Ricochet has partnered with the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) to provide specialty personal protective equipment (PPE) to volunteer fire, EMS, and rescue departments across the United States through the Ricochet PPE Award Program.
The initiative is designed to help departments access the right gear for specific emergency responses, including EMS, wildland firefighting, and technical rescue operations. Many volunteer agencies face budget constraints that make it difficult to secure specialized PPE, despite the impact that properly matched gear can have on responder safety and operational effectiveness.
The program will run across three application periods in August, September, and October. After each period, five departments will receive five sets of gear, including jackets and pants. In total, 15 departments will receive 75 sets of PPE.
Eligible departments must respond annually to the type of calls that correspond to the gear they are applying for, have at least one NVFC member, be more than 50 percent volunteer, serve a population of 25,000 or less, be located in the United States and legally organized under state law, and demonstrate a need for the equipment. Departments may apply for one or more of the available gear packages based on their operational needs.
“Too many volunteer fire, EMS, and rescue departments send their responders on calls wearing the wrong type of gear due to limited budgets and resources,” said NVFC Chair Steve Hirsch. “The Ricochet PPE Award Program will equip more volunteer responders with the right gear for the call, improving safety, effectiveness, and readiness. We thank Ricochet for their support of the volunteer emergency services and for helping our nation’s departments be ready for all types of calls.”
Laura Miller, Director of Marketing and Customer Service at Ricochet, said volunteer departments need equipment that reflects the realities of modern emergency response. “Volunteer departments don’t have the luxury of wasted gear, wasted time, or wasted budget – and we don’t take that lightly,” Miller said. “We’re proud to build systems based on real firefighter input – gear designed for how the job actually gets done today, not how it used to be. The result is purpose-built protection that helps limit unnecessary exposure, improve mobility, extend the life of your turnout gear, and stretch every dollar further.”
Further information about the Ricochet PPE Award Program, including gear specifications and application details, is available at www.nvfc.org/ricochet. The first application period opens on August 3.
