MSA, DuPont, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have teamed up again to help volunteer fire departments obtain much-needed gear through MSA’s Globe Gear Giveaway. This annual program began in 2012 and has provided 507 sets of turnout gear to 108 departments to date. In 2020, another 13 departments will each receive four new sets of turnout gear and four new helmets to help enhance the safety of their firefighters. The first 500 applicants also received a one-year NVFC Membership, courtesy of MSA.

In July and August, awards were made to the following departments:

• Haynesville Volunteer Fire Department (HVFD) protects 41 square miles in rural northern Maine. Even though they have eight active members, seven sets of their turnout gear are more than 10 years old. All of HFVD’s existing gear is secondhand, and they are unable to purchase new gear due to budget constraints, as their annual expenditures outpace the small amount of funding the town provides. Despite these challenges, the members of the HFVD are committed to protecting their community and continually strive to improve their operations, such as by taking additional training classes to further their skills.

• Washington Borough Fire Department (WBFD) is a rural, all-volunteer department in New Jersey that relies on tax revenue from the town as well as fundraising from the community they serve to support their operations. WBFD has been trying to slowly replace their outdated turnout gear, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they have had to cancel several planned fundraisers. Support they receive from the town will also likely be impacted due to a decrease in tax revenue. WBFD has 30 active members, yet they only have five sets of turnout gear that are less than 10 years old. Despite this, they continue to serve their town of 6,500 residents and respond to an average of 300 calls per year.

• Strykersville Volunteer Fire Company (SVFC) protects 52 square miles of rural upstate New York. Even though they have 21 active members responding to over 200 calls annually, all of their turnout gear is over 10 years old and thus non-compliant with NFPA and OSHA safety standards. Over the past year, members have even been turned away from basic and higher-level trainings due to the condition of their turnout gear. SVFC is unable to purchase new gear due to financial constraints, and restrictions enacted to stop the spread of COVID-19 have limited their traditional fundraising methods. Despite these challenges, SVFC maintains a positive reputation as a highly responsive, fiscally responsible fire company dedicated to serving their community. The new gear will have an immediate impact on the safety and effectiveness of the department.

• Gilt Edge Volunteer Fire Department (GEVFD) in Burlison serves a community of 4,200 over a 52-square-mile area of rural western Tennessee, responding to around 400 calls annually. Despite having 20 active members, only eight sets of turnout gear are less than 10 years old, and budget constraints make it difficult, if not impossible, to purchase new gear. Even though GEVFD faces many challenges, the volunteers are dedicated to serving their community. They lowered their Insurance Services Office rating, were recognized by the State Fire Marshal’s Office for excellence in community risk reduction, and haven’t missed a dispatched call in the past 17 months.

For more than a century, MSA has been committed to providing workers all around the world with the equipment they need to help keep them safe. We’re proud to partner with the NVFC to provide state-of-the-art turnout gear to departments in need.

To learn more about NVFC, visit their site here.