MSA And DuPont’s Globe Gear Giveaway Awards New Turnout Gear And Helmets To Departments In TX And PA

Many volunteer fire departments struggle to obtain adequate personal protective equipment for their members.

This is why MSA Safety, DuPont Personal Protection, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have partnered since 2012 to donate new gear to departments in need through MSA and DuPont’s Globe Gear Giveaway. 

2023 giveaway recipients

In 2023, 13 volunteer fire departments will be selected to receive four new sets of turnout gear and four new helmets each. The first 500 applicants also received a one-year NVFC membership, courtesy of MSA.

Avoca (TX) Volunteer Fire Department and LeContes Mills Volunteer Fire Company (Frenchville, PA) are the latest departments to receive the gear.

Avoca Volunteer Fire Department

The Avoca Volunteer Fire Department is a new department formed to protect 100 square miles

The Avoca Volunteer Fire Department is a new department formed to protect 100 square miles of sprawling farmland in northern Texas.

The community consists of 60 houses, many of which are abandoned, as well as two churches, two schools, and a cotton gin. The core community consists of about 100 people, there are roughly 3,600 residents in the larger and growing response area.

Building a new community

In 2022, Avoca experienced a disastrous fire on St. Patrick’s Day. It wiped out four houses while residents waited over an hour for surrounding community departments to respond.

The Community subsequently came together to form its volunteer fire department to prevent such a devastating loss from happening again. However, the department needs gear and equipment to provide fire response in its service area.

“We are a newly established department,” said Chief Victor Kimbrough, adding “This (giveaway) is our only chance to bring life and some hope into this community.”

LeContes Mills Volunteer Fire Company

Since the department’s formation in 1976, it has never been able to afford new turnout gear for its members

Made up entirely of volunteers, the LeContes Mills Volunteer Fire Company serves the small, rural town of Frenchville, PA.

Overseeing an area of over 500 square miles, the department mostly responds to building fires but also handles brush fires and search-and-rescue missions in the surrounding mountainous and wooded terrain.

Since the department’s formation in 1976, it has never been able to afford new turnout gear for its members. Nearby departments have passed down old gear, but it is all over 10 years old, posing serious safety risks to the firefighters.

Turnout gear

And, as the threat of lithium-ion battery emergencies grows due to an increase in electric vehicles in the community, having proper protection is more critical than ever.

When asked what it means to the department to receive new gear, member Mary Kerstetter answered, “Not only does this enhance (the) protection of our volunteer firefighters at fires, but (it allows) our fire company to do a better job of protecting (the) homes of our residents, property, and our entire community.”