Final Three Fire Departments Awarded New Turnouts and Helmets Through the 2025 MSA and DuPont’s Globe Gear Giveaway

December 23, 2025

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.

As the 2025 program concludes, three additional volunteer fire departments have been selected to each receive four sets of Globe® turnout gear and four MSA Cairns® fire helmets. In total, 13 departments received gear and helmets this year, and 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.

Congratulations to the final 2025 recipients: Camps Volunteer Fire Department (Sneedville, TN), Coy (AL) Volunteer Fire Department, and Newald (WI) Fire Department. Learn more at www.nvfc.org/gear, and watch for updates on the 2026 program. Read about the latest recipients below.

Camps Volunteer Fire Department

Serving a large rural district of 223 square miles and more than 6,600 residents, the Camps Volunteer Fire Department responds 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. “This donation will help us respond more effectively and efficiently while giving our unpaid volunteers the protection they deserve,” said Chief Carlos Welch.

Coy Volunteer Fire Department

Coy Volunteer Fire Department protects a small but geographically challenging community situated in a bend of the Alabama River. 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. “Getting new turnout gear would also help with recruiting and retention for our department,” noted Vice President Jabari Gamble.

Newald Fire Department

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. “We can’t even pay our basic yearly bills, let alone get new gear,” noted Chief Paul Behrens.

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.

Details of the 2026 MSA and DuPont’s Globe Gear Giveaway will be announced soon. Stay tuned to the NVFC web site, Dispatch newsletter, and Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and Instagram pages, as well as the Globe Facebook page, for additional information.

About Globe Manufacturing Company and MSA Safety
Globe Manufacturing Company, a leader in fire service protective clothing, is a subsidiary of MSA Safety Incorporated. MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE: MSA) is the global leader in advanced safety products, technologies and solutions. Driven by its singular mission of safety, the company has been at the forefront of safety innovation since 1914, protecting workers and facility infrastructure around the world across a broad range of diverse end markets while creating sustainable value for shareholders. With 2024 revenues of $1.8 billion, MSA Safety is headquartered in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania and employs a team of more than 5,000 associates across its more than 40 international locations. For more information, please visit www.MSAsafety.com.

About DuPont Personal Protection
From first responders to industrial workers, DuPont provides a wide range of personal protection solutions, including some of the most trusted and innovative brands in the industry, such as Kevlar®, Nomex®, Tyvek® and Tychem® to meet your safety needs. More information can be found at personalprotection.dupont.com.

About DuPont
DuPont (NYSE: DD) is a global innovation leader, providing advanced solutions that help transform industries and improve everyday life across our key markets of healthcare, water, construction, and transportation. More information about the company, its businesses and solutions can be found at www.dupont.com. Investors can access information included on the Investor Relations section of the website at investors.dupont.com. DuPont™, the DuPont Oval Logo, and all products, unless otherwise noted, denoted with ™, ℠ or ® are trademarks, service marks or registered trademarks of affiliates of DuPont de Nemours, Inc.

About the NVFC
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is the leading nonprofit membership association representing the interests of the volunteer fire and emergency medical services. The NVFC unites and supports volunteer and combination fire and EMS organizations through education, advocacy, leadership development, and collaboration. Guided by professionalism and innovation, we provide the tools and resources needed to protect communities, advance responder health and safety, and prepare leaders for the future. Learn more and join at www.nvfc.org.