Volunteer fire departments across the nation continue to face significant challenges in securing the resources they need to protect their responders and communities. To help meet this critical need and enhance firefighter safety, MSA Safety, DuPont Personal Protection, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) partner annually to provide new turnout gear and helmets through MSA and DuPont’s Globe Gear Giveaway.

This year a total 52 sets of Globe® turnout gear and four new MSA Cairns® fire helmets were awarded to 13 departments. The first 500 applicants also received a one-year NVFC membership, courtesy of MSA. Now closing out its 14th year, the giveaway program has awarded 819 sets of gear and 364 helmets to 186 volunteer fire departments.

Final awards were made to the following departments in October, November, and December:

• Slaughters Community Volunteer Fire Department, located in rural Webster County, Kentucky, protects 20 square miles and serves a population of 1,350. With only 12 volunteer firefighters, the department responds to about 30 calls annually, ranging from structure fires and vehicle accidents to hazardous materials incidents and wildland fires. The department operates on extremely limited resources, reporting only $200 in annual revenue for the last fiscal year. Much of their apparatus is aging, and some of their turnout gear and SCBA packs have expired by as much as 20 years. Four firefighters currently lack assigned gear, while eight others rely on protective clothing more than a decade old.
• Lunenburg Volunteer Fire Department serves nearly 46 square miles and more than 1,200 residents in northeastern Vermont. The all-volunteer department responds to about 81 calls annually, including structure and wildland fires, motor vehicle accidents, and weather-related emergencies. The department relies heavily on fundraising, making it challenging to replace outdated equipment. Seven of the department’s 15 volunteers do not have assigned turnout gear, and five others are using gear that is more than 10 years old.
• Atwater Fire Department serves the City of Atwater and surrounding rural areas in Minnesota, protecting a population of about 3,500 across 78 square miles. Staffed entirely by volunteer firefighters and EMTs, the department responds to roughly 40 calls each year, including structure and wildland fires, vehicle accidents, medical emergencies, hazardous materials incidents, and severe weather events. Serving a small town with a limited tax base, the department does its best to maintain adequate equipment, training, and protective gear with a constrained budget. Recently, the department welcomed four female volunteers, a major step forward in broadening participation and strengthening their ranks. However, these firefighters have been relying on outdated, ill-fitting turnout gear originally designed for men. This has raised serious safety and comfort concerns.
• Hydro Fire Department in Oklahoma serves a 100-square-mile area, protecting approximately 2,000 residents and a heavily traveled stretch of Interstate 40 that sees nearly 28,000 vehicles daily. The department’s 14 volunteer firefighters respond to an average of 280 calls annually, including structure fires, wildland fires, vehicle accidents, hazardous materials incidents, and medical emergencies. Hydro Fire also provides mutual and automatic aid to neighboring departments, extending its reach to more than 475 square miles and 15,000 residents. Despite the large coverage area and growing call volume, the department operates on limited funding, with an annual budget of about $35,000.
• Camps Volunteer Fire Department in Sneedville, Tennessee, serves a large rural district of 223 square miles and more than 6,600 residents, responding to an average of 60 calls per year with an entirely volunteer force of 10 firefighters. Despite their commitment, the department operates with extremely limited financial resources. The department depends on aging equipment, with some turnout gear that is over 30 years old. With a growing population, increased call volume, and no brush truck to respond to wildland fires, the department struggles to meet rising community needs. The area is also home to the only three factories in the county, as well as a major gas line, adding to operational risks. With the addition of new turnout gear, Camps Volunteer Fire Department’s volunteers will be better protected and more prepared to serve their community.
• Coy Volunteer Fire Department protects a small but geographically challenging community situated in a bend of the Alabama River in Alabama. With only one way in and out of town, Coy’s volunteers respond to vehicle fires, structure fires, and hayfield incidents across a 15-square-mile area serving roughly 400 residents. Coy Volunteer Fire Department’s operations are funded almost entirely through donations and fundraisers, with minimal annual revenue compared to operational needs. Their two fire trucks are both more than 15 years old and are currently undergoing or needing significant repairs, putting the department in a degraded operational status. The most critical concern is the severe shortage of turnout gear. Only two of the department’s 18 volunteers have complete sets, and both are over 10 years old and non-compliant. The department also lacks boots, gloves, and hoods, preventing members from training in live-fire scenarios and limiting their ability to conduct searches safely. Receiving new gear and helmets will allow the department to properly equip its volunteers, expand its training capacity, and help ensure firefighters can perform their duties safely.
• Newald Fire Department serves a deeply rural, heavily forested region of 120 square miles in northern Wisconsin. With a population of 500 residents and a volunteer force of 12 firefighters, the department responds to about 20 calls each year with one of the smallest budgets in the state.  The department currently has no compliant sets of turnout gear, with members relying on gear more than a decade old. Eight volunteers do not have assigned gear at all, and the department lacks the funding to purchase gloves, boots, or hoods. Receiving new turnout gear and helmets through MSA and DuPont’s Globe Gear Giveaway will dramatically improve safety, readiness, and morale for Newald’s volunteers. Many have been responding with inadequate protection for years.

 These awards conclude the 2025 Globe Gear Giveaway.

At MSA, our mission is to help keep people safe at work, and these types of partnerships are an important part of helping us fulfill our mission. This program with the National Volunteer Fire Council allows us to support our valuable volunteer firefighters so they can help keep their communities safe and be there when their neighbors are in need.

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