Scuttlebutt 9/21

“Emergency!” Stars Producing Paramedic Documentary

The ’70s TV show “Emergency!” introduced the concept of paramedics to millions of viewers and inspired thousands to become EMS practitioners themselves. Some historians say it launched modern EMS in the United States.

Now, Randy Mantooth and Kevin Tighe, who portrayed Johnny Gage and Roy Desoto, respectively, in the series, are co-producing a documentary to tell the story of today’s paramedic—following a pandemic that strained our healthcare system and revealed the critical role that paramedics play in caring for their community.

The project has an advisory board that comprises 18 key industry leaders and is endorsed by 20 of the major national EMS organizations, which represents almost 2 million members.

For more information on the project, visit intotheunknowndoc.com.

Globe Gear Giveaway Winners

The Midland, PA, Volunteer Fire Department (MVFD) and the Springville, TN, Volunteer Fire Department (SVFD) are the latest recipients of MSA’s and DuPont’s Globe Gear Giveaway. MSA, DuPont and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have provided more than $1 million worth of gear to volunteer departments through the program, which is in its 10th year. In 2021, 13 departments each will receive four sets of turnout gear and four helmets to help to enhance the safety of their firefighters. The first 500 applicants also receive a one-year NVFC membership.

The MVFD is an all-volunteer department that’s located in rural western Pennsylvania. Serving a population of approximately 2,700 over a 2.1-sq.-mile area, the MVFD responds to an average of 240 calls annually. Although the MVFD has 12 sets of turnout gear, all of the sets are 24 years old and in poor shape. Other PPE also is either lacking or severely out of date, which makes it difficult to properly outfit current members and to bring on new members. The MVFD receives no financial support from the local government and, therefore, relies entirely on community support. The department lacks a facility where it can host events, which makes fundraising difficult.

The SVFD protects 20 square miles and a population that can swell to more than 2,800 during the summer tourist season. The SVFD’s nine volunteers are equipped with out-of-date, worn and even torn gear that no longer meets NFPA safety standards. Every time that the SVFD’s volunteers respond to an emergency, they are put at risk because of their outdated gear. Furthermore, because of funding constraints, the department is unable to purchase new gear without outside help.

For more information, visit MSAsafety.com.

Survey: Only 1 Percent of Fire Departments Bought Apparatus in Past Two Years

I n a recent survey that was conducted by Firehouse Magazine, we found that only 1 percent of the fire departments that responded have apparatus that’s 2 years old or newer.

With extremely tight budgets, large purchases, such as new apparatus, took a backseat to other expenditures. Still, it’s a notable statistic.

The survey revealed that 93 percent of respondents have apparatus that’s 2–15 years old. Forty-five percent of the respondents said that their department has a 6–10-year-old piece of apparatus. Fourteen percent of the survey-takers’ departments have apparatus that’s at least 16 years old. (Note: Departments have several pieces of apparatus with various ages, which explains why the percentages don’t add up to 100.)

Metro Chiefs Endorses NFPA Wildfire Initiative

In its latest resolution action, the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association (Metro Chiefs) unanimously approved support of Outthink Wildfire. The initiative of the NFPA aims at eliminating the destruction of communities by wildfire in 30 years.

Launched in February 2021, Outthink Wildfire lays out five policy changes that must occur at all levels of government to make it easier for communities to foster collaboration, enact change, achieve resilience and protect themselves from wildfire. Leveraging this information, the Metro Chiefs resolution calls for support of the five tenets that form a complete wildfire mitigation approach, including the need for more and better training and protective equipment to ensure that fire departments are prepared properly to respond safely and effectively to wildfire.

The resolution emphasizes the fact that the United States has witnessed a steady increase in the frequency and the intensity of wildfires, which is a trend that experts predict will continue. The number of homes that are lost in wildfires per year has increased by 163 percent, and wildfires now cost billions of dollars each year in losses. In the past three years alone, metropolitan fire departments in the western United States have seen more than 100 lives and thousands of structures lost to wildfire.

For more information, visit nfpa.org/wildfirepolicy.

Crowdfunding Platform to Support Emergency Responders

NEP Services launched Help a Hero. The crowdfunding platform helps to raise money for fallen and injured first responders in their time of need.

Help a Hero allows emergency responders to raise money quickly when tragedy strikes. The platform uses military-grade encryption to keep user data safe. In a soft rollout from March to July of 2021, Help a Hero was deployed on six occasions and raised more than $130,000 for emergency responders who had been shot in the line of duty, severely injured or passed away unexpectedly.

For more information, visit nepservices.com.