femsa news - summer 2013

Summer 2013 • FEMSA.org 1

Firehouse

® Continues Award-Winning Ways

Best Expo/TradeshowFOLIO & min’s FAME Awards

Tradeshow Executive’s Fastest 50 Award

Firehouse iPad Appmin’s Best B2B App (Editorial)

min’s Best of the Web Awards - Finalist

WTC: In Their Own Words

Special One-Time Project IAFF Media Awards

Benjamin Franklin Writers Award

TM

Firehouse ® brands recognized for excellence in events,

editorial and digital products.

Use the strength of Firehouse to promote your brand and products.

FEMSA NewsThe Resource for Public Safety Businesses

Summer 2013

www.FEMSA.org

MEMbEr NEwS7-23

PrESIDENT’S MESSAGEPage 2

TrADE ShowrEPorT cArDPage 10

hIll DAy SuccESSPage 6

GET CONNECTEDNetwork, learn, discover the future.

Annual Fall Meeting in Tampa, FLSchedule on pages 12-13

INDUSTRY AND MEMBER OUTLOOK Survey Results

page 16

is the proud sponsor of this edition of FEMSA News

2 Summer 2013 • FEMSA.org

Summer 2013

Official Publication of Fire and Emergency Manufacturers and Services Association, Inc.

P.O. Box 147Lynnfield, MA 01940-0147Phone - 781-334-2771Email - [email protected] - www.femsa.orgTwitter - www.twitter.com/FEMSANewsCopy and Advertising Deadlines:Contact the FEMSA office.

Provided to members as a benefit of membership. Articles from members are encouraged. FEMSA reserves the right to edit for factual content, brevity and clarity. Articles with product placement and branding will be edited or referred for paid advertising place-ment.

©Copyright 2013, FEMSA, MA (USA)Editors: Karen Burnham, Dan ReeseEditorial Staff: Mary Murphy-Overmann*Layout and Cover Design: Melinda House**Windmill Hill Consulting, LLC

Thanks to our advertisers:

Annual Meeting Planning Bill Lawson, Committee ChairJanet Wilmoth, Board Liaison

Education Greg Toritto, Committee ChairJanet Wilmoth, Board Liaison

Governmental AffairsJohn Granby, FEMSA GAC Co-ChairRichard Boyes, FEMSA CGC ChairRod Carringer, CGC Board Liaison

InsurancePatrick Hull, Committee ChairGiff Swayne, Board Liaison

Marketing/Internet/Newsletter Joe Skey and Gabe Steinbach, Committee ChairsPaul Andrews, Board Liaison

Membership Joe Porter, Committee ChairDoug Schaumburg, Board Liaison

Nominating Barbara Connolly, Committee ChairJudy Weigand, Board Liaison

Statistics & Research James Long, Committee Chair Dan Reese, Board Liaison

Strategic Planning Executive Committee

Trade Shows / Report CardsKen Nielson, FEMSA Chair

User Information Guide Program Don Welch, Committee ChairBill Van Lent, Board Liaison

Current Active FEMSA Committees:

FEMSA Newspresident’s message

FIREHOUSE(Issue Sponsor) FDICFire ChiefFireRescueFireShows RenoJacobs-Weber Insurance

Join Us on LinkedIn!

Tenacity, Vision and Focus

“The future belongs to those who see possi-bilities before they become obvious.” - John Sculley

Throughout my life, I have always been amazed at peoples’ timeline perception. This perception spectrum includes those who can envision happenings many years in the future, while others can’t seem to comprehend that present-day events have come as a direct result of their own ac-tions. Now, by no means do I think I have the foresight to interpret what the future will be for our industry, but I’m fairly cer-tain that if you don’t study your environ-ment and actions, there will be trouble. Regardless of where you may lie on the spectrum of interpreting and creating the future, one thing is certain: the more exposure you have to the industry you serve, and the more exposure you have to macro forces inf luencing it, the better off you will be to lead and adapt yourself and your business to be successful. This year’s annual meeting themed “Vision 2020” is completely geared to providing informa-tion on the future.

The FEMSA annual meeting committee and the FAMA board have worked dili-gently to create a superior conference pro-gram of topics that are or will be affecting you and our industry. You’ll learn about

economics, technology, “ObamaCare”, and future generations of workers and customers, while increasing your market-ing knowledge. Plus, you’ll have the op-portunity to network with peers, industry supporters, suppliers, manufacturers, and dealers.

Registration is now open for the 2013 an-nual meeting and conference program – September 25-28 in Tampa, FL.Now that it sounds like I’ve just sold you a set of Ginsu knives or a product from Ronco, just go to WWW.FEMSA.ORG, and sign up for the annual meeting. I guarantee it will be the best use of your time (excluding family), and the best value you will receive all year.

Vision is a funny thing, and there are many different types. But not making the effort to be educated to improve your vi-sion is a surefire way to have none.

“The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision.” - Helen Keller

Dan Reese

Sincerely,


contents 2013 Femsa Board oF directors

Board Members

Officers/Executive Committee FEMSA Professional Resources

Ken Nielsen Executive Committee MemberParatech Incorporated(815) [email protected]

Dan Reese President Alexis Fire Equipment (309) [email protected]

Bill Lawson Vice President PBI Performance Products, Inc.(704) [email protected]

Janet Wilmoth Executive Committee MemberFire Chief Publications(312) [email protected]

Mike Natchipolsky Secretary-Treasurer FireRescue1.com(240) [email protected]

Karen Burnham Administrator and Newsletter Co-Editor(781) [email protected]

David GattonGovernmental Affairs ConsultantDevelopment Initiatives, Inc.(202) [email protected]

Bob Grimaldi Travel PlannerRome Travel Bureau, Inc.(904) [email protected]

James J. JuneauLegal Counsel(972) [email protected]

Melinda HouseSenior Graphic Designer / LayoutWindmill Hill Consulting, LLC(314) [email protected]

Mary Murphy-Overmann Newsletter Co-EditorWindmill Hill Consulting, LLC (314) [email protected]

Gabe Steinbach & Simon Steinbach WebmastersWindmill Hill Consulting, LLC(314) [email protected]

Paul Andrews Paul AndrewsPennWell Marketing Solutions(240) [email protected]

William Van Lent Veridian Limited, Inc.(712) [email protected]

Judith Weigand Amkus, Inc.(630) [email protected]

John Granby LION(937) [email protected]

Doug Schaumburg Casco Industries, Inc.(318) [email protected]

Giff Swayne Past President Holmatro, Inc.(410) 768-9662 [email protected]

Melinda Freeman Kidde Fire Fighting (352) [email protected]

Rod Carringer Task Force Tips, Inc.(800) [email protected]

President’s Message2

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2013 FEMSA Board of Directors

Governmental Affairs Committee (GAC)

Hill Day 2013

FEMSA Welcomes its Newest Members

$5,000 Equipment Award: 2012 Winner

Trade Show Report Card

In Memoriam

25th Annual Fire Dinner

2013 Annual Meeting Schedule

The View from the Trade Show Floor

Your FEMSA Board at Work

Results Are In For 2013 FAMA/FEMSA Industry and Member Surveys

Member News

2013 Fire Service Events Calendar


Exhibit Hall Hours Tuesday, October 22Exhibitor Move-in

Wednesday, October 23 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

Thursday, October 249:30 am to 2:00 pm

For information about exhibiting or show updates 1-800-632-7489 www.fireshowsreno.com

Complimentary Expo Pass for FEMSA MembersRegister online at www.fireshowsreno.comPromo Code: FEMSA

Bringing together attendees & exhibitors from 10 Western States

Reno-Sparks Convention Center4590 S. Virginia StreetReno, NV 89502

Host HotelAtlantis Casino Resort Spa3800 S. Virginia StreetReno, NV 895021-800-723-6500Hotel Rate: $59.00+taxes/fees Deluxe Tower Room Group Code: SFIRE13

October 22-24

Co-sponsored byNevada State Fire MarshalNevada State Emergency Response Commission

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A world class destination at a budget friendly price!


By Dave Gatton

The FAMA/FEMSA Hill Day, held May

8-9, 2013 in conjunction with the 25th Anniversary

of CFSI’s fire coalition dinner, could not have come at a more important time. Thirty-seven FEMSA and FAMA members representing 26 companies held over 90 meetings with Congres-sional representatives as they prepared for the Fiscal Year 2014 legislative process. Seeking to replicate the successful appropriations fund-ing level of $337.5 million for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program, FEMSA and FAMA companies conveyed to members of Congress and their staff how the AFG program

created jobs, equipped first responders, and played a critical role in the nation’s emergency preparedness system. They also expressed their support for the SAFER program, the U.S. Fire Administration and the Urban Search and Rescue program.

Hill Day team meetings included discussions with the Senate Homeland Security (HS) Ap-propriations Committee majority and minority staff, who will draft the FY 2014 appropria-tions bill, in addition to meetings with staff of the Chair and Ranking member of the House HS Appropriations Committee. Several FEMSA and FAMA members met directly with Congressional members themselves, including Rep. David Price (NC), ranking member of the House Appropriations HS Committee, and Senator Dan Coats (Ind), ranking member of the Senate HS Appropriations Committee.

What was incredible about these meetings was that repeatedly our Hill Day teams were greeted with expressions of widespread support for the fire service and the fire grants programs. This is not by accident. In a time of incredible fiscal austerity and limits on domestic discretionary spending, Congress could easily dismiss the fire service as strictly a local concern. But because of the unified and broad base of the fire service coalition, of which FEMSA and FAMA are a part, Congress understands that we are integral to the nation’s capacity to respond, and that sup-port of AFG and SAFER not only strengthens this response but helps the businesses that equip our first responders create jobs.

This could not be done without the support of you, the FAMA/FEMSA Government Affairs Committee, and the incredible member com-panies who understand the importance of our efforts. Thank you. •

by John Granby and Lee Morris, FAMA/FEMSA GAC co-chairs

On behalf of FAMA/FEMSA GAC, we would like to thank all those members who took time out from busy schedules to join us for Hill Day 2013. There were over 90 Hill meetings including the following with members and/or their key staff:

• Five with House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee Member offices, including the Chair and Ranking Member offices

• Three with Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee Member offices, including the Chair and Ranking Member offices

• Three with additional full House Appro-priations Committee Member offices

• Eight with additional full Senate Appro-priations Committee Member offices

• Two with House Homeland Security Committee Member offices

• Two with Senate Homeland Security Committee Member offices, including the Chair and Ranking Member offices

Thanks to Dave Gatton and Joni Goodman for their coordination and hard work that helped make Hill Day 2013 an outstanding success! •

2013 Hill day success

Hill day 2013

John McNulty with Rep. Elizabeth Esty (CT)

l to r: Dan Reese, Ken Nielsen, Rod Carringer, Sen. Joe Donnelly (Indiana), Jim

Ham, Matt Darley

l to r: Dan Reese, Ken Nielsen, Rep. Bobby Rush (Illinois) Matt Darley, Jim Ham, Rod Carringer


By Dave Gatton

What a night! From Vice President Joe Biden’s declaration that his heart will first

and foremost always be with his native state of

Delaware and its first responders; to pledges of support from New York Representative Peter King that the least Congress can do is equip and support those who protect us; to Maryland Representative Steny Hoyer’s reminiscing with Fire Cau-cus Found-er former Represen-tative Curt Weldon about those early days of surrounding the Capitol building with fire trucks from up and down the east coast; to Rob Andrews, set-ting the record straight that Ameri-

ca’s first responders--who protect, rescue and save the lives of everyone, when called--embody the essence of “who we are.”

It was, in many respects, an emotional dinner of looking back over 25 years at all that has hap-pened to us over that period: the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, 9-11, the Oklahoma City bombing, mega storms of untold damage, the Boston Marathon, West, Texas. Our first responders were there, equipped with what we

make, and defin-ing as a nation who we are.

And there we were in the midst of it all.You all should be proud of what you do through your enterprise, your devotion, your commit-ment, and your support. You are part of the American fabric. •

Jerome D. Towe, age 81, who passed on May 5, 2013. Jerome was the father of Bob Towe

(W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc.) and Don Towe (Globe Manufacturing Co.).

In MemoriamFEMSA iS SAddEnEd to rEport thE pASSing oF An induStry FriEnd. our condolEncES to thE FAMily oF

Avon Protection SystemsMark Williamson, Global Product Manager922 Hurricane Shoals Rd.Lawrenceville, GA 30043678-495-3725mark.williamson@avon-protection.comwww.avon-protection.comManufacturer of respiratory protection system

Brindlee Mountain Fire ApparatusJason Parsley, Owner15410 Highway 231Union Grove, AL 35175Tel: (258) 498-0188Email: [email protected]: www.firetruckmall.comBrindlee Mountain is a wholesale dealer of fire trucks

McNeil & Company (FireWatch)William R. Dixon, Executive VP20 Church St.Cortland, NY 13045800-822-3747wdixon@mcneilandcompany.comwww.mcneilandcompany.comInsurance services for fire equipment distributors/emergency apparatus dealers

PennWell Marketing SolutionsPaul Andrews, VP12508 White Dr.Silver Spring, MD 10904240-595-2352 [email protected] consulting and creative services

University of Illinois Fire Service Institute Dennis D. Spice, Director of Corporate Relations11 Gerty DriveChampaign, IL [email protected], education, research in firefighting and firefighter life safety

WildfireFrederic Lefrancois, VP Product Development1100 Norman, Suite 200Lachine, Quebec H8S 1A6 Canada514-637-5873flefrancois@wildfire-env.comwww.wildfire-env.comCentrifugal fire pumps, hoses, nozzles, skid units

5tH annual cFsi emergency services dinner

“it was an emotional dinner.”

Vice President Joe Biden keynotes CFSI

Femsa welcomes its newest memBers


Lt. Doug Spinks with newly award-ed equipment.

By completing the 2012 State of the Fire Service Survey, Doug Spinks and the Lancaster County Fire Service of South Carolina were entered into the FEMSA/FAMA drawing that netted Doug an iPad and the Fire Service a slew of much needed equipment.

From Chief Tracy Caldwell:“On behalf of the Kershaw Fire Department [of Lancaster Coun-ty], I would like to thank FEMSA

and FAMA for making this pos-sible! Our department received extrication equipment, a vent saw and a bag for our rotary saw blades as a result of the annual survey prize award. The Hurst Quick Struts and Hurst Crash Bag will go on our first out engine, enhanc-ing our extrication capability. The Junkyard Dog Rotary Saw Blade bag will be placed on the service truck for our extra blades increas-ing the safety of their storage. The Ventmaster Vent Saw will go on the first out engine, replacing an older saw which was deemed un-repairable and taken out of service a few weeks before the award no-tification. Thank you FEMSA, FAMA, MES, ESI Equipment, Apollo Fire Equipment, and the other FEMSA member companies for the award and donation of this much needed equipment! Mem-bers of the Kershaw Fire Depart-ment are extremely appreciative, and on behalf of the entire depart-ment and the Town of Kershaw, THANKS!” •

On June 13th we delivered the loose equipment for West VFD. They were very excited and overjoyed to see all the sup-port that still continues to come in. I cannot begin to thank you for how much you guys have done for this department. The brotherhood is truly amazing. Thank you to: Akron, TFT,

Elkhart, Key Hose, Stream-light, All American Hose, ISG, Scott Safety, MES, Hurst, Ko-chek, Brooks Equipment, Zico, and many more.

Jacob VentrcaLoose Equipment SpecialistSiddons-Martin Emergency Group •

your Femsa Board at worK

$5,000 equipment award: 2012 winner Femsa memBers aid west, texas disaster

Board members in Baltimore for a two-day planning meeting in May.

L to R: Front: Doug Schaumburg, Dan Reese, James Juneau (legal counsel)

Middle: Paul Andrews, Judy Weigand, Janet Wilmoth, Melinda Freeman, Rod Carringer

Top: Ken Nielsen, Mike Natchi-polsky, Bill Van Lent, Bill Lawson, John Granby, Giff Swayne

photo credit: Karen Burnham

Summer 2013 • FEMSA.org 9Presented by Owned & Produced by

FDICWork_Fire_130327 1 3/27/13 4:41 PM


trade sHow report cardBy Summer Johnston and Ken Nielsen (Paratech)

Welcome to our first installment of the 2013 Trade Show Report Card. The results from Firehouse World are in. It appears the economy is level-ing off. Some people claim to see a very small upright trend. You can see this in the below results. Thank you to Tom Tobiason, the group show manager at Firehouse Events- Cygnus Expositions, for working with us to bring you this article. We hope you are enjoying this new format of the Trade Show Report Card. We are always open for ways to improve. If you have any questions or comments, please let us know.

February 17-21, 2013 / San Diego, CAQ: According to opinion, the attendance was slow on the first day. The second day was better. Do you have any comments on this?A: I’m surprised to see that, although not entirely. What our research showed us, and how we approached this year’s event, was as two 1-day events. By that I mean we know we have a strong education program and we can track those that are with us for all five days of education. However, we looked at each day with a ‘why should someone make the effort to attend today specifically’ approach and I think it paid off. Our numbers show more verified attendees on day one of the exhibit hall, and the aggregate scans from the lead retrieval units (70% usage by exhibi-tors as it was included) showed more scans on day one. However, as an organizer, you always like to hear that your last day was strong!

Q: There was an overall concern with Chiefs’ Night. How does show management plan to address this?A: The concept had been vetted. However, in the first year, executionis always your biggest challenge. The beer on the show floor was nice,but exhibitors felt that was the only reason the chiefs attended. We’llcontinue to hone the program, getting further feedback from the chiefs asto what they want, and we’ll articulate that to our exhibitors for 2014. One idea is to allow exhibitors to invite their VIPs, regardless of rank, for the preview night.

Q: There was a comment of concern about the show floor being reconfig-ured. Do you have any comments?A: There is a never-ending balance of keeping our exhibitor base happy and appealing to our attendees. One of the biggest complaints from the local departments was the impression that nothing changed year-to-year at the show, and they mentioned the floor plan layout and their ability to “walk into a booth with my eyes closed.” I don’t think what we did this year was radical, but we did spread things out a little, providing better access throughout the show and better traffic flow for our attendees.

Q: Exhibitors were impressed by the efforts of show management to ad-dress problems from previous shows. Would you like to highlight the improvements over last year?A: When Ed Nichols, vice president of events, brought me in, he said our number one goal is to improve the value of our events for our exhibitors through lower overall cost and improved attendance. We haven’t devi-ated from doing the work, asking the questions, and taking the actions necessary to do that since I started here. We have a three-year plan to grow the attendance for the show by 50% by strengthening our base in southern California, improving the relationships further north and in the Southwest (AZ and NV), and moving north and east from there. Harvey Eisner spends approximately 70% of his time traveling, meet-ing with these departments and agencies to fulfill on our promise. We realized an increase in attendance and quality attendees this year, with a much stronger relationship in southern California, and we will continue to improve from there.

Q: What can we expect for next year? Is there anything you would like to tell us about?A: The return of the USS Midway event is very exciting. We’ve had a lot of inquiries about this event. This will certainly add to the excitement of the show and give attendees and exhibitors a great place to unwind and network. We are also looking to expand on our current initiatives and possibly add a dedicated ride and drive event with outdoor exhib-its. We’ll keep you informed of our progress. However, we are extremely optimistic and excited about next year. •

TRADE SHOW EXHIBITORS ATTENDEES FEMSA/FAMA MEMBERS EXHIBITING

FIREHOUSE WORLD 4,898 1,509 70FDICNY CHIEFSFIREHOUSE EXPOFRIPA EXPO

2013 ATTENDANCE RESULTS

TRADE SHOW 2010 2011 2012 2013

FIREHOUSE WORLD 2.92 2.99 2.68 2.86FDIC 3.14 3.44 3.45NY CHIEFS 3.33 2.76 2.93FIREHOUSE EXPO 2.88 2.36 2.49FRI 2.48 2.63 2.38PA EXPO - - 3.07

YEARLY GPA

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

2010 2.92 3.14 3.33 2.88 2.48

2011 2.89 3.44 2.78 2.36 2.63

2012 2.68 3.45 2.93 2.49 2.38 3.07

2013 2.86

Firehouse World

FDIC NY Fire Chiefs

Firehouse Expo

FRI PA Fire Expo

80 of 242 respondents

















C

B

B

C+C+

B

C

B-

BB

B-B- B- B-

CC C


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W W W . J A C O B S W E B E R . C O MPat HullOwner, AgentCell [email protected]

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12 Summer 2013 • FEMSA.org pennwellmarketing.com

This year’s theme is Vision 2020. We have a great line up of

speakers and networking events to prepare you for the future.

The topics include future trends, emerging technologies, the

state of our economy, how Obamacare will impact our busi-

nesses and dealing with the next generation of workers.

Hotel Information:

Our hotel close date is August 16 so be sure to lock in your

nightly rate of $159 now! This is first come, first serve since

we have a limited amount of rooms. And, after August 16th

the rate moves to $249 per night.

Spouse program:

The fee for our spouses program is $200. We will have many

activities including a wonderful daytime cruise on the Starlite

Sapphire. Afraid of the water? No worries, we are located

right next door to a huge luxury mall as well.

Registration information:

The conference fee is $295 for the first company representa-

tive. Any additional company employees get to enjoy a dis-

counted rate of $250; however, you must sign up by August

16 to get this fantastic discount.

To register, go to: www.FAMA.org

Mark your calendars now! It’s time to register for our Fall Meeting Tampa, FL at the Tampa Renaissance — September 25- 28, 2013

Larry Grudzien Jack Uldrich Anirban Basu

Featured speakers:

Event Schedule:Arrival Wednesday - September 25th, 2013

12:00 pm - 12:30 pm FEMSA Board Lunch

12:30 pm - 3:15 pm FEMSA Board Meeting

3:15 pm Break (FEMSA and FAMA)

3:30 pm - 4pm Joint FEMSA/FAMA Board

4:00 pm - 6:00pm FAMA Board Meeting

Thursday - September 26, 2013

7:30 AM FAMA Board Breakfast with Committee Chairs

8:00 am - 10:00 am FAMA Board Meeting with Committee Chairs

7:30 - 8:30 am FEMSA Breakfast

8:30 am - 10:15 am FEMSA Annual Business Meeting

10:15 am - 10:30 am Break (FEMSA and FAMA)

10:30 am - 12:00 pm FEMSA Annual Business Meeting

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Lunch Break

FEMSA/FAMA Joint Session

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Economic Forecast: Anirban Basu

2:00 pm - 3:15 pm Keynote - Vision 2020: Jack Uldrich

3:15 pm - 3:30 pm Break (FEMSA and FAMA)

3:30 pm - 5:00 pm Roundtable Discussion - “Vision 2020, what the fire service will look like ”Denny Compton - Moderator,Chief Brian Crawford - Plano Fire Department, Chief John Pope - Collinsville, MS, Chief David Downey Miami Dade, Chief Edward Senter Chesterfield County, VA, Dave Paulison, Former FEMA Director and Miami Chief, Jack Uldrich

6:00 - 7:00 pm FEMSA/FAMA Cocktails

Friday - September 27, 2013

7:30 am FAMA Member Breakfast

8:00 am - 10:00 am FAMA Membership Meeting

7:30 am FEMSA Member Breakfast

8:30 am - 10:00 am FEMSA Caucus Groups

10:00 am - 2 pm Ladies Program: Cruise around Clearwater Beach


10:30 am - 11:30 am Finding, training, motivating, and keeping the next generation of workers; The Mid American Group

11:30 am - 1:00 pm Lunch (FEMSA/FAMA Members)

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Fire Drill


3:15 pm - 4:15 pm Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) Implementation: The Mid American Group

4:15 pm - 5:00 pm Washington Update-Bill Webb


7:00 - 9:30 pm FEMSA/FAMA Dinner

Departure Saturday - September 28, 2013

pennwell marketing 17x11 ad FAMA schedule update may 20.indd 1 5/20/2013 9:22:48 AM

Summer 2013 • FEMSA.org 13pennwellmarketing.com

This year’s theme is Vision 2020. We have a great line up of

speakers and networking events to prepare you for the future.

The topics include future trends, emerging technologies, the

state of our economy, how Obamacare will impact our busi-

nesses and dealing with the next generation of workers.

Hotel Information:

Our hotel close date is August 16 so be sure to lock in your

nightly rate of $159 now! This is first come, first serve since

we have a limited amount of rooms. And, after August 16th

the rate moves to $249 per night.

Spouse program:

The fee for our spouses program is $200. We will have many

activities including a wonderful daytime cruise on the Starlite

Sapphire. Afraid of the water? No worries, we are located

right next door to a huge luxury mall as well.

Registration information:

The conference fee is $295 for the first company representa-

tive. Any additional company employees get to enjoy a dis-

counted rate of $250; however, you must sign up by August

16 to get this fantastic discount.

To register, go to: www.FAMA.org

Mark your calendars now! It’s time to register for our Fall Meeting Tampa, FL at the Tampa Renaissance — September 25- 28, 2013

Larry Grudzien Jack Uldrich Anirban Basu

Featured speakers:

Event Schedule:Arrival Wednesday - September 25th, 2013

12:00 pm - 12:30 pm FEMSA Board Lunch

12:30 pm - 3:15 pm FEMSA Board Meeting

3:15 pm Break (FEMSA and FAMA)

3:30 pm - 4pm Joint FEMSA/FAMA Board

4:00 pm - 6:00pm FAMA Board Meeting

Thursday - September 26, 2013

7:30 AM FAMA Board Breakfast with Committee Chairs

8:00 am - 10:00 am FAMA Board Meeting with Committee Chairs

7:30 - 8:30 am FEMSA Breakfast

8:30 am - 10:15 am FEMSA Annual Business Meeting


10:30 am - 12:00 pm FEMSA Annual Business Meeting

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Lunch Break

FEMSA/FAMA Joint Session

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Economic Forecast: Anirban Basu

2:00 pm - 3:15 pm Keynote - Vision 2020: Jack Uldrich


3:30 pm - 5:00 pm Roundtable Discussion - “Vision 2020, what the fire service will look like ”Denny Compton - Moderator,Chief Brian Crawford - Plano Fire Department, Chief John Pope - Collinsville, MS, Chief David Downey Miami Dade, Chief Edward Senter Chesterfield County, VA, Dave Paulison, Former FEMA Director and Miami Chief, Jack Uldrich


Friday - September 27, 2013

7:30 am FAMA Member Breakfast

8:00 am - 10:00 am FAMA Membership Meeting

7:30 am FEMSA Member Breakfast

8:30 am - 10:00 am FEMSA Caucus Groups

10:00 am - 2 pm Ladies Program: Cruise around Clearwater Beach


10:30 am - 11:30 am Finding, training, motivating, and keeping the next generation of workers; The Mid American Group

11:30 am - 1:00 pm Lunch (FEMSA/FAMA Members)

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Fire Drill


3:15 pm - 4:15 pm Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) Implementation: The Mid American Group

4:15 pm - 5:00 pm Washington Update-Bill Webb


7:00 - 9:30 pm FEMSA/FAMA Dinner

Departure Saturday - September 28, 2013

pennwell marketing 17x11 ad FAMA schedule update may 20.indd 1 5/20/2013 9:22:48 AM


tHe view From tHe trade sHow Floor

Hello from the Black Diamond Group, Inc. booth.

The W.S. Darley Co. display at FDIC

Kassmaul Electronics team: Shaun Salvino, Colin Chambless, Thomas Nugent, Brian Scott, Alan Pemberton, Mike Guzman, Fred Kindgren

The PennWell Marketing Solutions Team: Hank Mitchell, Paul Andrews, Kaci Wheeler and Michael Quzor

BullEx’s vehicle training prop and pressure vessel training prop attracted a lot of attention at the demo area.

Peter Lauffenburger and David Hradek from Akron Brass Co.

Liz Finkle (left) and Sarah Wilson (right) manning the FireRescue1 booth at FDIC.

Kaza (l to r): Ryan Kaza, Kevin Harker and Bob Illig check out a new air mask

Tempest Technology Corp (l to r): James Plieth, Cindy Ell, Johan Gidstedt, Colin Hough, Dexter Coffman.

Fire-Dex team showing off the “DexFlex” (l to r):John Zbozien, Jeff Koledo, Brett Jaffe, Allen Rom, Tony Moore, Bob Tharp, Abby Lehman, Bill Burke in back, Bruce Scheck, Steve Bonamer, Lance Matiste, Tory King, and John Karban

In the Bullard booth (l to r): Dave Vangelov, Bullard Regional Sales Manager and Matt Elmore, Bullard Product Manager, Emergency Responders.

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2013_Mobile_App_wQRcode.indd 50 5/9/13 11:16 AM


by Steve Toren and Jeff Hupke

In February 2013, with the culmination of the FAMA/FEMSA industry and membership sur-veys, answers were compiled so we can learn from leaders, decision makers and departments. With more than 1500 surveys completed, this year’s participation showed a 600% improve-ment in response rate from the 2011-2012 ef-fort. Geographically, respondents were 91% from the United States and 9% from Canada. U.S. surveys were well distributed coast to coast, with only three states not represented. More than 50% of those responding were in decision-making roles. Surveys were broken into two dis-tinct areas: industry trends and member trends.

INDUSTRY TRENDSRespondents were asked to contribute their thoughts on trends in the industry, which were grouped into categories. Of those, the trend perceived to impact the industry the most was the economy. Information cited in this trend in-cluded the impacts of budget cuts, lack of fund-ing and a reduction in grants. While there were other issues mentioned, the top three issues cited were: Budget/Economy (33%), Low Staffing Levels (14%), Safety Concerns (10%). Respon-dents were asked what actions were likely to re-sult from the poor economy. What FEMSA and FAMA members will be glad to hear is that “planned purchases,” which over the last couple of years were often postponed or reduced, now show up in these survey results with an increased intent to carry through. The last time this survey question was included was in 2010, the result of which was that roughly 58% intended to reduce planned purchases, whereas this year’s survey re-sult reflected only 32% making the same state-ment.

Only 6% said they would be cancelling planned purchases, which is a substantial drop from 2010 at 31%. Overall, department trends over the next two years as they relate to apparatus budgets are that 22% will increase budgets, 61% will stay the same, and 18% will decrease budget, com-parable to last year’s survey. As to federal grants, respondents were asked if they had received grant money and for what particular area. Apparatus grants represented the smallest percentage over-all at 17%, then staffing at 25%, and the top area

receiving funding was for equipment at 57%. As to funding in general, 75% of apparatus budgets are funded by taxes, with additional areas cited including fundraising, bonds and grants. While apparatus budgets remained flat, 55% of the fleet age is cited older than 10 years, 14% of which is older than 16 years.

The survey also asked participants specific pur-chasing questions related to the next fiscal pe-riod. 40% of respondents cited they would be making a major purchase during the next fiscal year while 33% stated they would not, and 28% were unsure. Of those planning on a major purchase, 92% plan on purchasing an apparatus.

Specifically, purchase priorities were ranked as follows: 1. Pumper 2. Aerial 3.Ambulance Transport 4. Rescue 5. Wildland 6. Utility Truck 7. Heavy Rescue 8. Command Vehicle 9. ARFF 10. Other.

Important considerations in apparatus purchase decisions include (in order): Quality (86%), Safety (85%) , Price (63%), War-ranty (61%), Ease of Operation (54%), Multi-Function (48%), Ease of Maintenance (45%), Interior Cab Size (31%), Custom Chassis (28%), Innovation (22%), Fuel Efficiency (21%).

Service factors were also explored in this survey as to how they impact considerations and depart-mental purchasing. Most notable is that cus-tomer service, both pre- and post-sale, were the top factors cited, followed by manufacturer/dealer reputation as second considerations, fol-lowed by responsiveness of sales team, local deal-er service, relationship with sales person, ability to overnight parts, and speed of delivery. Brand was cited as last in importance at 12%.

Respondents were asked to look ahead over the next five years to help identify future trends. Categories cited were tank size, pump capacity and cab size. Surprisingly, all three categories appear to be consistent with prior years, with no significant changes to reduce size/capacity cited by roughly 60% across all three areas. Roughly 30% predict size/capacity to go larger. Since 2009, the data recorder has grown in usage and based on these trends is likely to become a larger consideration. LED lighting usage is without question becoming the preferred solution. As to leasing of apparatus, only 28.7% indicated an interest, which is seemingly an upward trend. However 61% show no interest at all.

Respondents were also asked to rate the impor-

tance of information sources in their decision-making process. Word-of-mouth, salesperson, and trade show exposure were cited as most important, followed by manufacturer website, dealer website, search engine, trade magazine and lastly, advertising and social media.

Related to trade show attendance, respondents indicated the following were shows they partici-pated in over the past three years: FDIC (44%), Other (41%), Firehouse Expo (20%), FRI (18%), PA Fire Show (13%), Ontario Fire Chiefs Show (3%).

Respondents were asked for their ideas on what FEMSA and FAMA could do to better meet their needs. Over half of the departments most want FEMSA and FAMA to help raise overall aware-ness of funding sources. This mirrors the infor-mation gathered in the 2011-2012 survey.

MEMBERSHIPMember trends in all business segments tend to reflect industry trends, whereby the economy is cited as the most difficult obstacle and has cre-ated the necessity for diversification in mar-kets and products. Priority issues concerning membership as it relates to members’ own busi-nesses include: Healthcare (38%), Overall Economics/Sales Declines (32%), Insurance Costs (31%), Fund-ing/Budgets (29%), Federal Regulation (24%), Federal Taxes (22%), State/Local Taxes (14%), Industry Conditions (14%), Liability (12%), En-ergy Costs (7%), Competition (6%), Housing Market (4%), Availability of Credit (2%).

As to industry marketing, members were asked to rate the effectiveness of certain methods to convey the value of their product/service. The scale was 1 to 5 with 5 being most effective. Cat-egories included: website, tradeshows, Facebook, magazine ad, Twitter. Twitter was cited as least effective at 2.6, magazine ads 3.3, Facebook 3.4, trade shows at 3.8 and best cited was websites at 4.1.

To view the complete versions of these two sur-veys, sign in to the secure member portion of the FEMSA and FAMA websites (www.FEMSA.org and www.FAMA.org). Results include hundreds of verbatim comments and insights. Comments are appreciated even after the fact and may be sent to Jeff Hupke at: [email protected]

These surveys are improving and evolving. Please share the results with your business teams. •

results are in For 2013 Fama/Femsa industry and memBer surveys


Meet Steve Dembowski.Steve is the new Akron Brass Dis-trict Sales Manager for the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massa-chusetts, New Hampshire, New

York (except NYC), Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Steve brings with him over 18 years of direct sell-ing experience focusing on equipment and appara-tus solutions within the fire industry in the state of New York. Additionally, he has dedicated 28 years as a volunteer firefighter with the Moyers Corners Fire Department where he has served in various roles including Lieutenant, Captain, and Battalion Chief. Steve resides in North Syracuse, NY with his wife, two daughters and dog Gibby. He is a huge sports fan following the Phillies, Cowboys and the Syra-cuse Orangemen.

Steve’s strong sales background and fire industry experience will make him a valuable resource to service our customers.

Contact Steve for all your Akron Brass questions in the New England region. He can be reached at [email protected] or 315-317-6889.

Allison Transmission has been recognized by Spartan Motors for supplier excellence. This is Allison Transmission’s tenth outstanding supplier award in 11 years. Award criteria includes 99.3% or better on-time delivery, PPM of 750 or less, 99.3% or better paperwork

accuracy; superior customer service, vendor recov-ery and service parts support; and contributions to engineering and innovation.

Allison account manager Larry Dodson (holding award) and Eric Dicker-son, director of public re-lations, accepted the honor at the Spartan Motors Supplier Conference on March 27, 2013 in Char-lotte, Michigan.

Black Diamond Group Expands With Carhartt Footwear License

New Territory Sales Representatives Added To Support Product Demand

Woburn, MA. – 15 months into a licensee agreement with Black Diamond Group, the Carhartt footwear line and representation has expanded to meet occupational and national demands. New terri-tory representatives include Mike Tousignant, Southwest, Don Walk-er, South Central and Harry Verna, Northeast.

Black Diamond Group special-izes in performance protective footwear including over 90 styles

available to government departments and the pub-lic through select Black Diamond and Carhartt retailers and on www.Carhartt.com.

Ferrara Fire Apparatus Receives Industry Safety Award

For the third consecutive year, Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corporation (LWCC) has award-ed Ferrara Fire Apparatus the LWCC Safest 70 Award. This award acknowledges excellence, out-standing performance, and commitment to work-place safety. Companies are recognized based on the effectiveness of their safety efforts in prevent-ing injuries and controlling costs. Ferrara first re-ceived The Safest 70 Award in 2011. The Safest 70 is presented annually to 70 Louisiana companies with the most outstanding track record of work-place safety. Approximately 16,000 Louisiana companies are LWCC policyholders. Kristin Wall, President and CEO of the LWCC noted, “We are deeply appreciative of the integ-rity and efforts by Ferrara Fire Apparatus, Inc. in achieving these goals.” Affirming the words of Ms. Wall, Ferrara Fire Ap-paratus President and CEO Chris Ferrara said the company has a strong belief in constantly striving to improve workplace safety. In addition to main-taining a safe work environment, Ferrara also has programs in place to encourage healthy lifestyles on the part of their employees and families. “Our customers trust us to build apparatus that will keep

them safe traveling to an emergency, during the response and on the way back to the fire station. Likewise, we work to create an atmosphere that stresses safety on the job and an overall healthy lifestyle.”

Penton Media is pleased to an-nounce that Melissa Biermann has joined the Fire Chief franchise as an inside sales manager.

Melissa comes to Fire Chief with an extensive background in media sales, most recently with Penton’s Lodging Hospitality franchise. She has a strong background in both print and digital ad-vertising as well as with exhibit sales and sponsor-ships. Prior to joining Penton Media, Melissa was with GIE Media’s Lawn and Landscape magazine. Melissa began her career as an American Airlines Flight Attendant. Working from Penton’s Cleveland office, Melissa has a keen understanding of the fire and emergen-cy service as her father and uncle are retired career firefighters, while her brother and three cousins are currently career firefighters.

Fire-Dex is among an elite group of 101 North-east Ohio mid-sized companies recognized at The 2013 Leading EDGE Awards on May 23 at Lorain County Community College in Elyria, Ohio. In its seventh year, this prestigious award was devel-oped by The Entrepreneurs EDGE to recognize value-creating, mid-sized companies in the region. Fire-Dex has received an EDGE award nearly ev-ery year since the awards brgan. Qualifying com-panies operate within the 17 counties of Northeast Ohio and generate revenues up to $750 million, a portion of which must be outside the region.

In attendance to receive the award was President & CEO Brett Jaffe. “It is an honor to be associ-ated with all of the Leading-EDGE companies and recognized for the impact that our business has in Northeast Ohio.” Honored companies were identified by the value they create in our regional economy, based on a sum of their EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) and total taxable compensation for all Northeast Ohio-based employees.

Member News


FRC, a division of R.O.M., has added Eric Doty as Northeast Regional Sales Manager. Based in Elmira, N.Y., Eric will be working with distribu-tors and OEMs in the territory from Maine to

Virginia. Eric served four years in the Air Force and has a bach-elor’s degree in engineering from Northern Arizona University. He has 26 years experience work-

ing with customers as a field engineer, technical trainer, sales representative and regional sales manager. For nearly nine years Eric worked in the fire service industry and looks forward to re-connecting with all the friends he has made over the years.

When Eric is not working, he enjoys spending time with family and participating in outdoor activities like golf, tennis, four wheeling, hunt-ing and fishing.

Firehouse Online News Team StrengthenedIn an effort to provide more in-depth coverage of the fire service industry, the Cygnus Public Safety News Team has been restructured. Pub-lic safety professionals and veteran journalists Susan Nicol and Ed Ballam now fall under the Firehouse brand.

Susan is a life member of Bruns-wick Vol. Ambulance Company in Maryland and has served as an EMT for over 30 years. She sits on the executive board of the

American Trauma Society, Maryland Division and is the secretary of Mid-Maryland Region II EMS Council.

Ed is a captain with the Haverhill Corner, NH, Fire Department, a National Register EMT. He also serves as a Deputy Forest Fire Warden for the New Hampshire

Division of Forests and Lands. Both will utilize their extensive contacts in the fire service and industry to provide top notch coverage of the fire service and the industry sup-porting the fire service in their day-to-day opera-tions.FORT ATKINSON, WI -- Cygnus Business Media continues to be recognized by the media industry. In addition to the numerous awards for their print and digital products, Cygnus adds to their list of awards by winning two of the recent

Folio & Min’s FAME Awards held in New York. With two honorable mentions and two winning events, the strength of Cygnus’ events business was clearly recognized.

l – r: Scott Bieda, EVP, Cygnus Public Safety & Security Group; Jeff Barrington, Associate Pub-lisher, Firehouse Magazine; Harvey Eisner, Editor-in-Chief, Firehouse Magazine Conference Director, Firehouse World and Firehouse Expo; Scott Cra-vens, Group Publisher, EMS World; John French, CEO, Cygnus Business Media

Selected as the winner of the Best Overall Single Event (B-B) category was Cygnus’ EMS World Expo. As the largest gathering of EMS profes-sionals in North America, the event returned to New Orleans in 2012 after a 7-year hiatus and was heralded as a tremendous success. Selected as the co-winner of the Best Expo / Tradeshow was Cygnus’ Firehouse World. As one of North America’s largest trade shows for the fire service, Firehouse World was recognized for its outstanding event that focuses on the lat-est training, equipment and programs centered on improving safety and the effectiveness of the fire service.

The Firehouse limited edition tablet app was re-cently named a finalist in min’s Best of the Web Awards in a ceremony held at the Grand Hyatt in New York on April 15. The Firehouse App was recognized in the category of Tablet App – Free, along with Sports illustrated, TV Guide, Hot Rod Magazine, The Huffington Post and W Magazine. This follows Firehouse’s recent First Place win for Best Editorial App in min’s Edito-rial and Design Excellence Awards.

Firehouse to Partner with Ohio Fire & EMS Expo

MELVILLE, NY – Fire-service brand Firehouse announced its intent to enter into a strategic partnership with the Ohio Fire & EMS Expo. This new alliance allows the Ohio Fire & EMS Expo to leverage the marketing reach and con-tent of Firehouse across all of its platforms. In return, partnering with the Ohio Fire & EMS Expo furthers the Firehouse strategy of develop-ing a greater event presence in the nation’s heart-land, via launch, acquisition or partnership.

“We have been working with Firehouse for the past two years and are very excited by their strengthening commitment to support us, help-ing us to realize the full potential for our con-ference within the state of Ohio and beyond,” said Mark Zambito, co-founder and director of operations for the Ohio Fire & EMS Expo. “Firehouse has been a great supporter of ours and we are proud to be part of the Firehouse family.” Chris Craig, co-founder and exhibit hall coor-dinator also noted, “that this year’s Expo will continue to grow with increased regional and national awareness through the Firehouse brand to bring more attendees and an expanded exhibit hall to the event to deliver an enhanced experi-ence for exhibitors and attendees, alike.”

“The Firehouse team is looking forward to strengthening our partnership with the Ohio Fire & EMS Expo as we continue to strive to-wards providing the best education, training, and critical information to fire departments across all platforms, including face-to-face events,” said Greg Toritto, Firehouse group publisher. “The Ohio Fire & EMS Expo provides Firehouse with a unique opportunity to strengthen its confer-ence lineup while also providing access to new contributors and subject matter experts across the franchise.”

In 2013 the partnership will involve combining marketing and content strengths, providing the Ohio Fire & EMS Expo greater reach in Ohio and the surrounding region, while providing Firehouse greater awareness and presence in the Midwest. The partnership will also include col-laborative efforts in the development of educa-tion.

The Ohio Fire & EMS Expo 2013 educational conference and exhibition will take place Sep-tember 26-27, 2013 at the Greater Columbus Ohio Convention Center (OhioFireExpo.com).

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Gain Access to a Crew of Decision-Makers and Purchasers

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We won! FireRescue1’s parent company, The Praetorian Group Inc., has been named the 2013 U.S. Chamber of Commerce DREAM BIG Small Business of the Year. The award, spon-sored by Sam’s Club, was presented to Praetorian Group at America’s Small Business Summit in Washington, D.C. on April 30th.

Alex Ford, CEO of the Praeto-rian Group

Competing against represen-tatives from six other regions of the country, Praetorian was hailed for “showcasing exem-

plary business practices in the areas of staff train-ing and motivation, community involvement, customer service, and business strategy.” As win-ner, Praetorian will receive a $10,000 prize.

“This award is a credit to our amazing team, which is tirelessly devoted to serving the first re-sponders and military service men and women who are out there risking their lives every day to keep us safe,” said Alex Ford, CEO of the Prae-torian Group. “This is a very meaningful tri-umph and a testament to the incredible amount of hard work and the unwavering commitment to our mission that has made us successful. It is a great honor to be recognized from among so many other great small businesses that are out there making a difference and creating jobs for our country.”

Joshua Moss has joined Kaza Fire Equipment as Contracts Administrator. Josh studied Administration and Paralegal Studies at Waynesburg Univer-

sity and Virginia Tech University, respectively. He also holds several professional certifications for the legal profession. After graduating in late 2011, Josh worked as a paralegal for a private law firm. He has been surrounded by fire service all his life and served as a volunteer firefighter for several years.

Kaza Fire Equipment has re-cently promoted Rick Smith to Apparatus Sales Manager. He is looking forward to expanding Kaza’s apparatus sales. Rick has

been a firefighter with the Blairsville Volunteer Fire Company, Blairsville PA, for 23 years and has used this knowledge to help him in his ca-reer. When asked what he enjoys about selling apparatus, Rick said, “I love having the oppor-tunity to meet new people, learn something new every day, and work with customers to make sure that their needs are met with functional and de-pendable apparatus.”

L.N. Curtis & sons is pleased to announce our newest sales pro-fessional, Lance Taylor, serving our hero customers in eastern Montana and eastern Wyoming. Lance has lived with his family

in Worden, Montana for 11 years and has served as fire chief there for the last seven years. Previ-ously, Lance worked as a sales professional in the propane industry and he traveled the country ex-tensively during that time. With his firefighting background and significant experience assisting customers, we are very pleased that Lance made the decision to join L.N. Curtis & sons. Lance may be reached at (406) 320-1023 and [email protected].

We are also pleased to announce the broadened job responsibili-ties of David Lindley, customer service representative, in our Phoenix, AZ office. David is now also working with our U.S.

Government division as a sales professional for the central United States. David was in the U.S. Coast Guard, for almost 10 years where he was a machinery technician and made the rank of 1st Class. He attended Navy Dive School and served as a Coast Guard diver onboard the U.S.C.G.C Kukui, a buoy tender stationed out of Honolulu, HI. David accumulated approximately 6.5 years of sea time during his career in the Coast Guard on two different Coast Guard cutters where he also attended numerous shipboard firefighting, flooding, and emergency medical response train-ing programs. Upon his honorable discharge from the Coast Guard he received his BS/BA in Marketing from Hawaii Pacific University. David’s vast experience and excellent customer service is a superb choice for our U.S. Govern-ment customers. David may be reached on (602) 228-3550 and [email protected] .

Finally, join us in congratulating Doug Chan-dler on his retirement from L.N. Curtis & sons. Doug spent 27 years with us in a combination of sales and service positions. He was formerly

a dock foreman for Consolidated Freightways then began his career with L.N. Curtis & sons in Utah and later moved to Idaho as a sales pro-fessional for 18 years. After 28 years of work-ing with Consolidated and with L.N. Curtis & sons, Doug decided to retire. Three years later he found himself simply not happy with retire-ment and we were pleased to bring him back as a service technician for the past nine years. He says he is definitely ready for retirement now and intends to spend a lot of time with two special grandchildren. We are fortunate that Doug spent 27 years with us and that he now has plans to spend more time with his family. If you have correspondence for Doug, please forward to our Oakland or Salt Lake City office and we will en-sure he receives it.

Minerva Bunker Gear Cleaners opens a new facility in Miami

Minerva Bunker Gear Cleaners is proud to an-nounce the opening of a new state of the art care and maintenance facility in Miami, Florida. Minerva is excited to expand into this dynamic market and views this as a unique opportunity to better serve the fire services industry in the southeast. With the opening of the Miami facil-ity, all of the fire departments east of the Missis-sippi will now be able to benefit from Minerva’s quality service via 1-2 day ground shipping.

Smoke Alarms with Sealed-in 10-Year Batteries Eliminate the Need to Change Batteries.

Your relationship with your smoke alarm is changing and there’s important information everyone needs to know. Maryland is the most recent state to require that battery-only operated smoke alarms be equipped with sealed-in, 10-year lithium batteries. The new law takes effect on July 1, 2013.

Maryland’s new law is part of a nationwide trend to ensure new and replacement smoke alarms have this new technology. It is anticipated that smoke alarms with long-life batteries will have

Member News


a significant impact on reducing the number of residential fire fatalities, which stands at approxi-mately 2,600 people annually.

Currently, two-thirds of all home fire deaths occur in residences with no smoke alarm or no working smoke alarm, primarily due to dead or missing batteries, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Smoke alarms with sealed-in 10-year batteries are tamperproof and eliminate the need to replace the battery - some-thing many homeowners fail to do.

Recognizing the difference it can make, one Maryland fire department is providing the new smoke alarms to its entire community. Capitol Heights Fire Station 805 of the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department is using a fed-eral grant to install 10-year smoke alarms to all residents within their primary response area. Firefighters from the station will begin visiting homes within the area on May 20, 2013 to install the alarms.

“This unique effort by the firefighters in Capitol Heights will help keep the community and our firefighters safe,” said Chief Ron Siarnicki, execu-tive director of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. “Through the Foundation’s Be A Hero, Save A HeroSM program we work with fire departments and our partners to educate the public about fire prevention and fire safety. Fewer firefighters need to be in harm’s way when resi-dents have already evacuated a burning home.”

The NFFF and Kidde have partnered through the Be A Hero, Save A HeroSM program to pro-vide 10-year smoke alarms to other communities and to educate consumers about the alarms. To learn more and to take the Be A Hero, Save A HeroSM pledge, go to www.alarmpledge.com. Similarly, The United States Fire Administration encourages the public to become more active in fire prevention and safety through its “Fire is Ev-eryone’s Fight™” program.

Kidde Fire Safety (Kidde) manufactures residen-tial fire safety products including the 10-year sealed lithium battery operated smoke alarm. “Alarms with sealed-in long-life batteries are al-ways on, ready to provide warning in the event of a fire,” said Neal Zipser, community affairs man-ager of Kidde. “On average, you only have three minutes to escape a fire, so these alarms offer families the chance to escape quickly and safely. By being able to escape, the risks firefighters face will also be reduced as they will work on control-ling the fire rather than extracting residents.”

A Movement to “Hook Up the Hose” and Beat Cancer. Ryan Pennington of ViewsFromTheJumpseat.com, a contributing editor to Firehouse.com, and Kerry Falzone of Plymovent Corp. have joined forces to create a campaign focused on the im-portance of hooking up an exhaust extraction hose in emergency service stations. “Every min-ute firefighter’s and EMS are risking their lives to save ours, we need to stress the importance of protecting them in their stations” says Penning-ton.

Join the movement by posting pictures of your hooked up exhaust extraction system (regardless of the manufacturer) on the Hook Up The Hose Facebook page: www.facebook.com/hookupthe-hose. To join in on Twitter, just include #hookup-thehose in your tweets.

“Our goal is simply to spread the word, and get emergency service personnel to join us in the fight against cancer” said Falzone.

PennWell Hires Media Veteran Paul Andrews to Lead New Mar-keting Solutions Division.

PennWell Corporation an-nounced that it has hired Paul Andrews as Vice President, Marketing Solutions. Andrews, who will remain based in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, will lead PennWell’s newly-formed Marketing Solutions Division, a stand-alone unit of the Company created to provide strategic consulting and marketing solutions in-cluding digital media, social media, website de-velopment, product launches, content marketing and lead generation.

Andrews, as a consultant to PennWell’s recently acquired Public Safety franchise, provided digi-tal media consulting and marketing services for advertisers of JEMS magazine (Journal of Emer-gency Medical Services), JEMs.com, the EMS Today Conference & Exposition (the JEMS Conference), FireRescue magazine, Firefight-erNation.com, FireEMSblogs.com, Law Offi-cer magazine, LawOfficer.com and APCO’s Pub-lic Safety Communications magazine.

Robert F. Biolchini, president and CEO of PennWell, noted that Andrews has media exper-tise in markets other than public safety, includ-ing technology and healthcare. He stated, “Paul is the perfect candidate to lead our Company’s independent Marketing Solutions Division. He is a consummate business-to-business media professional who is trusted and respected by our customers and we are confident he possesses the business acumen and drive to aggressively build this new business benefiting customers through-out PennWell’s global media markets.” Under Andrews, the Marketing Solutions Division will be an autonomous stand-alone unit of PennWell. Andrews is also a board member of the Fire and Emergency Manufacturers and Services Association.

Marketing Solutions inquiries to Andrews can be sent to this address: [email protected]

CON-SPACE Communications has changed its name to Savox Communications to better re-flect our ownership structure. However, we will continue to provide the same quality products and customer support as we have in the past. This name change will not affect the way we do busi-ness. All billing and accounts will stay the same as well as any contacts within the company. In October 2009, CON-SPACE joined the Savox Communications Group. As a company, Savox is focused on providing professional radio ac-cessories and communications equipment that improve the performance of individuals work-ing in highly demanding environments around the globe. With offices in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Finland, Luxembourg, China, Canada and the USA, Savox offers a network of experienced distributors and global support to our customers.

Welcome Tom Grasso as the new Eastern USA Territory Sales Manager. His first day with Savox was March 15th and he has taken over Matt Fiddes’

Eastern USA Territory. Tom brings along a var-ied history within both the fire service and as a distributor of our products.

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Website Rotating160x600 banner ad, (3 month min.)Maximum of 4 advertisers in the slot at any given time. Rates are per month.

3x .............................................$175/mo6x .............................................$150/mo12x ..........................................$125/mo

Print AdsQuarter Page ............................$175Half Page ...................................$250Full Page (8.5” x 11”)...............$500Newsletter Sponsorship .........$2700

Non-Members are welcome to advertise on the FEMSA website or in the FEMSA News-letter.

A one-time $750 set-up charge applies.

Postings online for FEMSA members is al-ways FREE.

Members are allowed to post the following types of events:

local, regional and national trade shows; training events and seminars; other Fire/Rescue/EMS events where the public is encouraged to attend.

Submission does not guarantee inclusion. We reserve the right to reject any listings.Fire and Emergency Manufacturersand Services Association (FEMSA)P.O. Box 147

Lynnfield, MA 01940-0147Phone - 781-334-2771Email - [email protected]/FEMSANews

FEMSA Advertising Rates for the Newsletter and Website

FEMSA now has over 400 members on LinkedIn. Join us!

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STREAMLIGHT® CONTRIBUTES TO NFFF

Geoff Evans (left) of Streamlight’s Fire and Industrial sales division presents a check to NFFF’s Cathy Hedrick and Chief Dennis Compton.

Streamlight®, Inc., a provider of high-performance light-

ing for first responders, recently donated $25,000 to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), including $15,000 in proceeds from sales of the company’s Red Nano Light®. Stream-light earmarks $1.00 from the sale of each Red Nano Light to the NFFF. The company also contributed an additional $10,000 for renewal of its “Bronze Helmet” NFFF sponsorship.

Both donations will assist the non-profit organi-zation in commemorating the lives of firefighters who have died in the line of duty, and supporting their families and co-workers.

Streamlight’s sponsorship of NFFF helps fund various initiatives, including the organization’s National Memorial Weekend tribute to fallen

heroes. Streamlight’s sponsorship support also helps fund scholarships awarded to spouses and children of fallen firefighters, and counseling programs for agencies that have lost colleagues in the line of duty.

“Every day firefighters risk their lives to do their jobs,” said Streamlight President and Chief Exec-utive Officer Ray Sharrah. “Streamlight is hon-ored and humbled to support the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s programs, which cele-brate the lives of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and assists their families and surviving colleagues.“

Brad Myers joined Towers in February 2013. Brad is the sales representative for several counties in the midwest part of Indiana. Brad has 28 years of experience in the fire ser-

vice both as a career and as a volunteer firefighter.

Towers created an inspection bay to be used for inspections and final delivery of new trucks, re-furbs and ambulances. The bay is approximately 25’ x 50’ and allows viewing of vehicles in a quiet environment. Another use of this bay is for cus-tomers and sales representatives to pick up or drop off vehicles after normal business hours.

Burn (the movie--detroitfirefilm.org) was fea-tured in April at Ronnie’s 20 Cine in St. Louis where Towers had a booth serving hot dogs and drinks to area firefighters attending the movie.

Steve Earle (MSA regional representative), Tony Rezek and and Brad Towers worked in the Towers booth. Towers distributed movie tickets to customers and Herculaneum, MO brought their rescue apparatus to display on the parking lot.

Towers continues to prioritize training, instruc-tion, continuing education and dealer network-ing. First quarter participation includes atten-dance at the January Task Force Tips Business Seminar in Valparaiso, Indiana; at the MSA Management Training seminar in Denver this March, and at Rosenbauer’s April dealer meeting in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Towers employees attending some or all of these events include Brad Towers, President, Andy Plofkin, VP of Sales & Marketing; Kevin Mafte, Service Manager and Tony Rezek, Mark Sale, Justin Porter, Earl Dorf and Jim Keeler. •


©Copyright 2013, FEMSA, MA (USA)Editors: Karen Burnham, Dan ReeseEditorial Staff: Mary Murphy-Overmann*Layout and Cover Design: Melinda House**Windmill Hill Consulting, LLC

2013 fire service events

For a complete listing oF 2013 Fire service events, click calendar on the Femsa website home page.

Illinois Association of Fire Protection Districts 6/19-6/21 Springfield, IL

IAFC Southeastern Division 6/19-6/22 North Charleston, SC

Wisconsin Chiefs Conference 6/20-6/23 Wisconsin Dells, WI

Nevada State Firefighters Annual Training Conf. 6/20-6/23 Carlin, NV

NEAFC Fire, Rescue, EMS 6/21-6/23 West Springfield, MA

State Firemen’s and Fire Marshalls’ Assoc of Texas 6/21-6/26 The Woodland, TX

Arkansas Fire Chiefs and Firefighters Conference 6/26-6/29 Hot Springs, AR

Maritime Fire Chiefs Conference 7/7-7/10 Summerside, PE

IAFC Missouri Valley Division 7/10-7/12 Colorado Springs, CO

Tennessee Fire Chiefs Assn. Annual Conf. 7/14-7/16 Nashville, TN

Mississippi Municipal Conference 7/15-7/18 Biloxi, MI

Florida Fire Chiefs Annual Conference 7/19-7/23 Key West, FL

Ohio Fire Chiefs and Firefighters Convnention 7/20-7/21 Sharonville, OH

Texas A&M Municipal Fire School 7/21-7/26 (Exhs: 7/21) College Station, TX

Firehouse Expo 7/23-7/27 (Exhs: 7/25-7/27) Baltimore, MD

Dept. of Defense Training Conference Unkown Status Unknown Status

Louisiana State Firemen’s Association 8/1-8/3 New Iberia, LA

Alabama Assoc. of Volunteer Fire Depts. Conf 8/2-8/3 Tuscaloosa, AL

South Atlantic Fire Expo 8/6-8/10 Raleigh, NC

Fire Rescue International 8/13-8/17 (Exhs: 8/16-8/17) Chicago, IL

FAMA Technical Committee Meeting 8/15 (3pm) Chicago, IL

Continuing Challenge HazMat Conference 9/3-9/6 Sacramento, CA

EMS World Expo 9/11-9/13 Las Vegas, NV

Georgia Fire Service Conference 9/12-9/15 Albany, GA

New Jersey State Firemen’s Convention 9/13-9/14 Wildwood, NJ

Michigan Firemen’s Memorial Festival 9/13-9/15 Roscommon, MI

Fire Rescue Canada 9/22-9/25 Regina, SK

Alaska Fire Conference 9/23 - 9/28 Anchorage, AK

FAMA/FEMSA Fall Meeting 9/25-9/27 Tampa, FL

Northwest Fire Expo 9/27-9/28 Portland, OR

NFFF Memorial Weekend 10/4-10/6 Emmitsburg, MD

Ohio Fire, Rescue & EMS Expo 10/6-10/7 Akron, OH

Texas Municipal League 10/8-10/11 Austin, TX

Illinois Fire Chiefs Association 10/13-10/17 Peoria, IL

FireShowsReno 10/22-10/24 Reno, NV

ARFFWG Annual Conference 10/28-10/31 Charleston, SC

Hawaii Fire Chiefs Conference 11/7 - 11/10 Kona, Hawaii

Volunteer & Combination Officers’ Symposium 11/11-11/17 Clearwater Beach, FL

Industrial Fire, Safety & Security 11/12-11/15 Tampa, FL


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