Fall 2012 FEMSA News

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FEMSA News

FEMSA News Fall 2012

The Resource for Public Safety Businesses

Fire and Emergency Manufacturers and Services Association, Inc. P.O. Box 147 Lynnfield, MA 01940-0147

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are the proud sponsors of this edition of FEMSA News

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February 2012 Read It Today, Use It Tomorrow Connect with us at FirefighterNation.com 001 FebFRMCoverNEW.indd 1

1/26/2012 2:32:18 PM

It’s tIme to contact your account manager today!

24 Fall 2012 • FEMSA.org

advertising director/Western account manager Sheri Collins (520) 825-3770 s.collins@firefighternation.com

eastern sales representative Joe Sky (856) 673-4000 j.skey@firefighternation.com

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Page 2

Bells Across America Page 10

trade show report card Page 17

Member News Page 18-22 Fall 2012 • FEMSA.org

1

president’s message Tenacity, Vision and Focus Patience and tenacity of purpose are worth more than twice their weight of cleverness.

– Thomas Henry Huxley Welcome to Glendale! On behalf of the FEMSA Board of Directors, we welcome you and thank you for investing in what we feel will be an informative meeting. We appreciate your unyielding commitment to attend this meeting creating record attendance during some rather arid business conditions.

The FEMSA meeting planning team has been relentless, over the past several years, in their quest to provide valuable programs and networking opportunities for the membership.

Additionally, there is an unwritten resolution to always make both the meeting and association better.

To quote FEMSA historian and honorary member Kit Cafaro, “I’m on it like gum on shoe!” This lighthearted statement sums up the tenacity of purpose our committee members and committee chairs have throughout the year while working on specific projects to provide value to our membership and industry. An example of this is our statistics program. James Long of WS Darley came forward to chair the ongoing statistics project.

His dogged work coupled with continued efforts of the program participants have created results that provide you better information to assess the welfare of the industry and your business. To improve this valuable tool, our focus will remain on timely reporting and adding more segments of the market.

“All politics is local,” says John Granby. But the GAC’s determined efforts in keeping the

FEMSA membership informed of the wrangling in DC would be pointless without the unshakeable efforts of those who participate in Hill Day and local Home Days. Like it or not, our industry is heavily inf luenced by all levels of government. You may feel uncomfortable with the topic, but having those relationships locally at any level helps your business and in turn, the industry.

These are just a few examples of committees whose steadfast efforts bring value to FEMSA as well as themselves and their companies.

Trade Show, Marketing, Education and Membership committees all have their vital roles too in keeping this organization commercial and vibrant. Learn more about them and maybe lend a hand.

All of this purposeful effort leads me to a final challenge: become involved! You may not even need to be on a committee. Just be active and contribute. After last year’s meeting, I was completely blown away by members who went on a recruitment and word-of-mouth campaign touting the activities and value of FEMSA and the annual meeting. Spreading the word about a resource built for businesses that support the industry we serve is an important action, just as a group of members joining together to create statistical data. Can your group of businesses be next to participate in statistics or some other valuable program?

Why not?

The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do.

– Amelia Earhart

Fall 2012 Official Publication of Fire and Emergency Manufacturers and Services Association, Inc. P.O. Box 147 Lynnfield, MA 01940-0147 Phone - 781-334-2771 Email - info@femsa.org Website - www.femsa.org Twitter - www.twitter.com/FEMSANews Copy and Advertising Deadlines: Contact the FEMSA office.

Provided to members as a benefit of membership.

Articles from members are encouraged. FEMSA reserves the right to edit for factual content, brevity and clarity. Articles with product placement and branding will be edited or referred for paid advertising placement.

LOCATION

Fire Rescue Canada

9/23-9/26

St. John’s NF

FAMA/FEMSA Fall Meeting

9/26-9/29

Glendale, AZ

NFFF Memorial Weekend

10/6-10/7

Emmitsburg, MD

FireShowsReno

10/23-10/25

Reno, NV

Int’l Conf. for Fire & Rescue Executives

10/28-10/29

New Orleans, LA

EMS World Expo

10/29-11/2

New Orleans, LA

Volunteer & Combination Officers’ Symposium 11/8-11/11

Clearwater Beach, FL

Education

Hawaii Fire Chief’s Conference

11/8-11/11

Kapulua, HI

Governmental Affairs/CGC

Industrial Fire, Safety & Security

11/13-11/15

New Orleans, LA

Northern Virginia FireRescue & EMS Expo

11/30-12/2

Chantilly, VA

Greg Toritto, Committee Chair Janet Wilmoth, Board Liaison John Granby and Rick Singer, FEMSA Co-Chairs

Marketing/Newsletter

Joe Skey and Gabe Steinbach, Committee Chairs Paul Andrews, Board Liaison

Membership

Joe Porter, Committee Chair Doug Schaumburg, Board Liaison

The 2013 Fire Service evenTS calendar will appear in The 2012-2013 winTer iSSue oF FeMSa newS, and will be poSTed on The FeMSa web SiTe laTer ThiS Fall. For updaTeS, correcTionS, or addiTionS conTacT brian caSSell aT (570) 656-0324 or bcaSSell@kovaTch.coM

Nominating

Barbara Connolly, Committee Chair Judy Weigand, Board Liaison

Statistics & Research

James Long, Committee Chair Dan Reese, Board Liaison

Strategic Planning Trade Shows Advisory / Report Cards

FEMSA Advertising Rates for the Newsletter and Website

Ken Nielson, FEMSA Chair

Don Welch, Committee Chair Bill Van Lent, Board Liaison

Dan Reese

DATE

Annual Meeting Planning

Bill Lawson, Committee Chair Janet Wilmoth, Board Liaison

Executive Committee

Sincerely,

SHOW/MEETING

Current Active FEMSA Committees:

User Information Guide Program

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©Copyright 2012, FEMSA, MA (USA) Editors: Karen Burnham, Dan Reese Editorial Staff: Mary Murphy-Overmann* Layout and Cover Design: Mindy Rotellini* *Windmill Hill Consulting, LLC

2 Fall 2012 • FEMSA.org

2012 fire service events

FEMSA News

12x ..........................................$125/mo

Print Ads Quarter Page ............................$175 Half Page ...................................$250 Full Page (8.5” x 11”)...............$500 Newsletter Sponsorship .........$2700

Non-Members are welcome to advertise on the FEMSA website or in the FEMSA Newsletter.

A one-time $750 set-up charge applies.

Postings online for FEMSA members is always FREE. Members are allowed to post the following types of events: local, regional and national trade shows; training events and seminars; other Fire/Rescue/EMS events where the public is encouraged to attend.

Submission does not guarantee inclusion. We reserve the right to reject any listings.

Fire and Emergency Manufacturers and Services Association (FEMSA) P.O. Box 147 Lynnfield, MA 01940-0147 Phone - 781-334-2771 Email - info@femsa.org www.femsa.org www.twitter.com/FEMSANews

Fall 2012 • FEMSA.org

23

Member News “We are pleased and excited to welcome Jerry back to VisionMark as our Sales Manager for all products and markets,” said David Clarkson, VisionMark president and CEO. “Jerry brings more than twenty years of experience in field sales, including managing his own manufacturers’ representative agency, and significant experience in some of our key markets.”

Merges returns to VisionMark after founding and managing JemSpec, a manufacturers’ representative agency and distributor of industrial castings. During that time he represented VisionMark in the midwest and served as VisionMark’s Market Manager for Emergency Response Vehicles and related industries.

Jerry has direct experience in new product and process development, engineered graphics, and development of customer support systems for major accounts. His background includes significant work managing large development projects for complex vehicle management systems and the associated graphics support. His experiences and skills will help us continue to expand our business.

Merges is also active as a firefighter and EMT for the New Knoxville – Washington Township Fire Department. He serves as a company officer, CPR instructor, and is vice chair of the Auglaize County Emergency Planning Commission.

Jerry attended Wright State University. He and

his wife Lucy have 5 children and live in New Knoxville, Ohio.

“We are extremely impressed with the quality of the veterans we have hired for our Defense Division. As our culture changes, we are looking to hire more veterans in our other divisions, as well. They are hard-working, dedicated and focused employees who understand and embrace our core values as a family business.”

On July 31, 2012, the National Economic Commission of the American Legion presented

Making the presentation at Darley’s Itasca headquarters on behalf of the American Legion was Cornel Thomas, M.A., and Maria E. DiMuzio, both from the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

W. S. Darley & Co. with the Outstanding Achievement in the Employment of Veterans Award for our hiring of veterans during the year 2011.

Qualifications for the award require that the nominee must be a private sector employer and at least 10% of the workforce must be veterans.

The award is given to one small, one medium, and one large employer in each state with outstanding records in the hiring and retention of veterans. Darley was awarded in the Large Class Division in the State of Illinois for having the highest percentage of veterans for 2011. Darley’s workforce is now 18% veterans. Darley is now eligible to receive the National Award as the representative for the State of Illinois.

Since January 1, 2012, Darley has hired an additional eight veterans in our expanding Defense Division. Hopefully we’ll qualify again next year!

Darley Plant Goes 4,000 Days Without an Accident W.S. Darley & Co. has celebrated 4,000 days since the last lost-time injury for employees in their Chippewa Falls machine shop and office area. This record goes back to July 17, 2001, which equates to more than 1.4 million worked man hours.

Al Wilcox, Darley’s most senior shop employee, noted, “As a shop employee of over 43 years with Darley, I must say I am proud to be on the team of a company that works so hard at keeping its workplace a safe place to work and building a product that is equally as safe for our customers to use while protecting the general public.”

•

Paul Darley, President & CEO, commented,

Because the Editors Have a Soft Spot for Babies…

Benjamin David Awkerman

was born on August 7th, weighing 8 lbs. 8 oz. Parents Benjamin and Kristina are doing fine (in an exhausted way) and Grandma Judy Wiegand is all smiles.

22 Fall 2012 • FEMSA.org

Member News

contents 2

President’s Message

4

2012 FEMSA Board of Directors

6

Governmental Affairs Committee (GAC)

6

Illinois Fire Service Home Day a Success

7

FEMSA Welcomes its Newest Members

7

In Memoriam

2012 FEMSA Board of Directors Officers/Executive Committee Dan Reese

(2012)

Canadian Governmental Committee (CGC)

8

Robert J. Barraclough Internship Program

Executive Assistant to the Board

(2014)

PBI Performance Products, Inc. (704) 554-3865 William.lawson@pbiproducts.com

David Gatton

Mike Natchipolsky (2012) Secretary-Treasurer (2012/ST1) Firehouse.com (301) 486-3225 mike.natchipolsky@cygnusb2b.com

Bob Grimaldi

Alexis Fire Equipment (309) 482-6121 danr@alexisfire.com

(781) 334-2771 info@femsa.org

Bill Lawson Vice President

(2013)

Executive Committee Member

Janet Wilmoth

10 12-13

Annual Meeting and Conference Program

14

FEMSA Members enjoying Fire Rescue International

14

Update on Danny Brogdon

15

Personal Responsibility Code

16

Sharing Savings from Improvements in the Manufacturing Industry

17

Trade Show Report Card

18-22

Member News

23

2012 Fire Service Events Calendar

4 Fall 2012 • FEMSA.org

Governmental Affairs Consultant

Development Initiatives, Inc. (202) 957-6530 dgatton@dinitiatives.com

Travel Planner

Rome Travel Bureau, Inc. (904) 495-5055 Rometravel3@gmail.com James J. Juneau Legal Counsel

(972) 866-8333 jjuneau@juneauboll.com

Paratech Incorporated (815) 469-3911 knielsen@paratech.us

Executive Committee Member

Help Spread the Word: Bells Will Ring Nationwide to Honor Fallen Firefighters

Karen Burnham

President

Ken Nielsen

8

FEMSA Professional Resources

(2014)

Fire Chief Publications (312) 840-8410 janet@firechief.com

Gabe Steinbach Simon Steinbach Webmasters

Windmill Hill Consulting, LLC (314) 504-0945 gabe@windmillhillconsulting.com

Board Members Paul Andrews (2013) FirefighterNation.com Go Forward Media (240) 595-2352 paul@goforwardmedia.com

Rick Singer (2012) Akron Brass Company (330) 287-7023 rsinger@akronbrass.com

Melinda Freeman (2012) Kidde Fire Fighting (352) 804-4709 melifree@mfi.net

Giff Swayne (2012) Past President Holmatro, Inc. (410) 768-9662 x103 gswayne@holmatro-usa.com

John Granby (2013) LION Apparel, Inc. (937) 415-2843 jgranby@lionprotects.com

William Van Lent (2014) Veridian Limited, Inc. (712) 262-5200 bvl@veridian.net

Doug Schaumburg (2013) Casco Industries, Inc. (318) 865-5107 doug@cascoindustries.com

Judith Weigand (2014) Amkus, Inc. (630) 515-1800 jweigand@amkus.com

ber of the German equal for FEMSA, VDMA.

of Illinois. Life Line is a high-end manufacturer of quality ambulances located in Sumner, Iowa.

Consistent with statements made by Spartan

RON HOFFMEISTER IS TOWERS 2011 SALES REP OF THE YEAR Ron Hoffmeister was announced as the 2011 Sales Representative of the Year for Towers Fire Apparatus at the sales meeting held in May 2012. Ron has been with Towers Fire Apparatus since 1994 and he covers the southeast section of Missouri.

FDIC Named One Of The Top 50 Fastest Growing Trade Shows By TSNN PennWell Emergency Services Group’s Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) was recently named as one of the “50 FastestGrowing Trade Shows” by the Trade Show News Network (TSNN) and will be honored at the 3rd Annual TSNN Awards this November in Louisville, Kentucky.

FDIC, now entering its 85th year in 2013, has provided firefighters access to the most innovative training, education and the finest equipment from the most trusted manufacturers. Annually, nearly 30,000 fire fighters gather in the city of Indianapolis for the six day conference filled with Hands-On-Training classes, workshops, and activities such as the Fire Fighter Combat Challenge and the new annual Battle of the Bands event.

“FDIC’s proven track record for success is a testament to the team, starting with the instructors who communicate the most advanced and comprehensive curriculum in the fire service to all those who make the show floor come to life,” stated FDIC VP/Executive Director Eric Schlett.

With the constant support from the Indianapolis Fire Department and all its sponsors, FDIC has grown tremendously in recent years and has even broken a rebooking record for the fastest sellout in FDIC history. Nanci Yulico, FDIC Sales Manager, was quoted saying that “Rebooking for FDIC 2013 has proven to be the most successful in my ten year tenor with FDIC. The Convention Center was 99 percent sold out by the first week of May. Additionally we have added space back to the Lucas Oil Stadium, which is 75 percent sold out.”

PennWell Emergency Services Group’s FDIC is proud to be named one of the “Top 50 FastestGrowing Trade Shows” and hopes to continue to grow with the support of the fire service.

Plymovent Corp. in Cranbury, NJ is very pleased to announce that as of August 1, 2012, Jens Schlueter has been promoted to President of Plymovent. Mr. Schlueter has been an integral part of Plymovent for over 17 years. His proven success supporting the fire and vehicle exhaust removal industry as the Managing Director of Plymovent in Germany established Mr. Schlueter as a strong leader and paved the way for his transition to the United States last year. For more than 10 years, Mr. Schlueter was a proud mem-

Motors (parent organization) in 2012, Spartan Chassis remains as a critical component of the overall Emergency Response business unit. This was demonstrated during the last quarter when Spartan Chassis announced the addition of two new Original Equipment Manufacturers. They are: Marco Equipment in Honey Brook, PA and Wynn Apparatus in Corbin, KY. This brings the total number of valued OEM partners to forty-five.

STREAMLIGHT® INCREASES FIRE

MARKET SALES PRESENCE Streamlight® Inc. recently announced staff changes to strengthen its Industrial and Fire sales division. The company now has a total of eight sales employees dedicated to serving the fire and industrial markets nationwide.

Geoff Evans, formerly Territory Sales ManagerIndustrial/Fire division, has been appointed National Fire Service Specialist, as well as National Accounts Manager - Industrial for the division.

He is joined by Mike Garrett, who was recently appointed West Coast Sales Manager; Danny Williams, Territory Sales Manager - Gulf States; and Josh Commoss, Territory Sales Manager Northeast.

Also adding their extensive product knowledge and expertise to the team are Dawn Jackson, Director of Sales - Industrial/Fire; Tom Curry - National Sales Manager- Industrial; Aaron Freund, Territory Sales Manager - Midwest; and Mitchell Poe, Eastern U.S. Sales Manager.

“Our new structure has resulted in a doubling of our sales presence in the fire market, allowing us to provide the level of support and resources that our fire agency customers require,” said Streamlight Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Michael F. Dineen.

Based in Eagleville, PA, Streamlight, Inc. manufactures high-performance lighting equipment for professional firefighting, law enforcement, military, industrial, automotive, and outdoor applications. Streamlight is an ISO 9001:2008 certified company.

TOWERS IS LIFE LINE DEALER

Effective September 10, 2012, Towers Fire Apparatus will be the Life Line Ambulance Dealer for Missouri, Indiana and the lower two-thirds

BRIAN SNOW ATTENDS TFT TRAINING Indiana Sales Representative, Brian Snow, attended TFT’s Boot Camp on June 4-7. The training was held at TFT’s facility at Valparaiso, Indiana. Brian’s territory includes the west central section of Indiana.

KEVIN DAY PROMOTED TO PRODUCT MANAGER FOR HURST Kevin Day recently attended service training classes at Hurst’s headquarters in Shelby, North Carolina.

Kevin will be Towers’ product manager for the Hurst hydraulic rescue tool business segment.

Kevin is responsible for the sale as well as service and repair of Hurst tools including the high pressure, low pressure and e-draulics models.

Towers purchased a 2012 Ford Cutaway to be used by Kevin Day for promoting the Hurst line. The vehicle is equipped with a large variety of demonstration equipment including tools from all three of Hurst’s rescue tool groups. The vehicle is also designed to allow Kevin to do mobile service and repair tools from it. This allows Kevin to do maintenance and most repairs at the fire department.

BRAD TOWERS VISITS ROSENBAUER AUSTRIA FACILITY Brad Towers, President of Towers Fire Apparatus, and his family visited the Rosenbauer facility in Austria. The facility that produces over a thousand fire trucks a year was a real thrill for the Towers family to see.

VisionMark Names Merges Sales Manager for All Products and Markets.

Jerry E. Merges has joined VisionMark, Inc. as sales manager and leads all aspects of the company’s sales efforts, including marketing, sales planning, and the field sales force.

Fall 2012 • FEMSA.org

21

Member News tion (Bordentown City, NJ) and Lostine (OR) Fire Department.

“Globe is proud to be celebrating its 125th anniversary,” said Rob Freese, Senior Vice President of Marketing and one of the fourth generation owners of Globe. “From humble beginnings and the inventor of the turnout suit to four generations of family practicing the craft applying the latest in innovation and technology, we are excited to pay forward in this way, creating good Karma for our next 125 years!”

“The outpouring of applications from thousands of departments in need demonstrates the importance of a program such as this,” said NVFC Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg. “We are very pleased to join with Globe and DuPont to provide gear to struggling departments so they can offer the best personal protection to their members. Globe is an outstanding example of a company giving back and making a real difference in communities across the nation.”

Consolidated Fire Association is an active volunteer fire department with about 35 members that serves the New Jersey communities of Bordentown City and Fieldsboro. They have been very successful in recruitment efforts by focusing on word-of-mouth recruiting of family members, neighbors, co-workers, and friends of their volunteers. With three to five new members joining every month, the department has been struggling to find gear to properly equip their firefighters.

Up until now, the department has been trying to get by through the purchase of used gear other departments no longer want. Some members are left without gear because they can’t find pieces that fit, and much of the gear they do have does not meet OSHA standards. Without any money in the tight budget to secure new gear, the department has been working hard to find grant funding and is thrilled to be among the first recipients of the Globe gear give-away program. The donation of 12 new sets of stateof-the-art Globe turnout gear will go a long way in making sure the firefighters are properly protected while serving their community.

“We’re really grateful we won the grant and will get the gear,” said Fire Chief John Walls. “We have a lot of people joining and we don’t have the gear to equip them. These 12 sets will make a big difference.”

Walls also noted how the donation has resulted in a big boost to the department’s morale. After struggling with ill-fitting gear dating over 10 years old, the most active members of the department will now be fitted for the new Globe turnouts.

Lostine Fire Department serves the small, rural community of Lostine, OR. The department is funded entirely from the town, but recent cutbacks due to the economy have reduced the department’s already low operating budget to just a few hundred dollars a year. While the town has spent years trying to raise money to

purchase needed equipment, the 12 volunteer firefighters have had to make due with old handme-downs and whatever gear other departments will donate to them. The department’s newest sets of turnouts date back to the 1980s, and most are older.

Through the Globe grant of 10 sets of turnouts, Lostine’s firefighters will receive their first new, custom-fitted gear.

“This is amazing,” City Manager Jody Burgess said of the grant. “I’ve been here 16 years and we’ve never had anything new at the fire department.”

Mayor Krag Norton echoes the sentiment.

“This is a huge thing to us. Everybody has been ecstatic about it. It is absolutely amazing.”

Grant awards will continue to be made to volunteer departments throughout the year. Stay tuned to the NVFC web site at www.nvfc.org and the NVFC and Globe pages on Facebook for announcements. Thank you to all who applied for your selfless and tireless efforts to keep your communities safe.

L.N. Curtis & sons is excited to announce our new and improved customer service facility in Southern California. Joining us in the new facility are our sister companies, ECMS and Firefighters Bookstore. Our family of companies will be housed under one roof and we are excited to fulfill that one-stop-shopping experience for our hero customers! The new facility features a dedicated product showroom and a service center for product testing and repairs.

L.N. Curtis & sons is also pleased to announce that Jeff Bonser has joined our Rescue Tool Specialist Team. Jeff will support our hero customers in Southern California and continue in his current role as a service technician for hydraulic rescue tools, SCBAs and breathing air compressors. His focus on providing solutions to our customers will allow him to be successful in this important new role.

Adam Sitton has also joined L.N. Curtis & sons serving our hero customers in Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, and Southeastern Oregon. Adam was a firefighter for the Vail, Colorado Fire Department. In a change of careers, Adam received his sales experience in new home development, where he also cut his teeth in marketing. With his firefighting background and extensive experience assisting customers, we are very pleased that Adam made a decision to join L.N. Curtis & sons.

Leader North America, Inc. announces the consolidation of their operations into a new, larger facility near Charlotte, North Carolina. Located at 1592 Buffalo Shoals Road in Statesville, North Carolina.

The company’s new facility now combines the division’s corporate offices, showroom/studio, manufacturing, receiving, and warehousing all in one location.

“We are excited to pull all our activities together under the same roof for the first time since the beginning of Leader’s new North American Division in January 2010,” states Tom Fox, Director of Operations for Leader North America. “This move was the next growth step for the Leader Company and will certainly offer our dealers and customers even better customer service,” Fox explains.

The new Leader location is equipped with a unique “Showroom/Studio” and outside training grounds. “We will have every piece of Leader equipment on display in the new showroom,” said Fox. “Not only will we physically bring our sales force, dealer sales people, and customers from across North America here for training, but we will also broadcast live, web training sessions from the studio and the outside training grounds.”

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Andy VanSciver Publisher/Brand Manager Western and Midwestern Sales 312-840-8461 andy@firechief.com Rich Gluth Regional Sales Manager Eastern and Southern Sales 262-245-1814 rich@firechief.com Janet Wilmoth Editorial Director 312-840-8410 janet@firechief.com

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Source: FIRE CHIEF Reader Profile Study 2009

Minerva Bunker Gear Cleaners purchases Municipal Emergency Services Cleaning and Care Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Minerva Bunker Gear Cleaners is proud to announce the purchase of Municipal Emergency Services’ NFPA 1851 Cleaning and Care Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Minerva will continue to provide quality PPE cleaning and care for all MES customers and will add capacity and many new capabilities to the North Carolina center. Minerva is excited to support MES in this dynamic market, and views this as positive move that will allow MES customers to obtain additional cleaning and care services that they currently don’t have access to. With the purchase of the Charlotte facility, all fire departments east of the Mississippi will now be able to benefit from Minerva’s quality service via 1-2 day ground shipping.

Fall 2012 • FEMSA.org

20 Fall 2012 • FEMSA.org

FC_Accountable_FEMSAfall2013.indd 2

5

8/14/12 3:08:24 PM

Waiting on the 2012 Elections

By Dave Gatton

I

n a year dominated by political rhetoric, presidential electioneering, and congressional gridlock, FEMSA and FAMA should feel good that the Assistance to Firefighters Grant and SAFER programs have received favorable treatment in appropriations bills considered so far during this session of Congress. The full House passed its Department of Homeland Security FY 2013 Appropriations bill in June, and the Senate Appropriations Committee reported out of committee its DHS FY 2013 spending bill in May. Both bills contain $337.5 million for each of the AFG and SAFER programs. This represents level funding compared to FY 2012 levels—a remarkable achievement given the budget-cutting environment on Capitol Hill!

Yet the game is not over. In August, Congressional leaders and the Administration, to their

credit, announced an agreement to pass a FY 2013 Continuing Resolution (CR) that would fund the federal government at current levels through March of 2013—half way through the FY 2013 year which begins October 1, 2012.

This essentially means that federal agencies would continue to operate at current FY 2012 levels up to that date.

But under a CR that runs only halfway through the fiscal year, a federal agency is not certain what its true budget will be for the entire year.

At some point the next Congress will have to pass an appropriations bill that funds agencies for the entire fiscal year, and this is where uncertainty intervenes. No one can say with absolute certainty what funding will be available for state and local government grant programs, including AFG and SAFER, until a final DHS FY 2013 Appropriations bill is signed into law.

In addition, FY 2013 budgets for federal agencies will be subject to a process called “sequestration” on January 1, 2013, if Congress fails to make additional cuts called for under current law. Half of these cuts must come from Defense and the other half from non-defense discretionary spending. These potential across-the-board cuts (probably around 8%) add increased un-

certainty to federal officials trying to administer their FY 2013 programs.

Some pundits say that the sequestration process will be avoided by a budget deal in the “lame duck” Congress that is likely to convene after the November election. But other strategists say a budget deal may be left to next year, depending on the outcome of the elections.

The bottom line is: Even though FEMSA and FAMA members have done a great job in educating Congress on the importance of the AFG and SAFER program; and even though that has yielded great results so far in the legislative process, we are still far from the finish line. It is very possible that we will be calling on FEMSA and FAMA members again in late 2012 and early 2013 to weigh in with their Congressional delegations in support of these important programs.

In the meantime, stay tuned. And don’t forget to tell your members of Congress and others running for office how important the fire and rescue service is to protecting our nation.

Happy Election!

Illinois Fire Service Home Day a Success Ed Ballam, Firehouse.com News

W

hen the federal government tries to enact legislation or do something that may adversely affect the fire service, it’s important to make Home Day 2012 Sponsors lawmakers understand the impact of their actions.

That’s the rationale for hosting the annual Illinois Fire Service Home Day events, says Paul Darley, president and CEO of W.S. Darley & Co., who served as chairman of the seventh annual event.

Held at the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System’s (MABAS) Readiness Center in Wheeling, Ill., the event was attended by more than 150 people including state and federal lawmakers and many of their staff members.

“It’s critically important for us to have legislators who can mobilize very quickly when an issue arises,” said Darley. “When an issue comes up, we have 100 fire chiefs and the ears of Congressmen and staffers to react.”

“Too often, the government moves to cut funding for programs like the Federal Emergency 6 Fall 2012 • FEMSA.org

Management (FEMA) FireAct and SAFER grant programs without fully realizing the effects such actions might have on firefighters and the fire service,” Darley said.

“Through events like this, we can mobilize with one voice,” Darley said. “It really is what I call a grassroots effort.”

The Illinois Home Day event, which was held on June 14, was sponsored by the Metropolitan Fire Chief’s Association of Illinois which partnered with the Fire and Emergency Manufacturers and Services Association (FEMSA) and the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA).

For the past several years, FEMSA and FAMA have made legislative lobbying a priority of both organizations. In fact, they joined common efforts and goals to create the FEMSA/FAMA Governmental Affairs Committee (GAC).

The goal of the GAC is to monitor legislation and programs that affect the fire service and enact legislation beneficial for all FEMSA and FAMA members.

fire service-related goods were on hand to show lawmakers and their staffs items they make and how they are used in firefighting and rescue work,” Darley said, noting “it gives legislators the opportunity to truly see what the equipment does.”

Darley said by exposing lawmakers to the fire service, “it makes the equipment and the people who use it real and, perhaps makes them pause when they consider legislation that may cut fire service grants and funding.”

“They realize there are constituents who might be affected by their actions,” Darley said.

U.S. Congressman Peter Roskam, a Republican representing the Sixth District of Illinois, was the keynote speaker. Roskam is also a member of the Congressional Fire Caucus.

“We had an incredibly successful day,” Darley said, commenting that planning for the eighth annual Home Day event is already underway.

The bigger and more overriding mission is to promote communications and relationships between the two organizations in regard to common legislative goals.

One of the GAC’s initiatives is to promote home days in states to influence lawmakers locally, among their constituents.

“During the Illinois Home Day, 13 vendors of

Attendees at a packed house for Illinois Fire Service Home Day

Fall 2012 • FEMSA.org

19

Member News

Thomas Ruzich, president of Cutters Edge has announced the company has received ISO-9001 certification for the quality management systems used at their headquarters and manufacturing facility, in Baker City, Oregon.

Lance Matiste is rejoining the Fire-Dex team as a Regional Sales Manager for Territory 40, which consists of TN, AL, MS, AK, LA, OK, and TX. Lance was most recently Product Development Manager at Fire-Dex, but previous to that he spent 10+ years as a regional sales manager. He also represented Fire-Dex on the NFPA 1971 committee. Please join us in welcoming him back.

Fire-Dex is pleased to announce the appointment of John Zbozien as Director of Marketing, effective June 4th.

As a member of the executive staff, John will help to elevate our Marketing and New Product introductions. In addition, he will support a more dynamic and alive strategic planning process to achieve Fire-Dex’s vision of being the premier protective gear company.

John most recently served as a Marketing Manager for an outdoor living products company.

Six years prior he was a Product Manager for a tool company. He lives near the Fire-Dex main office in Ohio with his wife and son.

Please help us welcome John to the Fire-Dex team.

Fire News Acquires The Delaware Fire Service News Fire News has announced that they have acquired the Delaware Fire Service News, a quarterly publication serving the state of Delaware. Frank C. Trotta, publisher of Fire News has reached an agreement with Warren Jones and Tom Mitten to assume publication of the Delaware paper beginning with the September issue to coincide with the Delaware Volunteer Fireman’s Association Convention.

The Delaware Fire Service News was founded in 1976 by veteran newspaper publisher Sal Devivo and public relations specialist Bill Metten with the support of the Delaware Fire Service. The publication was purchased in

18 Fall 2012 • FEMSA.org

2003 by Emergency Services Media, LLC, a Delaware media company, owned by Jones and Mitten, both long-standing members of the fire service. “We wanted to ensure the Delaware Fire Service News would continue to meet the needs of our readers and advertisers. Fire News is a top-quality publication with outstanding management, making this a great fit”, said Tom Mitten, co-owner and publisher of the Delaware Fire Service. l-r: Tim Edwards, Fire News; Tim Farrell, Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund; Brian Farrell, Chairman, Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund Honors Tim Edwards On July 16, 2012, the Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund held their annual golf outing at the Brentwood Country Club. At this year’s dinner, which followed the golf outing, Brian Farrell, President of the Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund, honored Fire News Executive Editor Tim Edwards and presented him with the 2012 Terry Farrell Humanitarian of the Year award for his ongoing support and dedication to the Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund.

FIRE SERVICE INDUSTRY MEDIA VETERAN JOINS FIREHOUSE PRINT AND DIGITAL FRANCHISE Arlington Heights, IL (May 30, 2012) – Cygnus Business Media is proud to introduce Greg Toritto as group publisher of Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com. Toritto has been involved in the fire service industry for more than thirteen years, and most recently served as managing director of Fire Chief and the Wireless Communications Group at Penton Media, which included the Fire Chief, Urgent Communications, and the International Wireless Communications Expo.

“First responders are one of the most important components of a community’s infrastructure,” says Toritto. “Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse. com have done an excellent job reaching the decision makers in the first responder community and engaging the fire service through our print, online, and social media outlets. Firehouse will continue to expand its content offerings and our goal is to always provide first responders with the critical information they need, when and where they need it.”

“Greg is highly respected in the industry and will be a key asset to the Firehouse franchise as

we move forward,” says Executive Vice President Scott Bieda. “Engaging decision-makers has been a strong focus for our staff, which has led us to develop new products, including our Firehouse iPad app and our mobile products.”

Fire Research Corporation is pleased to announce the addition of Bill Brown, Jay Sharpe and Ray Bell to our outside sales staff.

Bill will be responsible for Fire Research Corporation’s southwestern sales area. With 29 years of experience, both as an EVT certified mechanic, as well as a successful repair facility owner, Bill is more than qualified to help our customers with all their equipment needs. With his education and experience, he will prove to be a valuable asset to our southwestern customers.

Jay’s sales territory will be the northeastern portion of the U.S. Jay’s experience includes firefighting, state fire instructor, fire equipment sales and service technician. He has covered the fire service from all angles. He will bring this wealth of experience and knowledge to Fire Research’s northeastern customers.

Ray’s sales territory will be the southeastern portion of the U.S. This very personable young fire captain, with over 20 years of firefighting experience, has proven himself to be an asset to his fire department where he worked in Research & Development, Training, as well as hands-on firefighting. His experience and “can do” attitude will prove to be a great asset to Fire Research’s southeast customers.

FEMSA Welcomes its Newest Members Alliance Fire and Rescue Denise Thomas, Operations Manager Jim Fetty, Division Manager 26 Computer Drive East Albany, NY 12065 (518) 595-1555 dthomas@alliancefireandrescue.com jfetty@alliancefireandrescue.com www.alliancefireandrescue.com Manufacturer/Distributor: Rescue Tools/ Equipment/PPE Boivin & Gauvin Inc. Emnanuel Gauvin, Directeur 1416 rue Pere Chaumonot Lancienne-Lorette, Quebec Canada G2E 1P9 (418) 872-6552 egauvin@boivingauvin.com www.boivingauvin.com Dealer, Distributor C.W. Williams & Co. Inc. Jim Edwards, Owner Alan Langley (primary contact) 574 English Road Rocky Mount, NC 27804 (252) 977-3610 alan@cwwilliams.com www.cwwilliamsfire.com Dealer, Distributor Garrison Fire & Rescue Corp.

Blake Garrison, Owner 3334 Route 23A, PO Box 30 Palenville, NY 12463-0030 (518) 678-2281 bgarrison@garrisonfire.com www.garrisonfire.com Dealer, Distributor Hi-Tech Fire & Safety, Inc. Karen Mandel, VP of Marketing 158 Allen Blvd.

Farmingdale, NY 11735 (631) 777-5170 k.mandel@hitechfireny.com www.hitechfireny.com Dealer, Distributor (PPE)

Globe, DuPont, and NVFC Announce Recipients of First Round of Gear Grants In honor of Globe’s 125th anniversary this year, Globe, DuPont, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have partnered to give away 125 sets of turnout gear to fire departments in need. The program has had a tremendous response, with over 2,600 volunteer departments across the U.S. and Canada applying for the grants. Globe, DuPont, and the NVFC are pleased to announce the recipients of the first two grants: Consolidated Fire Associa-

In Memorium

Honeywell Life Safety Isaac Papier, VP Industry Relations 3825 Ohio Ave St. St. Charles, IL 60174 (630) 762-5302 Isaac.papier@honeywell.com www.honeywell.com Manufacturer of firefighter protective gear Hoosier Fire Equipment Inc. (Midstate Office) Tim Swartz, Owner 3863 N. Commercial Parkway Greenfield, IN 46140 (317) 891-8375 tswartz@hoosierfire.com www.hoosierfire.com Dealer, Distributor Jefferson Fire & Safety Pete Jefferson, Owner 7617 Donna Drive Middleton, WI 53562 (608) 836-0068 pete@jeffersonfire.com www.jeffersonfire.com Dealer, Distributor Metro Fire Apparatus Craig Russell, Owner 10940W Sam Houston Parkway, Ste. 325 Houston, TX 77064 (713) 692-0911 crussell@mfas.com www.mfas.com Dealer, Distributor North American Fire Hose Mike Aubuchon 910 E. Noble Way Santa Maria, CA 93454 (805) 922-7076 msaubuchon@nafhc.com www.nafhc.com Manufacturer of fire hose PyroLance North America Bill Ballantyne, President & COO Amy Harsch, VP/Administration 525 Main St., Box 120609 New Brighton, MN 55112 (651) 636-0577

FEMSA is saddened to report the passing of industry friends. Our condolences to the families of Tina (Reisinger) Alexander of Fire Expo and life member of Lampeter Fire Company who died August 16, 2012.

Jean Rank of Firehouse who died on July 12 at the age of 60.

bballantyne@pyrolance.com aharsch@pyrolance.com www.pyrolance.com Manufacturer - Agent Delivery: Water Flow Ricochet Manufacturing Company, Inc. Peter M. Askey, President 4700 Wissahickon Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19144 (215) 849-1971 passkey@ricochet-gear.com www.ricochet-gear.com Manufacturer of protective clothing Rite Rescue Systems Frank Haskell, President PO Box 159 West Islip, NY 11795 (631) 539-4733 fh@riterescuesystems.com www.riterescuesystems.com Manufacture of rapid intervention rescue litter (Rescue Tools) TechTrade LLC Erin Bart, Projet Manager 22 Hudson Place Hoboken, NJ 07030 (201) 706-8130 erin@techtradellc.com www.techtradellc.com Manufacturer of PPE/Gloves Tyler Fire Equipment Wayne Tyler, Owner 703 Erie, PO Box 4037 Elmira, NY 14904-0037 (607) 734-1081 wtyler@tylerfire.com www.tylerfire.com Dealer, Distributor Witmer Public Safety Group, Inc. James Witmer, Vice President 104 Independence Way Coatesville, PA 19320 (610) 857-8070 jameswitmer@wpsginc.com www.TheFireStore.com Dealer, Distributor Manufacturer of PPE/Gloves

Raymond E. LaPointe, (76), who died June 21st.

Mr. LaPointe was the father of Guy LaPointe, CFO at Kochek Co. Lynne Hough Lawson, 78, who died June 18th.

Mrs. Lawson was the mother of FEMSA Board VP Bill Lawson.

Fall 2012 • FEMSA.org

7

trade show report card

Canadian Governmental Committee (CGC)

By Richard Boyes, Chairman

O

nce again we find ourselves preparing for the fall and the annual FEMSA/FAMA meeting. Where did the summer go? As committee chair, I am pleased to report on the committee’s activities for the past year.

In closing, I want to thank the Canadian Governmental Committee members for their support and hard work this past year, and I am looking forward to meeting our new challenges in the future.

ll of the results are not yet tabulated, but it is official: the 2012 trade show season (as far as the FEMSA/FAMA Trade Show Report Card is concerned) is over.

3

C+

C

3.14

NY Chiefs 3.33

Firehouse Expo 2.88

2.48

2.89

3.44

2.78

2.36

2.63

2.68

3.45

2.93

Firehouse World 2.92

FDIC

2010 2011 2012

FRI

37 of 54 respondents

45 of 114 respondents

23 of 112 respondents

14 of 79 respondents

Please contact CFSI at 202-371-1277 if you have any questions about the internship program and how your support will help to advance CFSI’s mission in Washington, DC for many years to come.

29 of 83 respondents

CFSI is currently seeking pledges of $1,000 to the Robert J. Barraclough Internship Program to help support the program. In gratitude for the contributions, CFSI will recognize the sup-

“As Executive Director, I take great pride in our internship program,” said CFSI Executive Director Bill Webb. “Bob was a very dear friend of mine as well as a mentor. I’m so pleased that we can perpetuate his legacy through our internship program that is named in his memory.

We certainly appreciate the support we have received from the fire service industry for the internship program, and hope that industry leaders will continue its support.”

24 of 51 respondents

0.5

21 of 62 respondents

8 Fall 2012 • FEMSA.org

The individuals selected for the internship program will perform a number of duties that will enhance their understanding of how federal laws are made and policies and programs are implemented. They will participate in meetings with fire service leaders and attend congressional hearings. They will also travel to trade shows to learn about the fire service industry and interact with trade show attendees. At the completion of their journeys, these interns will have benefited from a unique experience that will advance their professional careers in a number of directions – whether in public safety or in government policy.

B

BC

14 of 54 respondents

1

porters on the CFSI website and at the annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner, attended by 2,000 local, state and national fire service leaders. A special section in the commemorative dinner program will be reserved for acknowledgements.

B-

C+

C

79 of 139 respondents

For 15 years, Bob Barraclough served on the CFSI Board of Directors, providing leadership and support to help CFSI become a major force for the fire service in Washington, DC. Highly respected among his peers, Barraclough served as CFSI’s primary liaison to the fire service

industry, advocating to industry leaders the importance of a strong working relationship between the Institute and the broad network of manufacturers and service providers that equip and train and our nation’s first responders.

B

B- B-

80 of 242 respondents

stablished by the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) in 2011, the Robert J. Barraclough Internship Program promotes the professional development of qualified applicants who are interested in learning about the federal government’s role in enhancing the readiness and response capabilities of our nation’s fire and emergency services.

The selected applicants will achieve this goal by serving as interns at CFSI, a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy institute designed to educate Congress about the needs and challenges of our nation’s fire and emergency services.

B

B

2.5

0

E

B

3.5

1.5

Educating the students of today to become the leaders of tomorrow.

Look for our article in the FEMSA News winter edition that will include all 2012 trade show data plus updates from 2013 trade show organizers.

4

2

ROBERT J. BARRACLOUGH INTERNSHIP PROGRAM:

the more reflective the results will be of our total membership. The Trade Show Report Card is not only useful for exhibitors to make informed decisions about where to allocate resources, but is also a great tool to assist trade show organizers. Based on your feedback, organizers improve their shows and, in turn, provide greater value to exhibitors.

Please participate!

A big THANK YOU to everyone who participated in this year’s surveys! We had a good response rate this year but it could be better.

We again offer a few words of encouragement to those who haven’t completed a trade show survey for an attended trade show: we NEED your input to make the survey successful, but more importantly to make the data useful. The more respondents we have providing input,

111 of 165 respondents

I am pleased that we now have a relationship with the CAFC, and together the two groups can further the cause of having a properly funded Canadian Fire Service which will benefit our members, the fire service, and most importantly the public which relies on the Canadian Fire Service for public safety. By the time we meet in Glendale, the “10 Important Facts” survey should be on its way to its intended audience.

It is our intention to have the new “Facts” ready for Government Relations Week in March to help the CAFC to further its objectives.

A

29 of 83 respondents

The CGC was invited to Ottawa in March, 2012 to make a presentation to the CAFC Board of Directors concerning its mission and goals. I was very fortunate to have John Granby and Brian Nash assist in the presentation to the CAFC. John provided the history, role and success of the GAC in Washington, D.C. and how similar success could help the CGC. Brian, as former CGC chair, provided background information on Canadian Fire Service manufacturers and how they can help the Canadian Fire Service achieve similar success in raising the importance of proper funding of the fire service in Canada. Our presentation was warmly received by the Board of Directors and I received correspondence from the CAFC indicating that the Canadian Governmental Committee would become a member of the CAFC Government Relations Committee. This will now allow the Canadian Governmental Com-

By Summer Johnston and Ken Nielsen (Paratech)

24 of 92 respondents

mittee to participate in CAFC initiatives, to have CAFC endorsement of the “10 Important Facts” survey and to participate in the CAFCsponsored Government Relations Week in our nation’s capital of Ottawa in March, 2013.

39 of 86 respondents

At last year’s Annual Meeting, it was reported that the Canadian Governmental Committee was moving forward with its goal of being recognized by the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs. This recognition is essential to our committee being able to meet its objectives.

The Canadian Governmental Committee has

been working on the next version of the “10 Important Facts” survey of the Canadian Fire Service for the past year, but the survey has been delayed until we could resolve the CAFC and CGC recognition issue.

PA Fire Expo

3.07

2012 ATTENDANCE RESULTS TRADE SHOW FIREHOUSE WORLD FDIC NY CHIEFS FIREHOUSE EXPO FRI PA EXPO

EXHIBITORS

ATTENDEES

FEMSA/FAMA MEMBERS EXHIBITING

1596

4850

83

4703

24707

139

2858

11927

51

TBA

TBA

TBA

TBA

TBA

15991

54

NOTE: all attendance results are self reported by trade show organizers

Fall 2012 • FEMSA.org

17

Sharing Savings from Improvements in the Manufacturing Industry

By Ravi Patel, President of Patel CFO Services

system for coming up with and implementing new ideas.

Reprinted with permission of Lighthouse Consulting Services, LLC

For each idea that had the potential to generate savings or increase productivity, an objective measurement metric was developed in conjunction with the finance team. The actual savings or other benefits were monitored on a quarterly basis and the team members responsible for that idea were given 25% of such amount as a shared reward in their paychecks for up to one year.

Additional incentives such as group activities, such as trips and dinners were offered depending upon the scope of the savings.

E

xperience has shown that involving employees in coming up with improvements; empowering them to implement the enhancements; monitoring the results; and sharing in the rewards is a blueprint for success in the Manufacturing industry.

• • • • •

Do you believe in continuous improvement?

Are you interested in reducing costs, improving productivity or increasing savings in your business processes?

Could your employees have ideas for improvement or cost reduction?

Do you encourage employees to suggest improvements?

Would you like your employees to be more aligned with your company and other team members?

Most often, employees are closest to the business processes that they are working on; thus, they are in a great position to notice issues and recommend and implement improvements. If they are asked, employees can get involved and make significant contributions to improving the bottom line of their company. Most employees like to be a part of a team and work together to contribute to group results.

Entrepreneurs would be best served to implement some form of a continuous improvement program in their companies and have a culture of “Doing Things Better”.

A manufacturing company supplying hightech products to the aerospace industry had embraced the concept of TQM (Total Quality Management) and Continuous Improvement using world class manufacturing techniques. The basic principles call for completely understanding and documenting key operational processes; developing key performance metrics; finding ways to improve performance on these metrics; measuring and widely sharing actual results after implementation; and continually repeating the improvement and measurement process.

The company established teams of employees for each key process and held them responsible for continuous improvement. The teams met one hour each week to review and discuss the metrics for the previous week and brainstorm improvement ideas. The progress was shared with other employees once a month. Specific ideas for implementation were presented to the management team for review and final approval.

In order for the program to continually provide improvements throughout the company, Entrepreneurs should devise a system to share the rewards from improvements. The rewards in such Shared Savings plans should be meaningful and definitely motivational.

The manufacturing company established a reward system based on the savings resulting from the implemented ideas. For every new idea that was implemented by the team, each member received a fixed dollar amount in the very next paycheck. This provided an instant gratification 16 Fall 2012 • FEMSA.org

Companies might even have group programs to improve general operational issues with ultimate cost savings.

A manufacturing company used a group program using continuous improvements techniques to improve the safety in their operations.

The safety committee reviewed past accidents for common causes and developed procedures to mitigate such incidents. In addition to developing accident-free metrics, they appointed teams in different areas to monitor safety practices and suggest improvements.

The company and the safety committee established the total cost of each lost workday for different areas in the company and set aside a monetary pool for potential rewards. Based on improving the accident-free metrics over the previous benchmarks, the company paid out each quarter an incentive payment proportional to the number of accident-free days for the specific area of operations.

While such Shared Savings plans or programs have many names, the basic elements are quite similar. This list is by no means complete but offers suggestions.

Objectives: To drive performance of an organization by promoting awareness, alignment, teamwork, communication and involvement and share savings with employees.

Most successful savings sharing programs utilize clearly communicated objectives. Common objectives might include: reducing operating costs, enhancing productivity and quality, improving safety, and reducing materials and/or energy usage.

Application: The plan commonly applies to a team effort for a single process or one location of a company.

Measurement and Payout: Payout is based on operational measures (productivity, quality, costs, spending and service) that improve the “bottom line” in terms of what employees do, the associated benefit to the company, and a fair formula for sharing the savings.

Payouts are made only when performance has improved over an established benchmark.

Funding: Payouts are self-funded based on savings generated by improved performance.

Payout Frequency: Payout is often monthly or quarterly to more closely correlate performance to the reward.

Payment: Payment is immediate cash rather than deferred compensation. Many organizations pay via separate payroll check to increase visibility. Non-monetary rewards might be used to supplement cash rewards.

Team Sharing: Typically all employees in a team receive the same payout.

Plan Design and Development: Employees should be involved with the design and implementation, monitoring and review process.

Objective measurement and assessments are also required. Periodic reviews (minimally annually) should be required to evaluate continued performance under the plan and required changes.

Communication: An employee involvement and communication system is an integral element of such plans and helps drive improvement initiatives. Sharing results visibly and widely provide necessary feedback.

Pay for Performance: Savings are generated only by improved performance over a predetermined base level benchmark. Therefore, payouts are viewed as a pay-for-performance initiative.

In addition to the actual monetary benefits, Shared Savings plans continually reinforce behaviors that promote improved performance.

They are used as a tool to drive cultural and organizational change. Such programs heighten the level of employee awareness, help develop the feeling of self-worth, and build a sense of ownership and identity to the team and the organization.

Factors important to designing and maintaining a successful Shared Savings plan include: • •

• • •

Utilize clearly communicated objectives for the company and the plan.

Employees should feel like they have ownership and control in the process of designing, implementing, and monitoring the plan.

Measurement formulas should be easy to understand and performance directly controlled by the employees.

Rewards should be tied directly to performance and payouts should be as close to the achievement of results.

Management should be fully committed to the established plan.

A downside associated with these types of Shared Savings plans or programs is that there might be payouts for these plans while the company as a whole might not be making money.

High performing individuals may be frustrated as they have to share team rewards with lighter performers. Management should avoid the temptation to change benchmarks just because improvements and payouts increase.

Eligibility: Typically all employees involved in a process or location are eligible for plan payouts.

Fall 2012 • FEMSA.org

9

Help Spread the Word: Bells Will Ring Nationwide to Honor Fallen Firefighters

Second Annual Moment of Remembrance on Sunday, October 7 T

he tolling of bells holds special meaning for firefighters. The sound of the station bell signifies the beginning of a shift, a need for help, and the return to the station after a call.

And when a firefighter died in the line of duty, a series of bells was customarily rung to notify department members of this loss. This timehonored tradition is still used at funerals and memorial services.

In keeping with this tradition, bells will ring from coast to coast as a grateful nation pauses on Sunday, October 7, to honor those firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2011. Fire departments, places of worship and community groups will join the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) for the Second Annual Bells Across America for Fallen Firefighters, part of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

“As the Memorial Service begins on Sunday, October 7, the bells at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Chapel in Emmitsburg will ring to honor the memories of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in 2011,” said Chief Ronald J. Siarnicki, executive director of the NFFF. “This

year we will be remembering 80 firefighters who died in 2011 and five who died in previous years. We are encouraging citizens across the country to join us with their own tribute to our fallen brothers and sisters.”

The moment of remembrance can occur at any time during Memorial Weekend, October 6 & 7. Fire department representatives are encouraged to work with their clergy and community leaders to develop an appropriate tribute.

Some suggestions include: ringing chapel bells, a moment of silence, a brief prayer, a hymn, or tolling a ceremonial bell by members of the fire department.

The idea was suggested by Colonel Bob Ditch, USAF, Retired, and a fifth generation firefighter.

The Foundation launched this grass-roots effort last year and the response was tremendous.

From small, rural towns to major metropolitan areas, nearly 100 fire departments participated.

Many contacted multiple places of worship to ring their bells, including 36 churches and other places of worship in Howard County, Maryland; 7 churches in the town of Mansfield, Louisiana; and 13 churches in the community of Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. In the city of Woodstock, Illinois, the Opera House rang their bells while fire department members gathered outside.

Other congregations shared a reading or prayer, sang a special selection of songs or observed a moment of silence during their services.

“When a firefighter dies in the line of duty, the sadness resonates through an entire community. Through Bells Across America for Fallen Firefighters, everyone across the country has the opportunity to pay respect to the lives of these brave men and women as well as to their loved ones,” said Siarnicki.

In addition to tributes around the country, the United States Air Force 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, stationed at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, used a fire extinguisher as their bell and a spanner wrench as a clapper to honor those firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The Foundation provides an invitation letter for fire departments to use to contact religious organizations and other groups in their communities.

Background information and a response form are also available so that participants can inform the NFFF about their own Bells Across America for Fallen Firefighters activities.

For more information about Bells Across America for Fallen Firefighters and to download the invitation letter and response form, please visit www.BellsAcrossAmerica.com.

T

exas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) Product Development Center (PDC) provides access to all of the available Texas A&M University members. We engineered a process that helps manufacturers, product developers, inventors and private entities take products to the market place to foster innovation and product development.

Product development is a process that evolves and adapts to changes in policy, competition,

10 Fall 2012 • FEMSA.org

trends, pricing, and consumer demands. We leverage engineering expertise, experienced market analysts along with real-world laboratories and facilities to ensure your technology stays on the path to commercialization. TEEX PDC can develop methodologies, recruit subject matter experts, and develop partnerships to assess, test, and evaluate products. We provide unbiased assessments to help you develop and test your product and even deliver it to market.

The TEEX PDC TESTED trademark ensures your product or technology performs reliably as intended under acceptable, repeatable real-world conditions. And TEEX PDC TESTED provides

1. Fire Fighting and Emergency Response are inherently dangerous activities requiring proper training in their hazards and the use of extreme caution at all times.

2. It is your responsibility to read and understand any user’s instructions, including purpose and limitations, provided with any piece of equipment you may be called to use.

3. It is your responsibility to know that you have been properly trained in fire fighting and/ or emergency response and in the use, precautions, and care of any equipment you may be called upon to use.

4. It is your responsibility to be in proper physical condition and to maintain the personal skill level required to operate any equipment you may be called upon to use.

5. It is your responsibility to know your equipment is in operable condition and has been maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

6. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in death, burns or other severe injury.

TEXAS A&M ENGINEERING EXTENSION SERVICE ASSISTS MANUFACTURERS

by Caleb W. Holt - Market Intelligence Manager, TEEX Product Development

PERSOnAL RESPOnSIBILIty cOdE

affordable, reliable third-party or competitive evaluation that helps to ensure the integrity and durability of products entering the marketplace.

This is especially imperative for emergency response and critical infrastructure technologies.

TEEX PDC is a non-profit organization.

In 2005, FEMSA published and copyrighted a Personal Responsibility Code (PRC). Through the PRC, members that provide emergency response equipment and services warn responders of the dangers inherent in their profession and point out that failure to follow the guidelines outlined may result in death, burns or other severe injury. This publication has been endorsed by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA), and the Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA). Members may order several formats of the PRC or enter into an annual licensing agreement to use the PRC in company literature, on web sites, or wherever it best suits the member company. Contact the FEMSA office - info@femsa.org - for further information on this program.

For more information: www.TEEXPDC.com 979-458-6735

Fire and Emergency Manufacturers and Services Association, Inc. PO Box 147, Lynnfield, MA 01940 · www.FEMSA.org © 2012 FEMSA, All Rights Reserved Fall 2012 • FEMSA.org

15

FEMSA Members enjoying Fire Rescue International, Aug 3-4, 2012

Tom Nugent, Kussmaul Electronics Co. Barbara Connolly, Fire News

Rick Fix and Ray Bell, Fire Research Corporation

Update on Danny Brogdon

F

ollowing extensive and delicate spine surgery in August, Danny moved to a rehab facility and continues to make progress. Danny and his wife Ginger appreciate the many cards and notes from FEMSA and FAMA members. Messages are most welcome. Send to: Mr. Daniel Brodgon, c/o Kelly B. White, 5334 Chaversham Lane, Peachtree Corner, GA 30092.

Presented by

Owned & Produced by

FDIC.com

APRIL 22–27, 2013 Indiana Convention Center Lucas Oil Stadium | Indianapolis, IN

Fall 2012 • FEMSA.org

14 Fall 2012 • FEMSA.org FDIC-0383.indd 1

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4/11/12 9:03 AM

Mark your Calendars!

Mark your Calendars!

FEMSA & FAMA

FEMSA & FAMA 2012 annual/Fall Meetings 2012 annual/Fall Meetings & ConFerenCe PrograM & ConFerenCe PrograM sePteMBer 26-29, 2012 sePteMBer 26-29, 2012 ConferenCe LoCation

ConferenCe LoCation

Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Spa

Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Spa

W. Coyotes Blvd.

94959495 W. Coyotes Blvd.

Glendale, Arizona Glendale, Arizona

To To RegisTeR: RegisTeR: www.FeMsA.org www.FeMsA.orgororwww.FAMA.org www.FAMA.org Want to register, but you aren’t a member? Contact us to find out how!

Want to register, but you aren’tora info@fama.org member? Contact us to find out how!

Karen Burnham at info@femsa.org

Karen Burnham at info@femsa.org or info@fama.org

12 Fall 2012 • FEMSA.org

Fall 2012 • FEMSA.org

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