pasadena, California, fire departments.