The INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE CHIEFS (IAFC) has named Mark W. Light its executive director. A 30-year fire service veteran, he has served with volunteer, combination, and career fire departments and with the IAFC for the past six years. He has a master’s degree in public administration from Virginia Tech, is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program, and participated in Harvard University’s Harvard Fellowship Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government. Light has served as an elected board member and second vice president of the Virginia Fire Chiefs Association.
THE METROPOLITAN FIRE CHIEFS ASSOCIATION presented Chief Dennis Compton of the NATIONAL FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS FOUNDATION (NFFF) its Lifetime Achievement Award. Compton served with the Phoenix and Mesa, Arizona, fire departments and is the vice chairman of the NFFF. He was honored for his long-term commitment to improve the fire and rescue services through operational applications, education, and leadership. Chief Ronald Siarnicki, who served with the Prince George’s County (MD) Fire & EMS Department before becoming the NFFF’s executive director, received the President’s Award of Distinction for his fire service career efforts and his leadership with the NFFF. Sir Ken Knight, fire commissioner of London, England, was recognized as the Metropolitan Fire Chief of the Year.
The BURBANK (CA) FIRE DEPARTMENT unveiled its new Survival Flashover Training Facility, which will enable firefighters to experience a simulated flashover in a controlled environment to better prepare them for real-life scenarios. The facility cost $157,000 and was funded by a grant from DeWitt Stern Group and Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company. The high-tech facility will be used by firefighters from 11 cities in the area.
CARDIAC SCIENCE CORPORATION and PRIORITY ONE VENTURES, a health and safety company, announced an agreement under which Priority One will sell and distribute Cardiac Science’s Powerheart® automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to fire departments and emergency medical services in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. In addition, Priority One Ventures will work to expand Southwest Ambulance Project Heartbeat, a Phoenix-based public access defibrillation (PAD) program, throughout Arizona. Cardiac Science has been the exclusive provider of AEDs to Southwest Ambulance Project Heart Beat since its inception, and the company will work with Priority One Ventures to execute its plans for statewide PAD programs.
ZOLL DATA SYSTEMS, INC., a subsidiary of Zoll Medical Corporation, has acquired BIO-KEY INTERNATIONAL’s fire safety division. BIO-key develops and delivers advanced identification and information services to public safety agencies and the private sector. Both organizations are providers of fire records management systems that allow users to track incidents, fire prevention records, preplanning for emergency response, equipment, scheduling, training, and certifications.
MID-MINNESOTA WIRE AND MANUFACTURING, INC. named Don DeMorett as chief executive officer of its GEARGRID DIVISION. DeMorett previously served as president of Bosch Packaging Technology. GearGrid designs and manufactures turnout gear, hose, and SCBA storage systems and hose-drying equipment.
MERET®, a division of Cramer Decker Medical, Inc., has appointed Greg Stevens its new product manager. He will assist the company in developing basic and advanced life safety products for first responders. Stevens has more than 28 years of prehospital care and first responder experience in the private and public sectors. The company manufactures emergency medical equipment.
ROAD RESCUE INC. has named Gary DeCosse its new president. He will lead the day-to-day manufacturing operations of the Marion, South Carolina, manufacturer of custom ambulances and specialty vehicles, a subsidiary of Spartan Motors, Inc. DeCosse’s expertise include experience in engineering, design, sales, and marketing. During his initial tenure with the Road Rescue, he worked in all aspects of the company and received two patents for product innovations he developed for interior lighting and cabinetry. He later joined Leader Industries, a sister company to Horton and AEV. He has served as a member of the technical committee of the Ambulance Manufacturers Division of the National Truck and Equipment Association.
FERRARA FIRE APPARATUS, INC., announced that, based on first quarter sales for 2007 and projected growth through the rest of the year, it projects the year’s total sales to exceed that of 2006. The company sold almost 350 trucks in 2006. Ferrara credited large aerial sales, including that of nearly 20 Strong Arm firefighting vehicles, its entry into the custom-fabricated command trailer market, and an increase in sales of its Inferno and Igniter custom chassis for its strong sales in 2006 and 2007.
ENVIRONMENTAL TECTONICS CORPORATION has signed a contract with Germany’s Düsseldorf Fire Brigade to provide a multistation Advanced Disaster Management Simulator (ADMS) training system. ADMS trains individuals or entire response teams in the four Cs of disaster management: command, control, coordination, and communication, and is NIMS/ICS compliant. It simulates emergency incidents and the dynamic environment elements such as people, vehicles, and threats that are significant in a situation.
RELM WIRELESS CORPORATION received a contract to service two-way radio products for the United States Forest Service (USFS). The contract provides for an initial base period from May 17, 2007, through the end of the federal fiscal year on September 30, 2007, and for two one-year extensions at the option of the USFS.
SEND WORD NOW (SWN), a provider of on-demand alerting and response services, has been selected by The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Chicago to assist with the association’s emergency preparedness planning. BOMA/Chicago will make the multimodal alert and response service available to its 800 members for rapid communication during a crisis and for everyday, time-sensitive situations.
The SWN Alert Service uses multiple modes of communication-text-messaging, telephones, mobile phones, e-mail, pagers, and PDAs-to deliver alerts within minutes of an incident. Property management or security personnel can initiate an alert from the Web or by phone, e-mail or an internal information system application.
