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HURST Jaws of Life in Shelby, North Carolina, recently began partnering with the Cleveland County Rescue Mission and built a new playground to benefit children impacted by homelessness.

Working together outside, a group of eight HURST team members sorted parts of equipment, pre-assembled pieces of the foundation, and drilled holes to help provide a safe playground for children in the community.

“It was so great to see the team give back to our community and bring our different skills together to help build this playground,” I-Amp Mechanical Engineer, Jennifer Hernandez said.

In collaboration with the IDEX Foundation, HURST Jaws of Life donated $10,000 USD to purchase supplies for Cleveland County Rescue Mission’s new playground.

By providing access to basic needs as well as opportunities for recovery, personal growth and development, Cleveland County Rescue Mission (CCRM) enables people to begin their journey out of crisis and into self-sufficiency. Services provided include emergency overnight shelter, food, addiction recovery services, and workforce development and adult basic education courses.

Novotema’s facility in Villongo, Italy, recently replaced their existing gas extraction and fume abatement systems, significantly improving the company’s environmental, health and safety practices.

When team members manufacture molded O-rings, gaskets, rubber seals and elastomer components, small amounts of fumes and gasses are generated and must be collected and treated before they can be released into the atmosphere.

Novotema team members worked with a vendor to design and install extraction hoods over each molding press and the vulcanization oven, and used a special ducting system to take harmful fumes and gases into the abatement systems. The abatement devices use basic physics to force small gas and fume particles into larger particles that then fall out of the air stream (called “coalescing”). The beauty of this system is that can be done without using extra energy or chemicals. In addition, they added sound-absorbing panels to the system in order to reduce the sound impact of the system while operating.

This method of controlling emissions has been classified by Regione Lombardia as one of the ‘Best Available Technologies’ for the reduction of atmospheric emissions,” Novotema Operations Director Stefano Consonni said. “With this system, we can achieve optimal performance that leads to a proven and substantial reduction of the release of pollutants and olfactory nuisances in the atmosphere.”

The systems help safeguard the health of team members, residents of the community, and demonstrates the company’s sensitivity towards protecting the environment.

Team members at HURST Jaws of Life®, a business unit of IDEX Fire & Safety, began celebrating the 50th anniversary of the revolutionary brand in Shelby, North Carolina this week. The company, whose hero tool set the standard in the rescue industry, is marking its half-century milestone with a celebratory logo, and will distribute challenge coins, patches and more to first responders throughout 2022.

“HURST Jaws of Life has been an icon for the rescue tool industry for 50 years, and we’re proud to celebrate this incredible anniversary along with our dealers who serve as ambassadors for the brand and the first responders who rely on the tools to save lives,” said Britt Hawkins, manager, marketing services, HURST Jaws of Life.

The history of HURST Jaws of Life rescue tools began when innovator George Hurst, a racing enthusiast and the manufacturer of Hurst shifters , devised a prototype tool to extricate auto racers from high-speed wrecks. In 1972, less than a year later, the HURST Power Tool made its public debut with production of the model JL-32, which soon began helping first responders extricate everyday drivers from roadside accidents. It gained popularity among firefighters, emergency technicians and law enforcement, and it was soon monikered and then trademarked as the “Jaws of Life.”

Since the original spreaders debuted, HURST Jaws of Life has expanded the rescue tool portfolio to also include cutters, combination tools, rescue rams and accessories to help first responders stay safe at the scene. Today’s tools are smaller and lightweight, and they can cut, spread, lift and breach metal, wood and rebar on vehicles and structures to allow first responders to get to entrapped people and save their lives.

Over the years, the company has continually raised the bar on rescue tool power and performance. It introduced the industry’s first battery-powered extrication tool line, eDRAULIC^®, in 2010, allowing first responders tool operation unencumbered by hoses and generators. It next invented StrongArm^®, a battery-powered multitool that fits easily in the trunk of a law enforcement vehicle and operates quietly enough for SWAT team use.  In 2019, HURST Jaws of Life launched eDRAULIC Watertight Extrication Tool (EWXT), the first battery-operated tool line to operate completely submerged in fresh water. In 2021, HURST Jaws of Life debuted eDRAULIC 3.0, a revolutionary extrication tool line offering turbo power, a smart dashboard and fresh and saltwater compatibility.

“HURST Jaws of Life has been equipping heroes for 50 years, and we look forward to bringing continued innovation and first-to-market solutions to the rescue industry for years to come,” Hawkins said.

Banjo Corporation in Crawfordsville, Indiana, recently began a partnership with the Montgomery Boys & Girls Club, partnering with the club on activities last quarter. In collaboration with the IDEX foundation, the club received $15,000 USD to help fund the hiring of additional teachers, and help purchase supplies for STEM activities. The donation will also be used to buy new Chromebooks for students to use.

Additionally, Banjo team members funded an end of the semester holiday party for the after-school students, providing a safe bounce house, snacks and more.  A small group of team members also volunteered to paint two large rooms at the club facility while the kids were on holiday break.

Lukas in Erlangen, Germany, also supported the local community during the holidays last month. To further fight hunger insecurity in the community, the team partnered with the IDEX Foundation to donate $5,000 USD to Tafel Erlangen. ​​​​​​​

Tafel Erlangen, an initiative of the Diakonisches Werk Erlangen, is a German-based food bank that takes high quality surplus foods  and distributes it to people in Erlangen and surrounding areas. Every year, the organization saves around 265,000 tons of food, which they pass on to over 1.6 million people.

IDEX corporate employees from the Northbrook and downtown Chicago offices, competed against each other this month to purchase holiday gifts online for local children who have experienced trauma.

Again supporting the charity “Kids Above All,” the Virtual Holiday Drive included a friendly competition, with IDEX corporate team members split into teams to see which group could donate the most gifts.

In less than three weeks, more than 150 corporate team members and their family members donated more than 500 gifts, which were delivered straight from retailers to Kids Above All for distribution. With 139 total gifts donated, the team led by Rula Marziani claimed victory.

“We are blown away by the generosity of our great corporate partner, IDEX Corporation, who generously donated toys, books and other items so our young people have a special holiday season and achieve their potential,” the KAA team said on LinkedIn.

‘Kids Above All,’, protects, heals and educates children and families who have experienced trauma – including abuse, neglect, poverty, toxic stress, and violence.

IDEX Corporate began partnering with the Kids Above All in 2020. With support from the IDEX Foundation, the team donated $55,000 USD for Technology, Housing, and Group Therapy for at-risk youth in the Chicago area. To learn about the history of the partnership, click here.

A company using an iPEK sewer inspection crawler recently saved a small dog that had crawled into an old, abandoned sewer pipe in Switzerland. Blacky was on a hunting trip with his owner when he got into the small pipe and couldn’t find his way out. It was unclear how far the dog had gone into the sewer pipe and whether he would ever find his way out again.

The hunter called Liaudet Pial Inc. – the fourth largest sewer inspection company in Switzerland, based in Worben in the canton of Bern – which uses iPEK camera inspection systems daily. The company, which cleans and rehabilitates sewer systems, leapt into action.

The sewer was no longer active, and the crew could not find a manhole for a person to access. So they brought in an excavator to begin digging an access point in an open field as the evening grew darker. As prospects for a successful rescue dwindled, the rescue crew pressed on.

Inserting the iPEK ROVION CCTV crawler through the small entrance pipe, Liaudet Pial Inc. found Blacky about 80 meters (260 feet) away, looking back at them through the video monitors in the service truck. Thanks to the locating sensor integrated in the camera head, the crew was able to determine Blacky’s exact position, even in the large open field.

It seems Blacky became curious about the camera lights and excavator sounds and sensed the efforts to rescue him. He slowly followed the camera light to the exit and the excavator work could be stopped.

After three hours of rescue work, the overwhelmed owner was able to hold his beloved dog Blacky in his arms again, safe and sound.

Viking Pump recently published a video Top 10 list of the weirdest uses for one of their pumps. Join Global Distribution Development Manager Chad Wunderlich as he counts down the unusual, amazing, delicious and even famous ways in which Viking Pumps have been used.

If you’d like to share it with friends on social media, you can find the two part series on the Viking Pump YouTube Channel (part 1 & part 2).

What’s your favorite of the Top 10?