Firefighters and EMS personnel from around the country are showcasing their equipment, sharing techniques and networking with related vendors at an event in Monroeville this weekend.
Gratzie Ventures is presenting its inaugural Monroeville Fire & EMS Show at the convention center, 209 Mall Plaza Blvd. The event opened Saturday and continues Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
An estimated 2,000 people stopped by Saturday.
“We are here to show new products,” said Amy Sweitzer, vice president of sales and marketing for Glick Fire Equipment Co. of East Lampeter, Lancaster County. The business also has a location in Zelienople.
It is the dealership end of Wisconsin-based Pierce Manufacturing, which makes fire trucks.
“Our customers are in this area,” Sweitzer said. “We cover the entire state of Pennsylvania for sales and services. An advantage to having the event is for us to get to know future customers. To show the product that we have and services that we can provide, and also catch up with our current customers.”
More than 150 vendors, 45 fire trucks and ambulances and emergency responders were on hand. All Monroeville fire departments participated.
“The show’s going great,” Monroeville Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1 Fire Chief Jason Sonafelt said. “It’s good for inter-department relations and networking, meeting a lot of new vendors, a lot of new equipment to pass along to the members. And it’s great to be back to normal and start seeing everyone again.”
Usually when a lot of fire departments get together, it’s for a large emergency .
The expos help with recruitment and “trying to keep up with the trends in public safety,” Sonafelt said.
The Fire Department Relief Mission of Western Pennsylvania collected used equipment to be shipped to the Dominican Republic.
Volunteer Shawn Snyder said they have shipped about 19 fire trucks and an ambulance, among other items, overseas within the last several years.
“We’re helping a country in need that has very little equipment and they have very little funding,” Snyder said.
He said the equipment shipped is in good condition, just older than National Fire Protection Association regulations allow.
“They have certain criteria for equipment like (self-contained breathing apparatus) can only be 20 years old and bunker gear can only be 10 years old,” Snyder said. “It can’t be used for live fire (after that). Most people will stockpile or throw away (the equipment). Gear 10 years old might be brand new. It just can’t be used here. We send it over there because those people over there have very little.”
More information about the Relief Mission is available on its Facebook page.
Gratzie Ventures was launched earlier this year by Monroeville resident and Penn State grad Stephanie Katofsky.
The event was presented under a different name and organized for many years by Kelly Simon Event Management and owner Kelly Simon of Greensburg.
She and her father, Jack, started the Fire and EMS Expo in 1987.
Kelly Simon died last November at age 60.
Katofsky said she was excited to have her first major event be the one she frequently attended with her father, Monroeville Volunteer Fire Co. No. 6 Deputy Fire Chief Harold Katofsky.
“I didn’t know what to expect because of covid,” Stephanie said. “This was the first weekend where everything was lifted. You didn’t have to wear masks if you were vaccinated, and 90% of first responders are vaccinated.”
She said some of the visitors brought their children, who got to explore some of the vehicles and learn what it means to be a firefighter.
“They’re just not some stranger,” Katofsky said. “A firefighter is a friend. That’s how I always thought of it growing up in a fire department. A firefighter is a friend. He’s not scary.”
There was a vehicle extraction demonstration on Saturday.
Among the vendors were 911 Clothing, A&A Novelties, 3 Rivers Fire Equipment, Kush Kustoms, Luke’s Leather Works, PA State Animal Response Team and Resolve Crisis Services.
Michael DiVittorio is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Michael at 412-871-2367, mdivittorio@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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June 06, 2021 at 05:36AM
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Firefighters, EMS from across U.S. network, showcase gear at Monroeville Convention Center - TribLIVE
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