Fire Industry News for January 2022

Mecklenburg County, NC Local 5326 is one of the newest IAFF affiliates to organize in the southeastern United States. Mecklenburg County is in the southwestern part of the state and is the second-most populated county in the state. Several Mecklenburg County fire departments are beginning to shift from combination fire departments to career departments. To ensure they would have a seat at the table as decisions are being made about the future of these departments, 33...

HURST Jaws of Life has introduced eDRAULIC 3.0, taking its fastest and most powerful battery-powered extrication tools and making them faster, operational in both fresh and saltwater, and also the smartest through a smart dashboard display that provides operators with real-time feedback on tool status. Safe and efficient extrication tools “We’re continually evolving HURST Jaws of Life extrication tools to make first responders’ jobs safer, easier, and more efficient, and eDRA...

The 13th annual ImageTrend Connect Conference came to a close on Friday, July 23. Connect 2021 brought thought leaders, administrators, and users of ImageTrend solutions together from nearly every state in this second fully virtual conference. The conference consisted of over 100 sessions and pre-conference workshops featuring 68 different speakers for a week of education, idea sharing, and networking with peers. Operations management solution Highlights of this year’s conference includ...

ImageTrend, Inc. is excited to announce the official release of ImageTrend Slate™ for scheduling, the initial module of the operations management solution that can seamlessly integrate with ImageTrend Elite™ or work independently as a standalone solution. Slate optimizes and streamlines department’s scheduling needs with an intelligent scheduling engine, while its intuitive design makes it easy for administrators and end-users to learn and manage their schedules quickly. Publ...

ImageTrend, Inc. is excited to announce the launch of ImageTrend Telehealth™. As an integrated feature within the ImageTrend Elite™ ePCR, agencies can take advantage of configurable incident forms, validation rules and visibility rules to tailor the use of Telehealth to seamlessly fit department-specific workflows. Telehealth can be used in a variety of pre-hospital settings including 911 incidents, interfacility transports, Community Health/Community Paramedicine, and for those par...

Tucson, Arizona, police continue to investigate multiple scenes shooting incidents that wounded two United Emergency Medical Professionals of Arizona Local I-60 members and one Tucson, AZ Local 479 member. Only one name has been released to the public so far, Local I-60 member Jacob Dindinger. He remains hospitalized in critical condition. The other Local I-60 member is expected to be released from the hospital on July 21. The Local 479 member has been treated and released. Serving the communi...

Bathurst Local 5283 is New Brunswick’s newest IAFF affiliate. Bathurst is in northeastern New Brunswick on the southernmost part of Chaleur Bay. Firefighters respond out of two fire stations to a population of about 12,000 people. They switched their affiliation from CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) to the IAFF because the union best aligned with their membership needs. Being a valued IAFF member “The IAFF understands our issues and offers an abundance of resources. It is...

As IAFF members continue to search for the missing in the aftermath of the June 24 Champlain Towers condominium collapse in Surfside, Florida, the IAFF remains on the ground addressing health and safety concerns, including firefighter exposure monitoring and behavioral health. While visiting members during President Joe Biden’s visit to the disaster site, General President Ed Kelly commended the responding members for their efforts to help the families of the missing. Support services T...

Teksfera is a globally renowned fire systems organization for the design, installation and maintenance of fire protection systems. Based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Teksfera has partnered with Eurotech to distribute the company’s exclusive Toccare Intelligent Touchscreen Fire Panel, the Evotech Intelligent Fire Panel, the Eurotech Intelligent fire system product range and Euro-fi wireless detection modules. Eurotech – Teksfera partnership Location: Dubai Installer: Teksfera...

Founded in 2004 by Paul Seager, Commfire Ltd is an industry renowned fire alarm, fire extinguisher and emergency lighting installer, based in Andover, Hampshire, North Carolina, USA. Priding themselves on their high level of customer service, Commfire Ltd partners well with Eurotech Fire Systems through shared aims and values. Westcoast Ltd is a global distributor of major IT brands to resellers, retailers and office product dealers in the United Kingdom and abroad. Fire safety system to prote...

ImageTrend, Inc. is pleased to announce recent recognition as an American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® (GWTG) Compatible Vendor for the GWTG - Coronary Artery Disease and GWTG - Stroke programs through the integration of EMS data from ImageTrend Elite™. Hospitals already utilizing ImageTrend Hospital Hub™ to securely access EMS ePCR records and receive alerts for patients transported to their hospital can now use the same system to send EMS data directly in...

VOCA Fire Protection is a globally renowned specialist electrical, security and life safety company based in the North West and covering the United Kingdom. Specializing in fire alarm installations, VOCA were recently commissioned to install a new wireless fire alarm system for a residential apartment building, located in central Manchester, in the United Kingdom. VOCA and Eurotech partnership Daniel Swift, the Director at VOCA Fire Protection said, “The Castlegate building has 84 apart...

Johnson Controls, the global pioneer for smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings announced the expansion of its Tyco corridor sprinkler family with the launch of the Series RFII-C Royal Flush II Quick Response Concealed Pendent sprinkler. Along with the recently released EC-8C Light Hazard Quick Response sprinkler, the corridor sprinkler family offers the cost-saving benefits of needing fewer sprinklers at lower design pressure compared to standard coverage sprinklers. UL Listed sprinklers...

During Safety Stand-Down Week, June 21-25, IAFF showcases the efforts to support and serve the members in providing the best possible service to your communities. This week is to honor the members, as well as remember those who have been lost in the line of duty in service to the communities. The IAFF’s theme for Safety Stand-Down Week 2021 is 'Our Community’s Frontline'. During this week, IAFF asks members to focus on being their healthiest selves so they are prepared to respond...

Under the leadership of IAFF Financial Corporation (IAFF-FC) Chief Executive Officer Ed Kelly and the Board of Directors, Kurt Becker has been appointed Chief Operating Officer of the IAFF-FC. A wholly-owned subsidiary of the IAFF, the IAFF-FC provides financial services and investment and insurance products to members and their families. Becker, a 22-year veteran firefighter and affiliate leader with the Professional Fire Fighters of Eastern Missouri, began his new role on June 1 and immediate...

Emergency responders will receive worker protections from COVID-19 under an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) released by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).  The Occupational Exposure to COVID-19, Emergency Temporary Standard establishes protections for workers who are exposed to COVID-19 in settings where people with COVID-19 are reasonably expected to be present. Inclusions in ETS The ETS applies to healthcare workers, including emergency responders, while...

The U.S. and Canada’s top swift water rescue experts, including many IAFF members, were in South Bend, Indiana, honing their rescue training during a three-day symposium. The 2021 Annual Water Rescue Symposium, held June 7-9, brought together about 140 firefighters from across the United States and Canada for one day of seminars and two days of field training on the East Race Waterway, the nation’s first artificial whitewater slew....

During the Governmental Affairs Committee meeting, June 2, General President Ed Kelly and General Secretary-Treasurer Frank Líma received a call from Vice President Kamala Harris expressing her gratitude for the IAFF’s dedication to the labor movement and to reaffirm the Biden administration’s pledge to support issues important to all unions, including the IAFF. “History will show we probably are one of the most pro-union administrations in a very long time,” sa...

Shreveport, LA Local 514 has taken a role in working with police and civic leaders to develop a long-term strategy for stemming escalating gun violence in the city. Louisiana’s third-largest city with a population of nearly 200,000 has been wracked with steadily increasing gun violence in recent years, driven largely by gang and drug activity in the city’s most impoverished neighborhoods. Local 514 President Barbara Sellers says the rise in gun violence is taking a toll on the und...

The Memphis City Council has approved a new contract and raises for its professional firefighters, marking a resounding and long-fought win for Memphis Local 1784. By a 10-3 vote, Memphis City Council members agreed to a new three-year contract that includes back-to-back 3% annual raises with an opportunity to consider an additional raise in the final year. Local 1784’s previous contract had expired, and the union and city were thrust into impasse negotiations that ultimately led to the M...

Savannah, GA Local 574 will host the 57th annual U.S. and Canadian Professional Fire Fighters Golf Tournament in October after a one-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The three-day event on October 18-20, 2021, is expected to draw hundreds of IAFF members and family members and raise $1 million in revenue for the City of Savannah. Proceeds will benefit the Local 574 Fallen Fire Fighters Foundation. The event registration will include a hotel, three rounds of golf on different courses, br...

Firefighters from across the country participated in the National Fallen Fire Fighter Softball Tournaments in October 2020 and May 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Organizers of the annual event typically donate $10,000 from the proceeds to the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial every two years, but this year was able to give $12,500. The check was presented on May 3 at Hennessey’s Tavern in downtown Las Vegas. “It was an honor to accept this check on behalf of the IAFF Foundation,”...

It is with deepest regret and sorrow that we report the line-of-duty death of New Haven, CT Local 825 member Ricardo Torres Jr. Brother Torres, 30, died while battling a residential fire on May 12, 2021. The IAFF stands ready to support New Haven Local 825 as it mourns the loss of one of its own. Funeral services will be held at St. Mary Church on Hillhouse Avenue on May 20. Following the mass, Torres will be buried at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford with full departmental honors. People c...

As part of the transition process – and to create the necessary culture, structure, personnel, and resources to improve efficiencies across all divisions and departments – the IAFF Executive Board recently approved a restructure in the headquarters operations. This was a collaborative effort undertaken by both the Office of the General President Edward Kelly and the Office of the General Secretary-Treasurer Frank Líma. During the ongoing transition process, we identified the...

Teletek Electronics is pleased to announce the newest addressable fire alarm panel – iRIS8. iRIS8 is an expandable addressable fire alarm control panel, the most powerful and sophisticated intelligent addressable fire alarm panel in Teletek Electronics portfolio. Intelligent and technically advanced, it has enhanced integration and networking capabilities to meet the current and future needs of small to larger buildings and installations. Design and features The initial purpose of iRIS8...

An appeals court in Texas has upheld voter-approved collective bargaining rights for Houston’s firefighters, a landmark victory for labor in the Lone Star state, and a stinging rebuke for anti-fire fighter Mayor Sylvester Turner. The Court of Appeals in Texas affirmed a lower court ruling won by Houston Local 341, repeatedly dismissing the city’s arguments. The ruling compels the City of Houston to pay the legal costs for Local 341 in this two-year battle over the rights and benef...

After an intense campaign, Austin, TX Local 975 has won the ability to call on an impartial arbiter to settle future disputes that may arise while negotiating with the city, after the passage of Proposition A. Proposition A, which passed by an impressive 81% to 19% margin on May 1, sends a clear message from Austin voters to city leaders. “Our community showed up and voted in support of their firefighters,” says Local 975 President Bob Nicks. Fairer resolution process “We ar...

ImageTrend, Inc. introduces a new barcode scanning and parsing feature within ImageTrend Elite™ to streamline the data sharing capabilities with hospital systems. The power of this technology embedded directly within Elite and paired with Health Information Hub™ (HIH) ensures timely and accurate data exchange between hospitals, building the bridge for matching hospital records and receiving outcome data. Elite™ Scanning features This feature allows users to scan various type...

The International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) and the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) released the joint annual report entitled Emergency Management Performance Grant: An Evaluation of the Nation’s Return on Investment Amid Coronavirus. About EMPG The Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) allows state, local, territorial, and tribal governments to make key investments to build capacity and enhance the capability of states and localities to respond to...

As the House of Representatives considers the American Rescue Plan as amended by the Senate, the nation’s state and local emergency managers applaud the inclusion of several items that will aid in the response and recovery to COVID-19 as well as other ongoing disasters. Grants allowance The $100 million included for Emergency Management Performance Grants (EMPG) will allow for increased capacity at both the state and local levels. With these funds, emergency managers conduct coordinatin...