FoxFury Personal Lighting Solutions - Experts & Thought Leaders

Lights are essential tools for firefighters during structure fire suppression and rescue. They are necessary for situational awareness, illuminating the exterior pathways and structure entries, reading smoke, and searching for potential victims. Common lights used in the foreground are portable scene lights, helmet lights, right-angle (or 90-degree) lights, and more recently, drone lights. In this article, FoxFury look at different types of lights and how they can be used for structural firefighting. Needs and Pain Points Long Shifts - Users' work is demanding and sometimes the calls don't ever end. As users get towards the end of users shift, users are fatigued and may have compromised judgment. Equipment gets beat up - Equipment gets abused, day in and day out. Damaged or worn equipment requires more maintenance, more repair costs, and most importantly, is less dependable at critical times. Equipment needs to be lightweight and compact - Turnout gear, air tanks, and other equipment are heavy and bulky. Equipment and tools are only functional if they don't weigh users down or get in the way of working. Extreme temperatures - The heat of the fire users' suppression is the main concern. If users are working in cold climates, users could go from freezing temperatures to burning heat on the inside of a structure. These extreme fluctuations in temperature can wreak havoc on equipment. Structure fires are dynamic - The scene can change size or direction quickly. A building collapse, backdraft, or a change in wind direction forces operations to adjust quickly. Need to light the area that the truck scene lights can't reach - Truck scene lights can only light up the street side of the operation. Often the fire extends towards the charlie side of the structure where the truck lights can't illuminate. Obstacles hide in the dark - As noted in the point above, the unlit area around a structure can be dangerous with trip hazards and obstacles that lead to injury on the fireground. How Do These Solutions Help Firefighters? Light the fireground immediately with portable lights that deploy in seconds. Create a safer scene and reduce injuries with lights that can be positioned anywhere on the scene. Use the lights in extreme conditions. All FoxFury lights are completely waterproof (IPX7) and NFPA 1971 fire-resistant. Self-sufficiency - Users don’t need to depend on the truck scene lights to get lights where users need them. Provide better intel for the incident command to make faster and better decisions. Let's look at how each of these different solutions is used on the fireground. Nomad® 360 Scene Light The Nomad 360 scene light features a long runtime of 3-24 hours to last through the night The Nomad 360 scene light provides 360°, area or spot beams giving users more options to fit users' needs. It features a long runtime of 3-24 hours to last through the night. The 8 1/2’ maximum height extends over walls and vehicles for even illumination. The extended height also keeps the light out of the user's eye line for less brightness fatigue. Benefits Quickly position lights where users need them when conditions change. Use the same light for search (spot), area, or 360° scene lighting configuration. Easily carry and deploy scene lights to the charlie side of the scene to increase safety. Illuminate over walls, fences, and vehicles with a maximum of 8.5' height. Command+ LoPro White/Green Helmet Light See wider and better with the FoxFury Command+ LoPro White & Green LED Helmet Light. This rugged fire-resistant firefighter helmet light provides hands-free illumination in all-weather conditions and delivers up to 100 lumens.   This ultra-slim design enables the light to clear the external face shield on most U.S.-style modern and traditional fire helmets. White & green LEDs are best suited for cutting through smoke in structural firefighting. This headlamp also features a highly visible red flashing LED in the battery pack that can be seen from over 1 mile (1.6km) away. Benefits Have hands-free light always illuminating wherever users are looking. Experience less eye fatigue with a broad, even beam. Be more visible to the user's team and safer on the scene with the Rear Safety LED. SideSlide C-Clamp Helmet Light SideSlide C-Clamp delivers a powerful 275 lumens focused beam and is best for use in structural firefighting Whether users need a flashlight or a helmet light, the FoxFury SideSlide C-Clamp allows for both. This rugged light comes with a custom adaptor that mounts to the side of a hard hat or firefighter helmet. Press and hold the release lever to slide the flashlight out. Insert the light into the holder and once locked into place, the light becomes a hands-free helmet light. The SideSlide C-Clamp delivers a powerful 275 lumens focused beam and is best for use in structural firefighting along with rescue and industrial applications. Benefits Compact smoke-cutting lights always illuminate where users are looking. Quickly transition from helmet light to handheld flashlight. Be more visible to the user's team and safer on the scene with the Rear Safety LED. Breakthrough® BTS The ultra-durable, low-profile BTS right-angle light provides a 500-lumen beam for cutting through smoke and illuminating the immediate surrounding area. The low-profile design lets users move more freely. This compact and versatile lighting tool runs on (4) AA batteries and has a stainless steel clip in the back for hands-free use. It is impact resistant, submersible, and meets NFPA fire-resistant requirements.  Benefits Enjoy a smoke-cutting beam and a wider halo to see the periphery. It's comfortable to hold and easy to operate, even when wearing heavy fire gloves.  The compact light head won't obstruct movement. Be confident that the BTS will survive the extreme conditions users have to work in with NFPA 1971 fire resistance rating and IPX7 waterproof rating. AA battery or rechargeable option to fit users' needs. EXOLANDER© Drone Systems EXOLANDER© Drone System allows users to mount anti-collision lights and spotlights to users drones Expand the capability of users' drones and make them a complete aerial search tool. The EXOLANDER© Drone System is a custom, adaptable frame system that provides a more stable landing platform for users' drones. It allows users to mount anti-collision lights, spotlights, and payload delivery systems to users' drones. Benefits Fly, launch, and land more confidently with the larger, more stable footprint with landing skids. Use the tools users need for a search, overwatch, and aerial assessment. Keep the user's drone cleaner and drier when landing in wet or dusty environments. Drone-mounted spotlight can light roofs and remote spots that other lights may not reach. The drone pilot can follow firefighters as they move, always keeping them illuminated. The chief can make faster decisions when they see both the illuminated visual and thermal displays of the scene.

Larger and more increased storms are producing soaring natural disaster costs. The U.S. alone witnessed 16 natural disasters by September 2020, which brought damages to at least $1 billion tying the records set in 2011 and 2017. This increase in disaster severity and costs make it harder for Emergency Managers to do their jobs. In this article, learn more about the issues facing disaster relief efforts and what users can do to prepare for the next disaster. Rising Cost of Disasters In the last 20 years, the damage resulting from major storms and disasters is exponentially more significant than in past years, with some of the most costly disasters occurring in the last five years. This increase in disaster damage has a considerable effect on local and state economies.  In the southeast, the coastal areas are hit hardest by hurricanes. While communities are rebuilding from the devastation, people continue to be out of work trying to reorder their personal lives and employers struggle to get their businesses operating again.  federal relief funding and insurance Municipalities depend on the tax revenue from tourism dollars to fund public safety and infrastructure When hotels, restaurants, and attractions are closed or damaged, tourism revenue is compromised. Municipalities depend on the tax revenue from those tourism dollars to fund public safety and infrastructure. Communities will eventually receive federal relief funding and insurance that will offset the cost of rebuilding. Still, there is a lull in economic activity until that money arrives. Multiple Disasters In February 2021, an Artic cold snap left much of Texas powerless and frozen. In addition to that, the 2021 tornado season predicts to be stronger than usual, with tornado activity already occurring in early March in Texas. And the NOAA just announced that the 2021 hurricane season would begin one month earlier, which opens the possibility of a hurricane hitting Texas’s coast earlier than in past years. These weather events reduce the time for Emergency Managers to adequately deal with one event and prepare for the next disaster that quickly follows. Reduced revenues  In addition to the cost component, more significant, more destructive disasters take more time to rebuild. In that case, there is a greater chance that another disaster can occur before people have the opportunity to recover from the last major event.  This is the new double-edged sword that municipalities and governments are experiencing. They have tighter budgets due to reduced revenues while dealing with the trend of more intensive storms. “The world that we are living in right now, Emergency Managers haven’t even finished their one deployment…and then another disaster happens,” she said. “There’s a layering that is happening with disasters that are outstripping our resources,” said Lori Peek, Director of the Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado. COVID-19 Factor City and county budgets are strained by the additional cost of COVID precautions, policies, and procedures A community dealing with one major disaster is hard enough. Now, add the strain of a 100-year pandemic on top of a natural disaster, and it gets exponentially more difficult for Emergency Managers and First Responders. COVID-19 introduced a whole new layer of challenges for first responders. Increased calls for people affected by COVID, and more extraordinary safety precautions limit how responders do their jobs. And finally, city and county budgets are strained by the additional cost of COVID precautions, policies, and procedures. Similar to the disasters mentioned, business closures resulting from COVID mean municipalities have less tax revenue to fund public safety departments. All of these factors make Emergency Manager’s jobs far more complex.  Regional Aid May Not Be Available It’s common practice for communities to call on neighboring states and counties to provide aid to deal with a disaster. If another storm or disaster happens elsewhere, surrounding counties and states will provide resources as needed. But when disasters are coinciding, resources in all neighboring states are already being used. Communities can’t rely on their neighbors’ help because their neighbors are already dealing with their issues. This puts a massive strain on Emergency Managers dependent on assistance from neighboring counties and states to deal with a disaster. This scenario was evident in the wildfires of the west. In recent fire seasons, there were so many fires happening simultaneously in multiple states and even countries that nobody could help. Investment in Resiliency Emergency Managers must get the plan right the first time because there is no chance of correcting midstream Foxfury sees more occurrences of the “100-year flood”, the “100-year freeze, and the “100-year pandemic”. These extraordinary events are happening alongside the regular disaster seasons of hurricanes, tornados, flooding, and wildfires. Disaster plans need to be adapted to handle multiple disasters simultaneously with the possibility of dealing with “the big one” as well. The plan must fit the disaster because the disaster won’t fit the plan.  Once a large-scale disaster happens, the Emergency Manager must get the plan right the first time because there is no chance of correcting midstream. With this changing climate (no pun intended), emergency managers need to measure the actual cost of inexpensive lighting vs. the investment in high-quality lighting equipment that will withstand the abuse of repeated disasters and provide years of trouble-free use.  Consider these questions Is the department/agency self-sufficient and prepared if no aid or rentals are available? Will the operation be compromised if the lighting fails during a disaster when users can’t replace or repair it? Is the option of renting equipment always going to be guaranteed? What’s Plan B if renting is not an option or is unavailable? Do users have lighting for the first 24-48 hours until rental generator lights are available and delivered? Will faulty lights or the inability to obtain rental lights result in crew injuries or even lost lives?  What’s the liability cost to your department if lives are lost, or they sustain injuries? Emergency Managers often overlook these issues when considering lighting. Yet, when these issues arise during a disaster, the money saved on inferior lights becomes a costly proposition.  The value of investing high quality, dependable lighting pays off in money, time, and, most importantly, lives. Make sure the lights can handle the harshest conditions that mother nature will dish out. Lights features FoxFury lights are designed and built for disasters and feature: Completely waterproof design. Long runtimes of up to 24 hours.  Highest quality materials and construction to withstand the harshest conditions. Lifetime warranty. Responders can deploy battery-powered scene lights immediately after a disaster strikes. Fast illumination of the scene can be the critical difference in saving lives.

2020 was a standout year for the worst possible reasons, including natural disasters. In 2020, 2005's record for tropical storms was surpassed with 30 confirmed storms with winds over 39 mph and 13 hurricanes with top winds of 74 mph or greater. Wildfires that doubled the previous record of approximately 2-million acres of land in 2018 was also withnessed. Larger and more increased storms are producing soaring natural disaster costs. The U.S. alone witnessed 16 natural disasters by September 2020, which brought damages to at least $1 billion – tying the records set in 2011 and 2017. In broader context, the total cost of U.S. billion-dollar disasters over the last 5 years (2016-2020) exceeds $600 billion, with a 5-year annual cost average of $121.3 billion, both of which are new records. Historical Natural Disasters A Quick Overview: Alaska: In 2015, wildfires burned over 5.1 million acres, making it the second-worst fire season since 1940. Arizona: Phoenix is one of the fastest-warming cities in the country, and in 2018 there were 182 heat-related deaths. Central U.S., Oklahoma: Wildfires burned through approximately 466,900 acres of land in Oklahoma in 2018, making it one of the worst fires in the state's history. East Coast of North America, Maryland: In May of 2018, storms west of Baltimore dropped between 6-12 inches of rain, causing catastrophic flood damage for the second tie in three years. Northeastern United States: According to the National Climate Assessment, the amount of rain falling in the heaviest 1% of storms in the United States increased by 71% from 1958 to 2012 in the Northeast, the most of any region. West Coast of U.S., California: Drought led to major losses in the California agricultural sector, significant environmental damage, and water shortages in some rural areas. South Florida: According to the NOAA, the maximum daily water levels in South Florida during king tides, the highest tides of the year, have increased since 1994. Significant historical events These significant historical events paint a picture of what is possible for 2021 These significant historical events paint a picture of what is possible for 2021 and further. Whether it's a hurricane, wildfire, tornado, or winter blizzard, natural disasters can strike anywhere, and being prepared with the right equipment is essential to saving lives. Preparedness with higher quality safety tools is a necessity. While buying lower quality may save a few dollars on the front end, those items often end up wearing out or breaking long before their time. A higher quality item often will last longer and saves money in the long run. An equipment should be long-lasting, impact-resistant, waterproof, fire-resistant, and able to withstand anything Mother Nature throws. FoxFury Safety Lighting FoxFury Safety Lighting provides: Weatherproof Designs Impact Resistant Product Materials Fully Waterproof/Resistant Lifetime Warranty High Quality LED Lighting Technology With weatherproof designs, tested impact-resistant materials, and complete waterproof capabilities, a team will thrive through every weather-related obstacle.