I wanted to let you know about a great way for first responders to receive new tires. Michelin is giving away free sets of tires to 50 firefighters/EMTs. To nominate your favorite first responder simply fill out a quick form online at www.michelinman.com/first-responders. There is no restriction on who you can nominate, so pick your firefighter brother or sister, your EMT colleague, or any other first responder that has touched your life. The nomination process end on Nov. 23rd.

When sending your nomination via email to michelinman@cohnwolfe.com, please include the following:

* Your name, address, phone number, and email address
* Your nominee’s name, address, phone number, and email address
* Type of first responder vehicle in need of new tires (not required, but helpful)
* Why is this person important to the community? (Hint: recent examples of heroism, overall achievement, ongoing commitment to bettering the community, his/her character, etc.
* Why is the community in need of new tires for their first responder vehicle?

Or you can use the form located on the Michelin website.
John and Sue Arrington run Arrington Sports Awards in Rocky Mount, Virginia. John is a 1st Lt. on Ladder 13 B-Shift.

Arrington Sports Awards has made awards for firefighters in Roanoke for a long time. They also make awards and uniforms for sports teams in the region.

The business has recently expanded to include a larger area to show off the many awards and uniforms they create and sell.

The next time you need awards or uniforms made, be sure to give them a try.

Arrington Sports Awards
140 Franklin St
Rocky Mount, VA 24151 Map
Phone – (540) 489-1200

Acute Designs is back in business in Vinton. The new owners are Scott and Missy Mutter. Scott is a Captain with Roanoke Fire-EMS Department. Visit Acute Designs online here.

Acute Designs Etc. Inc. offers custom logo generation, embroidery digitizing and decoration, screen printing, and promotional products. We are members of ASI, the Advertising Specialty Institute, which provides us with unlimited resources to satisfy your needs.

We are a family-owned and operated business located in the foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. Our attention to quality, detail, innovative style and customer service is helping to make us a leader in the industry. We service EMS and Fire Departments, Public Safety/Law Enforcement Agencies, Municipals, Non-Profit Organizations, Schools, State and Governmental Agencies, Business Professionals, and the Corporate Community.

We offer competitive pricing and outstanding, prompt customer service. We provide solutions and build relationships you can count on. Let us save you time and money! Contact us or stop by today!

Hey guys, I just wanted to remind you that that the fourth season of Rescue Me starts tonight.

Read below for some info on a new video website.

Sorry guys, here is the link for the site explained below:
http://grouper.com/outreach/firehouse

EMMY® NOMINATED SERIES “RESCUE ME”

PARTNERS WITH GROUPER NETWORKS TO LAUNCH FIREHOUSE

Television Series And Leading Innovator of Online Entertainment and User Generated Content Partner to Present Authentic Journey Inside the World of Today’s Firefighting Community

“Rescue Me’s” Fourth Season Launches Wednesday,

June 13 at 10 PM ET/PT on FX

LOS ANGELES, CA – June 13, 2007 – Rescue Me, the critically acclaimed Sony Pictures Television series, has partnered with Grouper, a leader of online entertainment and innovative user-generated video communities on the Internet, to launch “Firehouse: Sponsored by Rescue Me,” (http://www.grouper.com/fire) a customized stream showcasing real stories and footage from real firefighters across the country. “Firehouse: Sponsored by Rescue Me” combines original user generated videos submitted by firefighters nationwide with Grouper produced content to create some of the most compelling and unique content on the Internet.

“Rescue Me has such a passionate fan base that we felt it was essential to find the right forum for members of the firefighting community and the public to be able to share their own stories. Grouper has been an invaluable partner to the entire Sony Pictures Television Marketing team in helping to create what we feel is a very organic promotional opportunity,” said Robert Oswaks, Executive Vice President, Marketing, Sony Pictures Television.

“Firehouse: Sponsored by Rescue Me” is fully supported by FX Networks and the Leary Firefighter Foundation. In order to drive content creators to the site, FX will be airing 20-second promotional ads for Firehouse during the first two weeks of the new season of Rescue Me, which starts on June 13th. Additionally, both FX and Sony Pictures Television have created tailored landing pages on their Rescue Me homepages to drive fans to Grouper where they’ll have an opportunity to create their own content. Meanwhile, the Leary Firefighters Foundation, an invaluable resource to the hard working men and women in the firefighting profession, has helped cast the widest net possible to their network of firefighters, urging them to share their stories.

Members of the firefighting community and the public are encouraged to upload their own videos to share their own experiences on “Firehouse: Sponsored by Rescue Me, where the content will tap into the pulse of what firefighters experience on a daily basis. Whether it’s the firefighters recounting their experiences during their first fire or discussing the challenges they faced post-9/11; everyday citizens recounting their own encounters with firefighters; or the hilarity of the pranks senior firefighters play on probies, audiences will get true insight into the intense, yet rewarding profession. While other sites rank and highlight videos according to easily manipulated user hits, Grouper’s bespoke formula of editorial and community ranking ensures that featured videos represent the most talented and diverse creators and most provocative content on the Internet.

Rescue Me, which stars Denis Leary, revolves around the lives of the men in a New York City firehouse, the crew of 62 Truck. Examining the fraternal nature and relationships of firefighters, the series tackles the daily drama of the life-and-death situations associated with being a firefighter, while exploring the ways the men use dark humor to protect their true emotions. Leary and Peter Tolan, who serve as executive producers along with Jim Serpico, created the series. Michael Lombardi, Jack McGee, Tatum O’Neal, Steven Pasquale, Andrea Roth, John Scurti, Daniel Sunjata and Callie Thorne round out the show’s ensemble cast.

In 2006, Denis Leary was nominated for an Emmy® Award in the category of “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, while the previous year, both Leary & Tolan were nominated for Emmy® Awards in the category of “Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series” for their work on Rescue Me’s pilot. Tolan was also nominated for “Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series” for the same episode. That same year, Rescue Me was an official television selection of the AFI Awards, and the Producer’s Guild Awards also recognized the show with the 2005 Visionary Award. The series is produced by Apostle Pictures, The Cloudland Company and DreamWorks Television in association with Sony Pictures Television.

Grouper Networks, located in Sausalito, California, is a leading innovator of online entertainment and user generated video communities. Members can browse videos on Grouper.com and, with one click, post them to a wide variety of third-party Web sites directly from Grouper. Users can also set up playlists, subscriptions, and RSS feeds to save and organize their favorite videos and access them anywhere. Visit Grouper’s website at: www.grouper.com.

Hey Readers, I recently got this email in reference to Circuit City and its brand new service, firedog, which has inspired a new nationwide “firedog Across America” contest to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to America’s firefighters. Click on the following link to view the contest site, featuring Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani: http://web.firedog.com/acrossamerica/details.aspx. We’d be thrilled if you could let VA Fire News.com readers know about the contest so they can help raise money for America’s fire safety professionals and win great prizes.

Circuit City’s new service, firedog, is a one-stop shop for consumers’ technology needs: www.firedog.com. Circuit City’s firedog technicians install, optimize, repair, and make technology purchases simple so consumers don’t have to waste time with piles of manuals and tricky cables.

To help commemorate and launch the new firedog service in a unique, cause-focused way, Circuit City developed the contest, “firedog Across America,” which will provide great donations and prizes to local firehouses and the consumers that nominate them!

The contest works like this:

http://web.firedog.com/acrossamerica/details.aspx

1.) Tell firedog Your Story
Tell firedog your personal story about how a local firehouse has demonstrated service to your community. If your story is chosen as one of 10 finalists, you will receive a $10,000 home “techover” from firedog and your fire station will receive a $20,000 donation.

2.) America Votes
Once the 10 finalist firehouses have been chosen, the stories will be posted on firedog.com and America will vote for their favorite.

3.) The Best Part, Everyone Wins
All of the finalist firehouses win. For every vote cast for a finalist firehouse, that finalist firehouse will receive a $1.00 donation (total donations based on voting for all 10 firehouses not to exceed $250,000). After 16 days, the station with the most votes will be the national grand-prize winner and receive an additional $100,000 donation!

The firedog Across America contest was launched last week. As part of the launch, Circuit City and firedog also presented $100,000 donations to both the FDNY Foundation, which supports New York City Fire Department initiatives, and the National Law Enforcement and Firefighters Children’s Foundation for its efforts in helping children of law enforcement and firefighting personnel. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and New York City Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta were on hand to receive the donations.

I should really be getting paid for this advertising, but as always I am glad to spread the word.


Here is a custom motorcycle built by 1st Lt. R.T. Flora (Skippy). Skippy works with Battalion Chief Ricky Trout at Iron Sports Custom Motorcycles.

Here is a 1950 Panhead that was restored by Firefighter Chip Johnston with Iron Sports Custom Motorcycles.