The INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF FIRE SERVICE INSTRUCTORS (ISFSI) has elected its 2012-2013 board of directors. The officers and directors will be sworn in at FDIC 2012 on April 20, 2012. The following ISFSI members will be serving for the 2012-2013 calendar year: President, Douglas Cline; 1st Vice President, Steve Pegram; 2nd Vice President, Devon Wells; Eastern Regional Directors, Robert Colameta and Forest Reeder; Western Regional Directors, Jason Hoevelmann and Mike West; and directors at large: Kevin Milan and Brian Ward. www.isfsi.org.
ROSENBAUER has received an order from the Saudi Arabian Ministry of the Interior to supply fire engineering equipment worth $318.8 million. A total of 1,125 vehicles of various types and operational purposes are to be shipped, as are boats and other civil defense equipment. Because of the rapid increase in Saudi Arabia’s population over the past few decades, an additional expansion program for the fire protection sector will be launched. This will involve building and fitting out 180 new fire stations, mainly in urban areas. Also, some 6,000 extra firefighters have been recruited and are currently undergoing training. www.rosenbaueramerica.com.
The profession of Firefighter ranked as the second most stressful job—behind Enlisted Military Soldier—on the 2012 CAREERCAST.COM Job Stress Report, an annual survey of 200 different professions that measures work environment, job competitiveness, and risk. The five most stressful jobs all involve peril and significant hazards, which includes firefighters, who take on dangerous and complex fires, often coming in contact with poisonous gases or other hazardous materials. Also in the top 5 were airline pilots, military generals, and police officers. CareerCast.com researchers used 11 factors that induce stress as criteria to determine the most and least stressful jobs. www.careercast.com.
SIEMENS, Buildings Technology Division, has given Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) $100,000 to support the construction of the school’s Fire Protection Engineering Lab. In recognition of the gift, WPI has named the Fire Protection Engineering building’s conference center after Siemens to honor its leading role in supporting the advancement of fire and smoke detection technology and its underlying scientific study. WPI’s Fire Protection Engineering Lab, a facility that has been forwarding engineering and other advanced degrees, has been graduating fire protection engineers since 1979. www.usa.siemens.com.
The NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION (NFPA) was awarded a cooperative agreement by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to develop a Fire Adapted Communities™ initiative aimed at raising the level of wildfire risk awareness among the public and encourage shared responsibility and proactive planning for living safely in high-risk areas. The project includes the development of a comprehensive Web site to be launched in spring 2012. The Web site will draw on a number of existing wildland fire safety resources and successful programs to help emphasize the importance of being a Fire Adapted Community—and how to become one—and will provide a collection of resources in one place. www.nfpa.org. www.fireadapted.org.
The ABINGTON TOWNSHIP FIRE DEPARTMENT (ATFD) received the 2011 Chief Robert W. Little Jr. Memorial Fire Safety Education Award from the Firemen’s Association of the State of Pennsylvania (FASP). The ATFD was recognized for the many efforts it has made to educate the community and prevent fires. The Fire Safety Education Award is presented to the top nine fire companies or departments (three per division) that have done an outstanding job of providing fire safety education programs to their residents. The ATFD won first place in Division A (departments serving a population of 10,000 or more). www.AbingtonFD.org.
The CONGRESSIONAL FIRE SERVICES INSTITUTE (CFSI) and the MEDICALERT FOUNDATION have published a collection of emergency medical services best practices from fire departments across the United States that participated in the 1st Annual Excellence in Fire Service-Based EMS Awards program. The program recognizes fire departments that have implemented cutting-edge programs that strengthen the quality of emergency medical services provided to local communities. Featured in the best practices compendium are the award-winning submissions of the three fire departments presented with the 1st Annual Excellence in Fire Service-Based EMS Award in April 2011: Odessa (DE) Fire Company, volunteer; Friendswood (TX) Volunteer Fire Department, combination; and Northwest (Tucson, Arizona) Fire/Rescue District, career. www.medicalert.org/award. www.cfsi.org.
The Addison (MI) Fire Department (AFD) received the TRUE NORTH Firefighter Scholarship, which provides $3,000 for training to teach tactics and strategies for “Becoming a Better Drill Ground Instructor.” With recent grant monies, the AFD purchased the necessary training equipment with a slim budget. Also, to make sure AFD firefighters get the greatest benefit from the training, an interactive and hands-on course was designed to increase participants’ competency and credibility when supervising personnel in a drill-ground setting. For information on how to apply for the 2012 True North Firefighter Training Scholarship, visit www.truenorthgear.com/scholarship.
Eric D. Pasch was named president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Bullard. Pasch joined Bullard in 1999 as director of finance and was promoted to executive vice president and chief financial officer, positions he held until last year. Pasch succeeds Richard C. Miller, who had served as the company’s president and CEO since December 1998. Miller will remain an advisor to Bullard and will continue to serve on its board of directors. Bullard manufactures personal protective equipment and systems including thermal imagers, hard hats, and firefighter and rescue helmets. www.bullard.com.
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