• POLARTEC LLC, the developer, manufacturer, and marketer of Polartec® performance fabrics, announced a partnership with Bulwark®, a manufacturer of workwear for oil, gas, petrochemical, electrical utility, power generation, mining, and industrial markets. Bulwark® has employed a range of Polartec® Flame Resistant (FR) fabrics to build an FR workwear layering system. Providing permanent flame resistance inherent to the yarn that does not wash out, Polartec FR fabrics will not melt or drip on skin and are designed to keep wearers safe, warm, and comfortable in a wide range of demanding conditions. Bulwark’s new line of next-to-skin, insulation, and weather protection layers focuses on comfort, worker image, moisture management, and flame resistance. Joint marketing initiatives including hangtags on each garment that will explain the full benefits and advantages of the performance fabrics used in the collection.
• TAIT COMMUNICATIONS has partnered with Yellowknife, Canada on a new radio network for its emergency responders. Tait has been selected to implement the mission-critical voice communications network system for emergency responders that will also provide data capabilities to other city departments in the future. The $2.1 million project will see the replacement and consolidation of three existing systems being used by individual departments into one new system used by all. The new four-site, seven-channel network will be designed to provide seamless citywide communications coverage for fire, municipal enforcement, and public works, with the capability to support other departments in the future.
• SEMPERMED USA, a manufacturer of hand protection, donated its premium TenderTouch and SemperCare Ntirle exam gloves to Nature’s Academy of Bradenton, Florida. Sempermed made the donation in an effort to assist in providing children with the necessary resources needed to explore education outside the classroom. Nature’s Academy offers environmental education for youngsters throughout the greater Tampa Bay area.
• TETRAKO, LLC, the fire suppression subsidiary of EarthClean Corporation, was featured at the Texas Engineering and Extension Service Product Development Center (TEEX PDC) Open House in College Station, Texas. More than 150 guests gathered at Brayton Fire Field to officially introduce the TEEX PDC to the community and the fire service. The Open House included a test burn that showcased the performance of TetraKO water enhancer. TetraKO technology is independently certified biodegradable and nontoxic. In March 2012,TetraKO technology was acknowledged in an extensive white paper by the Technology Council of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) titled “Next Generation Water Enhancer for Fire Protection and Suppression in Wildland and Structural Applications.”
• CASSIDIAN COMMUNICATIONS, an EADS North America company, has finalized an agreement with Mercer County, New Jersey, to provide a digital, trunked P25 Land Mobile Radio (LMR) system for public safety communications. Selected to replace the county’s existing mission-critical radio system, the simulcast CORP25 solution includes hardware, software, system engineering, installation, optimization, and onsite maintenance. The standards-based CORP25 radio solution will provide full interoperability between law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical responders operating across 12 of the townships and boroughs in the 226-square-mile county. The new system also will improve the coverage, performance, and reliability of radio communications for first responders throughout the county.
• PIERCE MANUFACTURING has delivered a 75-foot Pierce Ultimate Configuration (PUC) aerial ladder and a PUC pumper to Toronto Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto Pearson already has a fleet of Oshkosh Striker aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicles on duty. The PUC pumper features a 500-hp DD13 engine, raised roof cab, 1,000-gallon water tank, Husky™ 12 foam system, a 10-kw generator, roll-up compartment doors, and compartments with a wide range of shelving, slide-out trays, and toolboards. The Pierce heavy-duty aluminum ladder is a Quint configuration and features a 75-foot aerial device with blue LED lighting along all three sections, a PUC pump, a Husky 12 foam system, and a 10-kW generator. A heavy-duty walk-in rescue, which will follow this order, will feature a 26-inch front bumper extension, a raised roof cab, a 75-inch interior walkway height, and storage for 14 self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) bottles.
• PERSONAL PROTECTION EQUIPMENT SPECIALISTS, INC. (PPES) delivered a GUARDIAN Mobile Safety and Survival Training Simulator to Rhode Island Urban Search and Rescue, allowing the unit to continually hone its vital life-saving skills. The all-in-one mobile training simulator can recreate more than 200 catastrophic scenarios. The effects of disasters, including earthquakes, explosions, and railcar tanker derailments, can be experienced safely in a controlled environment. Hindered by limited visibility, smoke, and debris and encumbered by pounds of protective gear and bulky breathing apparatus, these first responders will be able to build the teamwork needed to save lives under difficult conditions. Rhode Island Urban Search and Rescue ordered the GUARDIAN to include a railcar tanker dome module, window-rescue and sewer-line rescue kits, as well as an earthquake aftershock simulator for training flexibility, realism, and affordability.
