femsa news summer 2008

SpringSummer

2008Official Publication of the Fire and Emergency Manufacturers and Services Association

Firehouse Magazine, Firehouse.com, and Firehouse Tradeshows & Events are the Official Sponsors of the FEMSA 2008 Spring/Summer Newsletter

MESSAgE FrOM PrESidENt giFF SwAYNE - Page 2-3FEMSA wELCOMES itS NEwESt MEMBErS - Page 3tOP rEASONS tO AttENd thE ANNuAL MEEtiNg - Page 6-7COMMON thrEAdS - Page 9NAM ViEw POiNt - 0NFFF 2008 MEMOriAL wEEKENd - Page 10gAC uPdAtE - Page 12-13NFPA 1901 uPdAtE - Page 13FirE SErViCE PutS digitAL VOiCE COdErS tO thE tESt- Page 14FEMSA MEMBEr NEwS - Pages 17-21thE 2008 YEArLY PLANNEr - Page 23

October 8-11, Tucson, ArizonaHilton El Conquistador Resort

ANNuAL MEEtiNg

PrESidENt’S MESSAgE

2 || femsa.org || Spring/Summer 2007

It seems like winter’s grip is finally starting to weaken, although we had a fairly mild winter here in the mid-Atlantic. I know that spring and summer will be very welcome in much of the country where this winter’s snowfall broke long-standing records. I have some visitors from New England touring the factory today and although it is the end of April they still have more than a foot of snow on the ground. While I am having to mow the lawn twice a week, my friends in Vermont are spring skiing in tee shirts. Even with a fancy new tractor, mowing the lawn twice a week is a pain. By the way, NEVER use the cruise control on a lawn tractor; it is just a plain bad idea! Don’t ask how I know this to be true. I cannot believe that with all the ridiculous seat switches and cutouts they put on new lawn tractors to protect the operator, bystanders and pets, they somehow think cruise control on a lawn tractor is okay. I have to confess that I have never read the owner’s manual and it is quite likely that what I was doing when I had “my event” is strictly warned against. They probably even have one of those little icons that signify death or serious injury could result. What does this have to do with FEMSA you may ask? Well it turns out that I do have a point to make that involves the Personal Responsibility Code. You see in my life I have probably owned 4 or 5 lawn tractors (I’m hard on my lawn care equipment) and I have become so complacent with that sort of equipment that it simply does not occur to me that there might be new features and capabilities that, if not understood and used correctly, could be dangerous. Could the same thing be true for some of our end users? Is it possible that they look at a new piece of equipment that is replacing an older one and assume that it operates and behaves in the same way as before? Once again we need to make sure that our end users are aware of their role in their own safety. As we bring new technologies to our customers, are we sure that they understand what has changed and what that means to them? The PRC is one way to help get that message out and to reinforce the fact that no matter how familiar they may be with a certain type of equipment, they need to read the manual. The CFSI celebrated its 20th annual dinner a few weeks ago, and it was a great event. Once again well over 2000 folks from the fire and emergency services descended on Washington to attend workshops, visit their representatives and attend the dinner. This year CFSI changed things up a bit in honor of the 20th anniversary by holding an event on the National Mall that showcased technology displays by local fire departments and educational displays by CFSI’s National Advisory Committee members, including FEMSA. In addition to the traditional speeches by several Congressmen and Senators, this year’s dinner featured two entertainers. Livingston Taylor (James Taylor’s brother and a fantastic musician in his own right) played several songs, and Michael Israel performed his signature painting, Hero. For those of you that don’t know Michael Israel’s art, you should seek out his performance of Hero on You Tube. It is amazing. FEMSA was well represented at the CFSI Dinner and as usual we had a reception in conjunction with FAMA before the dinner. I was very happy that Charlie Dickinson was able to attend the reception and formally accept the Ed McCormack Spirit of Excellence Award. Although he was announced as the recipient during the FEMSA Annual Meeting in Monterey, he was unable to attend so it was a great pleasure to be able to publicly recognize him. There were quite a few of his friends and peers there to congratulate him on his award. Charlie has been an unwavering advocate for the Fire Service and although he has announced his retirement, he assured the crowd that he would continue to be involved. continued on next page...

©Copyright 2008, FEMSA, MA (USA)Editor: Karen H. Burnham

Newsletter Committee:Eric Schlett, Chair

Melinda Freeman, Board LiaisonSimon Steinbach, Layout

Spring/Summer 2008

Thanks to our advertisers...

Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment

Fire Chief Fire Engineering / FdiC

FirehouseFirerescue

Giff Swayne

The Board of Directors is busy preparing for our own event, the FEMSA Annual Meeting coming up this October 8 – 10 in Tucson, Arizona. As always we are working hard to make the meeting, worth your while. Based on feedback after last year’s meeting we are adding more networking time, more educational content and more topical mixed group discussions on issues that we all face. There is more content in this newsletter concerning the Annual Meeting, so please take a moment to read it and make sure that you block out the dates on your calendar and plan to attend. As always, I encourage you to get involved and help FEMSA grow. Whether you choose to serve on a committee, run for the Board or simply help us promote FEMSA to prospective members, anything you can do would be appreciated. If there is anything that the Board can do to provide more value to your company, please let us know. I need to go mow the lawn again so…till next time,

iN MEMOriAMFEMSA wELCOMES itS NEwESt MEMBErS

Chieftain Safety ManufacturingTom Clements, Midwest Regional ManagerN86W30195 Woodland DriveHartland, WI 53029-8454Tel: (800) 551-1800 x1903Email: [email protected]: www.chieftainsafety.com

Manufacturer of Personal Protection Equipment (clothing and helmets)

AdS, inc.Jo Sullivan, Marketing Manager477 Viking Drive, Suite 350Virginia Beach, VA 23452Tel: 757-481-7758Email: [email protected]

Equipment Dealer/Distributor and Logistics Solutions

MSgtek Municipal Services group, inc.Jeff Dahlke, Practice Manager5125 South Kipling Parkway, Suite 300Littleton, CO 80127Tel: (800) 861-0788Email: [email protected]: www.msgtek.com www.munibank.com

Service provider – for Fire Departments: Truck & Equipment Financing– for Manufacturers: Private Label Financing & Dealer Network Software

robotronics, inc.Paul Schwen, Director of Marketing & Sales1610 West 1600 SouthSpringville, UT 84663Tel: (800) 762-6876Email: [email protected]: www.robotronics.com

Manufacturer of fire prevention, safety education tools – animated robots, costumes, printed educational materials

Casco industries, inc.Doug Schaumburg, President607 West 62nd StreetShreveport, LA 71106Tel: (318) 865-5107Email: [email protected]

Dealer/Distributor

Spring/Summer 2008 || femsa.org || 3

Official Publication of The Fire and Emergency Manufacturers and Services Association, Inc.P.O. Box 147, Lynnfield, MA 01940-0147Phone - 781-334-2771Email - [email protected] - www.femsa.orgCopy and Advertising deadlines:Contact the FEMSA office.Provided to members as a benefit of member-ship. Articles from members are invited. FEMSA reserves the right to edit for factual content, brev-ity and clarity.

The Fire and Emergency Manufacturers and Services Association repre-sents more than 150 manufacturers and service providers. Our programs and services are designed to promote the growth of our members and the overall industry.

Providing Opportunities to Public Safety Companies

Join FEMSA for: Professional development and education

Representation on Capitol Hill, and access to legislative information affecting the fire service industry

Access to trade show analyses

Networking with people who face similar challenges

Opportunities to learn about emerging industry trends

Become a FEMSA member today!For information, call (781) 334-2771 or email [email protected]

Fire and Emergency Manufacturers and Service Association www.FEMSA.org


tOP rEASONS tO AttENd thE FEMSA ANNuAL MEEtiNg By Directors Janet Wilmoth and Doug Bonney

While our meeting planners continue to organize the FEMSA Annual Meeting for 2008, here’s a sneak preview of what you may experience this October:

* FEMSA’s reception brings together old and new friendships ... and this time with a “kick”... more to come

* FEMSA meeting sessions will address topics relevant to today’s fire industry leaders: Updates on association activities Take your “seat at the table” as the direction of our industry is determined See how your voice on Capitol Hill makes a difference Participate in caucus group discussions with leaders of like interests Capture prime opportunities to network, collaborate and share information

* FEMSA/FAMA’s Business Speaker is sure to keep you talking ... one of the freshest minds in brand building and customer experience ... the energy of a wild animal and the humor of a stand up comedian ... “E.S.P.” Stay tuned!

* The Caucus Group breakout session has become a definite high point in the FEMSA annual meeting events.

* For 2008, the meeting planners of FEMSA and FAMA will bring in a host of dynamic panelists from communities across the country to discuss with you their purchasing trends and processes. How do those responsible for researching, specifying and buying equipment in today’s electronic world go about their tasks? How can we as manufacturers and suppliers improve the way we communicate with them?

* Southwest flies to Tucson and has great low prices if you book now!

* Tucson’s weather is awesome in October: Average high is 85; average low is 57

* The Hilton El Conquistador Resort is set into the breathtaking Catalina Mountain range in Tucson. This full-service resort is inspired by the beauty of its pristine natural canyon views and lush Arizona desert surroundings. The resort is boasting with world class golf facilities, tournaments and golf academy. Choose from three scenic courses: the El Conquistador, Canada or Pusch Ridge. For a change of pace, IRI Golf Course Group LLC - formerly The Raven at Sabino Springs—is one of the best golf courses in Tucson and Arizona, and is only 5 minutes from Cactus Cove.

* FEMSA and FAMA spouses will delight in experiencing first-hand native cuisine at a “cooking class” provided through the talents of the El Conquistador master chef. First ladies Denise Swayne and Donna Halpin will co-host this event – a fantastic take at the FAMA spring meeting this year.(Become a member of the FAMA/FEMSA Cooking Club!)

October 8-11, 2008hilton tucson El Conquistador resort hoteltucson, Arizona


For those who plan to arrive early or extend their stays in tucson, here are some of the “hot spots” that have been recommended:

* There are lots of great restaurants and culture in Tucson, so favorites are tough to call. Popular long-standing Mexican is El Charro. There are multiple locations around Tucson with the original in the old presidio area downtown.

* Biosphere2 – The perfect world? Each fall and spring semester, undergraduate students from across the US and throughout the world live and study on the Biosphere 2 campus, and feature science education on the Biosphere 2 campus and field trips throughout the Southwestern US and Northern Mexico.

* Nightfall at Old Tucson Studios, a haunting experience, www.nightfallaz.com. Enter the lair of the family of Dr. Icabod Lithistrom, the first caretakers of the Goulliard Asylum for the perceptually insane. Jebeddiah Hyde locked them away for some 18 years and now their dwelling hosts unspeakable acts of terror and cannibalism. Enter if you dare. Rating:

* Desert Thunder Pro Rodeo www.desertthunder.com, October 11-12th; Bull Riding - Saddle Bronco Riding - Bare Back Riding - Steer Wrestling - Calf Roping Barrel Racing - Team Roping

* Did you know there are over 250 species of butterflies in the Sonoran Desert? Butterfly Magic at the Botanic Gardens, Oct. 16-Mar. 31, www.tucsonbotanical.org

* Northwest division Chief of training, Cheryl horvath, said, “Arizona is the state where no matter where you are, you see a mountain range.” Tucson is surrounded by four: Catalinas & Mt. Lemmon (9,000 feet), Tortolitas, Tucson Mountains, and the Rincons. Tubac – artist community located an hour south with great history and food. Also--Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), part of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), supports the most diverse collection of astronomical observatories on Earth for nighttime optical and infrared astronomy and daytime study of the Sun. Founded in 1958, KPNO operates three major nighttime telescopes.

* The Pima Air & Space Museum opened to the public in May 1976 with 75 aircraft on display. Since then the museum collection has grown to over 250 aircraft occupying 80 acres of land. The entire museum property covers about 150 acres.

* The Saguaro National Park invites you to “Experience Your America” in a way that only the Sonoran Desert can offer. This unique desert is home to the most recognizable cactus in the world, the majestic saguaro. Situated in a high desert valley and surrounded by mountains, Tucson has a pleasant, dry, sunny climate and is a tourist and health center. It is the second largest city in the state and has industries based on regional mining (especially copper) and the manufacture of electronic and electric equipment. It is also a market, processing, and shipping center for the cattle and cotton produced in the area.

Tucson offers both a quiet getaway and a multitude of activities for all ages. From the majestic Santa Catalina mountains to the statuesque Saguaro National Monument 21 miles away, Tucson’s outdoor beauty cannot be matched. Visitors commonly enjoy the relaxed lifestyle at one of its many golf resorts.

Expect to see meeting registration information in June. Sign up early to guarantee your place at what promises to be the best FEMSA Annual Meeting event ever planned.

watch for Annual Meeting updates at www.femsa.org

continued from page 6

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ing how the tools function, learning from industry professionals about new car technology and hybrids, reading articles that examine extrication techniques and physically taking apart and putting the tools back together, I have realized I have a lot more to learn, but I am enjoy-ing the process!”

Kristina also loves spending time with her family and friends. “Now that the weather has warmed up, we will be at quite a few baseball games and hope to play a few friendly softball games and some time golfing. And there is nothing

that beats a good nap on a warm sum-mer day!How does our favorite FAMA/FEMSA attorney relax? Jim Juneau replied, “During hunting season I do pheasants in North Dakota and quail in Texas. When it’s not hunting season here in the Americas, we duck and dove hunt in Argentina.”

Jim is also an instrument-rated pilot for business and also participates in air charity flights. Angel Flight is a volunteer, non-profit organization

dedicated to arrang-ing long-distance transportation at times of personal and community crisis. The program helps thousands of families access specialized health care, special needs

camps, and other destinations for com-passionate reasons. Angel Flight “gives hope wings.”

“We do relays and with a scheduler. A pilot can take them to Iowa, Witchita and Dallas. I have a long-range air-plane, so I end up carrying the patient all the way. We donate the plane and the fuel.” Jim added, “It’s one of those deals where I have been fortunate all my life to have things that other people don’t have and it’s just not fair not to give something back. I got where I am on the backs of other people who were willing to help me. The Angel flights are one way that I can give back and I can, due to my law practice.”

We all welcome the warm, sunny weath-er and in this issue we focus on FEMSA members that enjoy the great outdoors.

Spring is the start of the baseball season and no one is more excited than FEMSA Board Member and Praetorian Vice President of Sales Paul Andrews. “I coach the Maryland Diablos,” said Paul. “This is a 14-and-under traveling baseball team. My son Max, (center stage in the photo), is our first baseman. I have been coaching for 10 years.”

With three adult sons (including Al), and spring finally at hand in the Northeast, FEMSA’s Karen Burnham becomes a “golf widow” until November. Karen’s favorite escape is to jump in her 1995 ‘Vette’ for a sunshine break.

“Not that I need an excuse, but FEMSA mail and banking needs to be done, so why not enjoy it!” she laughs. Karen also enjoys playing in the dirt, “I love my gardens” and knitting. “Knitting is great therapy in the evenings while watching ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ ‘Boston Legal’ and other TV favorites once chores are done and the computer is shut off for the night.”

Ron Siarnicki, Executive Director, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, relaxes by horsing around on his small horse farm on the eastern shores of Maryland.

“Relaxing for me is something others might consider work,” said Ron. “I have seven horses that need attending to; four Peruvians and two Quarter horses.” A normal day at the farm includes feed-ing the horses, grooming activities and most of all cleaning the stalls, which

most consider a dirty job, but that’s okay with Ron.

“Being away from the hustle and bustle of the city and work, provides a great opportu-nity to decompress and just enjoy the day.” The photo is of Ron (on the right) and his old horse, Bo (on the left). “He is my old guy and most appreciative of the attention that he gets while still providing riding opportuni-ties for myself and others,” said Ron.

Besides being a new, proud papa, Tem-pest’s Leroy Coffman looks forward this summer to achieving a long-time goal: to swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco.

“I started training with a swim team in Janu-ary and swim three nights per week with a group of hard-core tri-athletes and competi-tive swimmers.” Leroy said, “We swim from 2,500 to 4,000 yards in a one-hour workout and it is a great escape from a hectic day, helps me sleep like a baby, and gives me tons of energy.”

On June 28th, Leroy will take a ferry from San Francisco to Alcatraz, jump into the bay, and swim 1.5 miles back to San Francisco. “I plan to keep swimming after my goal because the workouts have been so beneficial,” he added. “This whole thing may sound a bit crazy, but it is an organized event and there will be up to 800 other people joining me on the swim.

”So we were coming out of a pub in a Chi-cago suburb one sunny, spring day and see a large gathering of firefighters cutting up about 20 automobiles. As we got closer, lo and behold, who should be standing in their midst? FEMSA member and Amkus’ Kristina Weigand calmly demonstrating how to cut the roof off of a car during a training semi-nar for Amkus dealers.

“I grew up around extrication equipment, but it was only about 4 years ago that I first used the tools,” said Kristina. “Even though it may not seem relaxing, I enjoy cutting up cars. When I first started working at AMKUS my mom told me to keep my eyes and ears open and learn from the people around me and that is just what I have done. Between watching extrications, learn-

COMMON thrEAdSBy Janet Wilmoth, Director

Maryland Diablos

Karen’s Vette

Ron Siarnicki and Bo (left)

Kristina Weigand destroying a car

NAFtA: good for America, Manufacturers By: John Engler, NAM President/CEO

As the interminable presidential primary season drags on and congressional elections appear on the horizon, free trade is again emerging as a popular campaign issue. Sadly, too many candidates are failing to acknowledge what manufacturers have long realized: free trade creates good jobs, sharpens U.S. competitiveness and keeps our economy growing.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), in particu-lar, has returned to the forefront of the debate. Before simply accepting the emotionally driven charges leveled against NAFTA, voters would be wise to stop and consider these facts:

• Jobs in the United States were created, not lost, as a result of NAFTA. Overall U.S. employment increased from 110.8 million people in 1993 to 137.6 million in 2007. Unemployment decreased to an average of 5.1 percent between 1994 and 2007, down from 7.1 percent during the period between 1980 and 1993. Hourly compensation also increased during this period, rising by 1.3 percent each year between 1993 and 2007, for a total of 19.3 percent over the full period.

• NAFTA has significantly expanded trade and investment between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. From 1993 to 2007, trade among NAFTA nations more than tripled – from $297 billion to $930 billion. In addition, business investment in the United States has risen by 117 per-cent since 1993, compared to a 45 percent increase between 1979 and 1993.

• U.S. manufacturing output increased because of NAFTA, rising 58 per-cent between 1993 and 2006, as compared to 42 percent between 1980 and 1993. In 2007, manufacturing exports reached an all-time high of $982 billion.

NAFTA is just one example of how trade agreements benefit the United States – and our manufacturing economy. Late last year, Con-gress overwhelmingly approved the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion authority Act, reflecting a deep understanding among elected officials of both po-litical parties of the economic benefits of free and open trade. Congress is now poised to consider the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agree-ment.

With manufactured goods comprising two-thirds of U.S. exports, every new trade agreement ensures increased market access and more jobs for American manufacturing workers. It is critical that Congress address this opportunity armed with the facts, rather than election-year rhetoric. The tens of thousands of American manufacturers that export to Colombia – and their contributions to the U.S. economy – deserve no less.

NAM ViEw POiNt


NFFF2008 MEMOriAL wEEKENd

Since 1982, a grateful Nation has honored its fallen fire heroes during the annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend held in Emmitsburg, Maryland. This year’s Memorial Weekend events will take place October 4-5, 2008. Families of fallen firefighters being honored this year and returning survivors will register at their hotels and attend a welcome reception on Friday evening.

Survivors of the fallen firefighters will participate in Family Day activities on Saturday on the National Fire Academy campus in Emmitsburg, MD. An evening Candlelight Service at the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton will conclude the day.

On Sunday, honor guard units and bagpipers will open the Memorial Service with a procession honoring America’s bravest and their families. The national tribute will conclude with the unveiling of plaques listing the names of the 2007 fallen heroes and others being honored who died in previous years.

Show your respect by sponsoring special events in your community. Ask your local cable company to make the nationally-broadcast services available so all may share in honoring America’s bravest.


gAC uPdAtE

Your FAMA/FEMSA Governmental Affairs Committee has been busy over the last few months -- attending monthly Fireside Chats in Washington, representing both organizations during the annual CFSI events, attending the semi-annual CFSI National Advisory Committee meeting, and working with Fire and Emergency Services Alliance Partners helping to promote the U.S. Fire Administration reauthorization bill. In addition, the GAC is gearing up for this year’s Home Day program and the upcoming Alliance Partners Luncheon.

The CFSI 20th Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner and Seminars program was a most successful event from a positive representation point for our organizations. The festivities kicked off at 8am on chilly Wednesday, April 2nd, with the first ever Emergency Services Showcase on the National Mall. The GAC hosted a booth staffed by FEMSA representatives Giff Swayne, Doug Bonney, Mike Natchipolsky, and FAMA representatives Jerry Halpin and Ken Creese, as well as Dave Gatton, Dustin Joyce and Karen Burnham.

Thanks to all members who responded to a recent survey, a 3’ x 6’ map of the U.S. served as the focal point of the display demonstrating to Congressional representatives the magnitude of

products and services provided by our members and the positive employment impact that members make collectively to this nation. That afternoon the joint leadership of both organizations was invited to a DHS briefing given by Secretary Michael Chertoff.

Thursday afternoon, April 3rd, at the pre-dinner FEMSA/FAMA reception, GAC Co-Chairs Steve Lawrence and John Granby, with the assistance of Mary McCormack, presented the Edward H. McCormack Spirit of Excellence Award to Chief Charlie Dickerson, who will soon retire as Acting Assistant Administrator of the USFA. U.S. Fire Administrator, Chief Gregory Cade, as well as other known personalities, attended the presentation to support and congratulate Chief Dickerson.

The annual CFSI dinner that evening took on a totally different character – no head table, and great entertainment. Chief Dennis Compton served as the MC. FEMSA and FAMA sponsored the main entertainment of the evening, singer Livingston Taylor. FEMSA President Giff Swayne

presented Livingston Taylor with a set of fire fighting turnout gear and a helmet.

Artist Michael Israel concluded the evening with his art in concert featuring “Hero” that was auctioned off with proceeds going toward the great works of the CFSI. On Friday morning Co-Chairs Bob Kreps and John Granby, along with DC “coach” Dave Gatton, attended the spring National Advisory Committee meeting.

June is home day month. Remember to download the 2008 Home Day Tool Kit from www.famafemsagac.org and plan some interaction with your local Congressional office. It can be anything from a brief meeting at your representative’s district office to a small or larger gathering and/or tour at your manufacturing facility or home office. The important thing is that you maintain communications with your Congressional representatives. Be sure to send us a brief recap of your activities and any pictures – we’ll post them on the Home Day web site and will publish them in our newsletters.

Keep in mind the Congresional schedule (not in session in Washington, DC) for the balance of this year when planning your Home Day events:

By John Granby, Co-Chair

photo courtesy of CFSI




June 30 - July 3 Independence Day District Work PeriodJuly 4 Independence DayAug. 11 - Sept. 5 Summer District Work PeriodSeptember 1 Labor DaySeptember 26 Target AdjournmentSeptember 30 Rosh HashanahOctober 9 Yom KippurOctober 13 Columbus DayNovember 2 Daylight Savings Time EndsNovember 4 Election DayNovember 11 Veterans DayNovember 27 Thanksgiving DayDecember 22 HanukkahDecember 25 Christmas Day




gAC uPdAtE

Over the past few weeks, Congress has held hearings in preparation for the fiscal year 2009 appropriations process that will begin later this month. Additionally, both the House and the Senate are working on other legislation that will have an important impact on the fire and emergency response industry. In April, the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff provided testimony before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security to discuss the accomplishments of the Department of Homeland Security and presented the President’s proposed FY 2009 budget. Secretary Chertoff explained the need to build a nimble, effective emergency response system and a culture of preparedness.

While providing testimony, Chertoff reemphasized the President’s budget for funding the US Fire Grants program at $300 million that would cut funding for the program by $260 million over the FY 2008 budget. The President’s budget also proposes to zero-out funding for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program. Every indication is that Congress will ignore the President’s proposed budget and fund these two programs at levels that match or increase funding. While Appropriation Committees convene hearings to discuss the coming FY 2009 budget, the FAMA/FEMSA Governmental Affairs Committee sent out a memorandum urging member companies to contact their Congressional delegations and educate them on the importance of the Fire Grants and SAFER programs. If you have not done so, it is not too late to fax letters to your Congressional Representative or Senator.

In addition to the appropriations process, Congress is also working on the reauthorization of the United States Fire Administration. In April, the House passed HR 4847 which reauthorizes funding the United States Fire Administration for the next four years at slightly higher levels, expands training programs offered through the National Fire Academy and focuses additional resources on fires in the wildland-urban interface. The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has approved a companion measure (S 2606). According to committee sources, the reauthorization bill is expected to come before the full Senate in the near future and is expected to pass.

Representative Nick Rahall II (WVA), Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, introduced legislation that would address the growing issue of how to finance the fighting of wildfires. In the Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement Act of 2008, or FLAME Act (HR 5541), Rahall proposes creating an emergency fund to provide supplemental funding for catastrophic emergency wildland fire suppression on Department of Interior and National Forest System lands. Currently, nearly half of the Forest Service’s budget goes toward fire suppression activities that leave other programs critically underfunded. The new fund would allow the regular Forest Service’s budget to cover other critical programs and supply the Forest Service with funds the department needs for its growing wild fire suppression efforts. In April, the committee marked up the FLAME Act and sent it to the Agriculture Committee that has joint jurisdiction.

NFPA 1901 uPdAtE By: Bill Ballantyne, FAMA

Representative

January 1, 2009 is when the next version of the NFPA 1901 standard goes into effect. That’s just 6 months away! Many builders and component suppliers already are working on quotations for vehicles that will be delivered after that date. That means you better be intimately knowledgeable of what is in the new standard.

At both the FAMA Spring Membership and Technical Committee meetings, presentations were given detailing the major changes that will go into effect next January. Both of those presentations are available for you to download on the FAMA web site (www.fama.org, Resource Library page). In addition, Carl Peterson of the NFPA, indicated the new standard should be available for purchase sometime around the June – July timeframe. Watch the nfpa.org website for availability.

The new standard applies to all apparatus that are contracted for on or after January 1, 2009, or if both parties agree to apply the new standard to vehicles contracted prior to that date.

By David Gatton, Consultant


FirE SErViCE PutS digitAL VOiCE COdErS tO THE TEST Firefighters nationwide are steps closer to improving digital radio transmissions in high-noise fire response operations. Some firefighters have reported unintelligible audio while using portable, two-way digital radios. This is due to interference from breathing apparatus devices and common background noises such as sirens, vehicles, power tools, and helicopters. In response, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) has partnered with Federal agencies – including the Department of Homeland Security’s Command, Control and Interoperability Division and the Department of Commerce’s Public Safety Communications Laboratory (PSCL) – manufacturers, and fire service leaders nationwide to identify the causes of and potential solutions to this critical communications problem. In May 2007, the IAFC Digital Problem Working Group – including firefighters, radio and equipment manufacturers, and technical experts – unanimously identified the voice encoder/decoder (vocoder) as the cause of voice audio distortion that some digital radio users have experienced. The vocoder is a hardware/software component in every digital radio. The technology uses a speech analyzer to convert analog voice to a digital signal, and reconverts the digital signal to digital voice. While many fire departments are using digital radio systems with success, field reports indicate that during light to moderate firegound noise, the vocoder may slightly distort voice audio. In loud fire ground noise scenarios the vocoder may make voice audio completely unintelligible – potentially compromising response operations. “The worst possible scenario would be that unintelligible voice audio occurs when a firefighter is in a life-threatening situation and a call for assistance would not be understood – resulting in a serious injury or death,” says Charlottesville (Virginia) Fire Chief Charles Werner, who chairs IAFC’s Digital Problem Working Group. To effectively and comprehensively address this challenge, the IAFC Digital Problem Working Group established two task groups – the Best Practices Task Group and the Testing Task Group – to work on different aspects of the digital problem. Focused on near-term solutions, the IAFC Best Practices Task Group is working to identify immediate behavioral, procedural, and technical steps agencies can take to avoid fire ground noise. With input from digital radio users, this Task Group will provide emergency response agencies with a best practices guide for reducing the possible effects of background noise on radio transmissions. “This [near-term practice] is really key,” says IAFC’s Senior Advisor of Government Relations Alan Caldwell. “A technical fix might be some time in the future, but the need to take mitigating steps is now.” The IAFC Testing Task Group is working to scientifically document how fire ground noise affects voice audio, and to determine what technology improvements are needed to overcome fire ground noise issues. To complete this research, IAFC is working with PSCL, operational fire service personnel, and manufacturers of both communications equipment and fire service apparatus and equipment. Partners are studying prepared and documented live burns, and are conducting tests at laboratories in Boulder, Colorado. The testing includes nine different noise scenarios (e.g., with or without mask, low-air alarm sounding, chainsaw operating) for three primary communication methods: traditional 25 KHz analog FM; original Project 25 (P25) vocoder; and enhanced P25 vocoder. The testing also replicates four of the noise scenarios for 12.5 KHz analog FM. Participating practitioners listen to the noise recordings, and try to determine the spoken words exchanged across the communication devices. Practitioners then select what they believe to be the correct words from a pre-defined word list. Known as an intelligibility test, the PSCL and IAFC are conducting the tests according to the National Fire Protection Association 1981 standard. “There are a number of benefits to public safety that result from this testing,” says Dereck Orr, Program Manager of Public Safety Communications at NIST’s Office of Law Enforcement Standards. “The first is that public safety – in particular the fire service – will have a technical qualification of the environment that they work in. They will be able to take the information from this experiment to the radio manufacturers and say definitely, “This is the environment that we have to operate in. Please design your radios to work there.” Additionally, the testing results will help emergency response agencies communicate technology gaps to industry. “Public safety will be able to use the testing to demonstrate explicitly to radio manufacturers how far short the current production models of radios fall,” says Orr. “To date, public safety has always had to respond these types of things anecdotally to the manufacturers, who then have a difficult time addressing the issue successfully.” An industry-wide challenge, radio manufacturers are actively engaged in testing vocoder solutions. “What we learn from this testing will involve radio manufacturers, and will hopefully be used in the development of better vocoder technology that will be able to more effectively overcome the common background noise that may be encountered at emergency incidents,” says Werner. This issue highlights how critical it is to consider every element of an emergency response environment – protective gear, warning devices, power tools, radios – when introducing new technologies. “It is critical to look at all of the components to ensure that they work well together, and that new technologies or improvements do not diminish the existing performance of any one of the other components,” says Werner. With digital radio use widespread among all emergency response disciplines, the impact of vocoder technology progress is significant. “This problem affects every digital radio basically the same – regardless of discipline,” says Werner. “A police officer of EMS [emergency medical service] personnel working in a high-noise area also could potentially experience unintelligible voice audio.”

[reprinted with permission, Interoperability Technology Today, Spring 2008]

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FEMSA MEMBEr NEwSAkron Brass Company - 90th AnniversaryMarch 12, 2008 - Akron Brass is proudly celebrating its 90th Anniversary and the opportunity to work with the greatest customers in the world!

Akron started in 1918 when former B.F. Goodrich Rubber company employees formed the Akron Brass Manufacturing Company with the intent of producing couplings for the rapidly growing rub-ber lined fire hose market. Production began in a leased portion of an Ameri-can Cereal Company building in Akron, Ohio. Demand was very strong and the company quickly out grew the leased quarters and found it necessary to relo-cate to Wooster, Ohio.

The company continued to prosper and in 1935, demands for additional expan-sion capital led the management team to incorporate. Constant improvement in the products and processes resulted in further rapid growth throughout the following years.

In 1962, Akron Brass merged into the Premier Industrial Corporation of Cleve-land, Ohio. Under Premier, continued growth resulted in the increased need for manufacturing capacity and the facilities were expanded by the addition of 24,000 square feet on Spruce Street and 42,000 square feet on Old Mans-field Road in Wooster, Ohio.

In 1996 Premier Industrial merged with Farnell PLC of the United Kingdom to become Premier Farnell PLC. Permier Farnell has continuously invested in Akron Brass including a major facil-ity expansion in 2001 and on-going investments in world-class automated machinery each year.

Over the past four years, through two acquisitions, Akron Brass has expanded its traditional product range. In 2004, Akron acquired the former GFE Manu-facturing in Washington, Illinois and then in 2005, it acquired the former Wel-don Technologies in Columbus, Ohio. All these products are now offered through Akron Brass via their global sales and distribution network.

April 2, 2008 - Akron Brass announced that they have added Sarah O’Connor as their District Sales Manager for the Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana mar-ket areas.

Based in Dallas, Texas, Sarah will be working with authorized Akron distribu-tors to meet the needs of municipal fire departments throughout her geographic

territory. This will include sales support for all Akron Brass nozzles, monitors, and fire ground appliances as well as their growing line of reels, scene lighting, warning lighting, and hand tools.

A graduate of Oklahoma State University, Sarah already has several years experience within the industry and represents the third generation in her family that has worked within the fire service.

April 18, 2008 - Akron Brass announced that Steve Rowland has been appointed OEM Account Manager and will be responsible for managing the Southeast region of the U.S. with a focus on Fire, Ambulance and Specialty Vehicles. Joining the company in November 2006, Steve had most recently served as Bus OEM Account Manager for the pupil transportation market. Allison transmission honored by Spartan Chassis

April 7, 2008 - Spartan Chassis, Inc. re-cently honored Allison Transmission during its 6th Annual SPARC Awards.

Allison Transmission, an Indianapolis, Indi-ana-based manufacturer of transmissions, was recognized as a six time winner among the 10 companies to receive a SPARC, which stands for Supplier Performance Ac-tion Review Committee. Larry Dodson ac-cepted the award on behalf of the company in the company awards category.

“The continued growth and success of Spartan Chassis goes hand in hand with the performance of our suppliers like Al-lison Transmission,” said Richard Schalter, president of Spartan Chassis, a subsidiary of Spartan Motors, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPAR). “Allison Transmission has made significant contributions to the ongoing success of Spartan Chassis, and we are pleased to recognize their innovation, reliability, dedica-tion and exemplary performance.”

To be eligible for a SPARC award in 2007, suppliers must have had:■ At least 98 percent on-time ship-ments.■ Fewer than 1,400 parts-per-million, or ppm, errors.■ At least 99.5 percent accuracy in

shipping paperwork.■ Competitive pricing.■ Received unanimous approval from the judges.

The SPARC awards, now in their sixth year, recognized the top three percent of Spartan Chassis’ 300 suppliers for their ability to deliver quality parts on time and on budget. AMKuS rescue Systems … Awards

Representatives of AMKUS Rescue Systems attended the NASCAR Sum-mit Meeting held in Concord, North Carolina in January, 2008. During the meeting AMKUS was presented with the NASCAR Track Services Mission Award for 2007.

This award “recognizes an individual or organization that goes above and beyond their contractual or personal ob-ligation in support of the Track Services Team’s mission - to improve the safety of all, at every NASCAR event, through advanced continuing education, quali-fied training and support for all track services personnel”.

AMKUS is proud to be the Rescue System Supplier of NASCAR and is honored to receive the 2007 NASCAR Track Services Mission award.

AMKUS Rescue Systems is the Official Rescue System of International Speed-way Corporation (ISC). ISC owns twelve racetracks including: California Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Daytona Interna-tional Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Martins-ville Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, Phoenix International Race-way, Richmond International Raceway, Talladega Superspeedway and Watkins Glen International.

At the Daytona International Speedway Track Services meeting held on Sun-day, February 17, 2008 just prior to the Daytona 500, AMKUS was presented with an award “in appreciation for



FEMSA MEMBEr NEwSproviding top quality rescue equipment to the Daytona International Speedway Fire Department for 25 years”.

AMKUS is honored to receive this award. We consider it a privilege to work with the Daytona International Speedway Fire Department.

In November, 2007, AMKUS, Inc. received the “Environmental Steward-ship” award from Orion Energy Services related to the amount of energy con-served by the replacement of all of our shop lighting.

The award states, “Orion Energy Services presents the Environmental Stewardship Award to AMKUS, Inc. who displaces 71,932 kWh annually”. The environmental impact over the lifetime of our new lighting fixtures is equal to: planting 13 acres of trees; removing 1,975 tons of airborne pollutants; and saving 119,003 gallons of gasoline.

Casco industries, inc.

April 20, 2008 - Casco Industries, Inc. is proud to announce the Grand Open-ing of its new office which has moved from the City of Euless, Texas to 1517 W.N. Carrier Parkway in Grand Prairie, Texas. This showcase office has several offices for office staff and the salesmen. The new office has two large show-rooms, a conference room, a repair center for SCBA, nozzles, and breath-ing air compressor repairs, two training rooms for First Responder Personnel in the use of thermal imaging cameras, SCBA and Accountability Systems, a meeting room to handle up to 40 people, and a large warehouse area.

Owner and President of Casco Indus-tries, Inc., Doug Schaumburg, is in the process of remodeling the Casco corporate office located in Shreveport, Louisiana along the same basis as the new office in Grand Prairie, and stated he plans to incorporate this new look in each of the Casco offices in the other states.

Casco Industries, Inc. has been in fire appa-ratus and equipment sales since 1950. cur-rently has offices in Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Houston, Texas, and will be opening an office in New Orleans, Loui-siana in the summer of 2008. Casco also has salesmen that call on fire departments in New Mexico, and Missouri.

Casco Industries, Inc. management recently traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana for FDIC and was the recipient of the MSA Presiden-tial Award for being the number one MSA distributor in the United States. Casco has been a recipient of several awards from MSA for being one of its top ten distributors in the United States for several years. Elkhart Brass Manufacturing Co., inc.April 23, 2008 - Elkhart Brass is pleased to announce the following promotions and title changes:■ Don Sjolin has been promoted to Vice-President of Marketing & Strategic Development. Company President Hans Ashbaugh notes, “Don’s promotion better reflects his vital role in our organization.”■ Tammy Comer has been promoted to Customer Service Supervisor. She is responsible for the Customer Service De-partment’s daily activities and all Customer Service. Representatives report to Tammy. ■ Dawn Little transferred from the Customer Service Department to Repairs where, through her extensive product exper-tise, she will continue to support customers as Elkhart’s new Repair & Warranty Service Coordinator.■ Alison Vance’s title was updated to Event & Advertising Coordinator.

Two recent hires continue Elkhart’s commit-ment to excel customer service:■ Maribeth Schoen joined Elkhart’s Customer Service Department late in 2007. Maribeth brings over 10 years of Customer Service and Administrative Support to the Elkhart team. ■ Dané Bixler also joined Elkhart’s Customer Service Department in late 2007. Dané brings over 12 years of Customer Ser-vice and Administrative Support including time working for Medtec and as a volunteer EMT for Larimer County (Colorado) Search and Rescue.

Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment MagazineApril 18, 2008 - Fire Apparatus & Emer-gency Equipment magazine has appointed Ms. Jackie Higgins as General Manager. She will take over the administrative duties previously handled by Associate Publisher Heidi Allen Goodrich who had her first child last September and has elected to work

part time in order to spend time with her new baby boy Owen. Owen has been a regular member of the office staff, reporting to work each day since December 1 along with his mother. “After earning the award for the world’s quietest baby with the big-gest smile for everyone, we will miss his daily presence,” says Publisher C. Peter Jørgensen.

Jackie Higgins joins the magazine after serving five years as the Town Ad-ministrator for Royalton, Vermont and previously as executive secretary to the Selectboard in Tunbridge, Vermont. “Finding talented people in the middle of Vermont is always a challenge, “ said Jørgensen, “but we’ve known Jackie for 16 years and we know she’ll do a good job.”

Jackie will be handling interfaces with advertisers and subscribers who work in the fire apparatus industry.

Fire Chief MagazineMay 8, 2008 - Fire Chief magazine adds Associate Editor Carrie Cleaveland to its editorial team. Carrie joined Penton Medias’ American Printer and PFFC magazines in 2004 after serv-ing two intern-ships, the first in 2002. She is a graduate of Lawrence University, Appleton, WI, with majors in English and Classical Languages.

Fire-dexMarch 19, 2008 - Fire-Dex is proud to be celebrating its 25th anniversary as a leader in the fire service market. The company has been around for a quarter of a century providing “Protection for the Heat of the Battle.” Fire-Dex is a 25 year-old manufacturer of firefighting protective clothing. The company got its start with an office in Cleveland and a manufacturing plant in Rome, GA, making welding gloves. The business quickly expanded with the addition of knit hoods and gear bags for firemen in 1984. The product line continued to grow as the company changed and started manufacturing fire fighting clothing, proximity clothing and


FEMSA MEMBEr NEwSEMS clothing in 1988. In 1997 Fire-Dex built new offices and a manufacturing facility located in Medina, Ohio. Expansion of the product line continued in 2001, to include wildland fire fighting clothing, and in 2003, added USAR (urban search & rescue apparel). In 2007, Fire-Dex introduced a revolu-tionary design for firefighter clothing that offers unprecedented comfort features. Bill Burke, president of Fire-Dex, at-tributes their growth to the company’s commitment to continuous improve-ment. “Continuing that growth as a company is a challenge, but one we don’t even think about backing off of. It is part of our company policy.” He looks forward to continued growth and suc-cess.

Fireman’s Fund and total Fire groupMarch 11, 2008 - Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company and Morning Pride announced a new nationwide agree-ment to provide turnout gear to local fire departments.

As part of the arrangement, Morn-ing Pride will offer special pricing to Fireman’s Fund for turnout gear it purchases through its Fireman’s Fund Heritage® program. This is the insur-ance company’s national philanthropic initiative to provide equipment, training, and community education programs to local fire departments. Since 2004, Fireman’s Fund has awarded more than $17 million in grants to over 900 differ-ent departments.

Danielle Cagan, Heritage program director at Fireman’s Fund, said the agreement with Morning Pride will help maximize the reach of the grant pro-gram.

“This will allow Fireman’s Fund to nearly double the number of new sets of turnout gear we give fire departments,” said Cagan. “Unfortunately, there are firefighters out there who do not have effective clothing to protect them and we’re working to change that.”

According to the U.S. Fire Administra-tion, an estimated 66 percent of fire-fighters are wearing turnout gear that is at least 10 years old and in dire need of replacement. Even worse, roughly eight percent of departments do not even have enough clothing to equip all firefighters.

“This partnership enables us to satisfy our most basic objective – saving lives,” said Mary Grilliot, chief operating officer of Morn-ing Pride. “A firefighter’s safety depends upon the protective ability of his or her turn-out gear, and we’re proud that this agree-ment will get more state-of-the-art clothing on the backs of more firefighters all across the country.”

Fire departments interested in learning more about the Fireman’s Fund Heritage grant program can visit www.firemansfund.com/heritage.

Firerescue MagazineElsevier Public Safety, publisher of FireRes-cue magazine, is proud to announce that Timothy E. Sendelbach, past president of the International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI), is the new editor-in-chief of FireRescue.

“I am excited to be taking on this new chal-lenge and to have the opportunity to reach so many readers,” Sendelbach says. “It is also a very humbling honor to follow in Jim Page’s footsteps. I know he would be proud of how far the magazine has come, and—along with FireRescue’s dedicated techni-cal editors and contributors—I look forward to being an integral part of that continuing success.”

For the past 5 years, Sendelbach served as president of the ISFSI; he handed the presidency over to Chief Eddie Buchanan at ISFSI’s recent annual meeting at FDIC. He is also president of TES2, a fire service training and education company based in Savannah, Ga., which provides educa-tional programs and tactical training for fire departments, conferences and trade shows across the country and Canada.

Sendelbach is also one of six members appointed to the Post-Incident Assessment and Review Team investigating the Sofa Super Store fire in Charleston, S.C., in which nine firefighters died. He has served as chief of Fire Training for Savannah Fire & Emergency Services and assistant fire chief for Missouri City (Texas) Fire & Rescue Services. Sendelbach earned a Master’s degree in Leadership from Bellevue Univer-sity, and a bachelor’s degree in Fire Admin-istration and Arson from Eastern Kentucky University. He is also a member of the IAFC’s Safety, Health, and Survival section.

“Tim’s expertise in fire service training will be of immense value to FireRescue,” says Jeff Berend, vice president/publisher of El-sevier Public Safety. “This appointment will help us take FireRescue’s editorial vision into the future.”

Berend notes that Sendelbach’s ex-perience teaching across the country meshes well with FireRescue’s focus on volunteer, career and combination departments, large or small, urban or rural. “Tim is committed to FireRescue’s focus of helping all firefighters do their jobs better—and safer,” Berend says. Sendelbach will also be instrumental in guiding the FireRescue editorial vision in the electronic medium, as well as in the live event arena.

groves inc./ready rackApril 16, 2008 - Groves Incorporated has acquired Sling-Link rescue har-ness systems. Products will be avail-able through Groves, Inc./Ready Rack distributors. Sling-Link products meet NFPA Standard 1983 (01 Edition) as a personal use or general use auxiliary harness. Visit www.slinglink.com for more information.

iAFC FOuNdAtiON

IAFC Foundation Educational Scholar-ship Application Deadline is 6/1/2008

Fire service professionals who want to further their professional education can apply for educational scholarships with the International Association of Fire Chiefs Foundation (IAFCF). The IAFC Foundation provides financial assis-tance to emergency services personnel for study at college level or above. The IAFC Foundation awards grants once a year ranging from $500 to $5,000. The deadline for application is June 1, 2008.The IAFC’s Federal Military section will sponsor one of this year’s awards which will be given to a qualified applicant who is a member of the IAFC Federal Military Section or is with a federal or military department. Funding for this Federal Military Section Scholarship is made possible from the proceeds of the sale of the IAFC Federal Military section commemorative coin. If you would like to purchase these coins, please contact Chief John Wentzel at [email protected].


The first annual Garry L. Briese Schol-arship will also be awarded this year. This scholarship fund was created and endowed last year with the generous support from the Motorola Founda-tion and contributions from other IAFC Foundation supporters.

“I am impressed with the depth and breadth of our applicants,” said Chief William Askenstedt, IAFC Foundation board member and member of the selection committee. “I’m proud to be associated with professionals who not only support their community, but make the extra effort to advance their educa-tion.”

Active fire-service personnel who have a minimum of two years paid or three years volunteer (or a combination of paid and volunteer) service with a state, county, provincial, municipal, commu-nity, industrial or federal fire department and who have demonstrated proficiency within the fire service are eligible to ap-ply for a scholarship to support tuition to a recognized institution of higher educa-tion. Fire Explorers are also eligible. Preference is given to those demon-strating need, desire and initiative.

Last year, 13 first responders received a total of $21,500 in awards from the IAFC Foundation; however, many other highly qualified applicants had to be turned away due to lack of adequate funding. “This is the time for our current fire service leaders to give back to our profession by educating and preparing the next generation of leaders,” stated Chief William D. Killen, IAFC Founda-tion Board member and past IAFC President. “Please consider making a contribution to the IAFC Foundation Scholarship Program or sponsoring a scholarship.”

For more information on how to support the Foundation or apply for a scholar-ship, please contact Judy G. Kirk at [email protected] or call 703-537-4830. Applications are available for download at www.iafc.org in the Resource section or at www.iafcf.org

National Volunteer Fire CouncilApril 17, 2008 - The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) in partnership with the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) has completed a study of emerging occu-pational health and safety issues in the volunteer fire and emergency services. The report, Emerging Health and Safety Issues in the Volunteer Fire Service, provides information on initiatives, pro-

grams, and strategies for reducing fatalities among volunteer firefighters.

“The volunteer fire service is an integral part of our nation’s Homeland Security,” said U.S. Fire Administrator Greg Cade. “The USFA was pleased to work in partnership with the NVFC to develop focused initiatives to support the health and safety of Ameri-ca’s volunteer firefighters.”

There are an estimated 823,950 volunteer firefighters in the United States, according to the National Fire Protection Association report U.S. Fire Department Profile through 2006. Over 70 percent of the fire depart-ments in the U.S. are all-volunteer and 17 percent are mostly volunteer combination departments. With the vast majority of fire departments and their communities depen-dent on volunteer firefighters, there is a critical need for effective health and safety programs to protect these volunteers from preventable injury, illness, and death.“The volunteer fire service has distinct is-sues related to health and safety that need to be specifically addressed,” said Philip C. Stittleburg, NVFC Chairman. “We lose too many volunteer firefighters in line-of-duty deaths.”

Download Emerging Health and Safety Is-sues in the Volunteer Fire Service. Printed copies of this publication will be available in the near future; please check the USFA Publications Catalog for a notice of avail-ability.

StreamlightApril 17, 2008 - Streamlight® has appointed Joshua A. Commoss as a Territory Sales Manager – Industrial/Sales and Fire/EMS Divisions. In his new position, Commoss is respon-sible for targeted sales to customers in the company’s industrial, safety, fire and EMS markets, working with Streamlight distribu-tors to provide support, direction and infor-mation on customer needs. His territory consists of the New England region. Prior to joining Streamlight, Commoss was an Account Executive for Musco Sports Lighting, Andover, MA, a sports lighting equipment provider. He previously worked as an Account Executive for United Rentals, Boston, MA, which specializes in construc-tion equipment rental and sales, as well as in software sales. “Joshua brings an extensive sales back-ground to Streamlight, especially his experi-ence with industrial sales as well as lighting equipment,” said Brian Correia, Streamlight Vice President of Sales. “We look forward

to leveraging his expertise to help main-tain Streamlight’s continuing market leadership in these categories.” Commoss holds a Bachelors Degree in Political Science and Economics from the University of Vermont. He was a United States Marine Corps Reservist at Fort Devens, MA from 1994 to 2001. He resides in Swampscott, MA.

Task Force TipsApril 25, 2008 - Task Force Tips (TFT) has assembled a team of specialists to form the industry’s first technical cus-tomer service support team.

“The idea came up at one of the group management meetings about eight months ago,” explained Mike Mayer, manufacturing engineer and new tech-nical customer service group manager. “They wanted to stay on the forefront in providing good customer service, so they gathered together a team of some of their top service experts.”

Senior Customer Service Coordinator Mike Grcich, Customer Service Coor-dinator Doug Heller, Electric Service Coordinator Eric Miller, and Mayer are the team of four specialists who share the newly renovated second floor office in the North Plant on East Evans Street in Valparaiso, IN. Product Customer Service Tech Rob Beatty and Service Tech/Tester Mike Cervik round out the hand picked group as service techni-cians.

“The way the group interacts is great,” Mayer said. “We have such a wide array of knowledge and areas of ex-pertise – that’s what makes this team so well rounded. If one person has trouble, the group backs that person up and gets what the customer needs NOW. The other big advantage of the group is issue overlap. Not only can we compare notes to find ways to better service the customer, but we also get to hear what the other team members are working on. Then, even if one person is away, the other members can jump right in and complete the customer’s request.”

For customers on either coast, this means that TFT service and technical support will be available from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST Monday through Friday. “Although the nation should revolve around the Midwest, you have to re-member that there’s a big difference in time zones,” Mayer said. “This way, by staggering our team’s hours, we’ll be

FEMSA MEMBEr NEwS


able to help customers from the East to the West.”

Response to the new service team has been overwhelmingly positive according to Rod Carringer, TFT vice president of sales and marketing. “I wish I knew who it was who first suggested this,” Carringer said, “because I’d ask them why they didn’t mention it years ago. Gathering talents for a common good seems so obvious now that we’ve done it. We’re always looking for ways to improve our relationship with those who trust and use our products. This time, it seems that we were lucky enough to find one that works.”

TFT’s service team can be reached by writing them at [email protected] or call toll free to 800 348 2686. (Should the need arise, a team member is on call 24/7.)

VisionMarkFebruary 29, 2008 - VisionMark today announced that it received recogni-tion as a RFID label partner for Alien Technology®. Alien Technology has established an ecosystem of partners focused on providing RFID solutions including RFID Label providers that offer labels built on Alien® RFID inlays. VisionMark has joined Alien’s network as a certified supplier.

VisionMark successfully passed Alien Technology’s certification process required of all their label partners. The qualification process included Alien RFID training for VisionMark personnel, followed by VisionMark production runs incorporating Alien Technology RFID inlays in VisionMark designed Durable labeling systems. VisionMark completed all test runs with 100% functionality.

“VisionMark continues to design and manufacture durable labeling and branding systems for its OEM markets. This successful development and quali-fication of durable RFID-enabled labels provides our customers with reusable Identification tags, suitable for harsh service environments,” said David S. Clarkson, VisionMark’s president. “This innovation is a direct reflection of our company’s sixty year commitment to our manufacturing customers.”

Volunteer Fireman’s insurance Services (VFiS)May 1, 2008 - VFIS is pleased to an-nounce the release of the 2008 edition of the Emergency Vehicle Driver Train-ing Program. The effort is part of VFIS’s commitment to reducing the number of deaths and injuries among the emer-gency responder population. Part of that commitment is promoting the safe operation of emergency vehicles.

Submit your News at [email protected]

VFIS offered its first driver training program in 1978. Over the past three decades, VFIS has supplemented this flagship program by developing a wide variety of pro-grams and materials that address safe response. For more than two years, VFIS has worked to develop and update both the comprehensive Instructor’s Program Kit and the Participant Manual. Most of the updates were based on suggestions from the train-ing academies and community colleges that have adopted the VFIS EVDT Program, as well as EVDT instructors who deliver the message of safety to students across the United States and Canada.

VFIS will conduct four-hour training sessions on the 2008 EVDT Edition at various regional locations. The training is designed for instructors who have taken VFIS EVDT Instructor training within the last 5 years. For more information about upcoming class-es, visit www.vfis.com.

Numerous organizations and training facilities utilize the current version of the EVDT Instructor’s Guide (C10:049) and EVDT Participant Manual (C10:068). VFIS plans to support the current versions of these products for the next two years.

1. Firefighting and Emergency Response is an inherently dangerous activity requiring proper training in their hazards and the use of extreme caution at all times. 2. It is your responsibility to read and understand any user’s instructions, including purpose and limitations, provided with any piece of equipment you may be called upon to use.3. It is your responsibility to know that you have been properly trained in Firefighting and/or Emergency Response and the use, precautions, and care of any equipment you may be called upon to use.4. It is your responsibility to be in proper physical condition and to maintain the personal skill level required to operate any equipment you may be called upon to use.5. It is your responsibility to know that your equipment is in operable condition and has been maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. 6. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in death, burns or other severe injury.

2007

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*Publisher’s Own Data: Harvey Research Inc., June 2006

For more information, please contact: Sheri Collins • [email protected] • (760) 787-9314

NFPA World Safety Conference ....................................................................................... Jun 2-6 ...............................................................................Las Vegas, NVAlberta Fire Chiefs ............................................................................................................Jun 7-11 .............................................................................Edmonton, ALB Fire 2007 (New York Fire Chiefs) 800-676-3473 ........................................................... Jun 12-14 ........................................................................Lake George, NYIAFC Southeastern Division ........................................................................................... Jun 19-21 .........................................................................Chattanooga, TN New England Fire-Rescue/IAFC N. E. Division ............................................................. Jun 19-22 .......................................................................W. Springfield, MA Contact: Chief Charles Maurais 781-631-3086 .............................................................................................................................................................................. Maritimes Fire Chiefs Conference .....................................................................................Jul 6-8 ...............................................................................Lunenburg, NS IAFC Missouri Valley Division ...........................................................................................Jul 9-11 .....................................................................................Joplin, MO Texas A & M Municipal Fire School .................................................................................Jul 20-25 ..................................................................... College Station, TXFirehouse Expo ............................................................................................................ Jul 22nd-26th ...........................................................................Baltimore, MD Contact: Rob Brice 800-827-8009Fire-Rescue International ...............................................................................................Aug 14-16.................................................................................. Denver, CO Contact: Kelly Piringer at IAFC 703-537-4840FAMA Tech Meeting ...........................................................................................................Aug 16 .................................................................................... Denver, COIncident Management Symposium (Phoenix FD) ...........................................................Aug 27-29 ................................................................................Phoenix, AZPittsburgh Fire/Rescue & EMS .........................................................................................Sep 5-7 ...............................................................................Pittsburgh, PA Contact: Kelly Simon Productions 800-747-5599New Jersey FF ............................................................................................................... Sep 11-13 ...............................................................................Wildwood, NJContact: Ron McGowan 609 522 1822Fire Rescue Canada .......................................................................................................Sep 21-24 ......................................................................... White Horse, YTNational Fallen Fighters Memorial Service ..................................................................... Oct 4-5 ............................................................................Emmitsburg, MDFall Meeting : FEMSA (8-9) FAMA (10-11) ...................................................................... Oct 8-12 ................................................................................... Tucson, AZFirehouse Central/EMS .................................................................................................. Oct 15-17 .............................................................................Las Vegas, NVFDSOA Annual Conference ............................................................................................ Oct 26-31 ..................................................................................Orlando, FL Contact FDSOA 508-881-3114F.I.E.R.O. Fire Station Design Symposium ................................................................Nov 3-5 ................................................................................Charlotte, NCFire Rescue Conference & Expo ......................................................................................Nov 5-9 ..............................................................................Las Vegas, NV Contact Ed Nichols 203-840-5968

thE 2008 YEArLY PLANNEr


Officers/Executive CommitteeWilliam “Giff” SwaynePresidentHolmatro, Inc.(410) [email protected] ReeseVice PresidentAkron Brass Company(309) [email protected] FreemanSecretary-TreasurerClass 1, Inc.(352) [email protected] WelchExecutive Committee MemberGlobe Manufacturing Co.(603) 435-8323, [email protected] WeinmeisterExecutive Committee MemberSuper Vacuum Mfg. Co., Inc.(970) [email protected]

thE 2008 FEMSA BOArdBoard MembersPaul AndrewsFireRescue1.com(301) [email protected] BonneyKochek Co., Inc.(860) [email protected] FarsterRed Head Brass, LLC(330) [email protected] GranbyLion Apparel, Inc.(937) [email protected] LawrenceSafety Outfitters, LLC(603) [email protected] NatchipolskyFirehouse.com(301) [email protected]

2008 iNtErNAtiONAL trAdE ShOw EVENtSAsian International Security, Safety & Fire Protection Show and Conference .......... 4-6 June 2008 ...............................................................................Hong Kong www.allworldexhibitions.comExpo Protection, International Exhibition of Risks Management ........................... 4-7 November 2008 ....................................................................... Paris, France www.expoprotection.com2009 International Wildland Fire Conference www.wildlandfire09.com ...................18-20 June 2009 ...................................................................Sydney, Australia2010 INTERSCHUTZ www.interschutz.org.de ..........................................................7-12 June 2010 ................................................................... Leipzig, Germany

Janet WilmothFire Chief Publications(312) [email protected]

Executive Assistant to the Board

Karen Burnham(781) [email protected]

Legal CounselJim Juneau(972) [email protected]

travel AgentBob Grimaldi(315) [email protected]

WebmasterGabriel “Gabe” SteinbachWindmill Hill Consulting(314) [email protected]

Fire and Emergency Manufacturers and Services Association, Inc.P.O. Box 147Lynnfield, MA 01940-0147

It changed the fire service in 1998.It’s about to do it again ...

Relaunching Summer 2008For advertising information contact

Mike Natchipolsky, Publisher, Firehouse.com

femsa news summer 2008

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