MSA, DuPont, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) are helping volunteer fire departments obtain much-needed gear through MSA and DuPont’s Globe Gear Giveaway. The program is wrapping up its tenth year and has provided over $1 million worth of gear to assist volunteer fire departments in need. This year, 13 departments have each been awarded four sets of turnout gear and four helmets to help enhance the safety of their firefighters. The first 500 applicants also received a one-year NVFC membership, courtesy of MSA.

The final three recipients of the 2021 program are the Daggett (CA) Volunteer Fire Department, Takla Nation (Takla Landing, BC), and Preston (MD) Volunteer Fire Company.

Daggett Volunteer Fire Department

The Daggett Volunteer Fire Department (DVFD) is an all-volunteer fire department located in southern California’s rural Mojave Desert. DVFD’s 30 volunteers serve a population of approximately 300 over 50 square miles, responding to an average of 250 calls annually. Due to the number of vacant structures in their service area and a well-traveled, cross-country highway, the majority of their calls are fires and traffic collisions.

DVFD has only 20 sets of turnout gear, meaning that members are often forced to share. Furthermore, only three of the sets are less than 10 years old and therefore compliant with NFPA standards. DVFD’s gear was acquired secondhand and is generally damaged and ill-suited to protecting the department’s volunteers.

Facing increased call volumes and decreased revenue, DVFD’s need for new turnout gear is critical. Since much of their budget is dedicated to apparatus upkeep and the purchase of medical supplies, they are unable to acquire this gear on their own. The donation of the new Globe gear will have a big impact on the safety of their firefighters. “Being able to outfit our crew in turnout gear that is up-to-date and NFPA compliant would allow our crew to work efficiently and safely while on emergency responses,” said assistant chief Wayne Clemons, Jr.

Takla Nation

The Takla Nation is a First Nations community located in a rural area of northern British Columbia, Canada. Composed almost exclusively of volunteers, the department’s 11 members serve a population of approximately 350 over 90 square miles and respond to an average of 12 calls annually.

The Takla Nation’s volunteer emergency responders are not equipped with any turnout gear and have been responding to wildland fires with coveralls, pumps, and hand tools. They are currently working with the Canadian federal government to acquire a new engine and six sets of turnout gear, but this would still leave five of their members without gear.

The Takla Nation’s goal is to equip their volunteers with gear that would allow them to safely respond to structure fires. “We are working on being able to respond to residential fires and would like to prevent loss of homes in our community, where it is very difficult to replace a lost home,” said fire chief Jeremiah Louis.

Preston Volunteer Fire Company

Located on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the Preston Volunteer Fire Company (PVFC) is an all-volunteer department serving a population of approximately 4,800 over 55 square miles. PVFC’s 60 volunteers respond to an average of 400 calls annually, including Basic Life Support transport and vehicle and dive rescue.

Despite their high call volume, PVFC does not have enough gear to outfit all of their firefighters and has resorted to outfitting members in gear that does not fit properly and mixing and matching pieces of gear to form complete sets. With budget cuts due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a decrease in donations, PVFC is unable to purchase the needed gear on their own.

“With this grant money, we will be able to completely outfit all active firefighters in full turnout gear,” said fire chief Troy Plutschak. “As a fully volunteer company, we depend on these grants along with donations to make ends meet.”

Stay tuned to the NVFC web site, Dispatch newsletter, and Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as the Globe Facebook page, for a full wrap-up of the 2021 gear donation program as well as information on the 2022 application period.