Scott Safety Celebrates 80 Years of Fire and Detection Technology Innovation

MONROE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Scott Safety, a subsidiary of Tyco International, is celebrating 80 years as a global leader in development and manufacture of leading-edge fire protection and detection equipment and technology—but the company is really celebrating 80 years of safer industrial and military emergency preparedness and response. “The solutions we produce reflect the leading edge of protection technology—and that’s because the men and women using Scott equipment aren’t truly ready to respond using anything less than the best and most reliable gear available,” said Mike Ryan, Vice President and GM of Scott Safety.

“The relationships we have with our customers start and end with their safety first and foremost—our success is based on applied knowledge that goes right to the safety and well-being of people.”

Scott Safety’s publicly-traded parent company Tyco just completed a three-way split of its operating companies, anchoring Scott’s development and manufacturing role in fire protection and life safety products around the world. “At Scott, we’ve always focused on our customers and the environments and conditions in which they operate. By innovating with purpose based on our customer’s requirements— providing solutions that are optimized for their specific needs for 80 years, we’ve become a true partner in every sense of the word,” said Ryan. “The relationships we have with our customers start and end with their safety first and foremost—our success is based on applied knowledge that goes right to the safety and well-being of people.”

Over nearly nine decades, Scott Safety’s approach to product development and purpose-driven innovation has positioned the company as the preferred provider to major US metropolitan fire departments, US military forces, homeland security and other “first responder” organizations including the New York City Fire Department, the US Navy and the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense.

As a world leader in the design, manufacturer and sale of high performance respiratory protection products, Scott develops and produces monitoring and sensor equipment and other protective solutions for first responders, law enforcement, military and civil defense/homeland security, as well as emergency services in agricultural/forestry industries, petroleum, oil and gas sector and chemical, construction and industrial environments. From oil and gas operations in some of the world’s most extreme environments, to the nation’s leading edge military and security forces, Scott’s legacy grew from a culture of purpose-built, “real world” protective solutions. “We’ve focused on the customer and their needs as the first step in every product development initiative,” said Tina Deatherage, Scott Global Marketing Communications Manager. “We ask ourselves ‘what can we produce to make their jobs safer?’”

The North Carolina based company got its start as Uniloy; company owner and founder Earl Scott developed the first pivoting aircraft tail-wheel to allow planes to safely land in 1932. The company’s reputation for high quality aviation components during WW II gave Scott entry into even larger military safety and protective equipment contracts, and in 1941, Scott changed the name from Uniloy to Scott Aviation.

The fledgling defense contractor went on to develop the first “walk-around” oxygen device for military aviators, leading to an array of innovations in Self Contained Breathing Apparatus including the first Air-Pak and the first mask-mounted regulator and high pressure oxygen cylinders.

The company was purchased by Tyco International in 2001. Over the ensuing years, Scott changed its name to Scott Safety, building its stock in trade around safety and protective products for civil fire services, public safety and industrial applications. This focus would firmly establish the brand’s safety legacy and lead to an evolution in industrial protective equipment and practices worldwide.

Scott Safety currently produces more than 300 products and serves significant segments of the global civil and military defense markets, industrial safety, oil and gas, maritime and other industrial safety environments.

Scott’s position in the recent restructuring falls within Tyco’s Life Safety Products division. The company will continue to be a global provider of emergency services protection products including fire protection, detection and suppression and life safety products. Tyco’s broad portfolio of products and services, sold under well-known brands such as Tyco, Scott Safety, SimplexGrinnell, Sensormatic, Wormald, Ansul, Simplex, Grinnell, serve security, fire detection and suppression and life safety needs in commercial, industrial, retail, institutional, and governmental markets, as well as residential and small business markets. Tyco employs nearly 70,000 people across an extensive global footprint of more than 1,200 locations, serving customers in more than 50 countries.

About Scott Safety

Scott Safety, a business unit of Tyco International, is a premier manufacturer of innovative respiratory and other personal protective equipment and safety devices for firefighters, industrial workers, police squads, militaries, homeland security forces, and rescue teams around the world. With five global manufacturing locations, Scott produces products that protect thousands of individuals each day from environmental hazards including smoke, toxic fumes, combustible gases, falling objects, and contaminants. The Scott product line includes self-contained breathing apparatus, supplied air and air-purifying respirators, gas detection instruments, thermal imaging cameras, and firefighter locators.

About Tyco

Tyco (NYSE: TYC) is the world's largest pure-play fire protection and security company. Tyco provides more than three million customers around the globe with the latest fire protection and security products and services. A $10+ billion company, Tyco has more than 69,000 employees in more than 1,000 locations across 50 countries serving various end markets, including commercial, institutional, governmental, retail, industrial, energy, residential and small business. For more information, visit www.tyco.com.