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©Copyright 2005, FEMSA, MA (USA)Editor: Karen H. BurnhamNewsletter Committee:Eric Schlett, ChairNanci BanarerKit CafaroLila GillespieJoe PorterMelinda Freeman, Board LiaisonGabe Steinbach, Layout

Official publication of the Fire and Emergency Manufacturers

and Services Association

SUMMER - 2005

1www.femsa.org FEMSA News • Summer 2005

INSIDE

FEMSA ANNUAL MEETING PREVIEW

1 FEMSA Fall Meeting Preview

2 President’s Message

2 New Members

4 Personal Responsibility Code

5 Annual Meeting Schedule

6 2005 FEMSA Survey Update

6 FEMSA Website Update

7 Governmental Affairs Activities

7 Interschutz Survivors

9 NAM Resources

9 In Memoriam

10-11 CFSI Dinner Highlights &

Upcoming Events

11 DHS Director Addresses

FEMSA/FAMA Members

13 NFFF: Fire Service Research Agenda

14-18 Member News

19 FEMSA Reception at EMS Today

19 2005 Events Calendar

The 2005 FEMSA Annual Membership Meeting will be held October 12-16,2005, at the Marriott Plaza Hotel, 555 South Alamo, San Antonio, TX 78205.

A preliminary schedule of events follows foryour review and travel planning - registrationdeadline: August 12, 2005. Also find FEMSA'smeeting fees and cancellation policy.

On-line registration is now available atwww.femsa.org. You will find the link right onthe Home Page. If you do not receive an elec-tronic confirmation from Bob Grimaldi within48 hours of your on-line registration, contactBob directly (Tel: 315-337-0560; Email:bobg@rometravel.com). Your confirmationwill include a receipt for your requested book-ings. In addition, we will broadcast a list ofregistered attendees periodically beginning inJuly; if you registered and do not see yourname on the list, contact Bob immediately.These procedures will ensure that everyone isaccounted for.

Of Special Note: The banquet will be held Friday evening, October 14th; allmeetings will conclude by noon on Saturday the 15th. The Annual MeetingCommittee is researching activities for Saturday (afternoon and evening) forthose who will stay on through the weekend.

All members are encouraged to book their rooms at the Marriott Plaza throughthe FEMSA/FAMA room block (see on-line registration form). Our group isguaranteed the best available rate for the dates of our stay at the hotel.

In order to accommodate all member requests and fulfill our room block com-mitment, registration deadline has been set early ... August 12th. At that time,we must advise the hotel how many sleeping rooms will be required each nightof our meeting events. The preliminary meeting schedule and policy is on page 5of this newsletter.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact your meeting planners directly orthe FEMSA office.

We look forward to seeing you this October in San Antonio. r

Thanks to our Advertisers3 Fire Chief8 FDIC East12 Fire Rescue Conference & Exposition17 Fire News

FFEEMMSSAA BBooaarrdd mmeemmbbeerrss aatttteennddiinnggIInntteerrsscchhuuttzz 22000055 iinncclluuddeedd (l-r): DanJuntune (Waterous), Giff Swayne(Holmatro), Melinda Freeman (Class1/Hale), Jerry Halpin (Kochek), andRoger Weinmeister (SuperVac); missingfrom photo but at Interschutz were AllenLance (Streamlight) and Peter Nielsen(Paratech).

2

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS !FEMSA is pleased to welcome its newest members:

President’s MessageAs I write this I have just returned fromInterschutz held June 6 – 11 in Hannover,Germany. At the risk of dating myself, I haveto admit that this was my fourth Interschutz.I keep going back because it is without adoubt the biggest trade show for the Fire andEmergency Services in the world, and youjust can’t get a good Wienerschnitzel here inMaryland.

With more than 100,000 attendees, 5 enormous exhib-it halls and a sprawling outdoor exhibit area, the show wasabsolutely amazing. The fact that Interschutz is only held onceevery 5 years creates a very interesting dynamic. The exhibitorsgo all out with very large “stands” (we call them booths). It is notunusual for the stands to have two floors, private meeting roomsand a bar. Yes, I said a bar! They do things a little differently atInterschutz. Many exhibitors will time the release of new prod-ucts to coincide with the show adding a little extra excitement.

Attendees (most of them decision makers) from aroundthe globe travel to Germany to see the latest and greatest. Itwasn’t unusual to be speaking with a buyer from a Europeancountry one minute and someone from Asia, the Middle East orLatin America the next. The number of different languagesbeing spoken in our booth at any one moment was amazing!German, Spanish, French, Japanese, Dutch, Swedish,Portuguese, Chinese, Russian, Italian, Hebrew, Norwegian andyes English were all evident. This diversity is both the appealingand the frightening aspects of this show for many Americanmanufacturers. On one hand it provides a great opportunity tomeet key contacts from all over the world; on the other hand youmight only be able to smile and point at your products due to thelanguage barriers.

I was surprised at how many major American manu-facturers were NOT there or if they were they were lost in themix. Maybe it is due to the language issues or the complicationsand costs that are inherent to supporting a major trade show ina foreign country. In my view, they missed a tremendous oppor-tunity. All it takes is a little preplanning, an interest in market-ing your products to the world market and perhaps a translator.I can tell you with certainty that manufacturers from China,India and the former Soviet Block were there in surprising num-bers with product offerings that covered everything from nozzlesto turnout gear, and I doubt that they came for theWienerschnitzel.

Now back on U.S. soil, FEMSA’s efforts are focused onthe Annual Meeting in San Antonio this October 12 – 16.Another great meeting is planned with business speakers, cau-cus group meetings and a few surprises. The registration site isopen on the web at www.femsa.org with an August 12th dead-line; further details are included in this newsletter. I look for-ward to seeing you there!

Till next time,Giff Swayne

President’s Message & New Members

FEMSA News • Summer 2005 www.femsa.org

Eco-Tech Alternators (Ecoair Corp.)Paul Sailon, Sales ManagerFour Industrial CircleHamden, CT 06517Tel: (203) 230-3000Fax: (203) 230-3200Email: Psailon@ecoair.comWeb Site: www.ecoair.comA manufacturer of alternators

ETI SafetyBrad Carver, CFO748 Springdale Dr., Suite 100Exton, PA 19341Tel: (610) 594-4590, ext. 112Fax: (610) 524-0532Email: bcarver@etisafety.comWeb Site: www.etisafety.comEnvironmental, health, safety,and fire & emergency trainingand consulting

Ferno-Washington, Inc.Dorothy Deaton, RegulatoryCompliance70 Weil WayWilmington, OH 45177Tel: (937) 382-1451Fax: (937) 383-0197Email: info@ferno.comWeb Site: www.ferno.comA manufacturer of ambulancecots/stretchers, stair chairs/chaircot, immobilization/extrication,backboards, trauma bags, masscasualty trailers, hazmat-CBRNdecon, rescue equipment, pedi-atric equipment, incident com-mand

Groves Incorporated / READY RACKJohn Groves, VP & National SalesManager4071 W. Albany StreetMcHenry, IL 60050Tel: (800) 991-2120Fax: (815) 385-8640Email: sales@groves.comWeb Site: www.readyrack.comA manufacturer of storage sys-tems for turnout gear, hose,SCBA, etc.

International Association ofFire Chiefs FoundationPatricia Hessenauer, ExecutiveDirector4025 Fair Ridge DriveFairfax, VA 22033Tel: (703) 273-0911

Fax: (703) 273-9363Email: iafcfoun@msn.comWeb Site: www.iafcf.orgFoundation

Key Fire Hose CorporationToby Mathews, VP, Sales1150 NW 72nd StreetMiami, FL 33150Tel: (800) 447-5666Fax: (800) 447-5664Email: tmathews@keyfire.comWeb Site: www.keyfire.comA manufacturer of hoses/nozzles

National Fallen FirefightersFoundationRonald Siarnicki, ExecutiveDirector2121 Baldwin Ave., 1ACrofton, MD 21114Tel: (410) 721-6212Fax: (410) 721-6213Email: Rsiarnicki@firehero.orgWeb Site: www.firehero.orgEducation/Service

Quest Enterprises, Inc.Jerry Fitzgerald, Chairman408 Russell StreetWalsenburg, CO 81089Tel: (719) 738-2345Fax: (719) 738-2319Email: info@questhq.comWeb Site: www.questhq.comA manufacturer of personal pro-tective equipment/ensembles

Setcom CorporationJames Roberts and Michael Boyd,Co-Presidents1400 N. Shoreline Blvd.Mountain View, CA 94043Tel: (650) 965-8020Fax: (650) 965-1193Email: jroberts@setcomcorp.com

mboyd@setcomcorp.comWeb Site: www.setcomcorp.comA manufacturer of fire apparatusintercom systems

Spurlock Emergency VehicleCompanyK. C. Spurlock, Manager8118 Reynolda RoadPfafftown, NC 27040Tel: (336) 924-8100, ext. 159Fax: (336) 924-9999Email: kcspurlock@spevco.comWeb Site: www.spevco.comA manufacturer of mobile emer-gency vehicles

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FEMSA News • Summer 2005 www.femsa.org4

Personal Responsibility Code

5 FEMSA News • Summer 2005www.femsa.org

FEMSA / FAMA 2005 Fall Meeting Schedule

Meeting Event Schedule - (subject to change)Hospitality Suite Open Daily - 1:00 PM to 11:00 PM

OCT. 12 WED Arrival1:30 PM to 5:00 PM FEMSA Board Meeting 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM FEMSA Reception - Members & Guests

OCT. 13 THUR7:30 AM FEMSA Breakfast8:00 AM to 5:00 PM FEMSA Business Meeting 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM (Tentative) FEMSA Spouses Program1:00 PM to 5:00 PM FEMSA Caucus Breakouts1:00 PM to 5:00 PM FAMA Committee Meetings (as scheduled by Chairs)

OCT. 14 FRI6:30 AM FAMA Board Breakfast7:00 AM to 12:00 PM FAMA Board Meeting/Reports by Committee Chairs

7:30 AM FEMSA Breakfast8:00 AM to 11:30 AM FEMSA General Meeting11:30 AM to 1:00 PM FAMA / FEMSA Executive Committees Lunch12:00 PM FAMA / FEMSA Lunch open to all members and guests

1:15 PM to 5:00 PM FAMA / FEMSA Joint Meeting6:00 PM FAMA / FEMSA Cocktail Party7:00 PM FAMA / FEMSA Dinner

OCT. 15 SAT7.30 AM FAMA Breakfast7:30 AM FEMSA Breakfast8:00 AM to 12:00 PM FAMA General Membership Meeting8:00 AM to 12:00 PM FEMSA Round TableAfternoon & Evening OpenOCT. 16 SUN Departure

Meeting Fees and Cancellation PolicyMEETING FEES – No “a la carte” meeting fee schedules are available to members, spouses and/or guests withthe exception of children under 18 years of age.

CANCELLATION POLICY - If you must cancel, a full room rate refund will follow provided notice of cancel-lation is given by [date 30 days prior to arrival date]. The only exception is that no refunds will be honored formeeting fees if cancellation occurs less than 30 days prior to arrival, as all food and beverage services must beguaranteed 30 days in advance.

FEMSA 2005 SURVEYBy: Roger Weinmeister, Director

The second annual FEMSA Survey is up and running through Septemberof this year. The final results will be available in time for the annual meet-ing in San Antonio. This Survey is made possible from the generous sup-port of our Media Caucus Members. By running ads in their publicationsand online, fire departments across the nation are referred to the newFEMSA website. While there, they can take a quick survey on FireFighter Safety and be eligible for their department to win equipment.

The 2005 Firefighter Safety Survey can be found athttp://www.femsa.org/survey. It links to a website that is designed to runsurveys (Zoomerang). The results are easily displayed in graphic for-mat, it limits participants to one entry per email address, and at the end

of the survey we canemail the results toall the participantswho requestedresults. FEMSA offers adrawing for $5000worth of merchan-dise from anyFEMSA membercompany. The win-ning entry can selectthe prize (up to a$5000 List price); if itis from your compa-ny, FEMSA will reim-burse you for yourBest Dealer Cost forthe merchandisechosen, and you cantake credit for theextra sales.

The survey this year ties in with the current safety initiatives includingthose by the IAFC, NFFF, and the FEMSA Personal Responsibility Code(PRC). Our goal is to help FEMSA members get a glimpse into the mind-set of firefighters on those issues. The results of the survey can be usedto shape future policy in FEMSA and in its relationships with other fire andemergency services organizations.

The preliminary results offer some interesting information including: 99%agree with most or all of the PRC, only 7% of the survey respondentshave mandatory physical conditioning programs, 20% feel their equip-ment is maintained for maximum safety, and over 50% of the respon-dents have given their email address to FEMSA for future updates.

The attention has driven many first timers to the FEMSA website wherethey have become more familiar with our organization. In the future, thiswill allow us to more easily disseminate information on other goals of ourorganization. This will also allow us to quickly take the pulse of the FireService next year. So when it comes time to decide if you are going tothe Annual Meeting in San Antonio this year, another good reason to

FEMSA News • Summer 2005 www.femsa.org6

FEMSA 2005 SURVEY - FIREFIGHTER SAFETYWEBSITE UPGRADEBy Gabe Steinbach

This year, FEMSA completed a majorupgrade on the www.femsa.org website. Insteadof waiting to complete the upgrades piecemeal,we moved ahead in making the FEMSA websiteone of the top sites for our members and the fireindustry. The resources we now offer for ourmembership are truly superior, giving our mem-bers incredible advantages as a whole.

FEMSA Member DatabaseThe FEMSA member database that once beganwith the Core Competency CD, is now a livingbreathing, real-time database that reflects up-to-date and accurate member information andresources. Type your company name in toGoogle, and you surely see your FEMSA listing inone of the top spots. Members are STRONGLYencouraged to log in and update their memberprofiles.

FEMSA Press Release ArchiveFEMSA has always offered our members easyways to announce to their peers important com-pany initiatives and happenings though this pub-lication: FEMSA News. Now members can posttheir press releases and news as they happen -live on the FEMSA website. We’ve created a sim-ple way to get your press releases on the web.Best of all - it is FREE for member companies!

FEMSA Job ListingsFEMSA is always looking for ways to enhanceour membership. One thing we learned from thecaucus groups is that our membership was con-tinually searching for ways to recruit top-notchprofessionals in their fields. We took the initia-tive to build a job listings database where ourmembers can post listings. We partnered withwww.careerbuilder.com to provide extensivelistings beyond our own, to give those seekersadditional opportunities beyond the jobs postedby FEMSA member companies. Freely post youravailable position today!

FEMSA CalendarFEMSA has always offered one of the most com-plete and pertinent calendar listings for theindustry - and we will continue to do so inFEMSA News. However, we wanted to use ourstature on the web to give our members a chanceto post their own events. By adding an interac-tive calendar where members can post their ownlistings for FREE - we give our membership away to communicate with other FEMSA mem-bers, and with the industry as a whole. For asmall fee, members can also prioritize their list-ing to really stand out!

The FEMSA website is still not done - this exten-sive upgrade has brought improvements to thebanner advertisement system, the speed of thedatabase and our ranking within the searchengines. In the future, look for partnershipswith Google Ad Words, enhancements to themember database, and expansion of the FEMSAPress Release section with partner web sites.We’ve worked hard to give the membership atangible service in the improved features on theFEMSA website. Please go to www.femsa.organd add your content and take full advantage ofthese enhancements.r

2004 FEMSA Survey drawing winner, Chief Kim Tracy,Stetson Fire Department, Stetson, Maine, who chose $5,000worth of equipment from Cutters Edge, Elkhart Brass andTask Force Tips for his department.

www.femsa.org FEMSA News • Summer 20057

Governmental Affairs ActivitiesBy : GAC Co-Chairs SteveLawrence (FEMSA) and JohnSztykiel (FAMA)

Since the last newsletter, theFAMA/FEMSA GovernmentalAffairs Committee (GAC) has beenquite active building the foundationfor the future. Over the past five (5)months, the GAC has developedthree (3) initiatives for the remain-der of this year.

The first is the “Day on theHill” program scheduled forWednesday, September 14th. Thisyear’s program will feature a work-ing luncheon with “WashingtonInsiders” to give us an overview onhow things work inside the“Beltway”, concluding that eveningwith a reception in the Gold Roomof the Rayburn House OfficeBuilding for CongressionalMembers and their Staff.

The GAC’s second initia-tive will be coming to you as twoseparate communication pro-grams. The first program will be anewsletter highlighting the industryto our Congressional members.We have retained the firm ofLambert-Edwards to develop thisbimonthly program. This proactiveliterature will inform Congress ofthe importance of emergency res-cue, job safety, first line ofresponse, and American fire serv-ice traditions, etc., as they relate toour membership. The first issue isscheduled for the July time frameand will be available in an elec-tronic format as well. As we devel-op the themes of each issue, wewill be looking to the membershipfor their expertise on issues.

The second communica-tion program is for you, our mem-bership, to keep you abreast of themany different issues that willaffect our industry. This informa-tion will be available on the

FEMSA and FAMA websites andas email blasts. Additionally, wewill have highlighted issues in thenewsletters.

The GAC’s third initiative isa “Building Alliances” program.This program will identify organiza-tions that we believe have “com-mon ground” that we can partnerwith on issues that are central toour individual organizations. Asthis develops, you will begin tohear more about these programs.

The committee hasexpanded to 13 members andincludes:

John Sztkiel, Spartan Motors(FAMA Co-Chair)

Steve Lawrence, RosecliffPartners (FEMSA Co-Chair)

Paul Andrews, Firehouse.com

Tim Bendle, U.S. Tanker-FireApparatus

George Goros, United PlasticFabricating

John Granby, Lion Apparel

Bob Kreps, Hale Products

Mark LaDouceur, Onan

Bill Latta, Res Q Tek

Tony Parrino, HomelandProtection Professional

Lynn Powell, Hale Products

Maryjane Shance, SpartanMotors

Karen Burnham, ExecutiveAssistant to the FAMA andFEMSA Boards

If you have a question or issue youwould like the GAC to address,please contact any member tohave the matter placed on theGAC’s monthly meeting agenda. r

INTERSCHUTZ “SURVIVORS”By: Melinda Freeman

We survived Interschutz! Sixdays of cool weather (what a changefrom 2000 in Augsburg), long hours andquality visits with customers fromaround the world. What a great opportu-nity it was to take our companies and ourproducts to the world in one showcase.We had a good turn out from FEMSAmember companies. I counted approxi-mately 40 companies represented eitherby persons walking the show floor as wellas having booth space.

The face of the show was decid-edly different from 2000. Notablyabsent were US fire truck manufactur-ers. Only two US style fire trucks werepresent: Ferrara and Central States.The US pavilion had new exhibitors in2005, a total of 39 companies in all with65 US companies being present at theshow.

This show was smaller than theone five years ago. There were fewervehicles than in 2000; it appeared therewere fewer exhibitors also. This seemsto be due to consolidation within theindustry. A lot of individual exhibitorswere grouped together in one space pro-viding a new theme on partnering capa-bilities. The quality of the products wesaw out of the former Soviet Union hasimproved. Some companies we saw in1994 and again in 2000 provided us withpleasant surprises in their productimprovement since the Augsburg show.

Rosenbauer had 18 innovationson exhibit. They appeared to be “Best ofShow” in booth space and new products;they even had a waterfall in their booth –quite a feat in itself.

The Interschutz was worth-while … now we all have planning to doto ensure that 2010 in Leipzig is as big asuccess as 2005 in Hannover.

Bill Kehoe provided us withsome comments from exhibitors:“If that contract is signed, it will pay formy stand a hundred times over and mysales will double”.

“I stopped counting after 44different country representatives visitedmy stand”. Another exhibitor said “in email corre-spondence with the home office, theywere already beginning to receiveorders from contacts made earlier in theweek at the show”.

This is indeed a great testimonyto the Interschutz.

To those of you who attendedor exhibited, thanks for making FEMSAlook good. This is indeed a validation toour strategic plan for global growth! r

9 FEMSA News • Summer 2005www.femsa.org

NAM Resources from www.nam.orgThe National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) web site offers countless

tools to help your company achieve its public affairs goals and improve its bottomline, including:

Congressional Policy Agenda – the NAM is fighting to reduce production costs in the United States,level the international playing field, develop the 21st century workforce and promote innovation, invest-ment and productivity. Learn more about the NAM’s 2005 Congressional Agenda by visitingwww.nam.org/agenda.

Fighting for Legal Reform – In an effort to bolster legal reform in the states, the NAM recently launchedthe American Justice Partnership (AJP). The partnership brings together the most effective nationaland state organizations to achieve effective legal reform. Visit this new web site at www.american-justicepartnership.org.

Manufacturers’ Blog: Daily Views on the News – Blog web sites are catching on as a popular form ofalternative media. NAM Senior Vice President Pat Cleary has started a blog on important issuesaffecting manufacturing. See http://blog.nam.org for Pat’s insightful and occasionally headline-makingcomments on the news of the day. You’ll be hooked sooner than you know it!

Video on Matters Affecting Manufacturing – From major press conferences to promotional spots forthe Campaign for Growth and Manufacturing Renewal, the NAM now offers content that you can watchon the web on NAM Video Central. Check out www.nam.org/videocentral so that you may watch time-ly content of interest.

NAM’s “Legally Insane”, produced by the NAM’s Fair Litigation Action Group (FLAG), was created toinitiate a broad, multiyear awareness campaign on the importance of fair liability laws and to advancelegal reform measures necessary to achieve that goal. The following is NAM’s “Legally Insane” arti-cle that appeared in its recent “Focus” newsletter:“Big Game Hunter Loses Defect Suit”

Lawsuits concerning product safety and liability issuesnever cease to amaze. Take for instance a suit filed by a biggame hunter, who after being mauled by a lion, sought reliefin court by claiming a manufacturer was at fault for sellingbullets that failed to stop the charging beast.

A federal judge in Minnesota rejected the case(Rohwer v. Federal Cartridge Co., D. Minn., No. 03-CV-2872,11/18/04), saying expert evidence provided by the hunter’slegal team regarding the behavior of wounded lions was“sheer conjecture,” ruling that Federal Cartridge’s Bear Clawbullet was not dangerous and did not require a warning.

The hunter alleged the bullet was defective because itwas manufactured with a hard casing which, he said, doesnot expand when used on thin-skinned animals. The judgeruled that there was no direct evidence to back this claim anddeclared evidence circumstantial and speculative. r

IN MEMORIAM

FEMSA is saddened to report thepassing of Mrs. Mary Halpin, moth-er of Jerry Halpin (Kochek Co.). At74 years young, Mrs. Halpin died onMay 27th after a short battle withcancer.

Donations in Mrs. Halpin’smemory may be made to your localHospice. Personal notes of condo-lence may be sent to Jerry, Donnaand Emily at 61 Angola Road,Cornwall, NY 12518.

The thoughts and prayers ofall FEMSA members are with Jerryand his family.

10

Legislative Update

WASHINGTON UPDATEby: Sean Carroll, Legislative Director, Congressional Fire ServicesInstitute

On Thursday, May 12th, the House of Representative approved H.R.1544, the Faster and Smarter Funding for First Responders Act. The legis-lation, sponsored by Congressman Christopher Cox (CA), passed the Houseoverwhelming with a vote of 409 – 10. The legislation will modify the cur-rent formula for homeland security grants. Under the current formula,each state receives 0.75% of appropriated funds, with the rest of the moneybeing distributed based on a state’s population. Congressman Cox’s legis-lation reduces the minimum amount to 0.25 percent; state’s with an inter-national border or waterway will receive 0.45 percent. Any remainingfunds will be distributed based on risk.

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental AffairsCommittee approved similar legislation on April 13th. S. 21, the HomelandSecurity Grant Enhancement Act, sponsored by Senator Susan Collins(ME), is similar to the House bill in many respects, but uses a different for-mula for distributing the funds. The Senate bill will guarantee each state0.55% of the appropriated funds, although states with large populationscan be eligible for up to 3%.On Tuesday, May 17th, the House of Representatives approved H.R. 2360,the Fiscal Year 2006 Homeland Security spending bill. The bill, which pro-vides funding for the operations and activities of the Department ofHomeland Security, was approved by a vote of 424 - 1.

Although the bill funds DHS at a higher level than FY05, the billreduces funding for several programs of importance to the fire service. TheAssistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFGP or FIRE Act) receives$575 million, $75 million less than in FY05. The State Homeland SecurityGrants (SHGP) receives $750 million, $350 million less than FY05. TheStaffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) programreceived a slight increase and is funded at $75 million. In FY05, SAFERreceived $65 million. The bill also contains $1.215 billion for the UrbanArea Security Initiative (UASI), compared to $1.2 billion in FY05. The billhas been referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee for considera-tion.

On April 26th, Congressman Edward Markey (MA) andCongressman Peter King (NY) introduced H.R. 1850, the Cigarette FireSafety Act of 2005. The legislation creates a national ignition standard forcigarettes. The legislation will set ignition standards for cigarettes causingthe cigarette to self-extinguish if left un-smoked. Cigarette fires are respon-sible for approximately 800 deaths, 2,200 injuries and nearly $560 milliondollars in damages every year. In 2004, the State of New York put intoeffect a similar cigarette fire safety standard. Canada adopted a nationwidestandard very similar to the New York standard last year.

"The best way to reduce the number of deaths caused by fire is toaddress the root causes. Cigarettes are the leading cause of fatal fires in theU.S. The Cigarette Fire Safety Act of 2005 would save a significant numberof lives and prevent families from suffering unbearable hardships,” said BillWebb, Executive Director of the Congressional Fire Services Institute.

The legislation has been referred to the House Energy andCommerce Committee.

www.femsa.orgFEMSA News • Summer 2005

Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff

CFSI Founder Congressman Curt Weldon

CFSI Legislator of the Year Bill Pascrell

Alan Caldwell, the winner of the MasonLankford Fire Service Leadership Award

FEMSA President Giff Swayne & PastPresident Jerry Halpin

FEMSA News • Summer 2005www.femsa.org 11

CFSI UpdateCFSI Annual Dinner HighlightsThe 17th Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner was held April 7th

at the Hilton Washington. The dinner theme,“Protecting Our Communities … and EveryoneGoes Home” attracted 2,050 attendees, making itthe second largest dinner held and hosted by theCongressional Fire Services Institute.

Keynote Speaker: Secretary Michael Chertoff,U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Award Recipients:CFSI Legislators of the Year

Congressman Bill Pascrell (NJ)Congressman Chris Cox (CA)

CFSI Fire Service Organization of the YearInternational Fire Services Training Association at OSU

CFSI/Motorola Mason Lankford Fire ServiceLeadership Award

Mr. Alan Caldwell, IAFCSafety Education Hero Award sponsored by theHome Safety Council

Julia Holt Dickson, TN Fire DepartmentSpecial Recognition

International Association of Fire Fightersin honor of the 50th Anniversary of theIAFF’s support for the Muscular DystrophyAssociationFire Caucus Leaders who addressed attendees

Senator Paul Sarbanes (MD)Congressman Sherwood Boehlert (NY)Congressman Curt Weldon (PA)Congressman Rob Andrews (NJ)Fire Caucus Chairman, Senator Joe Biden

(DE), delivered a video message; he was in Romeattending the Pope’s funeral as part of theCongressional delegation that also included SenatorMike DeWine (OH) and Congressman StenyHoyer (MD)

The 18th Annual National Fire and Emergency ServicesDinner will be held April 6, 2006.

3rd ANNUAL CFSI

SILENT AUCTIONJuly 30, 2005@ Firehouse Expo

Baltimore Convention Center

Contact Alex Bryant, CFSI Director ofDevelopment, at (202) 371-1277 to

donate auction items (fire service equip-ment, training material, fire service

memorabilia, weekend packages, elec-tronic/stereo equipment, etc.)

CFSI APPRECIATES YOUR SUPPORT!

2005 CFSI Golf ScrambleThursday, August 18th

Maryland Golf CourseCollege Park, MD

Shotgun Start at 8:00 a.m.Awards Luncheon for all Participants Follows

Tournament

Looking for Golfers and SponsorsProceeds further CFSI’s Mission: “So thatFirst Responders Never Stand Alone” on

Capitol Hill

For further details, contact: Alex Bryant

Senator John McCain

Congressman Rob Andrews, Co-Chair CFSI

Senator Paul Sarbanes

Kevin Boshears, Director ofthe Small and DisadvantagedBusiness Utilization Office of theDepartment of HomelandSecurity, addressed all FEMSAand FAMA members attendingthe CFSI dinner on the afternoonof April 7th in Washington, DC.In his presentation, Mr. Boshearstouched on the three major typesof business opportunities at DHSincluding:* Contracts and subcontracts(assisting small businesses toidentify contracting and subcon-tracting opportunities is thefocus of the OSDBU)* Research and Development* Grants to State and LocalGovernments (potentially result-ing in a state or local govern-ment procurement opportunity)

Members were referred towww.dhs.gov/openforbusinessto review DHS business opportu-nities and to determine membercompanies' area or areas ofinterest. For personal assis-tance, contact Joe Capuano,joe.capuano@dhs.gov, Tel: (202)401-3517.

DHS Director Kevin Boshears and FEMSAPresident Giff Swayne

NFFF: Fire Service Research Agenda Symposium

13 FEMSA News • Summer 2005www.femsa.org

When the first National FirefighterLife Safety Summit was held inTampa in 2004, the participantsdeveloped a list of 16 Firefighter LifeSafety Initiatives to significantlyreduce firefighter deaths andinjuries. One of the issues identifiedas a priority was the need to developa research agenda to support theimplementation of the 16 Initiatives.The Summit participants identified along list of topics where research isneeded, as well as numerous areaswhere potentially valuable researchis being conducted. They also notedthat there are numerous opportuni-ties to take advantage of researchthat has been conducted by manyother organizations for a variety ofpurposes. In addition, the manyopportunities for technology transferto adapt new capabilities to fire serv-ice needs were emphasized. Thedevelopment of a fire serviceresearch agenda was included as oneof the initiatives.

On June 2 and 3, 2005, morethan 50 participants gathered at theNational Emergency Training Centerin Emmitsburg, Maryland to developa Fire Service Research Agenda. Thissymposium, conducted by theNational Fallen FirefightersFoundation and funded by a grantfrom the National Institute forStandards and Technology (NIST),was a direct spin-off from the TampaSummit and specifically directedtoward research efforts that will savethe lives of firefighters. NIST has amajor involvement in fire researchand works closely with the UnitedStates Fire Administration to addressand support the needs of the fireservice.

The invited participantsincluded fire service leaders and rep-resentatives of fire service organiza-tions, government agencies andtrade organizations. They werejoined by researchers, scientists andengineers from several additionalinstitutions and organizations with awide range of expertise and experi-ence.

The discussion was based oneight broad areas of research that

had been identified by a steeringcommittee. Theses areas were:

• Firefighter Health – Wellness –Fitness• Organizational and BehavioralScience• Firefighter Training• Incident Management• Advanced Technology Applications• Vehicles and Transportation• Fire Prevention and PublicEducation• Data Collection and Analysis

The participants were divided intodiscussion groups to focus on partic-ular areas. The overall findings werethen consolidated in a process thatinvolved all of the attendees.

The product of the sympo-sium will be a report that identifiesall of the research priorities identi-fied by the symposium participantsand provides background informa-tion about each topic. This informa-tion is intended to be useful fororganizations that are involved inresearch or interested in conductingresearch for the fire service to allowthem to focus their efforts on thehighest priority areas, as well as pro-viding a basis for coordination andcooperation among researchersworking on related projects. It willalso provide information to organiza-tions that develop and refine technol-ogy to identify opportunities to adaptnew applications to meet the needs ofthe fire service.

One of the potential values ofthe symposium findings will be toassist agencies and organizationsthat provide funding for research anddevelopment projects to steer thosefunds toward the areas of greatestneed and urgency. The symposiumreport is expected to be a valuablereference for decision makers, as wellas researchers.

The report will be preparedby the National Fallen FirefightersFoundation and should be publishedby the National Institute forStandards and Technology withintwo months. r

FEMSA MEMBERS AT FDIC

Matjak

Fyrepel Products

Key Fire Hose

Kussmaul Electronics’ Tom Nugent and ErnieKussmaul

VisionMark’s Jaron McDaniel, Fred Sauer,Lucy Wood, Sherry Swartz and Karla Cole.

14FEMSA News • Summer 2005 www.femsa.org

FEMSA Member NewsMembers can now posttheir member news andpress releases for immedi-ate release on the FEMSAwebsite at www.femsa.org.

Akron Brass Company[June 20, 2005, Wooster, Ohio] AkronBrass Company announced todaythat it has acquired WeldonTechnologies, Inc. located inColumbus, Ohio.

Founded in 1967, WeldonTechnologies, Inc. (Weldon) is an ISO9001: 2000 registered company thatdevelops, manufactures, and sellslighting devices and customized elec-trical control solutions for specialtyvehicle markets. This includes ambu-lance, fire truck, school bus, recre-ational vehicle and marine markets.

“Combining Weldon’s exten-sive lighting and electrical controlproduct portfolio with our existingscene lighting and power distributionequipment will provide even more sin-gle source supply capabilities for ourOEM customers,” stated Dan Peters,President of Akron Brass. “Moreover,Weldon’s expertise will enable us tobroaden our innovations to meet thegrowing future requirements of ourcustomers as well,” Peters added.

Ambu, Inc.[April 19, 2005] To better serve ourcustomers, we have recently expand-ed our warehouse space and movedto a new, larger facility. Our newaddress is 6740 Baymeadow Drive,Glen Burnie, MD 21060 – seewww.ambuUSA.com

Cutters Edge[June 30, 2005] In an effort to providefaster delivery and faster service andrepair to customers in the East,Cutters Edge recently opened aDistribution & Service Facility inMiddletown, Pennsylvania.

Christian Ruzich, VicePresident of Operations says the newfacility will also offer local availabilityof parts and complete warranty serv-ice for all Cutters Edge saws andaccessories. In addition to Ruzich, theCutters Edge Eastern team includesRay Smeriglio, Sales Manager andRich Seachrist, Service Manager.Together this team represents morethan 20 years of experience for

Cutters Edge. You can contact thisnew office at: 1-800-742-3343 and717-944-1433 or Fax: 717-944-1599.The address is: Cutters Edge, 147Brown Street, Middletown, PA 17057.

[April 15, 2005] From April 4-7,Cutters Edge attended and participat-ed in the 22nd All-Japan Master LaborContract Senior Fire Officers’ confer-ence and workshop held at CampZama.

More than 70 fire chiefs andofficers from Marine Corps BasesCamp Butler, Kadena Air Base, ToriiStation in Okinawa, Marine Corps AirStation Iwakuni, Commander FleetActivities Yokosuka, Atsugi naval AirFacilities, Commander Fleet ActivitySasebo, Yokota Air Force and MisawaAir Base as well as several Americanand Japanese vendors gathered atCamp Zama Community Club andSagami General Depot to attend theannual 4-day conference.

The conference originated in1984 when the All-Japan MLC SeniorFire Officers’ Association was estab-lished in order to improve the level offire services and also to exchangeinformation between fire departmentsthroughout the Army, Navy, Air Forceand Marine Corps military installationsin Japan. Camp Zama hosted the ini-tial conference in 1984 and the fourththis year since 1997.

Full story details may befound athttp://www.torii.army.mil/aroundza-ma/story03.htm.

Fire Chief Publications[May 26, 2005] Fire Chief is pleasedto welcome Rich Gluth as the newestmember of its advertising sales team.Rich will serve Fire Chief customers inthe eastern territory.

In addition to his businessand sales experience, Rich has anextensive background in the fire serv-ice. He served as aFirefighter/Paramedic in Illinois from1982-1999, and he is still an activevolunteer in Wisconsin.

Rich brings a wealth of knowl-edge in business-to-business salesand marketing to the Fire Chief team.He can be reached at (312) 840-8454,or rich@firechief.com.

Fire Chief is proud toannounce that Andy VanSciver has

transitioned from an independentsales representative to a regionalsales manager working directly forFire Chief. Andy will continue to repre-sent the western territory of the U.S.as he has since August 2003.

Fire-Dex, Inc.[May 2, 2005, Medina, Ohio] Fire-Dex®, Inc. promotes three associatesto new positions:

Lance Matiste has been pro-moted the position of Senior RegionalSales Manager. His new responsibili-ties will include working with and train-ing Regional Sales Managers for Fire-Dex on Sales Skills and ProductKnowledge, along with his currentresponsibilities in the Eastern Region.Lance has had a very successfulcareer with Fire-Dex over the past fiveyears and is one of the most knowl-edgeable and dedicated sales peoplein the industry. With his new position,Fire-Dex will continue to achieve greatsuccess in the years to come.

Cyndi Williamson moves tothe position of Inside Sales Support.Prior to making her move to the office,Cyndi worked with Fire-Dex in theturnout production area. Her knowl-edge of the product, and previous cus-tomer and sales support experience,make her an excellent choice for theInsides Sales position. Cyndi joinedFire-Dex in 2003.

Paula Komm joins Fire-Dexaccounting staff. Prior to her move,Paula worked in Inside Sales for Fire-Dex. Paula’s extensive knowledge ofour product and customers, and atten-tion to detail, will be an asset to theaccounting department. Paula had tenyears experience in accounting priorto joining Fire-Dex in 2001.

Fire Engineering/PennWell[June 9,2005] At3:36 p.m. onJune 9th,weighing inat 8lbs., 7oz.,and 21 _”long, beauti-ful EvelynRose Petersentered thisworld, thenew daughter of Vince and SharonPeters. Congratulations to the Peters!

15 FEMSA News • Summer 2005www.femsa.org

FEMSA Member NewsFire Research Corp.[June 1, 2005] Fire Research Corp.has embarked upon a $1 million dollarexpansion program. The companyhas increased the size of its facility by50%, and is installing a new computeroperating system and new automaticmachinery.

Firehouse.com[May 9, 2005, Beltsville, MD] CygnusInteractive, the online media divisionfor business-to-business media leaderCygnus Business Media, announcedtoday that Joel Goron has joined the

division as director of sales forOfficer.com and Peter Clough hasjoined as director of sales forFirehouse.com. They will be respon-

sible for direct selling and developingoverall sales and marketing initiativesfor their respective Public Safety por-tals. The company recentlyannounced expansions in its onlineofferings to include sponsored andpay per view web casts and onlineprofessional certifications.

“Officer.com andFirehouse.com are leading B2B siteswith significant audiences that willbenefit from experienced and savvysales execs,” says Cygnus InteractiveVice President of Sales Paul Andrews.“Both Peter and Joel have substantialbackgrounds and will be extremelyimportant to our advertisers’ efforts inintegrating cross-promotional market-ing solutions.”

Goron most recently servedas regional sales manager and asso-ciate publisher of Homeland DefenseJournal. He also worked as regionalsales manager for Post NewsweekTech Media where he sold sponsor-ships and exhibit booth space for theFOSE government technologytradeshow. He also sold advertisingfor Washington Techway magazine.Prior to that, Goron served for fouryears as Regional Sales Manager ofPhillips Business Information inPotomac, MD.

Clough was recently directorof sales for BannerSpace.com, a lead-ing online advertising network basedin Laurel, Maryland. He also foundedE-Base Systems, an early innovator inonline direct marketing. “The combi-nation of Joel and Peter will surelyenhance our continued positioning ofbeing number one in both markets”states Cygnus Interactive VicePresident of Publishing and Publisherof Firehouse.com and Officer.com,Dave Iannone.

Firehouse Expo/FirehouseWorld[July 5, 2005, Westport, CT] CygnusBusiness Media announced today ithas acquired EMS Magazine, EMSExpo, Advanced Rescue Technologyand Frontline First Responder maga-zines and their accompanying web-sites from California-based SummerCommunications and ExpoProductions.

“This important acquisitioncomplements our existing Firehousebrand portfolio, and offers additionalsynergies within our Law EnforcementGroup,” says Cygnus Business MediaPresident & CEO Paul Mackler. “It willallow us to gain more reach in theEMS segment for our advertisers with-in the EMS and first responder indus-try.”

EMS Expo is supported byseveral organizations including theNational Association of EmergencyMedical Technicians (NAEMT) whichco-locates its annual conference withEMS EXPO. It will be produced byCygnus Expositions, the tradeshowdivision of Cygnus Business Mediathat successfully produces theFirehouse Expo and Firehouse Worldexpositions. Together these tradeevents showcase over 200,000 netsquare feet of fire and rescue prod-

ucts and attract more than 20,000 fire,rescue and EMS professionals annu-ally.

“EMS magazine is anextremely strong and well respectedpublication that will become an impor-tant addition to our publishing portfo-lio,” says Cygnus PublishingPresident Rich Reiff. AdvancedRescue Technology and FrontlineFirst Responder magazines also pres-ent many opportunities to increase ourfootprint in the fire and emergencyservice market. The ability to consis-tently deliver vital information to near-ly every member of the emergencyservice industry is crucial and willremain so in the coming years.”

“EMS Magazine, EMS Expo,Advanced Rescue Technology andFrontline First Responder haveproved valuable to our customers andthe industry since we first began pro-ducing them,” says SummerCommunications Founder, Publisherand Executive Editor Carol Summer.“Having Cygnus acquire them andincorporate them into an alreadyestablished portfolio of emergencyservice and fire rescue media prod-ucts is very fortunate. The propertieswill continue to flourish with a largemedia company supporting them.”

EMS magazine, EMS Expo,Advanced Rescue Technology andFrontline First Responder employeeswill remain in California.

[June 14, 2005] Firehouse Expo hasannounced that the ApparatusMaintenance Section (AMS) of theInternational Association of FireChiefs (IAFC) and Aircraft RescueFire Fighting (ARFF) will each beleading seminars on the latest topicsof Apparatus Maintenance and AircraftSafety. Firehouse Expo will takeplace July 26-31, 2005 in Baltimore,Maryland.

The AMS will sponsor two, 2-day classes “Basic Electrical EVT F-4Preparatory Class” and “Mechanics:Engines and Lubrication”. The “BasicElectrical EVT F-4 Preparatory Class”will cover the study objectives for theEVT F-4 Fire Apparatus ElectricalSystems exam. The objectives cov-ered will be basic electrical theory,Ohm’s Law, parallel and series cir-cuits, relays and solenoids, diagnosticmeters, batteries, alternators,schematics, voltage drops and trou-

Joel Goron

Peter Clough

16FEMSA News • Summer 2005 www.femsa.org

FEMSA Member Newsbleshooting. Topics of the“Mechanics: Engines and Lubrication”class will include: life cycle of appara-tus, cryogenics, lubrication for moderndiesel engines, advanced filter tech-nology, wide tires for fire apparatusand Kussmaul battery chargers. TheMechanics Workshops take place July27-28.

ARFF will sponsor two class-es: “Ready to Respond: Strategy andTactics for Aircraft Rescue FireFighting” and “ARFF and ThermalImaging Cameras” during theProfessional Information Programs atthe Expo on July 28-30. The five-hour“Ready to Respond…” class will coveraircraft familiarization, as well asadvanced strategy and tactics forARFF responders. As an additionalfeature, hands-on tabletop scenarioswill also be included. Topics of the“ARFF and Thermal ImagingCameras” class include integratingthermal imaging cameras into every-day use as well as general capabilitiesof the device.

FireRescue Conference & Expo[May 24, 2005] FireRescueConference & Expo is pleased toannounced the following news andhighlights for 2005:

Merger with FireTech RenoIn February 2005, FireRescueannounced the merger of FireTechReno with its 2005 event in LasVegas, establish the Fall’s largest fire-rescue Event in the western UnitedStates. With the combined strength ofthe two events, FireRescue will beable to offer exhibitors double thevalue, while reducing the number offire service trade shows. For moreinformation about the merger, pleasevisit the official show web site atwww.firerescueexpo.com

Reed Exhibitions Announces ThirdParty Attendance Audits for USAShowsReed continues its customer-driveninitiatives around premium value byexpanding the number of pilots forthird party attendance audits this year.To quote Chet Burchett, President ofReed Exhibitions North America, ‘Foryears, now, we have had stringentcontrols in place to ensure accuratereporting. As we have worked withour customers to help them increase

the business value they receive fromour events, it has become increasing-ly obvious that independent verifica-tion of attendance reports is an invest-ment we need to make to ensure con-fidence in the investment our cus-tomers make.” To read the OfficialPress Release, please visit www.fir-erescueexpo.com, under What’s Newon the home page.

Association Outreach EffortsSupport for FireRescue MagazineConference & Expo 2005 continues togrow. New for the month of May:• New agreement with the NevadaFire Chiefs extends their relationshipwith the Show through 2007! - The Nevada Fire Chiefs were amongthe first supporters of the Event. Inaddition to promoting FireRescue, theChiefs will hold their Fall membermeeting at the event.• California State FirefightersAssociation (CSFA) – the CSFA andits membership of 28,000 haveagreed to endorse and supportFireRescue in 2005.

Special Event UpdateFireRescue Conference & Expo willhost the 2005 TransportationEmergency Rescue Committee(TERC) USA national Competition. Ajoint effort between FireRescue andTERC, this national competition willeducate and challenge fire rescuepersonnel in extrication scenarioswhile entertaining onlookers through-out the five day Conference. Thecompetition will also be complement-ed by dedicated hands-on training andconference sessions addressing themost current issues in the field of extri-cation.

PersonnelEffective as of May 1st, Erin McArdlewas promoted to Sales Manager ofFireRescue Conference & Expo andEMS Today. Her dedication, passionand hard work proved instrumental tothis Event meeting its goals for yearone. Congratulations Erin!

We are pleased to welcometwo new editions to the FireRescueEvent Management Team, Ed Galloand RoseAnne Homola. Ed hasassumed the role of Sales Director forFireRescue Conference & Expo andEMS Today. He brings many years ofsales experience with him and tells a

pretty good joke while he’s at it.Please feel free to call him at 203-840-5695 for information about exhibitingat FireRescue this year. RoseAnnehas just signed on as the newConference Coordinator. Her enthusi-asm and get-it-done attitude areapparent in her short time on theteam. We are excited to have heraboard.

Hannay Reels[June 2, 2005, Westerloo, NY]Hannay Reels announces the promo-tions of Steve Burnside, Tim Healeyand Craig Kummer.

Burnside was named assis-tant production coordinator, responsi-ble for maintaining and improvingworkflow. Kummer, named to pro-duction coordinator, is responsible foroverseeing all aspects of productionas well as managing the productionteam. Healey, formerly a productionsupervisor, was named to inside salesrepresentative where he is responsi-ble for customer orders and recom-mending products.

Kidde Fire Trainers[June 9, 2005] Kidde Fire Trainers,Inc. (formerly known as SymtronSystems and ICS) is excited toannounce its office relocation toMontvale, NJ effective 20 June 2005.Our new contact information is: KiddeFire Trainers, Inc., 17 Philips Parkway,Montvale, NJ 07645-1810, Tel: (201)300-8100; Fax: (201) 300-8101.

The new KiddeFT facility hasincreased manufacturing space andmodern office facilities to better serveits customers, and is convenientlylocated within a short drive of NewYork City and Newark LibertyInternational Airport.

L.N. Curtis & Sons[May 22, 2005] L.N. Curtis & Sons ispleased to announce the addition oftwo new members to its Southwestteam. David Algie has joined Curtisas Southwest Manager and is respon-sible for sales and service in Arizonaand New Mexico. Dave has beeninvolved in the Southwest fire equip-ment market for 17 years.

In addition, Tom Harley, a 27-year veteran of the fire equipmentindustry, has become a member of theCurtis Southwest team. With theseadditions, L.N. Curtis & Sons now has

www.femsa.org FEMSA News • Summer 200517

FEMSA Member Newsseven employees servicing theSouthwest market with a combinedtotal of over 100 years of fire equip-ment sales and service experience.

New York State Association ofFire Chiefs[June 30, 2005, East Schodack, NY]The New York State Association ofFire Chiefs (NYSAFC) is pleased toannounce Lake George, N.Y. as thelocation for the organization’s 100thAnnual Conference and FIRE 2006exposition, to be held June 15-17,2006. NYSAFC is also excited tounveil plans for a new event, the NewYork Chiefs Island Conference &Expo, to be hosted September 23-24,2006 at Hofstra University inHempstead, N.Y. in conjunction withthe Nassau County and SuffolkCounty Fire Chiefs Councils.

After carefully considering thecomments and requests from atten-dees, exhibitors, and members, andconducting a search of conventionsites across New York state,Association officials selected LakeGeorge in the beautiful Adirondackregion as the site for FIRE 2006 (FireIndustry, Rescue, and EMS Expo). Asin recent years, the event will continueto feature hundreds of exhibits,demonstrations, workshops, andhands-on training for emergencyresponders of all ranks from aroundthe Northeast. This new location inWarren County, featuring over 8,000hotel/motel rooms and campgroundswithin minutes of the expo site, willalso provide the opportunity for uniquenetworking events. And, with manyrestaurants, shops, attractions, andamusements nearby, Lake George isan appealing location for attendeesand their families.

The event will also be held inLake George in June of 2007, with anoption for 2008. It was previously heldfor eight years at the Empire ExpoCenter in Syracuse, N.Y. and for 30years at the former Concord Hotel inthe Catskills. Throughout the first 60years of the organization, the AnnualConference was held in various loca-tions across the state, includingAlbany, Binghamton, Buffalo, NewYork City, Rochester, and Watertown.As the event has grown, needs foradditional hotel and exhibit spacehave limited the Association’s choices.

In another exciting change for

the coming year, the New York StateAssociation of Fire Chiefs has part-nered with the Nassau County FireChiefs Council and Suffolk CountyFire Chiefs Council to host the NewYork Chiefs Island Conference & Expoat Hofstra University in Hempstead,N.Y., September 23-24, 2006. Thisexpo, which is being offered to benefitboth the Nassau and Suffolk CountyChiefs Councils and their endeavors,will provide the Long Island fire serv-ice with a new opportunity to interactwith local vendors, educators, and fel-low firefighters.

The 2-day New York ChiefsIsland Conference & Expo will featurethe displays of industry manufacturersand local distributors, including appa-ratus, gear, tools, equipment, and col-lectibles, as well as product demon-strations.

Visit www.nysfirechiefs.comfor more details.

PBI Performance Products,Inc. (formerly Celanese AMI)[May 17, 2005, North Charleston, SC]The InterTechGroup, Inc.a n n o u n c e dtoday the pur-chase of thepolybenzimida-zole fiber andpolymer busi-ness (PBI) fromC e l a n e s eC o r p o r a t i o n(NYSE: CE).P B IP e r f o r m a n c eProducts, Inc.was formed tocomplete theacquisition andoperate the busi-ness as a whollyowned sub-sidiary ofInterTech. Allexisting man-agement andemployees willremain with thebusiness provid-ing a seamlesstransition forcustomers andsuppliers. Termsof the transac-tion were not

disclosed.“The Intertech Group has a

strong track record of fostering theentrepreneurial spirit within its mem-ber companies”, remarked GrantReeves, President of PBI. “For PBIand its employees there will be a com-mitted and focused owner who willsupport our customers’ needs andgrow the business. The PBI businesshas an impressive portfolio of technol-ogy that has been effectively commer-cialized in the fire service sector. Ourgoal is to realize PBI’s potential in newcommercial applications built on yearsof extensive R&D. This commitment todevelopment activities will advancethe practical uses of PBI in our chosenindustries.”

Bill Lawson, PBI’s ManagingDirector & COO, says, “PBI has astrong commitment to its businessrelationships which is fully supportedby our new ownership. We can nowact more quickly to the opportunitiespresented by the market. We areexcited to make a new start.”

Headquarters for the busi-

Serving Fire, Rescue & EMS Volunteers For Over 30 Years.

Stop By And Visit Us At The Following Shows:

Or Visit Us On The Web At: FireNews.comCall Us At: (631) 776-0500 ext.111

• FDIC - Indianapolis• Fire Expo - Harrisburg• NYSAFC - Lake George• Firehouse Expo - Baltimore• FDIC East - Atlantic City• NYSAFD - Ellenville, NY• L.I. Fire & EMS - Uniondale, NY

FEMSA Member News

18www.femsa.orgFEMSA News • Summer 2005

ness will remain in Charlotte, NorthCarolina with manufacturing in RockHill, South Carolina.

POK of North America Inc.[June 8, 2005] POK welcomes BrianTerry as Regional Manager coveringthe South East (AL, FL, GA, MS, NC,SC, TN, VA).

Brian was raised on theEastern Shore of Virginia and lived onthe water all of his life. He recentlyjoined the POK team in December of2004, as Regional Manager-SouthEast.

Brian has been relocating toWilmington N.C to be located in thecentral part of his territory. Living inWilmington will allow him to pursue hishobbies of inshore/offshore fishingand playing golf.

Brian earned his Bachelor ofScience in Business Administrationwith a concentration in Marketing. Hehas been involved in sales since grad-uating college in May of 2004. He alsorecently obtained his CaptainsLicense.

As a Regional Sales Managerin the South East, Brian will go aboveand beyond the call of duty to see thathis customer’s needs are exceeded.He will always be available to answerquestions and demonstrate POKproducts.

Seagrave Fire Apparatus, LLC[April 1, 2005, Clintonville, WI]Seagrave Fire Apparatus announcesthe appointment of Scott A. Mintier asChief Executive Officer. Mintierreplaces James L. Hebe who resignedto pursue other business interests. Mintier has had extensive experiencein manufacturing, engineering andgeneral management in the bus andrail industry, having formerly served asPresident of NovaBus Corporation (asubsidiary of Volvo) and Super SteelProducts.

Seagrave also announces theappointment of Dan Alexander asPresident and Chief Financial Officer.Alexander has had extensive experi-ence in heavy steel products manu-facturing, transit bus manufacturingand is a Certified Public Accountant.Alexander has formerly served asCFO of Super Steel Products andNorth American Controller of NovaBusCorporation.

David Schmidt, Seagrave

Sales Manager, has been promoted toDirector of Sales. Schmidt will haveresponsibility for field and internalsales administration, advertising, mar-keting and product planning.

Task Force Tips, Inc.[July 1, 2005, Valparaiso, IN] TaskForce Tips, Inc., recently receivedpraise and certification from theRussian Research Institute for FireProtection of Balashika following itsrigorous tests of fire fighting apparatusat TFT's home plant in Valparaiso,Indiana.

"Out of the 200 some companiesI've conducted testing for, TFT rankedsecond best for routing quality,assessment and ISO detail - secondonly to 3M," said team member, Dr.George Teplov. The Russian teamspot tested TFT products for every-thing from flow rate and trajectory tofog angle and rate of foam expansionduring its three-day visit.

This marks the second govern-mental stamp of approval the Institutehas awarded TFT. The state/federalcertifications, which are awardedevery three years, serve as standardsfor all Russian firefighting equipment.

Both Institute visits were financedby Russian businessman NikolaiTikhomirov, TFT's distributor forRussia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan,Moldova, Turkmenistan, Kazahstan,Belarussia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine,Belarus, Estonia, Armenia, Georgia,Kyrgyzstan and Tagikistan.

[July 1, 2005, Valparaiso, IN] DaveBurns' love of water flow and all thetechnology that surrounds it haspulled him back to Valparaiso, Indianabased Task Force Tips, Inc.

Although the Lyons, SouthDakota native loved working for a yearas a marketing director forRosenbauer America, he missedbeing able to get out and talk one-on-one with people in the fire apparatuscommunity. "I'm going to be workingas a counterpart to (TFT OEM SalesManager) Doug Miller, working with allof the OEM and apparatus distributorsin the western half of the U.S.," Burnssaid. "We're going to be offering waterflow solutions to modern fire appara-tus manufacturers throughout ourarea."

If you don't remember Burnsfrom his 10 years as TFT's southwest-

ern regional sales manager, perhapsyou ran across him during his nineyears of work on the North HanesVolunteer Fire Department in hishometown state -- or in any of his pro-fessional dealings, since he's beeninvolved in the fire-fighting businessfor some 30 years.

"TFT has a plethora of newproducts specific to fire-fighting appa-ratus and fire flow," Burns said."Returning here just seemed like anatural fit."

As for TFT? "Of course we'reexcited to have Dave back," said RodCarringer, TFT vice president of salesand marketing. "When you've gotsomeone with his knowledge andexperience who can't wait to get backout into the field, it's a win-win situa-tion for us and the people we service."

In the hour or so that he hasfree each year, Burns loves to scubadive or resigns himself to working onone of his two daughters' cars. He andhis wife, Ann, are looking forward toshowing off their recently purchased2002 Corvette at the upcoming GrandHills Corvette Convention.

W.S. Darley & Co.[Spring/Summer Darley “Times”]Several Fire Service Industry Leaderswere invited to a Holiday Party held atthe White House on December 1,2004. The White House was decorat-ed beautifully with Christmas decora-tions including a ginger break WhiteHouse and more than 50 Christmas

trees. Each of the several hundredguests had a brief opportunity to meetone-on-one with President George W.Bush and the First Lady. Those inattendance from the fire serviceincluded Garry Briese, ExecutiveDirector of the IAFC; Bill Webb,Executive Director of CFSI, JimHester of Fouts Bros., and PaulDarley of W.S. Darley.

2005 Yearly Planner: Events, Meetings and Seminars2005 SHOW/MEETING DATE PLACEIAFC Missouri Valley Division Jul 6-8 Columbia, MOPittsburgh Fire/Rescue & EMS Jul 8-10 Monroeville, PAMaritime Fire Chiefs Jul 10-13 Frederickton, NBTexas A & M Municipal Fire School Jul 24-29 College Station, TXFirehouse Expo Jul 26-30 (Exhibits 28-30) Baltimore, MD

Contact: Rob Brice, 800-827-8009Fire-Rescue International Aug 11-14 Denver, CO

Contact: Karissa Jacobs at IAFC 703-273-0911 EXT 338FAMA Tech Meeting Aug 13 Denver, CONew Jersey FF Sep 15-17 Wildwood, NJ

Contact: Gus Olson 609-522-1822

Incident Management Symposium (Phoenix FD) Sep 21-23 Phoenix, AZFire Rescue Canada Late Sep (TBD) Richmond, BC IAFC Southwestern Div. October (TBD) Metarie, LAFDIC East Oct 3-8 (Exhibits 6-8) Atlantic City, NJ

Contact Lila or Nanci 888-TEL-FDICFall Meeting : Femsa (12-15) FAMA (14-15) Oct 12-15 San Antonio, TXRedmond Symposium (IAFF) Oct 23-27 Honolulu, HIFDSOA Annual Conf. Oct 24-29 Orlando, FL

Contact: FDSOA 508-881-31142IAFC Volunteer & Combination Officers Symposium Nov 10-13 Clearwater, FLFire Rescue Conf. & Expo. Nov 10-13 (Exhibits 11-13) Las Vegas, NV

Ed Nichols 203-840-5968Published in cooperation with FAMAFor additional events, or to post your own events - go to www.femsa.org, log in, and post your own calendar listings!

www.femsa.org FEMSA News • Summer 200519

FEMSA RECEPTION AT EMS TODAYBy: Giff Swayne, President

In March of this year, an initial and diligent effort was made to recruit EMS companies to join FEMSA. The EMS sectordoes not have its own trade association to represent manufacturers and service providers that are active in the market-place, and it seemed natural they may have interest in FEMSA.

With the guidance and assistance of Jeff Berend, Ed Nichols and Alison Mahakian of JEMS (publishers and producers ofFireRescue and EMS Today), several companies were targeted as being a “good fit” with FEMSA. Prior to the show, com-panies exhibiting at EMS Today were invited to a FEMSA breakfast reception and brief meeting on the morning of March21st. Although response to the invitation was limited, the decision was made to proceed. On March 20th, Board MembersDon Welch, Paul Andrews, Allen Lance and I “worked the show floor” in an effort to increase attendance at the breakfastthe next day. Karen Burnham visited companies that previously committed to participate. This strategy was successfulas the reception on the 21st was well attended. The meeting consisted of a brief PowerPoint presentation that introducedFEMSA and its activities to the crowd. Bill Webb, Executive Director of the Congressional Fire Services Institute, traveledup from DC to address the strong relationship between the CFSI and FEMSA, and to offer the CFSI’s assistance to ourguests. The presentation was followed by a Q&A session, and everyone left with a complete informational packet outlin-ing the many benefits of FEMSA membership.

Several strong leads were generated in Philadelphia, and FEMSA has gained at least one new member as a result. Ferno-Washington recently joined FEMSA, and with proper follow up, it is anticipated several other companies will apply for mem-bership in the near future.

I would like to personally thank Jeff, Ed and Alison for all their help and support. It is clear to me they are dedicated tohelping FEMSA grow and that is very much appreciated. Also, my sincere thanks to Bill, Don, Paul, Allen, and Karen fortaking time out of their weekend and business-day schedules to assist in this effort.r

FEMSA Reception at EMS Today

Fire and Emergency Manufacturers and Services Association, Inc.P.O.Box 147Lynnfield, MA01940-0147

newsFEMSA

FEMSA News is the official publication of:

Fire and Emergency Manufacturers and Services Association, Inc.P.O. Box 147Lynnfield, MA 01940-0147Tel/fax: 781/334-2771Email: info@femsa.orgWeb site: www.femsa.org

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