Shamrock Gear & Repair LLC in coordination with Canton Twp. Fire Department, would like to invite you and your members to a demonstration of :

Zimek Room and Vehicle Sterilization
 from Mr. Tom Nolan of Clean Air Systems, Inc.

http://www.zimek.com/
http://www.cleanairinc.com/

If you have any questions or may plan to attend, please call Rob at 330-418-6879.

The Program can be tuned to the needs of any department, any size.

Our most popular Program includes cleanings, inspections, tracking, and repairs for 1 price per each ensemble.  This Program will ensure that your department’s fire fighting ensembles meet the safety standards that your people, and those they protect, deserve.  We at Shamrock Gear can assist you in keeping your gear compliant to the NFPA 1851- 2008 Standard.

The new Standard has added a mandatory 10 year retirement-

GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR GEAR!!

As we come into the time to set budgets for next year, remember-

We test our ladders,  we test our fire pumps, and we test our fire hose each year.  Do we test the items the most protect our most valuable resource?- the fire gear that goes on our people.

We can help to set up a Program for any size department, or any size budget.

Details can be received by calling our shop at 330-313-1220 or Rob at 330-418-6879.

Remeber to check us out at shamrockgear.org.

Comments and questions can also be left on our Shamrock Gear Blog.

A number of years ago I was a member of a combination department. After a few years, some further training, and a truck load of experience, I was promoted to an officer position and issued MY OWN RADIO!!!

At first, it was a sort of a big deal to me. Until I realized that every call, I had to figure out where to put this THING that was supposed to become an extension of me. After numerous EMS calls with this THING falling off my hip, each fire call trying to find the right pocket to put it in, and the final straw when the THING fell out of my “radio pocket” on an industrial fire and I unknowingly drug it through 4 inches of water, enough was enough. It was time for a holster.

No one else on the department had a radio holster and it seemed like taboo if I went out on this limb for the sake of convenience. I thought, FDNY wears them, they must work, they must be practical. It seemed like common sense. Then I found out how much I might have to pay for this convenience- $50- $70

Being a bit crafty (I guess), I went to a local tack shop, bought some pieces of leather, some hardware, and created my own radio rig for less than $10. It was very rough, but it worked.
I was pretty proud of myself, until I wore it on a call. My “Hero Holster” seemed to be a big hit for jokes at my expense. I was a big boy with thick skin- I didn’t lose that damn THING anymore. I kept honing my leather skills and soon those that made fun of me, found there common sense and had me make one for them.

I have since left that department for a full time position and sold close to two hundred “Hero Holsters”!!

My “Hero Holsters” are a bit different from others, but very, very practical in design, and most important DURABLE! I have not had a repeat customer. They last too long!!

So, I guess the point of my rant and yawning story is- radio holsters are not just for “heroes”, they are for anyone with a little common sense. They help to protect your radio, keep it in place, and are sensible in a time when most firefighters should be carrying a radio for safety’s sake.

Check out our online store for the most reliable, reasonably priced radio holster on the planet. Contact us for volume pricing!!

END OF 2007 SPECIAL-

BUY 5 RADIO HOLSTERS GET 6th ONE FREE!

CALL FOR DETAILS

330-313-1220

Be sure to check out our Firefighter Radio Holster selection.

QUESTION:

DO YOU USE A RADIO HOLSTER? WHAT KIND? HOW MUCH? IS IT MANDATORY IN YOUR DEPARTMENT?

If you are a Shamrock Gear customer leave us feedback on how our products are working for you!

What would your department do if gear came out of an incident covered in paint like this?

This department called on Shamrock Gear to revive this gear back to a life of service.

This was an extreme circumstance. We opened the box to find 2 pair of trousers covered in paint. The paint wasn’t a splatter, as you can see above. Very thick and caked on, the only solvent to remove the paint was elbow grease!

We spent a couple of days working (not continuous) on removing the paint, all the while using a solvent that was strong enough to soften and break down the paint, yet gentle enough not to destroy the fabric. Our goal became reality. Clean gear that we could return and place back in service, as you can see below.

Keeping your gear clean, keeps you safe!

If you ever have questions or problems, call us, we are glad to help.

Fire Gear Cleaning, Inspection, and Repair by Shamrock Gear and Repair

DHS ADOPTS 11 NFPA STANDARDS FOR EMERGENCY RESPONDERS

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Fire Protection Association and the U.S.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced the adoption of 11

NFPA standards for emergency responders by DHS.  The newly adopted

standards will set requirements to assist federal agencies and state and

local officials responsible for procuring equipment and services used by

emergency responders.

"It is enormously important that first responders have the tools and

qualifications necessary to perform their duties well - their lives and

the lives of others depend on it," said James M. Shannon. "DHS has taken

an important step in supporting the needs of first responders with the

adoption of these standards."

The documents adopted will provide direction and allow officials to make

better procurement decisions in the following areas:  professional

qualifications, occupational safety and health, fire apparatus, personal

protective clothing, powered rescue tools, and other equipment.

"The threat of fire in any home, school, or business is a reality. To

expect first responders to run into the current all-hazard environment

without training, equipment and the basic tools to do their jobs, is

unacceptable," said U.S. Fire Administrator Greg Cade. "These newly

adopted standards by DHS further ensure communities have well-informed,

well-trained, and well-equipped first responders, supported by

manufacturers, and outside agencies dedicated to protecting the people

of this nation."

The 11 newly adopted standards are:

* NFPA 1000, Standard for Fire Service Professional Qualifications

Accreditation and Certification Systems

* NFPA 1001, Standard for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications

* NFPA 1002, Standard for Fire Apparatus Driver/Operator Professional

Qualifications

* NFPA 1006, Standard for Rescue Technician Professional Qualifications

* NFPA 1021, Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications

* NFPA 1500, Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health

Program

* NFPA 1582, Standard on Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program for

Fire Departments

* NFPA 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus

* NFPA 1906, Standard for Wildland Fire Apparatus

* NFPA 1912, Standard for Fire Apparatus Refurbishing

* NFPA 1936, Standard on Powered Rescue Tools

The adoption of NFPA standards reflect the continuing support of a

multi-year program in U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Science and

Technology Directorate to build confidence in homeland security

technologies, products, services, and personnel through the development

and adoption of voluntary consensus standards. A list of the standards

can be found on the Department of Homeland Security's Web site

(www.dhs.gov) and the Responder Knowledge Base (www.rkb.mipt.org). The

standards documents are available from the National Fire Protection

Association (www.nfpa.org) and from the American National Standards

Institute (webstore.ansi.org).

DHS previously adopted 14 NFPA standards that remain in use today.  They

are:

* NFPA 1600, Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business

Continuity Programs

* NFPA 1851, Standard on Selection, Care and Maintenance of Structural

Fire Fighting Protective Ensembles

* NFPA 1852, Standard on Selection, Care, and Maintenance of

Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA)

* NFPA 1951, Standard on Protective Ensembles for Technical Rescue

Operations

* NFPA 1971, Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire

Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting

* NFPA 1975, Standard on Station/Work Uniforms for Fire and Emergency

Services

* NFPA 1981, Standard on Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus

(SCBA) for Emergency Services

* NFPA 1982, Standard on Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS)

* NFPA 1991, Standard on Vapor-Protective Ensembles for Hazardous Materials Emergencies

* NFPA 1992, Standard on Liquid Splash-Protective Ensembles and Clothing

for Hazardous Materials Emergencies

* NFPA 1994, Standard on Protective Ensembles for First Responders to

CBRN Terrorism Incidents

* NFPA 1999, Standard on Protective Clothing for Emergency Medical

Operations

* NFPA 2112, Standard on Flame-Resistant Garments for Protection of

Industrial Personnel against Flash Fire

* NFPA 2113, Standard on Selection, Care, Use, and Maintenance of

Flame-Resistant Garments for Protection of Industrial Personnel against

Flash Fire

All NFPA safety codes and standards are developed through a process

accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The 200

technical committees responsible for developing and updating all 300

codes and standards include 6,000 volunteers, representing enforcing

authorities, installers and maintainers , labor, research and testing

laboratories, insurers, special experts, consumers and other users.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology

Directorate serves as the primary research and development arm of the

Department, utilizing our nation’s scientific and technological

resources to provide federal, state and local officials with the

technology and capabilities to protect the homeland.

NFPA has been a worldwide leader in providing fire, electrical,

building, and life safety to the public since 1896. The mission of the

international nonprofit organization is to reduce the worldwide burden

of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and

advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and

education. Visit NFPA’s Web site at www.nfpa.org.

LAYMAN’S TERMS

Focusing on the maintenance of the fire fighting ensembles, NFPA 1851, aides in keeping your fire gear safe and in service. The standard, if you have hours to give, reads like dry rye toast. From the title page to the end of the index the standard is approximately 50 pages. The “meat and potatoes” of this document comes in chapters 5-10. These chapters highlight selection, inspection, cleaning (decon), repair, storage, and retirement. If you are a member of a department looking to establish procedures for your gear then Chapter 4 Program is for you. If you are looking to become an ISP ( Independent Service Provider) your focus should be Chapters 11, 12 & the Annex. But, if you are looking to become an ISP. Every word in this document is relevant- you will become the interpreter of the document.

NFPA 1851 should become a common practice document in your department. This document will not only help to keep your fire fighters safe with clean, well-maintained gear, but could save your department money by getting the most use out of the ensembles in you department. With 1 set of fire gear costing $2000 on average, why wouldn’t you want to get every day of use that you can?

I strongly urge you and/or your department to purchase a copy of the 2008 Edition of NFPA 1851, read it, study it, inquire about it, and call Shamrock Gear when you have questions.

Most every fire department test their fire pumps, test their fire hose, test their ladders-

but how many test the fire gear that protects their most expensive resource- THEIR PEOPLE?

Here is the email:

Hey…
Texas media has pushed and has now received the report related to the Hi-rise fire in Houston, that happened back in March. Here is a link to the story and below that are links to the report, audio and video.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=investigative&id=5634147

http://dig.abclocal.go.com/ktrk/090407_pdf_firereport.pdf

VIDEO and RADIO TRAFFIC: http://www.thebravestonline.com/news.html?view=1&id=1619

That is all for this update.  Check back often.

We are once again going to sponsor our training seminar. If you missed the first round, I certainly hope you can make one of these. The details are below.

SHAMROCK GEAR & REPAIR LLC

P.O. Box 413 Magnolia, Ohio 44643-0413

330-313-1220 Shamrockgear@sbcglobal.net 330-418-6879

Dear Friends in Public Safety,

Shamrock Gear & Repair LLC would like to invite members of your department to participate in a training seminar:

The Basics of NFPA 1851- 2008 Edition

Standard on Selection, Care, and Maintenance of Protective Ensembles for Structural and Proximity Fire Fighting

This class is a combination of presentation, demonstration, and hands on learning. The focus of this educational opportunity is to:

• Overview NFPA 1851- How it effects your department and how departments can stay compliant.
• Discuss the elements of the ensemble there composition and limitations
• Demonstrate cleaning and inspection techniques
• Train attendees in the proper procedures for Firefighter Ensemble care, cleaning, and storage.
• Discussion of proper repair procedures

Dates: Saturday, September 15, 2007 – 10 AM- Noon

OR

Thursday, September 27, 2007 – 6 PM- 8 PM

Location: Shamrock Gear & Repair LLC

9141 Cleveland Ave. SE

Magnolia, OH 44643

Cost: $50.00 for each member attending

Checks payable to: SPES- Safety Personnel Educational Services

Instructional seminar sponsored by Shamrock Gear & Repair LLC, course presentation by SPES- Safety Personnel Educational Services. SPES, a division of Shamrock Gear & Repair LLC, is a non-profit corporation that has been established for the purpose of educating safety personnel.

Questions can be directed to Shamrock Gear & Repair LLC, at

shamrockgear@sbcglobal.net

or

Rob at 330- 418-6879

http://www.firecamera.com/index.cfm?Section=4&pagenum=216&titles=0

Great weather for all departments means more time outside. Between training, annual testing of equipment, more training, parades and festivals, more training, routine calls or not so routine calls, and of course the training, you may spend more time sweating in your gear than the rest of the year. I can bet that for most of us our gear does not smell like a “fresh spring morning”! But, that is OK we are firefighters and we are supposed to look dirty and our gear is supposed to smell, we are tough- WE SAVE LIVES!! This might be true for some of us, but the true reality is the dirty gear we look so cool in, can sicken, injure, and even KILL us.

Proper cleaning is essential! Your home washer can’t do it. Your laundromat can’t clean it. The hose and brush is not thorough enough. Special gear needs special cleaning to KEEP US SAFE!

I have preached about dirty gear before and I will continue for a long time coming- eventually all will hear me. Listening is another story!

In this message I have added some links and information about a staph infection called MRSA. It is not new, but it is becoming more prevalent in athletics, healthcare, society, and maybe even in your sweaty fire gear.

PLEASE take time to read and inform yourself. MRSA cases are growing. Firefighters and EMS are exposed and we don’t even know. CLEAN GEAR IS SAFE GEAR!!! (This may sound quirky, but prove me wrong!!)

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http://www.righthealth.com/imagelookup?html=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesahara.net%2Fmrsa.htm&thumb=http%3A%2F%2Fsp1.mm-a2.yimg.com%2Fimage%2F2206000289&file=mrsa_infection_badder.jpg&thumbheight=125&width=189&height=192&size=5

http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/infections?utm_source=no_health_channel&utm_medium=google&utm_campaign=gale&utm_term=mrsa%20infection

http://www.health-care-tips.org/diseases/mrsa-infection.htm

http://www.newsnet5.com/video/13929892/index.html

Helping you to Respond to Infections

MRSA (mersa, staff, staph) Watch helps patients, medical staff and health industry professionals monitor the latest MRSA news via a unique directory of article excerpts and links to further information. Click the bold links below for the latest news with respect to that subject. Recent headlines can be found here. Our article index is to your right.

What is MRSA?
There are 3 different types of Staphylococcus Aureus (SA) infection in the general population. Simple SA bacteria (it is not a virus) can be found on the bodies of up to 30% of the general population. It caused many problems before the use of antibiotics made wound recovery a safer process. Hospital acquired SA is generally resistant to several antibiotics but especially Methicillin, hence the name MRSA. This is found in about 1% of the population.

Community Acquired MRSA (CA MRSA) is often found in otherwise healthy people, is a different strain of MRSA, mainly causes skin infections and is treatable by more drugs at this time. CA MRSA seems to be more infectious - should it become resistant to more antibiotics it could pose a considerable public health risk. Many people carry or are ‘colonised‘ by SA bacteria but only suffer when they have another illness or suffer a small wound that the bacteria can grow in and infect them.

How do people catch MRSA?
There are several ways it is believed to spread.

• Hand carriage - this is why hospital staff are encouraged to wash their hands after each patient.
• Contaminated surfaces - this is why clean hospital wards are vital.
• Via medical instruments - this is why many now have special coatings or have silver elements. This discourages lingering residues and/or kills external infection entering the wound
• Via airborne particles - MRSA often resides in the nasal passages and can spread with colds and flu as a secondary infection that may be dormant for some while.
• Shared items - Families or other close knit groups sharing a facility such as military personnel, a sports team or prison inmates may share hygiene items such as towels etc. This is another vector for the spread of the bacteria
• Needles - Drug users sharing needles may be passing on MRSA alongside HIV or Hepatitis C. The same could be said of tattoo artists who do not have strict hygiene regimes.
• Sexual Intimacy - the nose, groin and underarms are key colonisation areas for the bacteria. Sex workers and the habitually promiscuous will be super spreaders in a society in much the same way as they are for AIDS.

How is it treated?
There are 3 key treatment regimes that are commonly used.

• For those who are colonised - a nasal treatment and a skin wash
• For those who have a potential or active bloodstream infection - drugs such as Vancomycin, Linezolid or Daptomycin.
• For those with infected wounds - special honey, silver bandages, garlic preparations and tea tree oil are all believed to be effective in killing MRSA in a wound.

How can it be prevented
The media often focus on clean hospitals and clean hands as a key to combating MRSA. Others believe that this will only cut cases by 30% and that a diverse strategy is vital and will include:

• Clean Wards - especially surfaces and keyboards.
• Staff Screening - are they super carriers?
• Patient Screening - so that they can be de colonised and to avoid self infection.
• Hospital Equipment - because it can take the infection deep into a wound.
• Air Hygiene - to help prevent nasal colonisation
• Hand Hygiene - to prevent transport from patient to patient
• Antibiotic Restraint - because resistance grows from over prescription
• The Food Chain - is resistance also provoked by over use in the animals that we eat?
• Patient Isolation - this helps lesson the potential risk of airborne infection
• Lifestyle Choices - needle injected drugs and multiple sexual partners help spread chronic illnesses that emerge slowly

What can I do

• Stay informed - this site and several others can help you do this
• Ask others via our MRSA Watch forum
• Act locally by becoming involved in patient advocacy or patient/hospital forums
• Seek justice - do you need to take legal action because of negligence or do we all need to speak up for communities who are being hit by CA MRSA but are underinsured and often powerless.

Tuesday, 19 June 2007 in Community Acquired MRSA, MRSA Basic Facts, MRSA an

ROB LEAHY

SHAMROCK GEAR & REPAIR LLC

Turnout Gear Cleaning, Inspection, & Repair Specialists

P.O.Box 413 Magnolia, Ohio 44643-0413

Shop Phone 330-313-1220

Cell 330-418-6879
SHAMROCKGEAR.ORG
Fire Gear Cleaning and Repair