MSA EMERGING MARKETS: CHILE CHILE h In Chile, Protecting the Men and Women of the Chilean National Firefighters Council However, having already seen first hand the advantages of  MSA’s products and service, the Council once again selected  MSA, purchasing an additional 4,000 Air Masks, as well as  fire helmets and related equipment. The fire service is a key customer segment for MSA all  around the world. Although recently weakened in some  regions due to economic challenges, this market began to  show signs of renewed strength in 2011. This was especially  true in Latin America, and perhaps no other 2011 “win”  better symbolizes MSA perseverance than our winning the  confidence of the Chilean National Firefighters Council.  No wonder that MSA Chairman John Ryan III, who helped  to establish MSA’s presence in Chile back in the 1970s,  referred to this as a “breakthrough order.” Not only does it  demonstrate the value of perseverance and the ultimate  reward of a superior o ff ering, it positions MSA well for  future opportunities in the emerging Latin America region  and elsewhere throughout the world. The Chilean National Firefighters Council, a collection of more than 300 fire departments throughout the country, had been served exclusively by a safety products  competitor for decades. Nevertheless, MSA’s sales team  prepared a very competitive bid emphasizing the many  benefits of a relationship with MSA: an industry-leading  Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) design with chemical-biological-radiological-nuclear protection; ongoing training; and access to a responsive  service organization located “in country,” with engineering expertise to meet the specific needs of fire  service customers. In January, the Council announced that MSA had been  granted an order for 1,000 FireHawk® M7 Air Masks. Another  request for proposal later in the year was met with an even  more challenging situation, with the incumbent competitor  aggressively fighting for the business. In 2011 MSA was awarded  several contracts for a total of  5,000 Self-Contained Breathing  Apparatus from the Chilean  National Firefighters Council.  Because of their confidence  in MSA, they placed an order  for helmets and other related  equipment as well. MSA 2011 ANNUAL REPORT 7