NEEDA - National Emergency Equipment Dealers Association

The Detroit News says defective fire trucks or closed fire stations contributed to 21 deaths including 13 children. The paper says the Detroit Fire Department has defective or inoperable trucks and uses broken equipment. The information is based on a nine-month study which in which 300 firefighters and officials were interviewed.

CANADIAN COMPANY SELLS MEDICAL KITS, PROTECTIVE ARMOR, FIRE RESISTANT CLOTHING HAS 6% SALES INCREASE
Originally Posted: November 6, 2000 12:00 AM
Last Updated: October 1, 2001 1:35 PM

Pacific Safety Products, a Canadian company in the emergency clothing and products business, has a 6% increase in sales in the first quarter. New product lines and entry to new markets such as PSP's Fire Resistant clothing program have been invested in.

WANT TO BE A HARVARD FIRE EXECUTIVE? FELLOWSHIPS AVAILABLE
Originally Posted: November 6, 2000 12:00 AM
Last Updated: October 1, 2001 1:35 PM

Applications for the 2001 Harvard Fire Executive Fellowship Program are now available. The Fellowship is sponsored by the National Fire Protection Assocition, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Dates are June 10-29 and July 8-27. A third session is planned for February 2002.

WACKENHUT, PURCHASER OF PUBLIC SAFETY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES, GIVES PUBLIC LOOK AT SECURITY BUSINESS
Originally Posted: November 3, 2000 12:00 AM
Last Updated: October 1, 2001 1:35 PM

If Wackenhut Corp's 3rd quarter are an indication, the security business is profitable. Revenues increased 17 percent to $1.9 billion from $1.6 billion in the 1999 period. Net income decreased 4 percent in the first nine months to $13.5 million. VP Richard Wackenhut says security, corrections, staffing businesses exceeded averages for their industry. He said had it not been for one write off the company after interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization would have had an increase in net revenues.

US SENATE VOTES TO DELAY TAX BILL
Originally Posted: November 3, 2000 12:00 AM
Last Updated: October 1, 2001 1:35 PM

With the federal budget issues and a major tax bill still
unresolved, senators voted to pack their bags and head for home,
choosing instead to return to Washington after the election and
pick up where they left off. Will the House and President Clinton
agree to delay legislation?

106TH CONGRESS HEADED FOR LAME DUCK SESSION AFTER THIS WEEKChr$(34);S ELECTION
Originally Posted: November 3, 2000 12:00 AM
Last Updated: October 1, 2001 1:35 PM

The Senate passed a
two-week continuing resolution on November 1, but on November 2 leaders in
Congress suggested that they may continue working through adopting
consecutive 24-hour continuing resolutions (CRs). Regardless of whether a long-term CR or
consecutive short-term resolutions are enacted, it appears very likely that
the work of the 106th Congress will not be done by election day.

The CR was passed in the Senate after it became apparent that the White
House and Congress were not likely to come to agreement on the remaining
spending bills that have yet to be enacted for fiscal year 2001. It is
questionable whether a post-election, lame-duck Congress (which will no
doubt include some members who were defeated on Election Day) will be in a
better position to put aside partisan squabbles to finish the appropriations
process.

Passage of this CR could mean that Congress will seek to put forth a new tax
bill that might be palatable to the White House. President Clinton promised
to veto a tax bill passed by the House two weeks ago, even though it
contained an increase in the minimum wage and some tax provisions that the
Democrats were seeking. Since then, Clinton has hinted that he would be
willing to negotiate further on taxes. However, Speaker of the House Dennis
Hastert (IL) is very skeptical about whether leaders in Congress will want to
address the tax bill again.

DEALERS IN SOUTHEAST US HELP FIREFIGHTERS
Originally Posted: November 3, 2000 12:00 AM
Last Updated: October 1, 2001 1:35 PM

Just as emergency equipment and EMS dealers helped firefighters in the West this Summer, dealers in the Southeast are helping fire departments as they gear up to extensive wildfires burning in many states.

DEALERS IN SOUTHEAST US HELP FIREFIGHTERS
Originally Posted: November 3, 2000 12:00 AM
Last Updated: October 1, 2001 1:35 PM

FORMER GIULIANI AIDE GETS KROLL ASSOCIATES CONSULTING ROLE
Originally Posted: November 2, 2000 12:00 AM
Last Updated: October 1, 2001 1:35 PM

Kroll Associates has a new team to work with public safety departments with problem solving. Mr. Bratton will work closely with Jerome M. Hauer, head of Kroll's newly formed Crisis and Consequence Management Group, which was created to provide corporations, government entities, police departments and other public safety agencies worldwide with crisis planning, training and on-site crisis response and mitigation. Mr. Bratton and Mr. Hauer worked closely together in the Administration of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani where Mr. Hauer served as the first Director of the newly created Mayor's Office of Emergency Management while Mr. Bratton was Police Commissioner.

EMS PRODUCT TO BE INTRODUCED IN NOVEMBER 2000
Originally Posted: November 2, 2000 12:00 AM
Last Updated: October 1, 2001 1:35 PM

The F.A.S.T.1 System for Adult Intraosseous Infusion by EMS and hospital workers will be introduced for distribution November 2000.

SIXTEEN CRUISE LINES TO INSTALL AUDIBLE SOUNDING SMOKE ALARMS
Originally Posted: November 2, 2000 12:00 AM
Last Updated: October 1, 2001 1:35 PM

Responding to the National Transportation Safety Board, the International Council of Cruise Lines has agreed to install smoke alarms in all their ships. Ship public address systems will still be effective so the crew can communicate with passengers. Crewmembers assigned to the ship's firefighting teams receive specialized training in fighting shipboard fires and advanced fire prevention methods at sea.

DAYTON POLICE AND FIRE BEGIN MAJOR OVERHAUL TO IMPROVE SERVICES
Originally Posted: November 1, 2000 12:00 AM
Last Updated: October 1, 2001 1:35 PM

The City of Dayton OH has selected Minneapolis firm CorVu Corporation to evaluate and make improvement recommendations for fire and police public services. CorVu is helping the Dayton Fire Department get a better idea of the "true picture" of the Fire and EMS demand as well as how well they match resources to the actual need and time frames involved in their service delivery package. With performance results gleaned from this study, Dayton is better able to review response times and how staffing can meet demand, ultimately saving time, money, property and lives.

CODE BLUE IS NEW EMS COMPUTER & INTERNET GAME
Originally Posted: November 1, 2000 12:00 AM
Last Updated: October 1, 2001 1:35 PM

You heard about it here on the NEEDA Newsletter! A game you and your children can play to put Emergency Room excitement in your home! "Code Blue" is the new, live-action, interactive emergency-room game from Legacy Interactive. The hospital is in trouble, the staff is pushed to the limit, and the sick and the injured are coming on fast and furious: you are in charge. You can team up over the internet with others around the world to solve real life ER challenges.

ROAD RESCUE PRESIDENT TO HEAD SPARTAN AMBULANCE MANUFACTURING
Originally Posted: November 1, 2000 12:00 AM
Last Updated: October 1, 2001 1:35 PM

Charles D. Drake leaves Medtec Ambulance Corporation to take over Spartan Motor's ambulance manufacturing division, according to John Sztykiel, President and Chief Operating Officer of Spartan. Twenty-five year old Road Rescue is owned by Spartan Motors and has 18 dealers in the US.

STRYKER EMS PRODUCTS TO BE DISTRIBUTED BY MOORE MEDICAL
Originally Posted: November 1, 2000 12:00 AM
Last Updated: October 1, 2001 1:35 PM

Moore Medical will distriute the Stryker Corporation's EMS product line including the Stryker EMS Rugged Ambulance Cots and medical and surgical accessories and supplies. Moore Medical sells on-line and via catalog.