MSA and DuPont’s 2023 Globe Gear Giveaway Provided 13 Volunteer Fire Departments With Needed Personal Protective Equipment

January 16, 2024

Many volunteer fire departments across the U.S. struggle to obtain safe and adequate turnout gear to protect their firefighters. Recognizing this, MSA Safety, DuPont Personal Protection, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) annually award departments in need with state-of-the-art turnout gear and helmets.

In 2023, 13 volunteer fire departments across the U.S. and Canada each received four new turnout jackets, four new turnout pants, and four helmets. Since the program began in 2012, a total of 715 sets of gear and 260 helmets have been donated to 160 departments.

“Volunteer firefighters give their all every day to keep their communities safe,” said NVFC chair Steve Hirsch. “The NVFC is grateful to in turn be able to help keep these responders safe through our longtime partnership with MSA and DuPont.”

“Helping men and women work in safety and live in health are core to our mission,” said Bob Apel, MSA Safety’s executive director of global fire service and digital experience. “We’re proud to be a partner in this program to help improve the safety of the volunteer firefighters in the United States and Canada. This partnership allows us to help these firefighters not just better protect themselves, but also their communities.”

“On behalf of thousands of our DuPont Personal Protection employees in North America, we have been honored to support this initiative since its inception in 2012,” said Jeff Fackler, North American business development director at DuPont Personal Protection. “We are committed to continually innovating to improve durable thermal and particulate protection while reducing heat stress of the entire PPE system, including station wear and gear for our firefighters. We are delighted that our collaboration with Globe and the NVFC continues to enable more departments to get access to these newer technologies.”

The giveaway aims to help departments struggling to obtain adequate personal protective equipment – of which there are many. According to a 2021 U.S. fire service needs assessment report from the National Fire Protection Agency, nearly two thirds of departments have firefighters wearing gear that is over 10 years old. This especially impacts departments in smaller communities, which are typically served by volunteers. In communities under 2,500, 75 percent of departments reported using gear that is over 10 years old and 17 percent reported not having enough gear for all of their firefighters.

The recipients of the 2023 gear giveaway are as follows:

To be eligible to apply for the giveaway, departments had to be over 50 percent volunteer, serve a population of 25,000 or less, be located in the U.S. or Canada and legally organized under state/province law, demonstrate significant need for new gear, and the person applying or the department chief must be a member of the NVFC. MSA provided NVFC memberships to the first 500 applicants to help departments meet the membership requirement.

The application period for MSA and DuPont’s 2024 Globe Gear Giveaway will open in February. A total of 52 sets of turnout gear and helmets will be awarded to increase firefighter safety. Stay tuned to the NVFC web site, Dispatch newsletter, and Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and Instagram pages, as well as the Globe Facebook page, for details.

About Globe Manufacturing Company and MSA Safety
Globe Manufacturing Company, a leader in fire service protective clothing, is a subsidiary of MSA Safety Incorporated. MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE: MSA) is the global leader in advanced safety products, technology and solutions. Driven by its singular mission of safety, the Company has been at the forefront of safety innovation since 1914, protecting workers and facility infrastructure around the world across a broad range of diverse end markets while creating sustainable value for shareholders. With 2022 revenues of $1.5 billion, MSA Safety is headquartered in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania and employs a team of over 5,000 associates across its more than 40 international locations. For more information, please visit 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.