FDIC was a great opportunity for Mustang to hear feedback from so many people who use our gear as part of their job. It was also a chance for us to learn about other products that would interest people that use our gear.

One of those products that I came across at FDIC was the Ram-Air Gear Dryer, a vertical dryer used by Fire Departments to quickly dry gear after use and have ready for the next mission. I stopped by the Ram-Air booth and met with company president, Lance Dornn, to see one of the dryers for myself.

Lance uses Mustang’s Ice Commander Ice Rescue Suit to demonstrate how his company’s dryers work. Instead of using heat, the Ram-Air Dryer uses pressure forced, ambient air which can even get into those hard to reach places including the insides of gloves! The dryer has an automatic timer that can be set for up to 12 hours so that you can control drying time based on what type of gear needs to be dried.

Does your department use the Ram-Air Dryer? Leave a comment on OutThere and tell other Mustang users how it works for you!

For more information about Ram-Air and their dryers, visit www.ramairgeardryer.com.

Since the exhibition opened yesterday afternoon, Mustang Survival’s booth has been packed the entire time. Our team is working hard to answer questions and help people decide which gear best fits their mission.

FDIC is the world’s largest firefighter show and just about takes over Indianapolis for the week. Firefighters from all over the country and around the world come to train and see the latest technology and personal protection equipment. The show takes up the entire convention center including the attached RCA Dome, home to the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts.

It’s great to hear people tell me about how much they love their Mustang gear. Some come with their stories of how our products have worked for them and others are looking for solutions to their water rescue equipment needs.

This year, as departments prepare for the flooding that follows the spring thaw, many are stopping by to check out our Water Rescue Gear and learn more about the MSD577 SR, our dry suit designed specifically for water rescue.

If you find yourself at FDIC this year, stop by booth 534 and check us out!

If you remember back in February I went to Ice Rescue Training at Lifesaving Resources in New Hampshire to shoot a new video for the Mustang Survival Ice Commander. The editing is now complete and we can share the video with you.

You can see other of our videos on our YouTube Channel. We’d love to hear your feedback on this or any of our other videos.

The Guard, a new dramatic series on GlobalTV has its premier Tuesday night. It is centered around the lives of four imperfect and sometimes difficult, but heroic Canadian Coast Guard rescue specialists. Filmed here on Canada’s west coast, each episode will feature a different rescue. According to the show’s producers:

The Pacific Ocean collides into Canada’s mountainous coastline in one of the most beautiful and treacherous locations on earth, Port Hallet. Here, human beings go up against nature at their peril – because nature almost always wins. In a place like this, Rescue Specialists know that disasters follow few rules. Decisions, which may cost or save lives, are made as quickly as reflexes allow. This is a series about the men and women who make them.

It looks like there are going to be lots of action, drama and of course Mustang Survival gear!

PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Courtney

Every year the Canadian government and a province or territory put on the SARSCENE Conference and Tradeshow. This year it was British Columbia’s turn hosting in Victoria just across Georgia Straight from our office in Richmond. Getting there on Thursday should have been a quick 30 minute flight in a DeHavilland DHC-3 Turbine Single Otter on Harbour Air. Unfortunately the remains of Tropical Storm Ling Ling had other ideas. Frank and I ended up re-routing to Nanaimo, further up Vancouver Island and taking the bus down the Island Highway. Fortunately, we arrived a few hours late and didn’t require any SAR assistance!

At the show, we introduced our new Swift Water Rescue Dry Suit and Ice Commander. We got very positive feedback from many of the visitors, from all over Canada, the US and far away places like Ireland and even New Zealand! It was also a great opportunity to meet many of the rescue professionals that use our products and get their feedback and suggestions.

One of the highlights of the event was the mock rescue staged with planes, helicopters, ships, hovercraft and trained technicians needed to save several people in distress on a fishing vessel appearing like it was on fire. It was great to see the Canadian Coast Guard, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, Canadian Forces and volunteer organizations come together to rescue people in the water in immersion suits, people on a rescue boat and some still on the boat.

If you ever get a chance to take in one of these live demonstrations its well worth the time.