Project Mayday Creator Don Abbott Dies
The creator of Project Mayday, Don Abbott, died on Oct. 29, 2022, at the age of 75.
In his article that appeared on Firehouse.com in 2016, Abbott wrote, “Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!—the three words no incident commander (IC) ever wants to hear. But what do we really know about maydays? Most of us have never experienced one, which relegates us to learning about them through articles or reports on the subject.”
After he made this realization, Abbott interviewed firefighters across the nation about the moment that they called a mayday. He found that in the lead up to the mayday, an overwhelming majority of them worked many hours beyond their normal shift, sometimes for consecutive days.
Abbott added that the “elephant in the room that nobody really wants to talk about” is sending firefighters who are in staff positions on calls. He said that’s OK when those people kept up with training. “If they haven’t, you’re putting the crew that they’re going to be on—and them—in jeopardy …”
Just before he died, Abbott learned through his daughter that he was selected to the National Fire Heritage Center’s Hall of Legends, Legacies and Leaders.
Steelman Named 2022 EVT of the Year
Robert Steelman, who has been a professional vehicle technician for more than 30 years and has been with Palm Beach Gardens, FL, Fire Rescue for 17 years, was named 2022 Emergency Vehicle Technician (EVT) of the Year by Firehouse and the Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA). The award recognizes outstanding efforts to promote a high standard of excellence in quality and safety in emergency vehicles.
Steelman is certified as a Master Emergency Vehicle Technician holds Master Automotive Service Excellence certification in truck and automotive. He is an active member of the Emergency Vehicle Technician Certification Commission and often is consulted as a subject matter expert in the development and validation of certification exam test questions.
EVTs who joined Steelman as finalists for the award are Marc Elbin, Firefighter/Mechanic, Plymouth, MN, Fire Department; Leonard Marano, District Mechanic, West Islip, NY, Fire District; Bob Poe, Fire Equipment Mechanic, Lincoln, NE, Fire & Rescue; and Matthew West, Emergency Vehicle Mechanic, South Metro Fire Rescue in Centennial, CO.
The 2022 EVT of the Year Award is sponsored by Spartan Motors and co-presented by Firehouse and the FDSOA.
Read an interview with Steelman at firehouse.com/21287440.
NVFC Fire Service Achievement Awards
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is accepting nominations for its annual fire service achievement awards.
The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a volunteer firefighter who has served at least 20 years and has made a major contribution or achieved significant accomplishments in the volunteer fire service at the local, state and/or national level.
The Chief James P. Seavey Sr. Health and Wellness Leadership Award honors an active volunteer firefighter, EMS provider or rescue worker who has led in creating or promoting emergency responder health and wellness programs or initiatives.
The Junior Firefighter of the Year Award honors a junior firefighter, cadet or Explorer who has shown extraordinary dedication, commitment and achievements as a youth member of the fire service.
The Junior Firefighter Program of the Year Award recognizes a department that has an outstanding junior firefighter program.
Nominations must be received by Jan. 20, 2023.
View full criteria at nvfc.org/awards.
Three Agencies Produce Operational Training Guide
“Training Volunteer Firefighters to Be Combat Ready” is designed to help fire departments to develop a training program that meets the needs of the community and the individual firefighter, with safety and relevancy at the forefront. The new guide is the combined work of the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ Volunteer and Combination Officers Section (VCOS) and the International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI). It incorporates key considerations and specific best practices to form a blueprint for a successful training program. Authors from the NVFC, VCOS and ISFSI contributed their expertise and insights to help department leaders create a strong foundation for operational training.
“Training is a critical responsibility of all fire departments,” co-author and VCOS member Chief John M. Buckman III said. “Departments must ensure that training is relevant as well as interesting and fun so that firefighters will remain active and engaged. Everyone plays a part.”
What’s covered in the 20 sections of the guide includes training delivery and engagement methods; roles of the training officer and instructor; training planning; training policies and procedures; assessing firefighters’ capabilities; and standards and regulations of the NFPA and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The guide can be downloaded from the NVFC website at nvfc.org, the VCOS website at iafc.org/about-iafc/sections/vcos and the ISFSI website at isfsi.org.
Tunnel to Towers Foundation Key to Holiday TV Show
Country music star Ashley McBryde and “Yellowstone” actor Cole Hauser are among the celebrities who teamed with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation for the production of the TV special “Homes for the Holidays.” McBryde, Hauser and others are afforded the honor of giving Gold Star families and families of fallen first responders mortgage-free homes during the show, which debuted on Thanksgiving weekend but will be broadcast through New Year’s Day on numerous network affiliates, including Fox and Scripps.
During the show, families share how the Tunnel to Towers Foundation affected their lives.
“For our Gold Star families and fallen first responder families, every day without their hero is painful, but the holiday season can bring about its own particular wave of grief,” Frank Ciller, who is chair and CEO of the foundation, said. “Our hope is that the security of a mortgage-free home, the guarantee that they will never have to leave the place where they created so many holiday memories, eases that burden of grief just a little bit.”
“I’ve been fortunate to be a part of the amazing work Tunnel to Towers is doing and wanted to showcase how the charity is providing accessible homes for those that have been catastrophically injured defending our country,” Hauser said.
For more on the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, go to T2T.org.
Line-of-Duty Deaths
5 U.S. firefighters died in the line of duty. They died from a health-related incident. This issue of Firehouse is dedicated to these firefighters.
FIREFIGHTER KEVIN G. MAY, 29, of the Westwood, NJ, Fire Department, died on Oct. 24. On Oct. 16, May responded as part of a mutual aid assignment to a five-alarm house fire in Upper Saddle River, NJ. The next morning, he experienced chest pains and difficulty breathing. He was rushed to the hospital, where a stent procedure was performed. He was released from the hospital on Oct. 20. On Oct. 24, he was found unresponsive. CPR was initiated, and 9-1-1 was called. Efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.
CHIEF EVERETTE WATSON, 58, of the Calvert Volunteer Fire Department in Sheridan, AR, died on Oct. 27. Watson suffered a medical emergency while at another station to pick up supplies. Life-saving efforts were performed immediately but were unsuccessful. He died of an apparent heart attack.
FIREFIGHTER ALEX MOSS, 54, of the Upper Saddle River, NJ, Fire Department, died on Oct. 30. After responding earlier in the day to a residential fire alarm, Moss complained to fellow firefighters at the station that he wasn’t feeling well. He went home. Later in the afternoon, he was found dead in bed from an apparent heart attack.
FIREFIGHTER/EMT JUAN WILSON, 34, of the Baltimore City Fire Department, died on Oct. 30. On Sept. 19, Wilson responded to an emergency medical call at a residence. While performing CPR on the patient, Wilson suffered a medical emergency. He was rushed to the hospital. He remained there until he was transferred to a rehabilitation facility, where he died. He was on life support since the incident.
ASSISTANT CHIEF JAMES “JIMMY” SCANLON, 38, of the Hopkins, MN, Fire Department, died on Nov. 4. Scanlon responded to a fire alarm at an apartment complex on Nov. 2. He began to feel ill the next day while driving. He pulled to the side of the road, and he went into cardiac arrest. EMS responded. He was transported to the hospital, where he passed away the next morning.
