The Cost of Fire...and How to Bring it Down!

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the cost of fire fighting has gone up monumentally over the course of the last thirty years.  Even with numbers being adjusted for general inflation, the cost of fire is 38% higher in 2010 than it was in 1980.

It is estimated that fire costs about $328 billion per year.  That number covers everything from economic loss (such as property damage), to human loss (such as loss of life, medical care, or pain and suffering), to the actual cost of preventing fire (such as fire departments and equipment).  A significant bulk of the costs stem from prevention.

That should leave every fire department questioning what they can do to help their department save money.  So, how can you save money?  And how can you help other departments save money too?

Turnouts
Companies like Fire Dog Services deal in donated turnout gear.  Working with a company like this allows you to acquire newer gear for your department, keeping you up to date with safety regulations, even if you don't quite have the funding to do so.  Donating your older gear to Fire Dog Services can greatly impact the budget of smaller less funded departments!

Fire Equipment
Any fire department will tell you that one of their biggest expenses is their trucks and pumpers.  New vehicles are expensive, but frequent repairs on aging vehicles isn't always much cheaper.  As an alternative to buying a brand new truck, look at a company like Adirondack Fire Equipment.  They buy and sell well-conditioned used emergency service vehicles.  You can assist in the funding of your new vehicle by selling your old one, or upgrade to a newer vehicle by purchasing used.

Technology
When it comes to buying rugged computer equipment most departments deal with a moment of sticker-shock.  By looking to purchase refurbished Panasonic Toughbooks, you can essentially outfit your entire fleet for the cost of purchasing one new unit.

Grants
One of the most underused forms of funding purchases for emergency service agencies is grant funding.  Grants are essentially free funding to assist smaller, financially needy departments with the ability to get the newer equipment that they so desperately need.  And grants are available for practically everything....training, tools, apparatus, turnouts, hoses, and the list goes on-and-on.  Grant writing services are even available for those who aren't quite sure if they can properly write up a grant!

Fire Dog Services Program

Today I stumbled upon an amazing company that works to help fire departments and their communities.  Fire Dog Services Program donates turnout gear to departments that are in need.

There aren't many departments around who haven't felt the budgetary cutbacks in our current economy.  For some, these cutbacks have been detrimental...leaving departments with gear that is not only outdated but often times non-compliant with current NFPA standards.  For departments dealing with these types of financial difficulties, getting new NFPA compliant gear would be a dream.  However, many of them would more than happily take in any gear that would be safe enough to use in the field.

This is where your department can help!  If your department has recently upgraded (or is looking to upgrade) turnout gear, you can donate your old (or simply unneeded) gear to Fire Dog Services Program.  They accept gear in any condition.  They have a rigorous screening process that separates the gear into serviceable and recyclable categories.  Serviceable gear is donated for day to day fire fighting operations.  Recyclable gear is donated for Junior/Explorer programs and for training purposes.

There is a use for all of your old and unneeded turnout gear!  Fire Dog Services Program receives 34+ requests per month for gear (gear required for departments to adequately service their communities).  Keeping up with that kind of demand is very challenging, as many departments need full gear for five or more members.  Support others in the fire service community, and please consider recycling your old, worn out turnout gear!  There is also a need for helmets, boots, serviceable quality equipment (such as nozzles, even nonworking ones), and promotional gear.  To make a donation contact Fire Dog Services via their website or email.

 To learn more about how this program affects the departments in need, check out their testimonial page!

Company Spotlight: Quaker Safety

We recently had the opportunity to meet some of the guys from Quaker Safety at the 25th Annual Pittsburgh Fire Rescue and EMS Expo in Monroeville, PA.  They were some nice guys from a pretty amazing company!

Quaker Safety has been manufacturing many types of protective clothing since 1946. However, the real roots of the company were established in 1986 when the company began to focus primarily on manufacturing NFPA compliant garments for structural and proximity fire fighting. Substantial market research and development conducted throughout the years has provided Quaker Safety with insight into the requirements of the clothing from the fire department’s perspective which, in turn, has enabled Quaker Safety to design and manufacture high quality turnout gear.  All gear is ISO 9001-2008, NFPA 1971-2007 (structural), and NFPA 1971-2007 (proximity) certified.  They also come with a quick, reliable delivery schedule. Quaker Safety’s rapid delivery, for which the company has become well known, remains unsurpassed in the fire service industry.

Over the last 25 years, Quaker Safety has developed a network of leading distributors and exporters throughout North America. Quaker Safety believes that service through local distribution is the best way to achieve the highest level of customer satisfaction. Quaker Safety's local distributors are always available to measure, provide technical support and to ensure that each set of protective clothing is customized to meet each fire department's specific needs.

Quaker Safety stands behind its products. They warranty for a maximum of five years from the date of manufacture that the products listed on your Quaker Safety invoice will be free from defects in materials and workmanship when used by appropriately trained personnel following acceptable fire fighting or emergency medical operations procedures.  Quaker Safety also offers its gear customers a comprehensive range of on site cleaning and repair services, including those which are required annually by NFPA 1851. All work is performed to exacting standards by experienced personnel with the objective of maximizing the safety of the wearer and the useful life of the Quaker Safety protective clothing.

The full catalog of all of the gear they offer can be viewed on their website.  All orders are given the options of choosing the type of outer shell, thermal liner, moisture barriers, reinforcements, trim options, pant and jacket closures, pockets, suspenders, and more.  Fully knowledgeable customer service staff can easily assist you with determining what options will work best for the specific needs of your department.

Researchers Are Working On Safer Rescue Equipment

A company called GlowZone, Inc. has been working with photoluminescent (PL) products for years.  For those that aren't well-versed in chemistry, photoluminescent (PL) products glow in the dark.  The most common product on the market is probably the glow stick, which are throughout the emergency services industry.  However, until recently, these products were only available in the glow-stick form (which only lasted for a few hours) and in a flat tape (which really was more reflective than glow in the dark).  With some pretty impressive scientific breakthroughs, GlowZone, Inc. has managed to change that.  They have managed to make a PL product that can be used on multiple surfaces and maintains its brightness over time, as it recharges within seconds of being in sunlight.

Fire officer in a partially lit and completely dark stairwell with turnouts outfitted with GlowZone technology.

Although they have multiple applications for their technologies, one of the most beneficial has to be that of adding it to fire safety gear.  GlowZone makes your fire safety products photoluminescent, helping emergency crews locate and activate critical equipment; and preventing injuries from obstacles like fire extinguisher cabinets and hose racks, even when the building, hospital, hotel or mine is in total darkness.  They have most recently begun testing this same technology onto turnout coat and pants, making not only the tools more visible in the dark but the firefighters as well.

This technology was recently tested at a training center in Anaheim, California.  With the photoluminescent gear, the firefighters were able to reduce the time it took to find a down firefighter by 45 seconds, or approximately 30 percent. Those few seconds are huge in a life or death situation.  The below video shows the technology in action.

This new technology is currently only in the testing and research, it proving to be useful and effective.  Hopefully it will be available on the market soon.