MSA to Acquire Globe
MSA Safety Incorporated has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Globe Holding Company, LLC, in an all-cash transaction valued at $215 million.
Founded in 1887, Globe is North America’s oldest and largest manufacturer of firefighter protective clothing. Based in Pittsfield, NH, Globe has annual revenue of approximately $110 million and 420 employees at four U.S. locations.
“Helping to keep firefighters safe has been a constant of MSA’s mission since the 1920s,” said William M. Lambert, MSA chairman and CEO. “With virtually no product overlap, this acquisition aligns extremely well with our corporate strategy in that it strengthens our leading position in the North American fire service market, and it expands our core product portfolio in a key customer segment.
Lambert added: “The acquisition of Globe comes at a time when the fire service industry is undergoing a significant mindset shift regarding firefighter health and wellness. Given this trend, which is driving a need for multiple sets of turnout gear for individual firefighters, as well as a heightened awareness concerning the importance of routine laundering and care, this acquisition nicely positions MSA and Globe to meet those needs as well as any potential increase in the demand for firefighter turnout gear.”
Globe President Don Welch commented, “From the start, this acquisition has been about securing the future of Globe with a good fit for both organizations—from a culture standpoint, from a product synergy perspective and from a market coverage point of view,” he said. “We see this acquisition as a great match for Globe and for MSA on all of these fronts.”
The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2017, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals.
FHExpo17: Enhanced Education & Exhibit Hall
Firehouse Expo 2017 offers more conference sessions than ever before.
The pre-conference lineup includes exciting educational sessions focused on WUI command, fire research, leadership, first-due strategic responsibilities, tactical resiliency and more.
The main conference is also action-packed, including more than 140 educational and marquee sessions featuring high-profile events and some of the most critical topics in the American fire service with the most one-on-one, student-focused instruction of any national conference. Sessions cover forcible entry, rapid-intervention teams, mayday events, survival skills, building live-fire training props, hazmat operations, railroad incidents, diversity issues, PTSD and stress management, developing a firehouse culture, tower rescues, social media policies, managing staffing limitations and much more.
The exhibitors are eager to visit Music City as well! More than 45 emergency service vehicles are already slated to be on display, in addition to new safety technologies, equipment, services and more. From the latest in bunker gear to the newest apparatus, the exhibit hall will have something for every rank. Meet one-on-one with vendors to discuss new products and services, demo and spec products for future purchases, and buy on site.
Pre-Conference Sessions: Tuesday, Oct. 17 & Wednesday, Oct. 18
Main Conference Sessions: Thursday, Oct. 19–Saturday, Oct. 21
Exhibit Hall Hours: Thursday, Oct. 19, 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 20, 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 21, 10:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
To learn more and register, visit firehouseexpo.com.
CFSI Silent Auction Returns to Firehouse Expo
The Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) Silent Auction is returning to Firehouse Expo this fall in Nashville, TN, with a new format designed to create excitement for attendees and vendors alike.
Unlike most silent auctions where the items are displayed together in one confined area, the CFSI auction will display the items and bid sheets at the booths of sponsoring vendors. This will allow interested parties to spend more time on the trade show floor seeing the innovative equipment, apparatus and technologies that will be on display. The auction will run from the start of the Firehouse Expo on Oct. 19 to the conclusion on Oct. 21.
Proceeds from this event will benefit CFSI’s mission to educate members of Congress and the Administration about the challenges and needs of our nation's firefighters and emergency services personnel. Right now, CFSI is engaged in a major effort to reauthorize the Assistance to Firefighters (AFG) and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs. These programs have awarded over $11 billion in grants to local fire departments to purchase new equipment and training, and hire and recruit firefighters.
For additional details about CFSI and the CFSI Silent Auction, contact Steven Tramel, CFSI development manager, at [email protected].
Line-of-Duty Deaths
8 U.S. firefighters recently died in the line of duty. Three deaths were health-related, two deaths were the result of falls, two were struck and killed by motor vehicles, and one died in a motor vehicle accident. This edition of Firehouse is dedicated to these firefighters.
FIRE CHIEF EDDIE HARRIS, 47, of the North Courtland, AL, Volunteer Fire Department, died on April 21. Harris was working with his fire department at the scene of a training burn. Approximately two hours into the activity, he complained of not feeling well and was taken home. Later that day, Harris passed away from a nature and cause of fatal injury still to be reported.
FIREFIGHTER JESSE KETCHUM, 33, of the City of Memphis, MO, Volunteer Fire Department, died on May 29. Ketchum was responding to an outdoor (field) fire call when the fire apparatus he was operating crashed while negotiating a curve and overturned several times, ejecting Ketchum and a passenger in the vehicle. Ketchum died at the scene from injuries sustained, and the passenger, John Chancellor, was treated and flown to the University Hospital in Columbia, MO, with serious injuries. According to initial reports, seatbelts were not in use at the time of the crash.
LT. DAVID JATCZSK, 57, of the Lake Station, IN, Volunteer Fire Department, died on June 1. Several hours after responding to an emergency response call, Jatczsk died at his residence from a nature and cause of fatal injury still to be reported.
FIREFIGHTER KELLY WONG, 29, of the Los Angeles Fire Department, died on June 5. Wong fell from an LAFD aerial ladder while participating in a training exercise on the morning of June 3. Fellow firefighters and paramedics rendered immediate medical attention and transported him in critical condition to a local trauma center. Despite the efforts of doctors and nurses at the hospital, Wong succumbed to his injuries two days later.
FIREFIGHTER LAWRENCE MATTHEWS, 35, of the Dolton Village, IL, Fire Department, died on June 10. While operating at a residential trailer home fire and working on the exterior to protect nearby exposures, Matthews fell ill and collapsed. He was immediately attended to by fellow responders and rushed to Ingalls Memorial Hospital where he succumbed to a nature and cause of fatal injury still to be reported.
CHIEF EDWARD SWITALSKI, 55, of the Comstock Township, MI, Department of Fire and Rescue, died on June 14. Switalski responded to a reported motor vehicle accident. Upon arrival, crews found an empty vehicle and no injuries to report. As fire crews were getting ready to leave the scene, a passing vehicle lost control and struck Switalski, who was standing at the rear of his rescue vehicle returning equipment to service. Crews at the scene tried to revive him, but were not successful. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
FIREFIGHTER JEFFERY MASON SANDERS, 55, of the Mayview, MO, Fire Protection District, died on June 19. Sanders was killed and another firefighter was injured when they were struck by a privately owned vehicle while working at the scene of a “wires down” call. The private vehicle crashed into the rear of another private vehicle stopped on a roadway behind a fire department vehicle. The fire department vehicle then struck the two firefighters who were nearby, trapping them underneath as it went down an embankment and stopped. Sanders was pronounced deceased at the scene. The second firefighter, 33-year-old Jacob Hayward, was flown to the Research Medical Center in Kansas City with critical injuries.
FIREFIGHTER JOHN C. CAMMACK, 74, of the Nara Visa, NM, Fire Department, died on June 22. On June 21, while attempting to fill tankers on a wildland firefight involving several local fire departments, Cammack fell from the back of a firefighting apparatus as it was escaping from wind-driven flames that had switched direction and burned over their location. A second firefighter, Kyle Perez, was also hanging onto the truck as it drove through the flames and was injured. Cammack was treated by fellow responders, and both firefighters were transported to the hospital. Cammack succumbed to injuries sustained. Perez was later released from the hospital.
