As a way to thank the Westfield Fire Dept. for assisting the safety company, IMMI of Westfield presented the department with a check for $5,000 to help offset the cost of new safety equipment. The equipment is installed in the department’s new 123-foot ladder truck and will help better protect firefighters in the line of duty.
“We’re thrilled, not only to officially receive the most innovative equipment for our new truck, but to also know that it was all made right here, in our great community of Westfield,” said Mayor Andy Cook.
The new safety features include air bags, something not found in most fire trucks. In case of a rollover, the air bags deploy and the seatbelts tighten. Westfield joins Noblesville as the only county departments whose vehicles have such devices installed. Other safety features being added include a Smart Dock, which secures air tanks within the truck’s rear seats.
“The act of fighting fires is dangerous. The act of driving to and from is dangerous too,” said Mike Leaky, IMMI vice president of marketing. “This device has saved lives.”
WFD Chief Todd Burtron explained that Westfield serves as a beta test site working with IMMI on safety products that help save the lives of their fellow firefighters across the nation.
“They’re a global company prominent in our industry,” he said.
“It’s critical for us to have in-use feedback,” added Leakey.
Recent safety innovations have changed the lives of firefighters drastically. Burtron said it wasn’t until the early 1990s that firemen were pulled off the back of trucks and forced to sit inside the cap. Six years ago occupant sensors were installed to go off if a fireman was seated but not wearing a seatbelt.
“Our drivers are instructed not to move until everyone is belted in,” said Burtron. “The seatbelt is the No. 1 safety product in the vehicle.”
Burtron cannot recall a WFD accident in his time with the department.
“We’ve been very fortunate,” he said. “It’s the little things that make a big impact.”
IMMI is the largest manufacturer in Hamilton County, employing more than 700 people. The company is best known for its safety innovations in seatbelts on school buses, child seats, commercial and military vehicles. In June, the country’s largest fire department, FDNY, awarded IMMI a special commendation for their work in the advancement of safety for first responders.
“IMMI is dedicated to not only bringing safety to our first responders here in our own backyard, but also around the world,” IMMI CEO Larry Gray said.
The Westfield Fire Department responds to more than 2,000 incidents a year and has been protecting the community since 1904.
