Happy Birthday Lady Liberty: A Tribute to Torches and Tablets (AKA Flashlights)

Image by Rebecca Rozenstraten

Ported to http://www.foxfury.com/blog/?p=21
Please go there and read this.

Gear Test: FoxFury Discover Series Fire Helmet Light

FoxFury’s powerful Discover Series Fire Helmet Light boasts accuracy & centered weight

 

 By Raul A. Angulo
Published Saturday, October 1, 2011 | From the October 2011 Issue of FireRescue

 

  Firefighters and kids have one major thing in common: We love toys! One “toy” we both enjoy are flashlights. The latest flashlight on the market for fire and rescue personnel is FoxFury’s Discover Series Helmet Light, and it’s very cool!

The FoxFury Discover Series Fire Helmet Light (model 480-006), which is specifically designed for firefighters, is a sleek, streamlined, low-profile, horizontal light strip that mounts to the brim of your fire helmet and is housed in tough, aircraft-grade aluminum. The three white LED lights contained on the strip provide 100 lumens/1,256 candle power of panoramic illumination. The resulting beam of light fans out, giving you a 180-degree peripheral view of your surroundings—and that’s the first and most impressive feature you’ll notice about this light. There are numerous lights on the market with a bright, focused beam that can cut through smoke and zero in on a target, but they lack the ability to sufficiently illuminate your periphery. The FoxFury Discover light has combined both beam reach (up to 150 feet) and peripheral illumination (up to 60 feet) capabilities, making it one of the most powerful headlamps on the market for interior firefighting, rapid intervention and close-quarter rescue operations.

Why is the combination of distance and periphery illumination an important feature for firefighters? Because fire loads have changed. With more plastics and synthetics found in household items, the smoke they produce is thicker, blacker and more toxic. Thus, surrounding objects (including occupants) can be obscured by much darker—and more dangerous—smoke. Illuminated peripheral vision helps you perform a search faster and more efficiently, while also helping you maintain your sense of direction and your sense of the immediate surroundings.

Distance illumination capability that cuts through smoke speaks for itself. Any tool that helps you accomplish search and rescue and gets you in and out of an  immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) environment faster is something worth considering.

Traditionally, flashlights have been mounted on the side of fire helmets because the helmet shield, a source of company identification and unit pride, is mounted on the front. For years, the old, reliable Garrity flashlight was all that was available. Smaller, side-mounted flashlights came along with improved illumination technology, but their beam is usually off center, and the extra weight they place on one side of the helmet causes the helmet to tilt toward the weighted side, which can be very annoying.

Not so with the Discover Helmet Light. A 1-inch-wide silicone strap firmly holds the light at the bottom of the helmet shield and above the front brim of the helmet. And the battery pack is centered at the rear of the helmet bill so it’s perfectly balanced. As I tilt my head up or down, the light shines directly on the object in my line of vision. It just takes a slight turn of the head to the left or right to gain a 180-degree peripheral perspective of my surroundings.

At first, I thought the battery pack, which uses four AA batteries, was a little too large and heavy for the unit. Smaller lithium battery-powered units are available on specialized models, but they tend to make the light cost-prohibitive for fire department and individual budgets. FoxFury gave up weight reduction in exchange for a more economical power source—but saving a few extra bucks definitely comes in handy nowadays. The entire unit weighs 9.4 oz., but after wearing it for a while, I didn’t even realize it was there. The battery pack also fits inside my goggles, which are strapped to the rear bill of my helmet, so that’s a plus.

Another consideration is the on/off power button. This “tap switch” is located to the side of the LED lights on the horizontal light strip, but it takes some practice to activate the light quickly while wearing the helmet, because it’s difficult to feel with gloves on. To get to it, I run my finger down the edge of my helmet shield. It’s also a little bit difficult to switch between the two operational modes during the heat of battle, with gloves on. The first tap turns the light on low, which is at 45% power. A second tap turns the light on to high at 100% power. I give it two quick taps before I put my gloves on and that seems to work pretty well. The great thing is that the light can’t be accidentally bumped, switched off or get caught on anything.

Finally, it’s important to note that this is an extremely powerful light, which is ideal for working in dark, smoke-filled conditions; however, because this headlamp is worn right above the brim of the helmet, it’s also at eye level. This works well when everyone is facing forward, advancing a hoseline, but if you turn around for face-to-face communication with someone, the light may strike them directly in their eyes. The remedy is simple: Remember that you’re wearing one of the brightest lights on the market for close-quarters work, and when you’re having a face-to-face with someone, tilt the helmet or your head back slightly so that the beam isn’t shining directly into their eyes. This is especially important if you’re on a truck company performing rooftop ventilation at night. Another simple remedy is to raise a free hand up to your helmet shield to cover the light beam.

Other features include a red, rear-flashing, LED safety light on the back of the battery pack that activates as soon as the light is turned on, and it stays on in either low or high mode. The light is waterproof up to 10 feet, and impact- and fire-resistant; it’s been tested to withstand 500 degrees F (260 degrees C) for 30 minutes. You can expect about seven hours of illumination on high mode and 12 hours on low mode.

I’ve used the Discover Helmet Light on numerous training evolutions and elevator rescues, and I have to say this light is a noticeable improvement over others I’ve had in the past. I also spent a six-hour day lighting fires and supervising recruits in a burn building. By the end of the day, my helmet shield was noticeably warped and slightly melted, but the FoxFury light looked pretty darn good. The silicone strap withstood all the heat of the day, the lens was still clear (not bubbled) and the aluminum housing unit was barely tarnished. Everything on the light cleaned up with soap and water and looked just like new.

The unit retails for $114.99, and ships with a two-year warranty. And I don’t know about you, but catastrophic incidents, such as the World Trade Center attacks and the recent earthquakes in Japan, have helped me realize more than ever before that I can’t put a price on my personal safety and survival, or those of my crewmembers.
FoxFury’s Discover Series Fire Helmet Light
Pros
+ Brightness and balance
+ Durability
+ Illuminates periphery and objects in direct line of vision
+ Economical power source
+ Easy to clean

Cons
- Difficult to feel on/off switch with gloved hands
- Brightness can be intense if not prepared for it
- Cost
FoxFury Lighting Solutions
2091 Elevado Hills Dr.
Vista, CA 92084
Tel: 760/945-4231
www.foxfury.com

Raul A. Angulo

Raul A. Angulo is a 30-year veteran of the Seattle Fire Department and captain of Ladder Company 6. He writes and teaches on fire service leadership, company officer development, strategy and tactics, and fireground accountability throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. Read Full Bio




See  post here
 http://www.firefighternation.com/article/firefighter-safety/gear-test-foxfury-discover-series-fire-helmet-light

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• FoxFury to Showcase Defense and Security Lighting Tools at Milipol Paris 2011 (prweb.com)
• FoxFury Discover Shield Light Protects and Serves those who Protect and Serve (prweb.com)
• CheckMate: Innovative FoxFury Rook LED Flashlights Conquer Darkness (prweb.com)
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MOCK RIOT, 2011

Image via WikipediaDateline, Moundsville, WV 2011

As in years past, the streets, restaurants and bars within 25 miles of Moundsville filled up with enough uniformed officers that you would have thought that an invasion was taking place. Not to worry, it was just the 2011 Mock Prison Riot.

As in years past, teams from all over the world came to compete and to learn about and try out the newest technology in a prison setting built in the 1860's.


This year was a little different as pictures were not allowed by the attendees, but I snuck a few in that were innocuous just for the Blog

10' by10' is not a lot of space for what Foxfury has to offer. This pic was during set up, when you have so much awesomeness, it is hard to show it all.

This picture shows why you never leave your booth if you are set up next to me, Smiley might strike!

Moundsville is know for it's ghosts, there are tours and overnights in the prison that bring in guests from all over the world.
I got lucky and got to explore some areas that most don't, of course when ever I go ghost hunting, I carry the FoxFury MF 1000 and a backup hammerhead.
Unfortunately, I think the 1300 or so lumes were to much for the spirits to handle, as the tour went on I felt the light getting heavier, I have to attribute this to the spooks thinking that I was holding "THE LIGHT" and they all moved into it.
It was fun to let everyone use the flashlights they carried, seeing the little spots of light around the room casting scary shadows, then turning on the MF and bringing daylight to a dank sub basement that had never saw that much light! It did kind of kill the mood though.

Here are some pictures, the "orbs" are supposed to be spirits, and the dark spots on my shirt were supposed to be ghosts riding on me.

We did get to use lights in some of the scenarios, but I just was not allowed to photograph them.
We placed a Command 20 tasker in a room clearing scenario, feedback was that no one else on the team had to use their lights, the Command lit up the entire room. Another team used  a pair of the Hammerheads, feedback was that they were the brightest flashlights they ever used.

The 2011 Riot was a success, as it has been every year I have attended. While Moundsville is not the destination most vendors aspire to for a trade show, I can tell you that you will never attend another show that has friendlier or a more helpful  staff. The locals are happy you are there and seem to always go out of their way to smile and say hello, unlike some trade show towns!
There is no other venue like the Mock Riot to get your products in front of Corrections special response teams. I look forward to next year being even better.

Stay tuned as I have a backlog of posts coming, lot's of exciting stuff is happening along with some new lights on the way!




When in Moundsville, the best nightlife we found was at the Rod and Gun Club downtown, Great basement bar with lots of atmosphere!
I had to take a picture of this bar though, talk about the perfect name

We are the three best friends that anyone can have,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

You have to love our fans.

One of the great fans of Foxfury lights sent us these he made in his spare time.
I hope you find them as funny as we did.

Now that's funny right there, I don't care who you are.
I’d like to give thanks to Eddy from Chasing4Life.
http://www.chasing4life.org/


I found this and thought it was also pretty good

We hope you have a great Easter weekend, check back next week for lots of great news.

Antonio spent the day with CSI Forensic Supply.

Antonio got a break today and got to see something other than his computer screen and a telephone.
He got to spend the day at the CSI forensic supply booth at C.A.P.E. (California Association for Property and Evidence). Thanks to Robert Cellucci.
http://www.cape-inc.us/ 
www.csiforensic.com

Training seminar info

Marriott Mission Valley San Diego, CA April 18th-22nd, 2011 8757 Rio San Diego Drive San Diego, CA 92108 He was also able to pass along some pictures from the hall.   Remember, next week will will have representatives attending the NRA show in Pittsburgh PA and also be set up at the 2011 Mock Prison Riot in Moundsville WV May 1-4

More SCUBA pictures

From Georgia IAI Dive Training.
That is some incredibly murky water!

 Photos courtesy of E. Wiernik, Lawrenceville PD / GAIAI

http://www.gaiai.org/

More Pictures from FDIC

Tim Raleigh (one of our reps from MFR Safety Associates), Antonio and Phillip

one of our Canadian distributors (Fire Tools) invited FoxFury to join them at the Pacers-Kings game on Friday night. Rosanna and Phillip had a great time. Thank you Hadi.

Rosanna and Rich Tootchen from TMS Medical Technologies. Rich received our  US Eastern Region Fire, Rescue and EMS Dealer of the Year for 2010


When Antonio got back to the office, he realized he didn't send me all the pictures from FDIC,
So, for your enjoyment, here they are.

FDIC, After hours and some day three pic's

Well the show wrapped up today,
By all reports it was a great one.
Here's some pictures I just got in,

Here is a pic of an ambulance at the show we were next to. I thought it was pretty cool cause my sorority has a philanthropy of autism. (from Rosanna)

Hadi from Fire Tools (FoxFury dealer from Canada) sharing the Nomad...
 ( from Phillip)

Swamp thing. Would be fun to have one of these!  
( from Phillip) 

After party at Howl at the Moon for FDIC's last night. Cool piano bar was packed with fire fighters from all over.    ( from Phillip)

These colors don't run. Lucas Oil Stadium...( from Phillip)


Thanks guys for the pictures and all the hard work.
Keep checking back for some more exciting stuff to come!

FDIC Day one for the Trade Show

Antonio and the crew are set up and working the 2011 FDIC show
Although I did not make the cut for this team, (they only sent the best of the best for FDIC) I feel like I am there with the pictures they are sending.

 Sorry, I couldn't rotate the picture, just turn your head like this   : )

 The new displays look great, the new "team wear" seems to be a big hit
and it looked like they had a lot of traffic.
Stay tuned for more updates as the show goes on!

Security, collectors and the modern internet age.

 It would be great if we all had our own superhero to watch our stuff when we are gone, but the cost is exorbitant for them these days

 I have been perusing the internet the past few days, reading lots of forums for guns, knives and flashlight collectors and have noticed some things I wanted to talk about.
It seems like we all (collectors, that is) love to show off our collections online.
Over the last couple days I have viewed some incredible collections of Firearms, High end collectible knives and flashlight collections that could light a airfield (like the MF-1000 can do by itself). They are all on open forums, hooked to a screen name.
That screen name nine times out of ten has a profile connected to it with the hometown of the poster.
Sometimes even the persons real name is also available.

 Now lets say you post up a collection of Vrosapale pistols ( this could be anything, from Hummels to all the different hello kitty dolls) , you are very proud that you have scoured the world to find all models of this unique piece. In the world of VP collectors, you are the king.
A few weeks later you post that you are on your way to the Vrosapale collectors convention half way across the county and you will be off the forums for 5 days. You revel in your Twitter updates about you most recent find at the show, or what a jerk that last guy you dealt with was.
What have you just done?
Have you just told someone that you have valuable items and you will be gone from -to-?
What do you think?

  I know you have a huge safe, but don't you think in two days time someone can't get into it, most of the time using tools from your own shop?
What about the other things showing in the pictures, computer systems, flat screens and all the cool movie collectibles in your "man room"?

This picture is all over the internet, first posted on a "how big is your monitor website

 Do you think bad people don't read Glocktalk, AR15.com or Flashlight forums?
I bring this up because years (way too many) ago I was doing the gun show circuit in FL, 51 weekends a year, driving from one end of the state to another, setting up on on Fri, break down and head home Sunday night.
We had a time when a small group would come to the show on Sunday, tag a dealer that had a nice display then wait around till close down and load out and follow him home.

Sometimes they hit as soon as the dealer got home or to his shop, sometimes waiting till the next day if it was a collector who worked during the week.
One dealer got killed and a few got hurt and they didn't stop until they screwed up and  got caught.

  Now it's 2011, we have Google maps, Google name search, find anyone for 8 dollars and tons of other neat ways to locate an address.
Am I too paranoid? (can you be today?)
I learned to keep every thing collectible or rare at an off-site storage location. That and insurance keeps it away from my self and loved ones
.
It does suck that we can no longer have the "Trophy" rooms of yesteryear.
(even if you never have posted a picture, how about the bug guy, meter reader, the guy who trims your trees.
Do you think they might have looked in the window and passed on how cool your cave was?)

From an AOL article, 

 Some insurance companies are catching on. Legal & General Insurance in New England says Facebook and Twitter users could be hit with higher homeowner's insurance premiums. Why? All that blabbing about activities away from home means they face a higher risk of burglary.

The company thinks burglars are actually "shopping" for victims on social media sites, looking not only for an indication you're not at home, but also photos of your home and valuables. That cute picture of your son hugging the dog? A burglar is looking in the background, eyeing your big-screen TV and new stereo system.

And it's not just adults. Teenagers are even more likely to post personal information, so Legal & General has warned that parents who aren't even online themselves could face higher homeowner's insurance premiums if their children are online.

  Even though I have a overlapping video system with my next door neighbors, a alarm system, Two big dogs and a neighbor on one side who's a Reserve police officer and has a home office where he works that overlooks my house and on the other side is a just retired Navy DEVGRP 20 year man who has nothing better to do than sit on his back porch and shoot guns most of the day (and night, for the past damn week!) I still want to keep the good stuff locked up.

I hate that when I want to review a product for a blog post or get ready to go to a gun match  that I have to lay in another 40 mins to go by and pick up what I need, but I would hate to have a shootout at my house or even worse  to come home and find what I had worked 40 years for ransacked and off at some pawn shop.
My stuff is pretty safe and yes, I have gone overboard, but it gives me piece of mind that I have done all I can, if I get hit now, that's what insurance is for.

 We all love our " babies", and frankly most of us love to show them off. I am worse than 99% of the people in the world for having the collectors bug and wanting to share.

Just remember when you post that Twitter update that your are "at Outback with a two hour wait for a table" you might just be making some bad guys life a little easier.

Related articles

• Burglars scan social network sites (autonetinsurance.co.uk)
• Social networking could cause rise in home insurance prices (money.marksandspencer.com)
• Social networking: Are you advertising your home to burglars? (telegraph.co.uk)