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Newletters From December, 2001
WHAT WAS GOOD AND BAD FOR SMALL BUSINESSES IN 2001?
Originally Posted: December 28, 2001 11:21 AM
Last Updated: December 28, 2001 11:24 AM
GOOD: BEST IMPACT ON SMALL BUSINESSES:
1. Passage of the Bush Tax Cut Package.
2. Deep Interest Rate Cuts. The Federal Reserve cut short term interest rates from 6.5% to 1.75% in 2001, a whopping reduction.
3. Sharply Lower Energy Prices.
4. Moratorium on Internet Taxes.
5. Scuttling the Kyoto Treaty.
6. Settling the Microsoft Suit.
7. Harry Potter & the Hobbits.
8. Erased Ergonomic Regulations.
BAD: WORST IMPACT ON SMALL BUSINESSES:
1. September 11th.
2. The Recession.
3. Blackouts in California.
4. The Resurrection of the Death Tax.
5. Change in Senate Leadership.
6. No Trade Clause.
7. No Energy Plan.
This list was developed by the Small Business Survival Committee which is a nonprofit small business organization in Washington, D.C.
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AIRPORTS IN INDIANAPOLIS, ORLANDO, COLORADO SPRINGS, NASHVILLE, ST. LOUIS, TAMPA AND TUCSON INSTALLING CARDIAC SCIENCE DEFIBRILLATORS
Originally Posted: December 27, 2001 7:46 AM
Last Updated: December 27, 2001 7:46 AM
Airports and other public places are installing defibrillators. Defibrillators deliver a life-saving electric shock to the heart to halt sudden cardiac arrest -- rapid and chaotic heart activity -- and restore a normal heart rhythm.
For example, Cardiac Science Inc (Irvine CA) has been selected to outfit with its Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) Indianapolis International Airport, Orlando International Airport, Colorado Springs Airport, Nashville International Airport, St. Louis International Airport/Lambert Field, Tampa International Airport and Tucson International Airport.
NEEDA NEWSLETTER has published several news reports on the defibrillator (AED) market. You can see all these stories with a one stop click of the "Search" function in the upper right of your NEEDA NEWSLETTER screen.
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AMERICAN LAFRANCE/FREIGHTLINER EXEC HUBBARD CLAPPER TO MANAGE ROAD RESCUE AMBULANCE MANUFACTURING
Originally Posted: December 26, 2001 2:11 PM
Last Updated: December 26, 2001 2:11 PM
Hubbard Clapper is the new general manager of Road Rescue’s newly built South Carolina ambulance-manufacturing facility. Road Rescue is part of Spartan Motors (Charlotte MI). Previous NEEDA NEWSLETTER news stories have covered the construction of the South Carolina ambulance plant.
For other news and market information on Road Rescue, Frieghtliner, Spartan and American LaFrance, use the “SEARCH” application on the upper right of your NEEDA NEWSLETTER screen. Enter any of those words, or “ambulance” to complete your market research.
The plant Clapper will manage will be finished in Marion, S.C. during the first quarter of 2002 and is set to commence operations in second quarter of 2002.
A former U.S. Marine, Clapper spent 16 years in sales, management and consulting positions for heavy-duty truck manufacturers, including emergency vehicle and crane specialists, before joining Freightliner.
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DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS BILL ADDS $210 MILLION FOR FIRE ACT MATCHING GRANTS TO LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS: BRINGS TOTAL FUNDING FOR 2002 TO $290 MILLION vs. $100 MILLION IN 2001
Originally Posted: December 21, 2001 5:56 PM
Last Updated: December 21, 2001 5:56 PM
House-Senate conferees agreed December 19, 2001, to a final emergency supplemental appropriation of $210 million for the Fire Grant Act Assistance to Firefighters program, known as the FIRE Act.
For more information on 2001 Fire Act matching grants, use the search function on the upper right of the NEEDA NEWSLETTER screen: entering "Fire Act" will connect you with at least 10 other NEEDA NEWSLETTER stories about these matching grants to local fire departments. The grants can be used for the purchase of equipment and vehicles as well as training and other uses. Fire Act grants were created by Public Law 106-398 passed by the last Congress which contained an amendment to the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974.
Want more info on Congressional legislation? http://thomas.loc.gov/
The supplemental amendment is part of the Defense Appropriations bill for FY 2002, HR 3338 (House Report 107-350). While the Senate Appropriations Committee had recommended $300 million with 5% for salaries and expenses, the Senate approved $290 million. However, the House Appropriations Committee had no funds for this program in its version of the bill. When the House and Senate got together to come up with a single unified bill, they agreed on a compromise of $210 million for Fire Grants.
This $210 million will be added to a $150 million appropriation earlier in 2001. Therefore, the total available in 2002 to local fire departments will be $360 million.
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SOME CELL PHONES WON’T CONNECT WITH 911 DESPITE FCC RULES
Originally Posted: December 21, 2001 4:58 PM
Last Updated: December 21, 2001 4:58 PM
Following the September 11, 2001 national disasters, there has been a lot of discussion about cell phones, since many people tried to use their cell phones during the horrible aircraft strikes in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania. However, not all cell phones transmissions got through. But, worse, some which got through did not connect with 911. While FCC rules say cell phones should connect with 911 where the service is offered, some don't. This is a critical fact, no matter what the problem. It is particularly important on a day to day basis because 911 can save lives of those facing stroke or heart attack. Buyers of cell phones should verify that the phone they are purchasing, or the service they are using, will connect reliably and directly to 911.
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DEALERS GET NEW HANDHELD COMPUTER PDA WITH STATS, PHOTOS, VIDEO ON NEW SPARTAN PRODUCTS: UPDATES FROM INTERNET
Originally Posted: December 21, 2001 4:19 PM
Last Updated: December 21, 2001 4:19 PM
At the December, 2001 Recreational Vehicle show, Spartan Motors (Charlotte MI) introduced its new PDA Silent Salesman, a hand-held computer that provides statistics, photos and video footage for Spartan's custom chassis products. Sales associates working with customers will have all the necessary facts and figures to complete the sale at their fingertips -- no matter where they are on the dealership lot. The PDAs can be quickly and easily updated over the Internet.
For more information about Spartan use the "Search" application in the upper right of the NEEDA NEWSLETTER screen and enter "Spartan." As emergency equipment dealers, we find it interesting to see what Spartan is offering in its other important markets. The Company is a supporter of NEEDA and owns fire and rescue vehicle manufacturers Luverne Fire Apparatus, Quality Manufacturing and Road Rescue, Inc.
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FIRST RESPONDERS GET CONTINUED WORKERS COMP COVERAGE FOR HEPATITIS C IN PENNSYLVANIA
Originally Posted: December 20, 2001 3:23 PM
Last Updated: December 20, 2001 3:23 PM
Fire, EMS and rescue workers exposed to blood in the course of their emergency work, may contract Hepatitis C, as previously reported by NEEDA NEWSLETTER. Several states including Pennsylvania have added Heptatitis C to workman's comp and Gov. Mark Schweiker, new PA governor, has extended the state workers comp law to continue offering Hepatitis C benefits to first responders.
Pennsylvania is the fourth state to provide this benefit to emergency workers and police officers who get Hepatitis C. Only eight states even offer it to their firefighters.
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US OCCUPATIONAL & HEALTH ADMINISRATION (OSHA) ENCOURAGES DEFIBRILLATOR USE TO COUNTER CARDIAC ARREST
Originally Posted: December 20, 2001 3:05 PM
Last Updated: December 20, 2001 3:05 PM
OSHA has issued a technical information bulletin urging all employers to use defibrillators (AEDs). Currrent cost is approximately $3,000-$4,500 according to OSHA. In 1999 and 2000, 815 of 6,339 workplace fatalities reported to OSHA resulted from cardiac arrest. The agency estimates if AEDs helped restore 40 percent of those who suffer a cardiac crisis, as many as 120 lives would be saved each year.
Under click on the headline and under "MORE INFO?" this NEEDA NEWSLETTER will show how to get the complete OSHA information. Use the "Search" function on the NEEDA NEWSLETTER upper right screen for more news reports on the defibrillator market.
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MANY FIRE AND RESCUE UNITS DON’T HAVE DEFIBRILLATORS: BUT WHEN USED THESE DEVICES OFFER HIGH CHANCE OF SURVIVAL IN CARDIAC ARREST
Originally Posted: December 19, 2001 12:52 PM
Last Updated: December 19, 2001 12:59 PM
Fewer than half of the nation's ambulance services, less than 15 percent of emergency service fire units, and less than 2 percent of police vehicles are equipped with AEDs. However, AEDs have a 97 percent success rate in terminating ventricular fibrillation. There are over 465,000 deaths per year among cardiac arrest victims. Federal and state legislatures and governments are helping stimulate AED procurement to reduce the death rate.
AED market projections currently range from $140 million in 2000 to $650 million in 2006. Emergency equipment dealers and EMS dealers sell AEDs to the public safety market.
For more news on AEDs from NEEDA, use the "Search" function and enter "defibrillator" in the upper right of your NEEDA NEWSLETTER screen.
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GPS TRACKING SYSTEM FOR VEHICLES BY COMPANY WHICH SELLS TO PUBLIC SAFETY MARKET
Originally Posted: December 18, 2001 8:57 PM
Last Updated: December 18, 2001 8:57 PM
Radio Satellite Integrators, Inc. (Torrance CA), a global provider of customized GPS-based vehicle tracking solutions, sold an Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) system to Malphrus Construction of South Carolina. The company sells a similar system to fire and public safety departments. The company has developed and implemented more than 85 systems worldwide, with applications in a range of fields including public safety, transit, utilities, and other operations.
For other NEEDA NEWSLETTER stories on the use of global positioning systems in the emergency, fire, rescue and EMS markets, use the "Search" function in the upper right of the NEEDA screen.
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RURAL/METRO CONTINUES TO FIGHT FOR ITS FINANCIAL LIFE: SEEKS NEW LONG-TERM FINANCING AND REPAYMENT OF $141.8 MILLION DEBT
Originally Posted: December 18, 2001 8:47 PM
Last Updated: December 18, 2001 8:47 PM
Rural/Metro Corporation (Scottsdale AZ), a national leader in ambulance transportation and fire protection services, announced that talks continue with its banks toward a long-term solution on its revolving credit facility. For other news stories about Rural/Metro, use the Search function in the upper right of NEEDA NEWSLETTER. NEEDA has been following the progress of the company for several years.
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SPARTAN OFFERS ALUMINUM BIG EASY FIRE APPARATUS WITH FOUR DOOR CAB: AIMS FOR SALES TO 28,000 TOWNSHIP FIRE DEPARTMENTS
Originally Posted: December 18, 2001 8:35 PM
Last Updated: December 18, 2001 8:50 PM
Spartan Motors has a new price point emergency vehicle called Big Easy aimed at the market which often buys commercial rather than custom apparatus.
Features of Big Easy include:
* Extruded aluminum construction
* Four-door cab with a flat floor and raised roof, offering 30 percent more interior space than a commercial cab
* A 20-percent larger windshield than commercial cabs, allowing for greater visibility
For other NEEDA NEWSLETTER stories about Spartan Motors, use the "Search" function at the upper right of your NEEDA screen. Spartan Motors has been a supporter of NEEDA and the dealer association concept.
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$900 MILLION IN MATCHING FIRE GRANTS FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS? AVOID MISINFORMATION BY ASKING: HOW MUCH HAS BEEN "APPROPRIATED"?
Originally Posted: December 17, 2001 12:13 PM
Last Updated: December 21, 2001 6:11 PM
Actual spending next year for Fire Act matching grants will not be $900 million but one fifth that amount!
There is widespread confusion or misinformation on this matter because some associations and company news releases are saying Congress is going to OK $900 million per year, which would be a huge increase over the current $360 million per year appropriation and last year’s $100 million per year.
NEEDA dealers have asked: So, what's the truth about these amounts? $900 million or $360 million? This NEEDA NEWSLETTER item, written by NEEDA Executive Director Kenton Pattie, will give you the facts, clear up the confusion, and give you a compass to evaluate future information sent to you by companies and associations in the future. It may not be what you want to hear because you are a passionate supporter of the fire service. But as a business leader, this is what you need to know to make market projections for next year. James "Pat" Griffin, NEEDA President
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LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS BEING ASKED TO RESPOND TO FEDERAL FIRE NEEDS SURVEY
Originally Posted: December 17, 2001 10:22 AM
Last Updated: December 17, 2001 9:58 PM
The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) is conducting the first ever U.S. Fire Service Needs Assessment Survey. The USFA expects to begin mailing the needs assessment questionnaire to every fire department across the country I in December 2001. USFA is a part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
"The fire services play a critical role in protecting our communities," said R. David Paulison, new U.S. Fire Administrator. "Firefighters -- both career and volunteer -- increasingly serve as first responders nationwide to all types of hazardous and emergency situations, from fire to acute medical emergencies to hazardous material releases, and terrorist attacks such as the tragic events of September 11(2001)."
At the end of this news item, NEEDA has provided a copy of the survey, as published by the US Fire Administration. Local fire departments should use the survey form they receive from the Federal government and not the sample attached to this NEEDA NEWSLETTER. NEEDA encourages all fire departments to respond to this survey.
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DAVID PAULISON SWORN IN AS NEW US FIRE ADMINISTRATOR: WAS MIAMI-DADE FIRE CHIEF AND INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE CHIEFS PRESIDENT
Originally Posted: December 16, 2001 4:56 PM
Last Updated: December 16, 2001 4:59 PM
At engine company number 3, on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, the nation's new Fire Administrator was sworn in. R. David Paulison was confirmed by the US Senate November 30, 2001.
He is past president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and was chief of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department. The Fire Administration is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) which has substantial new responsibilities in the war on terrorism.
For other NEEDA NEWSLETTER news stories on the Fire Administration (USFA) and FEMA, use the "Search" function on the upper right of the NEEDA NEWSLETTER screen.
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AS WILDFIRE FIGHTING COSTS SOAR, BUSH-CHENEY ADMINISTRATION CONSIDERS PLAN TO ALLOW MORE NATURAL FIRES TO BURN PLUS CONTROLLED BURNS TO REDUCE UNDERBRUSH FIRE FUEL
Originally Posted: December 16, 2001 4:15 PM
Last Updated: December 16, 2001 4:15 PM
New leadership in the Bush-Cheney Administration is looking at the safety, ecological and economic benefits of letting forest fires burn without fighting them.
Responding to the highest wildfire rate since the Second World War, Congress appropriated a record $1.9 billion for fighting wildfires to finance more helicopters, equipment and firefighters. Congress has increased funding for fire supression from $122 million to $469 million under the National Fire Plan. Fire fighting costs over half of the Forest Service's annual $3 billion budget.
This news item includes a Q and A from the National Fire Plan, the guiding document for future wildfire fighting in the US, unless altered at the direction of the US Congress.
For other useful information on Wildfires and forest fires, use the "Search" function on the upper right of the NEEDA NEWSLETTER screen. Many NEEDA dealers in the west, south and southeast provide considerable resources and effort into supporting the local fire departments which battle wildfires which threaten property, homes, towns and recreation income in thousands of US communities. Fire and emergency manufacturers, who are represented by NEEDA dealers, create products which have special applicability in wildfire situations. Click on this news item and use the three websites listed at the end of the story to tap into further information from US government sources.
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BOUND TREE PARR ACQUIRES PMX MEDICAL TO EXPAND EMS DISTRIBUTION TO FIRE, POLICE, HOSPITALS, AND EMS RESPONDERS
Originally Posted: December 14, 2001 10:32 PM
Last Updated: December 14, 2001 10:32 PM
Bound Tree Parr recently combined with Parr has acquired PMX Medical the emergency medical business of Pro Med Co. The entire combination will provide equipment and supplies through the emergency medical products market. HQ is Henniker NH. The announcement was made by David Currier, who is founder of the National Emergency Medical Services Dealers Association which is a part of NEEDA.
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ECONOMIC DOWNTURN HITS STATE AND LOCAL SPENDING: WILL AFFECT STATE AND LOCAL FIRE, EMERGENCY AND EMS BUYING WHEN PUBLIC SUPPORTS MORE IN EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND ANTI TERRORISM
Originally Posted: December 10, 2001 3:51 PM
Last Updated: December 10, 2001 4:01 PM
In August, NEEDA NEWSLETTER predicted a substantial downturn in state and local revenues, based on reports NEEDA obtained during the summer. This prediction has now been confirmed by a drop in income in most states.
The downturn in state and local revenues will dramatically impact fire, emergency, and EMS departments as legislators struggle to allocate the few dollars remaining among the many state and local requirements. The best thing we have going for us in the fire, emergency and EMS services are the increasing public demand for security and protection from, and response to, terrorist attacks. The Fire Grants will help in those communities which receive the funds, but legislators may hold up spending for grant applicants gambling that they receive their grant.
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AFTER LEAVING ARGENTINA, RURAL-METRO WINS FIVE YEAR $5.6 MILLION CONTRACT FOR FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICES AT BOLIVIAN AIRPORTS
Originally Posted: December 9, 2001 5:34 PM
Last Updated: December 9, 2001 5:36 PM
As reported in NEEDA NEWSLETTER, Rural Metro's financial report was hurt by its withdrawal from Argentina due to the recession in that country. But now it has a new $5.6 million five year contract for rescue and firefighting in Bolivia.
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JOHN SZTYKIEL NEW CEO OF SPARTAN MOTORS; BEGINS 6-02
Originally Posted: December 9, 2001 5:24 PM
Last Updated: December 9, 2001 5:24 PM
John Sztykiel, 44, has served as president and COO of Spartan Motors since December 1992, and as a director since 1988. For the past nine years, he also served as president of the Company's largest subsidiary, Spartan Motors Chassis.
His Board had now appointed him CEO beginning June 2002.
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CONGRESS TRIES TO LEAVE WASHINGTON IN DECEMBER: POSTAL RATES AND ECONOMIC STIMULUS STILL UP IN THE AIR. . . LOCAL-FEDERAL SPLIT OF FUTURE ANTI-TERRORISM COSTS WILL BE DECIDED IN 2002 BUT LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS WILL HAVE TO SPEND MORE
Originally Posted: December 9, 2001 5:16 PM
Last Updated: December 9, 2001 5:17 PM
NEEDA NEWSLETTER predicted earlier this year that in 2002 there will be a substantial Postal Rate increase. We still believe this prediction will prove correct, but members of Congress are working to avert a postal rate increase using the 9-11 disaster as a reason to help bail out the postal service.
On the President's economic stimulus package, a group of six leaders from both sides of the aisle from the House and Senate are expected to try to reach an agreement and Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle (D-SD) has expressed optimism for bringing a bill to the floor the week of December 10, 2001. President Bush wants a stimulus bill, but has objected to some of the provisions the Senate is considering.
On how much the Federal government will require local governments to spend on anti-terrorism is to be decided in 2002. Former PA Gov. Ridge, now at the White House, predics that local fire departments will have to pay a share of the costs. But local government leaders want to know how much the Federal government is going to give local governments.
Already, the Congerss is working on an additional appropriations for the Fire Grant program which will give more money to local fire departments but no enough to help them respond to terrorism.
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