Each year, MSA Safety, DuPont Personal Protection, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) team up to provide personal protective equipment to volunteer fire departments in need. Now in its 14th year, MSA and DuPont’s Globe Gear Giveaway will award 13 departments with four new sets of Globe® turnout gear and four new MSA Cairns® fire helmets each in 2025. The first 500 applicants also received a one-year NVFC membership, courtesy of MSA.

Awards were made to the following departments in July, August, and September:

• Winchester Volunteer Fire Department is a small, entirely volunteer department serving approximately 371 residents across 20 square miles in Idaho. The 11-member crew responds to both structure and wildland fires, navigating an area that includes 3,700 acres of forest and farmland. The department responds to structure and wildland fires, highway incidents, and emergencies at facilities like an assisted living center. All of the department’s turnout gear is over 10 years old, much of it hand-me-down, ill-fitting, or shared among members. Limited funding forces the department to prioritize vehicle maintenance over gear replacement.
• La Sal Volunteer Fire Department serves about 300 residents in the remote mountains of southeastern Utah. Covering 90 square miles, this all-volunteer department of 13 firefighters responds to around 36 calls annually, ranging from vehicle crashes and fires to woodland incidents and medical emergencies. With only $3,500 in annual revenue, funding comes solely from a single annual fundraiser. The county provides emergency vehicles but does not fund new PPE. Much of La Sal’s turnout gear is over a decade old, ill-fitting, or mismatched, and 10 of the 13 volunteers do not have assigned gear at all.
• Upper Deerfield Volunteer Company #3 serves Cumberland County, New Jersey. The department’s 19 volunteers respond to over 400 calls annually, including fires, industrial and agricultural accidents, hazardous materials incidents, and rescue operations. They also serve as the designated search and rescue team for Cumberland and neighboring counties. Following the closure of one of Upper Deerfield’s three fire stations due to financial strain, Station #3 has taken on an expanded service area. Despite their increased responsibilities, the department operates with a minimal annual budget and outdated gear. Six members are using gear that is over 10 years old, and the department cannot afford to provide boots, gloves, or hoods to its firefighters.
• Southern Jackson County Volunteer Fire Department, located in rural West Virginia, protects a population of 6,200 across 120 square miles. The department’s 38 volunteers respond to approximately 600 calls annually. Despite their high call volume, the department operates with turnout gear that is 20 years old or older. With only 28 sets of turnout gear available, 10 volunteers must share, limiting who can respond to calls or attend trainings. The department has had to turn away prospective volunteers due to a lack of gear and has struggled to secure new funding. Repeated attempts to secure grants have not been successful, and ongoing vehicle loan payments have made purchasing new gear impossible.
• Council Volunteer Fire Department, located in Honaker, Virginia, protects 74 square miles and serves a population of 3,377 across the communities of Council and Davenport. The department’s 25 volunteers respond to an average of 56 calls each year, including vehicle incidents, smoke reports, and structure fires. The department struggles with scarce funding opportunities and a minimal county budget, which has been further constrained by the construction of a new high school. Currently, 15 volunteers lack assigned turnout gear, while nine are using gear that is more than 10 years old. Only one set of gear in the department meets current safety standards.
• 737 Fire and Rescue serves a rural region of southeast Saskatchewan, Canada, covering 648 square miles and a population of 495. The department’s 57 volunteers respond to around 20 calls annually, including wildland fires, defensive structure fires, rescues, and mutual aid requests from neighboring jurisdictions. Originally formed in 2014 as a wildland firefighting unit, the department expanded in 2024 to include fire and rescue services as changing agricultural practices increased the community’s fire risk. The department operates with a revenue that doesn’t meet its expenses, making it difficult to keep up with equipment needs. Much of their turnout gear is past its intended lifespan and was donated secondhand from other agencies. Twenty-eight volunteers are currently without assigned gear, and the department only has six SCBA units to cover its entire roster.

Additional awards will be made monthly throughout 2025.

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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