Day in and day out firefighters are told about the importance of turnout gear. Not only is it important to pick out the right gear for your department, but also to make sure you wear it properly when leaving on a call.  As this story by Caroline Tucker for the Rochester Homepage illustrates, you can never be too prepared.

Rochester City Firefighters say equipment helped save lives during the locust street fire on Thursday.

It was a fire that forced some living in the home to jump out of the windows.

One firefighter went to the hospital with first and second degree burns.

Three others were treated on the scene for injuries.

The Rochester Fire Department showed News 8 the turnout gear firefighters used during the Locust Street Fire.

They say much of it will have to be retired.

It’s black, burned, and covered in soot.

A number of firefighters went inside the burning home when they arrived because there were reports of children possibly trapped on the second floor.

That wasn’t the case, but firefighters tried to get inside as the heat overwhelmed them and smoke grew.

“Definitely one of the hottest, hadn’t seen anything this hot in 15 -17 years,” said Lt. Thomas Rogan, Rochester City Fire Department.

Read the rest of the story and watch the video here.

Photo by Jamie Germano for the Democrat and Chronicle.

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From FairfieldCounty.gov

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department recorded no fire deaths for 2011, a first in its 62-year history.

A multi-pronged effort by field operations, fire prevention, fire and life safety education, and the residents of Fairfax County contributed immeasurably to a safe and record-breaking year. Operational firefighting crews’ response to fire incidents, fire inspectors, fire protection retesting and monitoring, fire investigators, and fire and life safety educators, all provided a team effort in stemming fire deaths.

Additionally, community outreach programs also directly support the department’s mission of “providing the highest quality of services to protect the lives, property, and environment of our community.” These programs include: Every Step of the Way, a fire and safety program targeted to the most vulnerable, children and older adults; “Get Alarmed,” providing free distribution and installation of smoke alarms for residents; and the Juvenile Firesetters Intervention Program, an educational intervention program targeted to juvenile firesetters administered by a nationally certified educator.

The department also semi-annually, conducts a “Smoke Alarm Initiative,” during the weekends of fall and spring daylight savings time, canvassing selected neighborhoods throughout the county for working smoke alarms and providing escape plans for residents.

Fairfax County, with a population of over one million residents, has averaged more than seven fire deaths annually from 2000 to 2010.

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By Fareed Rahman for The National

Dubai is testing a 180kph firefighting motorbike that can weave through traffic and extinguish two car fires with one load of water and foam.

The firefighting system is mounted on a modified German-built 1,170cc BMW R1200RT motorcycle called the Firexpress, the first of its kind in the UAE.

“It’s a very good bike,” said Brig Ahmed Al Sayegh, the assistant general manager of Dubai Civil Defence.

“We will study it first and then decide how we can use it for specific purposes. It seems like a good vehicle to use in narrow and crowded areas – like where there is a traffic jam.”

The bike is ideal for firefighting in traffic or where there is no space for big vehicles to move, said Mohammed Awad, the director of business development at Concorde-Corodex Group, the regional suppliers.

Click here for the full article.

Photography by Christopher Pike.

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As a world leader in personal protective equipment for first responders, LION is excited to announce that BullEx Digital Safety and HAAGEN Fire Training Products, global leaders in fire and safety training systems and centers, are joining the LION organization. Together the Albany, New York-based BullEx and The Netherlands-based HAAGEN companies form the world’s largest provider of fire training systems and centers as a new division within the LION organization called the LION Training Resources Group. This group will benefit from the strong synergy within the LION organization, especially with the LION Safety Resources Group, which develops and manufacturers PPE for fire, military and police personnel. Together LION, BullEx and HAAGEN now offer the most complete array of highly differentiated products and services to ensure that first responders are truly ready for action.

“LION has a legacy of offering first responders unprecedented innovations critical to preparing them to do what their jobs require because they are safer, healthier, more comfortable and more functional”, said LION CEO Steve Schwartz. “With BullEx and HAAGEN as part of the LION group, we offer another critical aspect of readiness — effective training equipment to make sure first responders are more knowledgeable, more proficient and more prepared to do their jobs.”

BullEx and HAAGEN offer Smart Tools for Real Training. The companies’ product lines include fire, safety and hazmat training tools, systems and centers which are used by fire departments, corporations and governments worldwide. BullEx fire extinguisher training systems have become the industry standard and have been used by thousands of organizations to train millions of people how to properly use a fire extinguisher. BullEx now offers a total solutions product line for firefighter training, fire prevention public education and corporate safety training. HAAGEN has built some of the largest and most advanced fire training facilities around the world including the Safety Center Holland, Dortmund, Germany Fire Training Facility, the Saudi Arabia Civil Defense Training Facility and the SDIS 74 Fire Training Complex in Tours, France. Projects currently being constructed include the SDIS 95 Fire Training Facility in Val-d’Oise, France, The Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Training Center in Glasgow, Scotland and the Shanghai Fire Training Center in China.

“The addition of BullEx and HAAGEN to the LION group of companies is a natural fit,” said BullEx CEO Ryan O’Donnell. “Not only do the companies share a culture of innovation, but they have a commitment to enhancing first responder readiness. The LION organization provides BullEx and HAAGEN with a tremendous foundation which will enhance our ability to develop, market, manufacture and service cutting-edge training systems and centers for our global customer base. Becoming a part of the world leader in PPE will also give our organization valuable insight into and understanding of this critical element of firefighter safety, which will undoubtedly enhance our ability to build world-class training equipment.”

Check out this short YouTube video that demonstrates the LION/BullEx/HAAGEN synergy in action:

You can read the full press release here.

For more information about LION, BullEx or HAAGEN, contact Hayley Fudge, LION marketing director, at 937.415.2808 or hfudge@lionprotects.com.

Visit LION online at www.lionprotects.com, or stay in touch with LION on its Facebook fanpage at www.facebook.com/lionconnects.

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From speedwaymedia.com

One Great Cause, One Great Race: DIS Teams Up With Kevin Harvick and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation for Special Daytona 500 Offer

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Daytona International Speedway has once again joined forces with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) for a special ticket package that will deliver the excitement of NASCAR’s most prestigious race – the Daytona 500 – as well as benefit an important cause.  And this year, Daytona has upped the ante by also partnering with 2007 Daytona 500 Champion Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Budweiser Chevrolet Impala.

The NFFF ticket package, which starts at $119 for adults and $79 for children 12 and under, includes a race ticket to the 54th annual Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, Feb. 26, admission to the FIRE STATION 500 hospitality tent, and an appearance by Harvick.

A portion of the proceeds from each NFFF ticket package purchase will be donated to the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation, a tax-exempt, non-profit organization created by the United States Congress to lead a nationwide effort to remember America’s fallen firefighters. Since 1992, NFFF has developed and expanded programs to honor fallen fire heroes and assist their families and co-workers.

For more details visit speedwaymedia.com

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As posted on IAFF.org

In one of its final actions in 2011, Congress has passed an Omnibus Appropriations Bill that makes more than $742 million in Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants available to struggling communities and extends the “SAFER waivers” for Fiscal Years 2011 and 2012. The waivers ensure that fire departments can use SAFER grants to rehire and retain fire fighters, in addition to hiring additional personnel.

“This is a significant victory for IAFF affiliates across the nation, because it will provide substantial funding to hire, rehire and retain fire fighters and paramedics,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “This funding will improve public safety and translate into thousands of jobs.”

Public safety in communities across the United States has been put at risk, as fire fighter and paramedic positions have been lost, targeted for elimination or left unfilled after a vacancy due to funding shortages as the prolonged economic downturn has decimated local tax revenue. But passage of the 2012 Omnibus Appropriations Bill enables communities to reverse that dangerous trend, with grants providing funding for as many as 7,000 fire fighter and paramedic positions.

Read the full article here.

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On November 18, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Chief Ernest Mitchell, Jr., for the position of Administrator of the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), to which he was nominated by President Barack Obama.

Mitchell served as a Battalion Chief for the City of Compton, CA, before being hired as Fire Chief and Deputy City Manager of Monrovia, CA, in 1991. In 1998 he became the Fire Chief and Assistant Director of Disaster Emergency Services for the City of Pasadena (CA) Fire Department. In 2004, Mitchell served as the President of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

“On behalf of the National Volunteer Fire Council and the nation’s volunteer emergency services, I congratulate Chief Mitchell on his Senate confirmation and look forward to working with him in his new position as U.S. Fire Administrator,” said NVFC Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg.

Courtesy of FireRescue1.

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Via EMSOne.com

Sixteen actors dressed as zombies were injured Tuesday when they fell from a platform during filming of a new movie in the “Resident Evil” series, officials said, and rescue workers at first were startled at the seemingly catastrophic scene.

“I could see the look on the first paramedic, saying ‘Oh my God,’” Toronto emergency medical services Commander David Ralph said with a laugh.

The victims’ zombie costumes made it difficult at first for crews to assess the severity of their injuries, Toronto emergency medical spokesman Peter Macintyre said. Officials said none of the injuries were considered life-threatening.

Paramedics responded to the call from Cinespace Film Studios around 8:30 a.m., and Toronto Police Sgt. Andrew Gibson said responders quickly figured out which zombies were injured and which were just in character. “It did kind of catch us off guard when we walked in,” he said.

(more…)

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LION Connects proudly announces our new social media partnership with DuPont, one of LION’s largest supplier partners. The new collaboration will work to share news and technical data about the gear you trust to keep you safe in the most extreme environments.

Our first video in an ongoing series about turnout gear helps to clarify the difference between the heavy structural firefighting gear and the lighter USAR and wildlands gear and the purpose each garment serves:

(more…)

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By STEVE SCHWARTZ
Message from LION CEO

This Sunday marks ten years since 9/11.

It’s a time for remembrance. Nearly 3,000 people were murdered. Each loss creates an unfillable void for family, friends, our fire service and first responder community, and the nation.

It’s a time for reflection. Right after 9/11, as a country, we stood as one. That sense of oneness has looked and felt increasingly fragile over the past two years of economic and political turmoil in our country.

It’s a time for renewed solidarity: to recommit ourselves to a belief in that oneness that we felt so strongly 10 years ago. The challenges we face in each of our communities and in the nation can only be solved through believing in oneness not divisiveness. Divisiveness is what our enemies hope for.

We must also recommit ourselves to the defense of our country – and to its core values. On 9/11, we were attacked by radical Islamist forces not for a specific policy, but for who we are. Remember: in 1993, under a different president from a different party, there was another deadly terror attack on the Twin Towers. It’s America – and what we stand for – that’s the target.

I thank each of our first responders for putting your lives on the line daily to keep our families and communities safe. I hope our nation never experiences anything like 9/11 again, but if we do, know that we as a company are doing everything we can to keep you safe and ready to respond to whatever challenge you face.

Stay Safe.

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