MSA, DuPont, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) provided 13 volunteer fire departments with needed personal protective equipment through MSA’s 2019 Globe Gear Giveaway. Each department received four sets of new, state-of-the-art turnout gear along with four helmets to better protect their members. This year marks over $1 million worth of gear that has been donated to volunteer fire departments in need since 2012. In total, 507 sets of turnout gear have been awarded to 108 departments.
“Protecting firefighters is what we do at MSA,” said Eleni Lucido, vice president and general manager of MSA’s business in the U.S. and Canada. “For more than a century, we’ve been committed to providing workers all around the world with the equipment they need to help keep them safe. We’re proud to partner with the NVFC to provide state-of-the-art turnout gear to departments in need.”
Struggle funding Resources
“Volunteer fire departments often struggle to fund the resources and equipment necessary to do their jobs safely and effectively,” said NVFC chair Steve Hirsch. “We are grateful for the generosity of MSA, Globe, and DuPont in providing critical, lifesaving gear to the dedicated volunteers who serve their local communities. Through this incredible program, we have been able to increase the safety and protection for hundreds of firefighters throughout the U.S. and Canada.”
13 percent of departments do not have enough personal protective clothing for all of their emergency responders
According to a needs assessment published by the National Fire Protection Association in 2016, 72 percent of fire departments reported that some of their personal protective clothing was at least 10 years old, and 13 percent of departments do not have enough personal protective clothing for all of their emergency responders. The data also shows that the need is greatest in small communities that are protected primarily by volunteer firefighters.
In 2018, the NVFC began asking program applicants if their department had boots, gloves, helmets, and hoods for all of their firefighters. Nearly 50 percent of 2018 gear recipients indicated that they did not. To help address this issue, MSA donated four helmets to each winning department for the first time in 2019 and will continue to do so in 2020.
Recipients of 2019 MSA Globe Gear Giveaway
The recipients in the 2019 MSA Globe Gear Giveaway are:
- Aguila (AZ) Volunteer Fire Department
- Balsam-Willets-Ochre Hill Volunteer Fire Department (Sylva, NC)
- Canal Fulton (OH) Fire Department
- Fuego Volunteer Fire Company (Billings, MT)
- Harbour Grace (NL, Canada) Volunteer Fire Brigade
- Jacobstown (NJ) Fire Company
- Kenduskeag (ME) Fire Rescue
- Rocky Creek Volunteer Fire Department (Burton, TX)
- Rutland Volunteer Fire Company (Black River, NY)
- Salcha (AK) Fire & Rescue
- Stella Rural Fire Department (Rocky Comfort, MO)
- Utica (MS) Volunteer Fire Department
- Witt (IL) Volunteer Fire Department
To be eligible for the 2019 Giveaway, departments had to be over 50 percent volunteer, serve a population of 25,000 or less, be located in the U.S. or Canada, be a member of the NVFC, and demonstrate significant need for new gear. MSA provided complimentary NVFC membership to the first 500 applicants to help departments meet the membership requirement.
The application period for MSA’s 2020 Globe Gear Giveaway will open in February. Thirteen departments will each receive four new sets of turnout gear along with four helmets to increase firefighter safety.
