COLUMBIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY has announced that the winner of the CSU/Arizona Fire Chiefs Association (AFCA) annual scholarship is Battalion Chief Frank Ricci of the Casa Grande, AZ, Fire Department. Ricci won the scholarship based on his entry in an essay contest sponsored by the university and the association. The scholarship covers tuition for up to 24 months for one specific online degree program with CSU.
Ricci, who has worked in the fire service since 1992, said his decision to be a firefighter was influenced by his family’s service in the field and “as a youth, I lived down the street from a fire station where my uncle was a volunteer and I would hang out at the fire station. I remember the positive impact they had on me and although I toyed with the idea of becoming a teacher or a lawyer, I was always drawn back to the fire service.”
A CSU alumnus, Ricci said he plans to return to CSU to complete an online master’s degree in organizational leadership.
“A master’s degree in organizational leadership is designed to prepare me to assume a leadership role in my organization,” Ricci wrote in his essay. “Because this program places an emphasis on strategic planning and the strategic use of resources to create an optimum work environment, I will be encouraged and challenged to develop individual and interpersonal skills for achieving success. I am not looking for this degree for myself, but rather for my organization. I have a strong desire to be a better person, a better manger, a better leader, and an asset to my organization and my city.”
To learn more about CSU online associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs and scholarships, visit columbiasouthern.edu.
W.S. DARLEY & CO. has received the Outstanding Achievement in the Employment of Veterans Award from the National Economic Commission of the American Legion for its hiring of veterans in 2011. To qualify for the award a nominee must be a private-sector employer and at least 10% of its workforce must be veterans. The award is given to one small, one medium and one large employer in each state. Darley was awarded in the Large Class Division in Illinois. Darley’s workforce is now 18% veterans. In 2012, the company has hired eight veterans in its expanding Defense Division.
“We are extremely impressed with the quality of the veterans that we have hired for our Defense Division,” said Paul Darley, president and CEO. “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.”
GLOBE, DUPONT and the NATIONAL VOLUNTEER FIRE COUNCIL (NVFC), which have partnered to give away 125 sets of turnout gear to fire departments in need in honor of Globe’s 125th anniversary this year, have announced the recipients of the first two grants: the Consolidated Fire Association of 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 a fourth-generation owner 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.”
NVFC Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg said, “The outpouring of applications from thousands of departments in need demonstrates the importance of a program such as this. 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.”
The Consolidated Fire Association is a volunteer fire department with about 35 members that serves the New Jersey communities of Bordentown City and Fieldsboro. It has focused on word-of-mouth recruiting of family members, neighbors, co-workers and friends of its volunteers. With three to five new members joining every month, the department has been struggling to find gear to properly equip their firefighters. The donation of 12 new sets of Globe turnout gear will ensure the firefighters are properly protected.
The Lostine Fire Department serves a small, rural community. It 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 do with hand-me-downs and whatever gear other departments donate. 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.
Grant awards will continue to be made to volunteer departments throughout the year. See nvfc.org and the NVFC and Globe pages on Facebook for announcements.
KME has named Piedmont, SC-based Safe Industries (safeindustries.com) to handle sales and service for KME products in North Carolina and South Carolina. Safe Industries was founded in 2005 by Al Willimon, who after serving in the U.S. Army joined the fire service and was an officer with the Simpsonville Fire Department. In addition to the full line of KME apparatus, Safe Industries offers in-house and mobile services and mobile pump testing.
