W.S. Darley & Co. News

Darley, a globally renowned provider of defense, fire, and emergency services equipment since 1908, is proud to announce that its CEO, Paul C. Darley, has been awarded the prestigious Kathleen Sridhar Small Business Executive of the Year Award by the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA). The Kathleen Sridhar Small Business Executive of the Year Award is presented annually to a small-business executive who exemplifies Dr. Sridhar’s leadership excellence and support for the defen...

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) and W.S. Darley & Co. (Darley) are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2024 Thought Leadership Essay Competition, a platform that celebrates the fire service's forward-thinking leaders. Founded by Congress in 1992, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) honors fallen firefighters and supports their families, providing resources, counseling, and educational assistance. NFFF also collaborates on initiatives to prevent firefi...

Darley, a pioneering provider of defense, fire, and emergency services equipment, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Jocelyn M. Seng, retired Air Force Major General, to its Defense Advisory Board. Dr. Seng brings a wealth of experience and expertise in defense strategy and weapons system development, further strengthening Darley’s commitment to innovation and excellence in serving the defense sector. Prior roles of Seng  Dr. Seng has an illustrious career spanning...

Darley announced that Lee J. Wise has been named Chief Financial Officer of Darley, effective July 22, 2024. Mr. Wise joins Team Darley from Covetrus, where he was a Senior Vice President of North American distribution and Category Management at Covetrus (based in Portland, Maine) where he led a $2 billion animal healthcare distribution business and previously their North American finance team. Extensive industry experience Mr. Wise was Vice President of Corporate Finance at Mauser Pack...

Darley’s Tactical Pumper™ commands a favorable market response. Customers throughout the Americas continue to look to Darley for their initial attack vehicles. Darley’s recently released CV515 Tactical Pumper™ is in a league of its own. Darley’s Tactical Pumper™ The vehicle is built on either the CV or the Ford F550 chassis and provides users with a 1500 GPM NFPA-rated pump, a compressed air foam system, and up to 400 gallons of on-board water storage. Thi...

Last September, Darley’s Board of Directors and Fire Advisory Board visited their pump and tactical divisions located in Chippewa Falls, WI. They were proud to showcase the operations and hard-working employees who tirelessly keep everything running smoothly, while exceeding customer expectations. All the board members were impressed by the state-of-the-art operations, the safety measures, the innovation, the quality, and efficiency of the production processes.  Valuable insigh...

Over 100 representatives from across Illinois’ fire service organizations gathered in River Grove, IL, for the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association of Illinois’ 18th Annual Fire Services Home Day, held this year at Triton College’s EMT/Fire Science Program Building. The fire professionals were joined by elected officials and staffers from a number of state and federal offices with 18 fire service vendors displaying key equipment used in the fire service. Various pieces of equ...

In Bowie, Texas, residents recently faced a challenging situation when a boil water notice was issued. This type of alert, often triggered by a drop in water pressure, warns the community that their water may not be safe to drink without boiling it first. Such alerts can cause significant disruption, requiring people to boil water for drinking, cooking, and making ice to eliminate harmful bacteria. Darley Safe Water box During this difficult time, Darley donated a trailer load of the Darley...

Darley was awarded a contract for 30 Fast Attack skid units, sold into Latin America. The skid systems, outfitted with Darley 1.5 AGE18V gear-driven pumps and Odin Foam Flurry ATP systems, are being delivered to local fire departments to enhance local firefighting capabilities. The customer stated, “We have found Darley’s customer service and responsiveness to be second to none.” Designed to fit into standard 8′ pickup truck beds, the Darley Fast Attack skid units are i...

Shop.Darley.com officially launched on May 8, 2024. The online shopping experience is the next generation of eDarley.com, which has served Darley customers’ online shopping needs for the past 20 years. Shop.Darley.com Shop.Darley.com was built directly from customer feedback and requirements over the last 15 months. “We need to serve our customers wherever, however, and whenever they need us,” said Kimberly Brown, Darley's Chief Marketing Officer, adding “Sho...

Darley is committed to providing the most comprehensive and innovative pump solutions in the fire market. They have been listening to the customers and working to develop modules that OEMs can offer either as a standard package or with custom options. With electrification continuing to rise, they are offering pumps with an electric motor.  They have also partnered with Esteri, a Finnish company with a complete line of EN pumps, to deliver for world markets. The focus on innovation is match...

Under a recent four-year agreement, Darley has become a proud provider of firefighting pumps and related equipment to the Daytona International Speedway (DIS). Daytona International Speedway, known as the World Center of Racing since 1959, is known for its 31˚ high banks and fast speeds around its 2.5-mile tri-oval. Troy Willrick, Director of Event & Emergency Services, notes, “When you have vehicles approaching 200 mph, there will be incidents where rapid fire extinguishment may be&n...

After graduating from Miami of Ohio University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, Steve Fitzgerald entered the US Navy. In his 24+ year career as an officer in the SEAL Teams, he deployed to numerous countries and combat zones around the world. During deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, Steve commanded the Joint Special Operations Task Forces charged with conducting the United States’ highest priority missions against Al Qaeda, Taliban and Iraqi enemy forces....

Congratulations to Jeff Darley on his recent retirement after nearly five decades with Darley! Jeff graduated from Marquette with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and began his career part-time with Darley in 1974, and full-time in 1981 working as an Engineer, Shop Supervisor, Assistant Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, leading Darley’s Chippewa Falls, WI, pump manufacturing facility. Fire and emergency services Jeff Darley comments, "Hard for me to believe that my 45-year c...

In 1925, Darley's Founder, William S. Darley, met with Henry Ford in a historic meeting where they struck a deal that allowed the company to build a fire truck on a Ford Model T chassis. The first of hundreds began rolling off the production line in Chicago in 1926.  This fire truck disrupted the market by offering a vehicle at a price less than 50% of the price of custom-built firetrucks like American LaFrance, Ahrens Fox, Mack, REO Speed Wagon, etc., and is on display at the corporate he...

An industrial setting requires fire trucks to flow a high volume of pressured water and foam at an extremely high rate of speed to elevated storage tanks and large processing facilities. When the Exxon and Dow Chemical fire departments needed four new industrial pumper fire trucks, they trusted Pierce Manufacturing to deliver fully-equipped, highly capable apparatus with unique added features. Husky™450 Industrial foam system Husky™450 Industrial foam system is driven with hydraul...

Headquartered in beautiful Branson, MO, the Western Taney Fire District covers over 200 sq. miles from 12 stations, with a fleet of over 30 vehicles. Fire Chief - Chris Berndt has served since 1994, and every truck he’s ordered over the past 30 years has had a Darley pump, including 13 PSP and 5 PSD pumps. Fire Chief - Chris Berndt said, "These pumps are extremely quiet, easy to operate and allow us to pump and roll."

As the threat of wildfires increases, Ford Motor Company and the Bronco Wild Fund are donating a Bronco Badlands® SUV with Sasquatch® off-road package to the National Park Service for use in Bandelier National Monument, where it will operate a firefighting command vehicle.    fire response and disaster relief “For more than a century Ford has supported fire response and disaster relief efforts by deploying vehicles to provide emergency transportation and power and deliver es...

Darley, a pioneering manufacturer and distributor for national heroes, is pleased to announce the newest addition to its team, Slade McLendon. Slade joins Darley as a recent top graduate from Auburn University, bringing with him a wealth of knowledge and a strong commitment to serving first responders. Hailing from a family with deep roots in the fire service industry, Slade has spent his formative years immersed in the world of life safety products. Coming from one of the longest-standing E-On...

Electric fire vehicles, virtual reality (FR), and firefighting robots are among the new technology innovations in the fire market. They are also among the topics covered in the articles that attracted the most attention (i.e., received the most clicks) at thebigredguide.com in 2022. summary of important issues and technologies Also attracting eyeballs in 2022 were timely issues such as the labor shortage and the ongoing risk of cancer for firefighters. Fire garments were also among the topics...

Technology and change do not need to be dirty words in the fire service. There are limitless applications of using technology, like virtual reality, to address the most pressing and potentially catastrophic challenges facing the fire service. From recruiting the next generation of firefighters to dealing with the unknowns of mental health, the National Volunteer Fire Council’s (NVFC) Recruitment, Training, And Mental Health: How To Embrace Immersive Learning Technology webinar, which is...

Firefighters must be trained once or twice a year to keep their skills sharp. Providing that training in a safe environment is a challenge, and virtual reality (VR) enables exposure to the experience of firefighting. VR training In 2017, W.S. Darley & Co. first began offering VR training by partnering with virtual reality startup FLAIM, becoming their exclusive distributor in the United States. Today, Darley has sold VR systems from several manufacturers successfully to medium size fire d...

The Parrot ANAFI USA MIL is not a drone users can buy on Amazon. In fact, the 'MIL' ending makes it a drone that users just can’t buy. The ANAFI USA MIL is part of the Defense Innovation Unit’s (DIU) Blue small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) project that developed trusted vendors for the Department of Defense (DOD). Open-source protocol While Parrot is a French company, the ANAFI USA MIL is manufactured in the U.S., one of the stipulations of the DOD. All the drones that are p...

FDSOA’s Annual Fire Apparatus Conference looked a little different in 2021 given it was held on Zoom rather than in person like the previous years, but that did not stop the organization from striving towards its mission to “educate and bring safety to the streets.” The Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA)’s Chairman of the Board - Eric Valliere – current Assistant Fire Chief in Scottsdale, Arizona who has been a part of the association for eight yea...

Are the employees or community trained and prepared to use a portable fire extinguisher? FLAIM’s Extinguisher VR Training Solution resolves the challenge of training without real fire.  The fully immersive virtual reality solution enables the safety teams to train safely, train frequently, and train smarter at a fraction of the cost of nearly $5 per 30 min. training session! Passive classroom training Passive classroom training, with videos and lectures where students a...

Are users using e-learning, PowerPoint, or PDFs for training? RiVR Link enables a VR “Classroom in a Box“ solution for the fire industry. The RiVR Link “Classroom in a Box” solution offers instructors an interactive and engaging teaching tool for classroom education using 360° video and images. This allows for a multi-user capability, the ability to draw in real-time within the students’ headset, and to use their own 360° video/photo content or professional...

FLAIM Systems Pty Ltd takes another step forward in the evolution with the official launch of FLAIM Trainer® in North America at FDIC 2018.  FLAIM is proud to be working with WS Darley and Co (Darley) as its official distributor and one of the most innovative and progressive companies in the fire industry. FLAIM Trainer® The launch of FLAIM Trainer® in the North American market continues our efforts to deliver next-generation training solutions to the emergency services sec...

W.S. Darley & Company is working with the American Red Cross to provide safe water to those in need in Puerto Rico. Safe drinking water is a critical need throughout the island after Hurricane Maria. Critical infrastructure was wiped out and public health officials fear it could lead to epidemics. It may take years before the infrastructure is repaired, requiring industry to bring new ideas and products to meet the shortfall. Darley Safe Water Box To meet the immediate short-term need i...

SNA International, together with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, recently partnered to utilize Darley pumps for dredging to assist with human identification and forensic initiatives. Pumps are used to power jets in order to create a suction for the diver to dredge sediment. Darley’s marine version Ezra Swanson of the DPAA, who has been utilizing Darley’s marine version of the HGE37EFI portable pump on a mission in Vietnam, states, "Switching to Darley pumps and priming...

Lake Assault Boats, part of Fraser Shipyards and a renowned manufacturer of purpose-built, mission-specific fire and rescue boats, has placed a custom 36-foot fireboat into service with the Marathon Petroleum Company at its Louisiana Refining Division in Garyville, Louisiana. The craft is serving on the waters surrounding the nation’s newest major refinery. “Marathon’s Garyville refinery, located near New Orleans and the Mississippi River, is an important facility and a vital...