By Scott M. Bruner
FireRescue1 Product Editor
While it wasn’t the first year that Globe had run their Tunnel Crawl and Tower Climb at their booth at FDIC, this year was a little more special. The manufacturer made a donation to the D.C. Firefighters Burn Foundation every time a visitor attempted the tunnel and climb to ring the fire bell on top of the climbing wall.
“We did work with the D.C. firefighters to fine tune our Series 2 Class 2 Harness,” Rob Freese, Globe’s senior vice president of marketing, said. “They came to visit us and while they were here, a call came in about a victim headed to the Burn Center (at Washingon Hospital Center). They mobilized to help that victim and I was so taken by it that I asked about it. We have always donated a small amount each year but this was an opportunity to really step up.”
Globe uses the short tunnel crawl and the climbing wall to demonstrate the functionality of their Series 2 Class 2 Harness, which features a one-step pants and harness closure, an adjustable hook and dee waits buckle as well as a sliding D-ring. It was designed with input from a number of fire departments and organizations, including members of the D.C. Firefighters Burn Foundation, who took advantage of the collaboration with Globe to rally support for their cause.
The D.C. Firefighters Burn Foundation is a non-profit founded by D.C.-area firefighters to assist in the recovery and rehabilitation of local burn patients and injured firefighters.
They provide support and funding to D.C. firefighters and family members of firefighters who have been hospitalized by burns, support the Washington Hospital Center and Children’s National Medical Center and provide funding for the Burn Center at Washington Hospital Center. They also offer help to young burn victims to attend the Children’s Burn Camp.
Globe had 960 climbers on the first day of the show, which put them well on their way of meeting their goal of having 3,000 attendees attempt the crawl and climb. They were expecting to raise around $10,000 for the Foundation.
For more information on the D.C. Firefighters Burn Foundation and how to support them, you can find them at www.dcffburnfoundation.org. Globe products can be found at globefiresuits.com.