DYERSBURG, Tenn. (March 26, 2008) – Today, Firestone Industrial Products Company, LLC (FSIP) announced that its Dyersburg, Tenn., plant received Volunteer Protection Program (VPP) status from the Tennessee Occupational Safety & Health Administration (TOSHA).

“Congratulations to our Dyersburg teammates on their success building a winning safety and health program,” said Mike Cerio, President of FSIP, a subsidiary of Bridgestone Firestone Diversified Products (BFDP). “By achieving this status, they are joining an elite group and setting an example for the rest of our facilities.”

TOSHA’s VPP status is awarded to companies that have comprehensive safety and health programs with injury rates below the industry’s national average. To qualify, Dyersburg teammates designed and implemented outstanding safety and health processes that exceed TOSHA’s strict safety standards.

“The award is recognition that the employees at this Firestone plant have structured a unique safety and health management system,” said Jim Neeley, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. “It’s a tribute to the company that its employees have successfully achieved these safety standards.”

Dyersburg is the first FSIP facility to achieve VPP status, joining a select club that includes three Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) facilities in Warren County, Tenn., Aiken County, S.C., and Bloomington, Ill., the only three tire plants in the United States to achieve this prestigious accolade. Other BFDP companies that are also VPP sites include: Firestone Building Products Company, LLC (FSBP) facilities in Aurora, Colo., and Kingstree, S.C., and the Firestone Polymers, LLC facility in Lake Charles, La.

The Dyersburg facility, which employs 130 teammates, produces metal components and cured rubber products for air springs.