PELICAN PRODUCTS, INC.contributed $100,000 worth of headlamps and flashlights to the Haiti earthquake relief effort. The in-kind donation will help aid and assist rescuers, volunteers, and emergency response teams in their relief efforts. Emergency triage shelters are without lighting, so headlamps allow doctors to treat patients in completely dark locations. Emergency response teams are also using Pelican™ cases to transport and carry supplies to Haiti. Pelican cases are watertight, crushproof, and dustproof. A link to the American Red Cross donation page has been added to the company’s homepage. www.pelican.com.
HME, INC. introduced an all-new fire, EMS, and rescue response vehicle at FDIC that is powered by a clean emission, compressed natural gas (CNG) engine from Cummins Westport. Using CNG fuel results in lower oil consumption, improved idling, longer intervals between service calls, and low cost per mile. The 8.9-liter CNG engine produces 320 horsepower with 1,000 pounds per feet of torque while meeting EPA and CARB 2010 emissions without diesel emission fluid and selective catalytic reduction systems required on diesel engines. The rig features a stainless-steel, high-cubic footage rescue style body, 750-gpm pump, 500-gallon tank, hydraulic generator, and foam system. www.hmetruck.com.
The EMERGENCY CARE AND SAFETY INSTITUTE (ECSI) will partner with the BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA (BSA)to provide training resources based on their new wilderness first-aid curriculum and doctrine guidelines. A Wilderness First Aid Field Guide and customized Boy Scouts of America Wilderness First Aid Instructor’s ToolKit CD are available now. ECSI will also deliver a series of multiday “Train-the-Trainer” courses to BSA leaders across the country that will provide the skills and competencies needed to teach the wilderness first-aid program as well as ECSI’s cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillation courses. http://boyscouts.ecsinstitute.org.
CRIMSON FIRE, INC. signed a three-year contract with the city of Chicago (IL) to build more than 30 custom aerial fire trucks. The Brandon, South Dakota-based manufacturer has begun designing and building five 103-foot rear-mount aerial trucks for the city. Chicago, which also has a three-year contract with Crimson Fire to provide custom pumpers, could purchase as many as 30 aerial units over the life of the contract. The aerials will be built on a Spartan Gladiator® cab and chassis and will feature a low-profile design with an overall travel height of 11 feet, an aluminum body, and a unique tubular design. www.crimson-fire.com. (605) 582-4000.
ESO SOLUTIONS, INC. (ESO) has acquired the assets and operations of Poly Lingo, a developer of translation software used by paramedics and EMTs. The acquisition will enable the addition of a new Quick Speak translation feature to ESO’s flagship electronic patient care reporting software. Quick Speak allows EMTs and paramedics to ask patients more than 300 questions related to symptoms, medical and present illness history, prescription medications, allergies, and similar subjects. The patient listens to the question in his or her own language and answers by nodding yes or no or pointing to a body part. Currently, question banks are preprogrammed in 12 languages, including Spanish, French, and German. www.esosolutions.com.
The NATIONAL VOLUNTEER FIRE COUNCIL (NVFC)named the recipients of its five national awards. Recipients of this year’s awards received a trip to Alexandria, Virginia, to attend the award ceremony; a personalized award; and complimentary one-year NVFC membership. This year’s awards and its recipients are as follows: Lifetime Achievement Award, Chief John McAuliffe of the Wethersfield (CT) Volunteer Fire Department; Fire Prevention Award, Earl Cunningham Jr. of the Plymouth (PA) Fire Company; Junior Firefighter of the Year, Michelle Alyssa Carilli of the Coventry (CT) Volunteer Fire Association; Junior Firefighter Program of the Year, Westhampton Beach (NY) Fire Department; and NVFC Legislator of the Year, Senator Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT). www.nvfc.org/awards.
TheINTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE CHIEFS (IAFC)Emergency Medical Services (EMS) section has announced North Las Vegas (NV) Fire Department Assistant Chief Bruce Evans as the 2010 recipient of its James O. Page EMS Achievement Award. This award, presented by the IAFC EMS section and Physio-Control, Inc., is given annually to an individual who has played a key role in creating and promoting nonclinical innovation and achievements in fire service-based EMS management and leadership that has had a positive impact nationally. www.iafc.org
HALE PRODUCTS launched SafeBuy™, a complete suppression agent delivery system, at FDIC 2010 as an answer to Pennsylvania Fire Commissioner Edward Mann’s safety campaign “Courage to Be Safe.” The campaign has introduced 16 safety initiatives in more than 150 education sessions across Pennsylvania since 2005. Similar activities surrounding the program are taking place in other states. Since initiating the “Courage to Be Safe” sessions, Mann has reported that the number of line-of-duty deaths in Pennsylvania has decreased from 18 to less than 10 per year. www.everyonegoeshome.com. www.haleproducts.com.
ISI announced its 10-10-1 Program, which supports the fire service by reducing the maintenance cost of its self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) throughout the life of the product. This includes the industry’s only 10-year electronics warranty. The Viking Z Seven SCBA now comes standard with its four C-cell, one power source C4 Power Supply, thus reducing the number of batteries in SCBA and combining multiple battery locations into one. As part of the 10-10-1 Program, ISI is offering free batteries for 10 years on all new Viking Z Seven SCBAs, thereby eliminating a large maintenance expense on SCBAs in the fire service. www.avon-isi.com.
The U.S. Fire Administration announced the six senior fire officials selected for fellowships to attend Harvard University’s Senior Executives in State & Local Government Program this summer at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. The 19-day program includes other state and local government leaders from across the country and focuses on exploring the interrelationships between citizens and government, analyzing policy options, and examining the ethical and professional responsibilities of leadership. The selected fire officials are as follows: Assistant Fire Chief Eugene Campbell, Dallas (TX) Fire Rescue Department; Fire Chief Otto Drozd, El Paso (TX) Fire Department; Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White, San Francisco (CA) Fire Department; Medical Director Ken Miller, Orange County (CA) Fire Authority; Fire Chief Robert Simonds, Saint John (New Brunswick, Canada) Fire Department; and Fire Chief Randall Talifarro, East Lansing (MI) Fire Department.