Globe, DuPont Protection Technologies (DuPont), and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have announced two more recipients in the 2014 Globe Gear Giveaway: the Bannertown Volunteer Fire Department, Mount Airy, North Carolina, and the Winfield Township Volunteer Fire Company, Cabot, Pennsylvania. These departments will each receive four sets of new Globe turnout gear.
Globe has partnered with DuPont and the NVFC to give away a total of 52 sets of turnout gear in 2014. Two departments are being awarded each month through December. This is the third year for the Globe Gear Giveaway Program, which provides sets of state-of-the-art Globe turnout gear to volunteer departments in need.
In addition to the Gear Giveaway, Globe is also providing all NVFC members with a discount on the new CLASSIX® SE. This latest turnout gear style from Globe, made with 100% DuPont™ KEVLAR® and NOMEX® fibers, is ideal for departments looking for a generous, non-restrictive fit at a value price. More information is available at: http://www.nvfc.org/files/documents/Members/Globe-Classix-SE-Discount-NVFC.pdf.
“Many volunteer departments struggle to find funding to provide up-to-date protective equipment and turnout gear for their firefighters,” said NVFC Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg. “We are grateful to Globe and DuPont for recognizing the immense need and taking steps to help these departments obtain high-quality turnout gear to improve the safety of their members.”
Located in Mount Airy, NC, the Bannertown Volunteer Fire Department has 39 volunteer firefighters that respond to an average of 550 calls per year. The department provides a wide array of services to the community, including fire suppression, hazmat response, airport/aircraft protection, wildland fire suppression, basic life support and medical response, and fire prevention education.
The department is funded from taxes, but with a high unemployment rate and the downsizing or relocation of several companies, the budget has remained very tight. In addition, the local airport is expanding its runway through the current fire station location, which means the department now has to fund a brand new fire station. With limited funds to buy turnout gear, the department has been forced to provide some of its members with insufficient gear and coveralls that do not afford them the same protection and thus limits the training and response activities these members can perform.
“We do try to provide the best protective gear possible to all our members, and try to keep all items up to date, but it is very hard to do with limited funds,” says Assistant Chief Jason Burkholder. “We greatly appreciate any and all help possible to make our members safer and to better serve our community.”
The Winfield Township Volunteer Fire Company is a small all-volunteer department located in Cabot, PA. As with many volunteer departments, Winfield Township has faced recruitment and retention challenges over the last five years. The decrease in membership has made fundraising efforts even more difficult while the department works to meet the needs of the community with fewer volunteers.
“Turnout gear is a very expensive, but extremely necessary, tool needed to do our jobs successfully,” says Chief John Hartman. “The donation of four sets of turnout gear would make our jobs 100 times easier and, more importantly, safer.”
In addition to providing increased protection for their firefighters, the donated gear also means the department can put its limited funds towards other areas of financial strain, including updating rescue equipment that is over 30 years old.
For more information, visit www.globeturnoutgear.com.
