PITTSBURGH - MSA announced today that it has become a founding sponsor of the Rural Firefighting Institute (RFI), a newly established organization to assist small, rural and remote fire departments in the areas of tactical and equipment training. The RFI, based in Germantown, Md., consists of volunteer, paid on call and permanent firefighters serving rural and suburban communities throughout the U.S.
"MSA's sponsorship of this newly established organization embodies our strong commitment to the Fire Service," said Ron Herring, vice president and general manager, MSA Safety Products Division. "We are proud to be associated with the RFI and we believe that smaller and rural fire departments across North America will truly benefit from their outstanding training programs and efforts to increase funding and awareness of their unique needs."
A non-profit institute dedicated to the improvement and advancement of fire prevention and control, the RFI works to ensure that rural firefighters are properly trained and equipped with the latest innovations in apparatus and equipment needed to do their jobs in both a safe and effective manner.
As a founding sponsor, MSA will equip all RFI training sites with MSA Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for hands-on training exercises and product demonstrations. "Putting our products on the backs of potential users is a great way to build and grow the MSA brand," commented Mr. Herring. "More importantly, however, providing MSA equipment to the RFI allows fire fighters to stay current on new technologies while giving MSA an avenue to gather important user feedback on product performance and design."
MSA was the first manufacturer of SCBA that met both the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1981-2000 standard and the NIOSH Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) compliance.
"MSA has been meeting the needs of firefighters for more than half a century," continued Mr. Herring. "As our single largest market, we look forward to expanding our pledge to the Fire Service through organizations like the RFI."
As an added benefit, MSA will also be on hand at the annual RFI exposition to showcase new product technologies and innovations from MSA Fire. For more information on the RFI, please visit their Website at http://www.rfi411.com.
Established in 1914, MSA is a global leader in the development, manufacture and supply of sophisticated safety products that protect people's health and safety. Sophisticated safety products typically integrate any combination of electronics, mechanical systems and advanced materials to protect users against hazardous or life-threatening situations. The company's comprehensive line of products is used by workers around the world in the fire service, homeland security, construction and other industries, as well as the military. Principal products include self-contained breathing apparatus, gas masks, gas detection instruments, head protection, respirators and thermal imaging cameras. The company also provides a broad range of consumer and contractor safety products through retail channels. These products are marketed and sold under the MSA Safety Works brand. MSA has annual sales of more than $850 million, manufacturing operations throughout the United States and Europe, and more than 30 international locations. Additional information is available on the company's Web site at http://www.msanet.com. To learn more about MSA products for the fire service, please visit http://www.MSAFire.com.
