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Why NFPA Standards Should Matter to You

A little background first.
If you are well accustomed to the firefighting industry, then the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is nothing new.  For decades, the NFPA has set guidelines for all aspects of safety regarding the firefighting community. The NFPA standards have become widely adopted around the world and play a large role in the Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) industry. When an airport is getting ready to build a new vehicle, they typically ask the manufacturers who are bidding for their business to follow the NFPA standards in the specification presented to them.  No matter what line of fire duty you are in, these standards have impacted you in some way. Oshkosh Airport Products is here to explain why these guidelines should matter to you.

Did you know?
The NFPA has created a set of over 300 standards that are published in different categorical guidebooks. For example, they have anything ranging from how to set up an airport response plan to personal protection equipment recommendations; the range is so diverse. Each standard or guidebook has its own committee which consists of a diversified group of experts on the topic. These standards and guidebooks are on a set revision cycle so they can be constantly updated to provide the latest guidance to the user community.  The committees frequently meet to review the proposed revisions that can be submitted electronically on the NFPA website.

Be the change you want to see in the world. (Or in this case, the fire industry!)
The NFPA tries to be all encompassing, and has an open platform for revisions. Take advantage of this! You are the one that is immersed in the firefighter culture and works within it every day. If you think something should be changed, submit a revision. The committee values peoples’ opinions and has a specific process to ensure that every submittal is revised by the committee and discussed. You have the power to help shape the industry and that’s a powerful tool. It’s important to take ownership of your career and help shape it to be safer, more cutting edge, and as flawless as possible.

Voices will be heard.
Once a revision is submitted, it is put in que to be reviewed by the committees during the revision cycle. The topic-specific committee sits down and has a discussion about the suggestion for change.   Each submittal is reviewed by the committee and the submittal can be taken as-is, revised or rejected.  The review process has several stages and allows for multiple comment periods to fully vet each submittal.  This is to ensure that the user and the committee members are both heard. The NFPA tries to cultivate a two-way conversation. All of the meetings are open to the public, and people are encouraged to attend. The NFPA wants to strengthen their standards, and needs you to participate!
 
A last note.
The firefighting industry is in a unique position; most fields do not have an opportunity to impact their line of work for the better like this. In a world where the matter of life or death, it is important you raise awareness about things that you see could be improved and share your knowledge with others. You have the power to make impactful changes; do not hesitate to take advantage of it!

Topics: ARFF, Airport, NFPA, Oshkosh, Products, Standards

View the ARFF Vehicle Reference Guide

About Oshkosh Airport Products

Oshkosh Airport Products, an Oshkosh Corporation company, is a designer and builder of industry-leading airport firefighting vehicles. Its flagship Striker® Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) vehicles are known for their durability and superior performance and sold throughout the world. For more information, visit www.oshkoshairport.com

About Oshkosh Corporation

At Oshkosh (NYSE: OSK), we make innovative, mission-critical equipment to help everyday heroes advance communities around the world. Headquartered in Wisconsin, Oshkosh Corporation employs approximately 15,000 team members worldwide, all united behind a common cause: to make a difference in people’s lives. Oshkosh products can be found in more than 150 countries under the brands of JLG®, Hinowa, Pierce®, MAXIMETAL, Oshkosh® Defense, McNeilus®, IMT®, Jerr-Dan®, Frontline™ Communications, Oshkosh® Airport Products and Pratt Miller. For more information, visit oshkoshcorp.com.

®, ™ All brand names referred to in this news release are trademarks of Oshkosh Corporation or its subsidiary companies.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains statements that the Company believes to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company’s future financial position, business strategy, targets, projected sales, costs, earnings, capital expenditures, debt levels and cash flows, and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “should,” “project” or “plan” or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, some of which are beyond the Company’s control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include the extent of supply chain and logistics disruptions, particularly as demand rebounds from the COVID-19 pandemic; the Company’s ability to increase prices or impose surcharges to raise margins or to offset higher input costs, including increased raw material, labor and freight costs; the cyclical nature of the Company’s access equipment, commercial and fire & emergency markets, which are particularly impacted by the strength of U.S. and European economies and construction seasons; the Company’s estimates of access equipment demand which, among other factors, is influenced by historical customer buying patterns and rental company fleet replacement strategies; the Company’s ability to attract production labor in a timely manner; the strength of the U.S. dollar and its impact on Company exports, translation of foreign sales and the cost of purchased materials; the Company’s ability to predict the level and timing of orders for indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts with the U.S. federal government; risks related to reductions in government expenditures in light of U.S. defense budget pressures and an uncertain U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) tactical wheeled vehicle strategy; the impact of any DoD solicitation for competition for future contracts to produce military vehicles; the impacts of budget constraints facing the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and continuously changing demands for postal services; the impact of severe weather, natural disasters or pandemics that may affect the Company, its suppliers or its customers; risks related to the collectability of receivables, particularly for those businesses with exposure to construction markets; the cost of any warranty campaigns related to the Company’s products; risks associated with international operations and sales, including compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; risks that a trade war and related tariffs could reduce the competitiveness of the Company’s products; the Company’s ability to comply with complex laws and regulations applicable to U.S. government contractors; cybersecurity risks and costs of defending against, mitigating and responding to data security threats and breaches impacting the Company; the Company’s ability to successfully identify, complete and integrate acquisitions and to realize the anticipated benefits associated with the same; and risks related to the Company’s ability to successfully execute on its strategic road map and meet its long-term financial goals. Additional information concerning these and other factors is contained in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Form 8-K. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company assumes no obligation, and disclaims any obligation, to update information contained in this news release. Investors should be aware that the Company may not update such information until the Company’s next quarterly earnings conference call, if at all.

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