MSA Safety, a global leader in the development, manufacture, and supply of safety products, has been at the forefront of protecting workers in hazardous environments for over 110 years.
Known for its commitment to innovation and quality, MSA Safety offers a comprehensive range of products designed to enhance the safety and performance of firefighters and other first responders.
From advanced protective gear to cutting-edge technology solutions, the company continues to set industry standards, promoting enhanced safety in every aspect of its operations.
Bob Apel, the newly appointed Executive Director for MSA Safety’s Global Fire Service, brings nearly three decades of experience within the company to his new role.
Having spent half of his career in industrial markets and the other half in the fire service sector, Bob has a deep understanding of the challenges and needs of firefighters.
His extensive background in product development and marketing, coupled with his recent tenure as Chief Operating Officer of Globe Manufacturing Company, LLC, a subsidiary of the MSA Safety Group, positions him well to lead MSA Safety’s fire service division into a future marked by continuous innovation and enhanced customer relationships.
Fire and Safety Journal Editor Iain Hoey sat down with Bob to find out about his plans for leading MSA Safety into a new era of fire service excellence.
I have been with MSA for just over 28 years, where I spent half of that time working in industrial markets and the latter half in the fire service sector.
Before my current role, I served as Chief Operating Officer of Globe Manufacturing Company, a subsidiary company acquired by MSA in 2017.
Most of my career has been focused on product development and marketing.
In my last role, it was focused on turnout gear.
This new role involves the entire suite of products we offer for firefighters, from head to toe.
Now, I am working not just with turnout gear but also with SCBA, fire helmets, and everything else that MSA and its affiliates provide for firefighters.
My motivation for taking this role is the same as it has been for every role I’ve taken at MSA, and it’s the reason I’ve stayed with MSA for so long—our mission.
I strongly believe in our mission.
It’s personally fulfilling to go home every night knowing that the work I’ve done, and the work our teams have done, has somehow contributed to saving lives.
When you’re looking for purpose in your work, it’s hard to find a greater purpose than what we do at MSA.
It’s about helping to protect the lives of people who are working in harm’s way.
It’s very similar to the work that first responders and firefighters do, in that they are also working to save lives.
So, there’s a great connection between us and our customers.
What are your primary objectives as you begin this new chapter with MSA Safety?
When we look at the fire service, our North Star is to create unique, market-leading safety solutions to help protect firefighters.
We achieve this through the seamless integration of value-added technology and connected solutions that drive productivity via data analytics, that can automate burdensome reporting, and streamline inventory management processes.
At the heart of it all is forming true partnerships with fire departments to develop new products that enhance their safety and the safety of their teams as they perform their incredibly difficult and dangerous jobs.
This focus not only drives our mission but, ultimately, we aim to ensure that everyone goes home safe.
There are many challenges, as the market and environment are constantly evolving.
New construction materials and the way firefighters tackle automobile fires, especially with the rise of electric vehicles, are examples of these changes.
The role of MSA and its affiliates is to ensure our products function effectively so firefighters and first responders can do their jobs without worrying about their equipment.
We aim to develop intuitive technology tools that are not burdensome for firefighters to adopt across various scenarios and departments.
We focus on enabling firefighters to concentrate on their tasks without being distracted by the technology or equipment that is meant to protect them.
We’ve been at the forefront of utilising data to help fire departments make quicker, safer decisions on the fire scene.
Understanding the diverse challenges faced by firefighters requires us to engage closely with them and create partnerships with fire departments.
This helps us understand their specific pain points and challenges, which can vary by department, region, or country.
By spending time with our customers, we can better understand their needs and work together to address these issues.
We are seeing an increasing demand for solutions related to Incident Command, remote monitoring, and asset management as technology in these areas improves.
We are at the forefront of these trends and are continuously updating our offerings.
We also work directly with fire departments to tailor features that accommodate their specific operating procedures.
The level of customization we provide from a technology standpoint helps us build strong partnerships and enhances the value we bring to the departments that put their trust in our brands.
We’ve been at the forefront of this for quite some time, particularly with our Connected Firefighter Platform.
We continually work to enhance the user experience by providing valuable insights without being obtrusive or adding complexity.
It’s about simplifying interfaces and ensuring the technology functions intuitively in the background and allowing firefighters to focus on their tasks while receiving critical data quickly to make informed decisions on the fire ground.
We aim to enable fire departments to leverage their data effectively, from ongoing maintenance and servicing of breathing apparatus to integrating our solutions with existing tools.
Our goal is not to create an entirely new ecosystem but to add value to and connect with the tools fire departments are already using.
Our connectivity, especially with innovations like our SaaS platform, FireGrid, helps manage inventory and ties these tools to our products better than anyone else.
Well, if you look back at our 110-year history, the one constant has been our mission, which remains unchanged.
Since our founding, our mission has been to help protect men and women at work, and our mission drives our purpose.
This deep commitment to our mission, combined with our customer-centric focus, also drives our continuous innovation.
We embed ourselves with our customers, focus on customer-driven innovation, and build strong partnerships.
This approach, especially in the fire service, ensures that we remain at the forefront of safety while continuously advancing our products and services.
It all comes back to the customer.
We’ve been leading the way in driving advancements in safety solutions by focusing on customer-driven innovation.
Throughout our history, this has been one of our main focuses.
Many of our customers rely on MSA and its affiliates to help keep them and their teams safe, and innovation is one of our core values.
By working directly with customers, we can understand their pain points and collaborate with them to develop solutions that address their challenges effectively.
I believe the continued focus on connectivity will be crucial, particularly with how we develop the ecosystem for firefighters and use data to inform decisions at the fire station and during scene management.
On the fire ground, things move very quickly, and the time to make decisions is short.
Our goal is to leverage data to help better inform the critical decisions that firefighters and fire departments need to make, both on the scene and back at the fire station.
