MSA and DuPont’s 2022 Globe Gear Giveaway Provides Volunteer Fire Companies in MD and VT with New Turnouts and Helmets

September 20, 2022

A total of 13 departments will each receive four new sets of gear and helmets through the 2022 program

Proper personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential to the health and safety of first responders. That’s why MSA Safety, DuPont Personal Protection, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) are working together to provide volunteer fire departments with much-needed gear through MSA and DuPont’s Globe Gear Giveaway. In 2022, 13 departments will each receive four new sets of turnouts and four new helmets. Additionally, the first 500 applicants also received a one-year NVFC membership, courtesy of MSA.

Church Hill (MD) Volunteer Fire Company and Marlboro (VT) Volunteer Fire Company are the latest recipients to receive the gear.

Church Hill Volunteer Fire Company
The Church Hill Volunteer Fire Company is a 100 percent volunteer fire department located on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The department serves a rapidly developing rural area of approximately 64 square miles with an estimated population of 4,800 residents. A large portion of the area is farmland, but some of that area is being developed with single-family homes. The department also responds to two major travel routes that have seen a steady increase in usage, which includes large trucks hauling hazardous materials such as explosives and radioactive waste. In addition, it provides automatic aid for fire, rescue, and emergency medical services with five neighboring fire departments and two adjacent counties.

The department’s 55 volunteer firefighters respond to an average of 270 calls each year. Not all have assigned gear, and over half are using gear that is more than 10 years old. The department’s normal operating budget is not sufficient to equip all members with adequate PPE. These new sets from MSA and DuPont will replace member gear that is non-compliant with current national standards.

“This new PPE will be a great benefit to the department and the citizens we serve,” said lieutenant Stephen Jones. “It will provide our members with greater safety as we serve the public – neighbors helping neighbors – and ensure that we provide them with the best protection we can as they risk their lives on an unpaid, volunteer basis. We stress in our training that ‘everyone goes home’ at the end of every call. This grant will help ensure we meet that critical goal.”

Marlboro Volunteer Fire Company
The Marlboro Volunteer Fire Company serves a population of nearly 1,300 over 41 square miles in a rural community in Vermont. Its 15 volunteer firefighters respond to an average of 128 calls annually. In addition to house/structure fires, medical emergencies, and increasing brush fires, the department’s response area includes a critical state highway that connects the capitals and federal highway system of New York and New Hampshire and the eastern seaboard, as well as being the main route for tourists/skiers coming to the state. The department is also responsible for the safety of a school, historic buildings, tourism businesses, and the Marlboro Music Festival on a 530+ acre campus with more than 58 buildings.

Over half of the department’s responders are using gear that is over 10 years old, and three members have no assigned turnout gear at all. Critical station improvements, apparatus maintenance, and communication system needs have added budget constraints and left the department unable to purchase new gear. Not being able to properly outfit its responders has held the department back from accepting new members.

“We are hugely grateful for the volunteers and need to ensure their safety and the integrity of the department,” said board secretary Carol Ann Lobo Johnson. “This turnout gear will alleviate some financial hardship and enable us to properly protect our current squad and bring more volunteers into the department to share in the responsibility of protecting our town.”

Additional awards will be made monthly throughout 2022. Stay tuned to the NVFC web site, Dispatch newsletter, and Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as the Globe Facebook page, for additional information and announcements.

About MSA
Established in 1914, MSA Safety Incorporated is the global leader in the development, manufacture and supply of safety products that protect people and facility infrastructures. Many MSA products integrate a combination of electronics, mechanical systems and advanced materials to protect users against hazardous or life-threatening situations. The company’s comprehensive product line is used by workers around the world in a broad range of markets, including the oil, gas and petrochemical industry, the fire service, the construction industry, mining and the military. MSA’s core products include self-contained breathing apparatus, fixed gas and flame detection systems, portable gas detection instruments, industrial head protection products, firefighter helmets and protective apparel, and fall protection devices. With 2021 revenues of $1.4 billion, MSA employs approximately 4,800 people worldwide. The company is headquartered north of Pittsburgh in Cranberry Township, Pa., and has manufacturing operations in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America. With more than 40 international locations, MSA realizes approximately half of its revenue from outside North America. For more information visit MSA’s web site at 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 with technology-based materials and solutions that help transform industries and everyday life. Our employees apply diverse science and expertise to help customers advance their best ideas and deliver essential innovations in key markets including electronics, transportation, construction, water, healthcare and worker safety. 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, EMS, and rescue services. The NVFC serves as the voice of the volunteer in the national arena and provides critical resources, programs, education, and advocacy for first responders across the nation. Learn more at www.nvfc.org.