The final three recipients of MSA and DuPont’s 2023 Globe Gear Giveaway, conducted in partnership with the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), have been selected. The Bell County Volunteer Fire Department (Pineville, KY), Broadway (VA) Volunteer Fire Department Inc., and Scotts Hill (TN) Fire Department will each receive four new sets of turnout gear and four helmets to help keep their crew safe.
These donations wrap up the 2023 giveaway, in which a total of 52 sets of turnout gear and 52 helmets were awarded to 13 volunteer fire departments across the United States and Canada. The first 500 applicants also received a one-year NVFC membership, courtesy of MSA. This is the 12th year the program has been offered to help resource-constrained departments and keep volunteer firefighters safer, more protected, and better prepared for emergency response.
Bell County Volunteer Fire Department
Department’s inadequate supply of personal protective equipment has made it challenging to do so
Bell County Volunteer Fire Department in Pineville, KY, is made up of 72 volunteers who believe that helping their neighbors is the right, and necessary, thing to do. When they’re not running calls, may find members installing smoke alarms in the homes of community members for free. While each volunteer has the desire and drive to show up for community members during their most trying times, the department’s inadequate supply of personal protective equipment has made it challenging to do so.
Members are sometimes unable to respond to calls due to a lack of turnout gear, and training can be difficult as they need to share gear. When firefighters’ gloves are lost or too worn out to use, they often need to wear two gloves of different sizes. The donated gear, said battalion chief Viola Howard, will allow members who have previously had to sit out on calls “to respond, and (will) make them a better firefighter than they already are.”
Broadway Volunteer Fire Department Inc.
In addition, the department provides mutual aid to seven fire departments across two counties
A crew of 50 volunteers serve the 157-square-mile response area of the Broadway (VA) Volunteer Fire Department Inc. The department receives more than 1,000 calls per year, with incidents ranging from transportation accidents to hazmat emergencies. In addition, the department provides mutual aid to seven fire departments across two counties.
While the department makes every effort to supply its members with compliant personal protective equipment, limited funding has made it difficult to do so. A priority system had to be established, with Firefighter 1-certified members being first in line to receive NFPA-compliant gear. This has impacted recruitment initiatives as new members often have to use turnout gear that is more than 10 years old.
“If awarded,” wrote Chief Josh Lohr in the department’s application, “this (donation) would greatly assist in our efforts to provide compliant gear to personnel currently lacking (it).”
Scotts Hill Fire Department
Department members are now using biased protective equipment that has been handed down several times
Located in southwest Tennessee, the Scotts Hill Fire Department is made up of 25 volunteers who serve a population of nearly 900. The all-volunteer department is very involved in its community; it runs a smoke alarm program, provides fire education at schools, and helps local businesses develop fire plans. Calls vary from structure fires to vehicle accidents and medical emergency calls.
Department members are currently using personal protective equipment that has been handed down several times. The gear is showing its age via worn cuffs, torn buckles, and colorized shields; this has created apprehension amongst responders when on-scene and in training.
2023 gear donation program
The donation, said planning director David Austin, “will take some stress off the responders that attain the new gear and (they) will feel safer when they go into the unsafe environment of a structure on fire.”
Stay tuned to the NVFC website, Dispatch e-newsletter, and Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as the Globe Facebook page, for a full wrap-up of the 2023 gear donation program as well as information on the 2024 application period.