>> Bacou-Dalloz is changing its corporate name to SPERIAN, which reflects the firm’s international expansion and unifies its multiple brands and diverse safety product lines. The Bacou-Dalloz Fire Safety Group, which includes Survivair®, Securitex®, and BioSystems®, will be renamed the Sperian Fire division; the old brand names will be phased out gradually in the next several months.
>>LION APPAREL has acquired the Houston and Dallas, Texas, locations of SOLUTIONS SAFETY, INC. firefighter clothing cleaning and repair operations. The move enhances Lion’s TotalCare® operations, which provides fire departments proper supply and care of protective clothing. Earlier this year, Lion Apparel acquired National Safety Clean of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, as part of its North American expansion of services.
>> HAIX, a firefighting/rescue footwear manufacturer, has developed the HAIX repair and resole program in collaboration with NUSHOE, INC. NuShoe, Inc. will provide comprehensive repair and resole service using only HAIX originally manufactured materials and processes that adhere to the HAIX’ rigorous technical standards. Out-of-warranty HAIX footwear can be completely refurbished through a resole package, which includes necessary replacement or repair of stitching, toe caps, zippers, hardware, and soles. Footwear will be also be cleaned and receive new laces and insoles. Customers may request sole replacement only or a toe cap replacement only. Footwear can be returned within in two to four weeks. All HAIX footwear can be resoled. For more information, visit www.haix.com, www.nushoe.com.
>>W.S. DARLEY & CO. has purchased the assets of OHLER MACHINERY COMPANY of Janesville, Iowa. Ohler has produced pumps for the U.S. military and Coast Guard and pumps and related equipment for the agricultural, industrial, mining, and marine applications. Ohler recently received a $10 million-plus contract to provide up to 2,300 portable refueling and potable water pumps for the United States Marine Corps. Darley plans to add to the Ohler manufacturing facility, adding new machinery and hiring additional employees. The complete Ohler product line will be offered through Darley’s distribution network of more than 500 national and international pump dealers and service centers as well as the current Ohler dealers.
>> Elkhart Brass is expanding the existing 10-year valve warranty on the Unibody electric valve to include the controller and the electric motor. The 10-year warranty now covers all valve-related electric components, including the controller, the motor, and the sensors. The new warranty takes effect immediately.
>>FEDERAL SIGNAL CORPORATION has made the following changes in the organization of its Fire Rescue Group. Peter Guile has been named president of E-ONE, responsible for the company’s U.S.-based fire apparatus business. Esa Peltola, vice president and general manager of Bronto Skylift in Finland, has been named president of that business. Marc Gustafson, previously president of the Fire Rescue Group, is leaving the company.
>> The NATIONAL FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS FOUNDATION (NFFF) and FIREMAN’S FUND INSURANCE COMPANY have selected eight fire departments to receive new thermal imaging cameras and three to receive other equipment from the “Into the Fire” grant program. The grant winners are: Lincoln (IL) Rural Fire Protection District: thermal imaging camera and $1,475 for new bailout bags; Henderson (NC) Fire Department, thermal imaging camera; Cresson (PA) Volunteer Fire Company, thermal imaging camera; Rolling Oaks Volunteer Fire Department (Wills Point, Texas), thermal imaging camera; Crystal Fire Co. No. 1 (German, PA), thermal imaging camera; Houston (MO) Rural Fire Association, thermal imaging camera; Cutler Volunteer Fire Company (Camp Douglas, Wisconsin), thermal imaging camera; Oolitic (IN) Volunteer Fire Department, $4,400 for new mounting equipment; Clay (KY) Fire and Rescue, $2,210 for new AED; Palmer Lake (CO) Volunteer Fire Department; $2,650 for new gas detector; and Saluda County (SC) Fire Service, thermal imaging camera. The grant program is funded by money raised from DVD sales, T-shirt sales, screening events, and other fund-raising related to the “Into the Fire” documentary. DVDs can be purchased at www.firemansfund.com/heritage. Fireman’s Fund donates $7 from each DVD sale to the fire service. Purchasers may elect to direct a portion of this amount ($5) to their local fire department via a drop-down menu organized by ZIP code. The remaining $2, or all $7 if no fire department designation is made, goes to the “Into the Fire” fund.
>> Four students have been selected to receive scholarships from the NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION’s (NFPA) Fire Safety Educational Memorial Fund based on their academic achievement, leadership abilities, contributions to fire safety activities, and pursuit of careers in fire safety.
Nicholas Eschner, a senior at Oklahoma State University pursuing a bachelor of science in fire and safety technology, received the George D. Miller Scholarship, which provides assistance to students in fire service or public administration programs in the United States or Canada. Eschner has been a volunteer firefighter/EMT during his summer breaks and intends to have a career in the local or national level of the fire service.
Stephen Petit, joining the master’s degree program in fire protection engineering at the University of Maryland in September, received the John L. Jablonsky Scholarship, which aids graduate students in fire protection engineering programs in the United States and Canada. Petit served as an active volunteer firefighter while an undergraduate at Clarkson University and will be working at the Center for Firefighter Safety Research and Development at the University of Maryland this fall.
Daniel Nilsson, pursuing doctoral studies in fire safety engineering at Lund University in Sweden, was awarded the Memorial Fund’s David B. Gratz Scholarship, established for students enrolled in fire science or engineering programs outside of the United States or Canada. Nilsson conducts research in fire evacuation and human behavior, concentrating on how exit guidance influences choices in emergency situations and social influence during evacuation.
Allison Carey, an undergraduate fire protection engineering student at the University of Maryland, received the first Arthur E. Cote Scholarship, which recognizes and supports individuals pursuing a career in fire protection engineering. Last semester, Carey worked on an alternative fuel project sponsored by the Fire Protection Research Foundation, an affiliate of NFPA, and will be involved in similar projects in the future. For more information, visit www.nfpa.org.
NAMES IN THE NEWS
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JOHN “SKIP” COLEMAN has been named assistant chief of the Toledo (OH) Department of Fire and Rescue. He previously was deputy chief of fire prevention. Coleman is author of Incident Management for the Street-Smart Fire Officer (Fire Engineering, 1997) and Managing Major Fires (Fire Engineering, 2000), a technical editor of Fire Engineering, and a member of the FDIC Educational Advisory Board. He chairs the Roundtable monthly column in Fire Engineering.
