 July 2010
To our valued customers, As I sit watching the rain pour down in an unusually wet June, I hear the collective sighs of relief that the spring /summer grass and forest fire situation might not be as severe as earlier thought. Our relatively mild and snowless winter in many regions has impacted not only the water levels in our lakes but the lack of spring run-off had certainly meant very dry ground to start the summer. But regardless of the changing weather trends, prudence tells us to always ‘be prepared’ for the unexpected. That means keeping your equipment in ‘ready to go’ condition at all times. In keeping with both NFPA standards and manufacturers recommendations, that may mean annual flow tests on your breathing apparatus to provide the minor adjustments and cleaning to ensure optimal functioning when the alarm sounds. A word of caution as we see the ‘re-conditioned’ breathing apparatus ads surfacing again. ‘Re-conditioned’ ‘does not mean ‘re-certified’! Unless these companies are willing to give you a document that indicates a manufacturer certified repair parts and certified technician, it is highly likely that improper parts are being used in the ‘re-conditioning’ of your SCBA. This could cost someone their life – is that worth the discounted price you pay? And please don’t forget that U.S. dollar prices are NOT at par with Canadian dollars once you add on the currency exchange of the day, customs, duties, freight, fuel surcharges and taxes added to your purchase. I would always recommend that you check with us for your Canadian dollar price – we hear of too many people stung by the final bill of a U.S. priced ‘deal’. Are you keeping your heavy hydraulic equipment cleaned and serviced as per your operations manual? An ounce of prevention will save you money, so you can save lives! You never know whose life you might need to save at your next call to a motor vehicle accident. If you are a TNT Rescue Systems customer, you’ll know that for a nominal annual service visit, you have a lifetime warranty – that means no costly repair bills on your TNT manufactured system! Please contact anyone you know who has a TNT system to verify that they’ve never had a repair bill! If you aren’t a TNT hydraulic system customer, and you are paying hefty repair bills, maybe you should call your A.J. Stone Co. area sales rep. to discuss TNT’s compatibility with other systems on the market and start switching over a pump or tool at a time. There are a few changes from within the A.J. Stone Co. customer service team. As some of you know, Ali left us in March to pursue a new adventure and we wish him well. Monika will be starting her maternity leave in a few weeks and we wish her a wonderful year with her first baby, a son, Samuel. We welcome back Joyce who has returned to Customer Service after several years at home with her young daughters. Ryan has become the product line manager for MSA and Innotex Bunker Gear. He will be involved with any in-depth product discussion, quoting, demonstrations and training for those product groups. We wish you all a very happy and safe summer with your families and friends. The A.J. Stone Family and Staff | 
