United Kingdom (UK) Fire Industry News

The Memphis City Council has approved a new contract and raises for its professional firefighters, marking a resounding and long-fought win for Memphis Local 1784. By a 10-3 vote, Memphis City Council members agreed to a new three-year contract that includes back-to-back 3% annual raises with an opportunity to consider an additional raise in the final year. Local 1784’s previous contract had expired, and the union and city were thrust into impasse negotiations that ultimately led to the M...

According to AAA, more than 9 in 10 Memorial Day travelers will drive to their destinations this year. The advocate for safe mobility predicts a 52 percent increase in vehicle travel this Memorial Day weekend over last year and reports that 34 million Americans are planning to take road trips now that COVID-19 restrictions are loosening up. In the interest of public and responder safety, leading fire service organizations are reminding firefighters, EMS providers, and roadside service provide...

Big Bear Valley has experienced inclement weather. During these times, cellular service could be interrupted. The Big Bear Fire Department would like to remind everyone that they can text to 9-1-1, when placing a phone call to the department does not work. Use 911 as the phone number, type the message, and hit send. The message will be sent to the closest dispatch center, where it will appear on the dispatcher’s screen. That dispatcher can then have a text conversation with the person to...

Hammersmith and Fulham Council have appointed Kier Places to carry out remedial fire safety works across its 17,000 housing stock over the next five years. The list of capital works includes upgrades to firefighting equipment in housing blocks as well as work on sprinklers. With continuing concerns across the country about the state of external walls on high-rise residential buildings, the contract includes external façade remediation along with new window installations. deliver a quali...

Savannah, GA Local 574 will host the 57th annual U.S. and Canadian Professional Fire Fighters Golf Tournament in October after a one-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The three-day event on October 18-20, 2021, is expected to draw hundreds of IAFF members and family members and raise $1 million in revenue for the City of Savannah. Proceeds will benefit the Local 574 Fallen Fire Fighters Foundation. The event registration will include a hotel, three rounds of golf on different courses, br...

Gorman-Rupp is introducing the EchoStorm™, a new venturi aeration device designed to add dissolved oxygen to liquids in a variety of industrial and municipal wastewater applications. The EchoStorm™ is available in four different sizes, ranging from 2” to 6” (50 to 150 mm). Depending on the paired pump and piping size, the aerator is capable of operating from 50 to 1300 GPM (3.2 to 82.0 LPS), adding up to 857 pounds (389 kgs) of dissolved oxygen per day. Engineered pumpi...

Just as compact as a conventional fire extinguisher or a bucket syringe, but with a much higher extinguishing performance, the portable CAFS fire extinguisher, RFC POLY Portex from Rosenbauer is also versatile, thanks to its practical accessories. In the event of a fire alarm in a public building, a fire watch at a large event or a smaller fire-fighting operation, with the RFC POLY Portex, fire safety crews are not only quickly on site, but also have the appropriate extinguishing force availabl...

The Columbia-Richland Fire Department is working with the Columbia Police Department to investigate the causes of three fires that occurred in the Booker-Washington Heights neighborhood. No one was injured during the incidents. While investigators acknowledge that the fires all happened in close proximity to each other, they cannot say with certainty if the fires are connected. The investigations are in the infancy stages and investigators continue to gather information to determine if the fir...

AEI Cables has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract to supply low voltage power and fire performance cables to the prestigious Sky City project at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). The supply of the cables for power, control and fire performance for the commercial and retail sector of the site starts in September and will continue, until early next year. AEI Cables will work in partnership with its long-term Hong Kong distributor, Fordex Electric Company Limited for the project lo...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) will host its inaugural Recruitment and Retention Experience on September 17-18, 2021, in Cleveland, OH. This interactive educational and networking conference is open to all volunteer firefighters and EMS providers nationwide, with sessions targeted toward department leadership and recruitment officers. Registration for the same has begun as space is limited. Safety and Health focused conferences The NVFC Recruitment and Retention Experience builds...

For years, the red Solo access poles have been used by engineers to access detectors in order to carry out functional testing. For most this is achieved using the original 4 sections telescopic pole – but could a shorter pole also be useful? As part of some recent research into how the access poles are used and rated, Detector Testers learned that for many engineers the typical height of most detectors they test is up to 5 meters. Pole with Custom-Designed Bag While still a significant...

Just as compact as a conventional fire extinguisher or stirrup pump, but with a much higher extinguishing power: The RFC POLY Portex portable CAFS fire extinguisher is also highly versatile thanks to its practical accessories.In the event of a fire alarm in a public building, at the fire watch of a large event, or for smaller firefighting operations: with the RFC POLY Portex one is not only on scene quickly, but one also has plenty of extinguishing power available when it matters. The CAFS fir...

For many years, the Nittan Technical Support line has been an essential first point of contact for many customers, and even more so with recent social distancing rules meaning engineers were often alone on site and in need of manufacturer support and guidance.To cope with this recent higher call rate, they have now increased the support available, with two dedicated members of the team picking up direct Tech Support calls, and always happy to support customers in their hour of need. To help p...

Ambulance crews have started responding to 999 calls from a fire station in Doncaster where a new local ambulance response point has been located. Following a year of planning and preparation between South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue and Yorkshire Ambulance Service, the construction of a multi-use Portakabin has been completed on-site at Rossington Fire Station. The Portakabin The Portakabin, which is fully operational, will act as a base for ambulance crews working in and around the Rossingt...

Road safety barrier experts from Hardstaff Barriers delivered a Vehicle Restraint System (VRS) seminar yesterday to their largest-ever audience. More than 130 employees from construction and infrastructure services company, Kier, were invited to Hardstaff’s popular online Highway VRS CPD Seminar. Nigel Bullock and Sarah Compton outlined the importance of adhering to the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) ‘CD 377 Requirements for road restraint systems’ document. Preca...

To understand what is Special Hazard Fire Protection Systems, one must know what a ‘Special Hazard’ is. Special Hazards can be bracketed as: An area or process involving pieces of equipment that are of exceptionally high value. An area containing unique or irreplaceable assets. An area or process where the revenue produced or its function is of greater value than the equipment itself. Standard fire sprinkler systems might not prove to be adequate for putting out a fire in th...

‘Backflow’ is the flow of water in the opposite direction back into the water supply. Backflow preventers hold the pressurized fire sprinkler water line from flowing back into the municipal water line, a probable case if there is a loss of pressure from the municipal water line. Backflow preventers reduce the chances of polluting the municipal water system through cross-contamination. A Backflow Preventer A backflow preventer is a mechanism devised to keep water inside a fire prot...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and Columbia Southern University (CSU) are partnering for the 13th year to support volunteer responders by offering two scholarships to NVFC members to help them further their education in the fire and emergency services. Each scholarship will cover up to 60 credit hours towards one online degree program. CSU offers a wide range of accredited degree programs, including fire science, fire administration, occupational safety and health, and more. The uni...

KIMTEK has added a large capacity model to its brush truck series skid unit lineup. The new Series FIRELITE® FDHP-303-300 skid unit is desired by departments needing larger water capacity, affordable brush truck units with Darley Davey Pumps. To additionally meet departments' specific needs, KIMTEK offers the new 300 gallon model in options that include a patient transport area that can hold a longboard or stokes basket or accommodate other optional items that can be added such as storage b...

Euralarm has released its Annual Report 2020-2021. The report follows the structure of Euralarm, every section and committee of the association summarising their activities over the previous year and, where appropriate, providing forecasts and plans for the future. This year the Annual Report is available as E-book enabling the reader to view the Annual Report online. A copy of the Annual Report can be downloaded from the companies website.  

Portable fire extinguishers play a vital role in preventing a fire from becoming a major conflagration. Indeed, the guidance notes of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (FSO) references this very point, stating how the safe use of an appropriate fire extinguisher to control a fire in its early stages significantly reduces the risk to people and property. In fact, according to the Fire Industry Association (FIA), almost 90% of workplace fires are successfully fought with a fire extinguishe...

Housing Committee Chair, Clive Betts MP sets out his concerns about the gap between the guidance for external wall surveys and the reaction of mortgage lenders to their implementation, which is leaving leaseholders to face the consequences. Issues with the EWS1 process The Chair of the Housing, Communities, and Local Government Committee, Clive Betts MP, wrote to the government on 21 May to highlight continuing issues with the EWS1 process. This follows the publication of guidance in March by...

Grass, crop, and woodland fires can have a devastating impact, injuring or killing wildlife, destroying property and livelihoods, and even putting people’s lives at risk. As users enter peak season for these types of incidents, residents, workers, and visitors are being urged to do their bit to reduce the number of accidental grass fires across the county. Most grass fires happen between May and September when grassland can get very dry, and many are caused by out-of-control bonfires...

Whilst low temperatures and fire don’t seem like a likely combination, there are in fact many factors that make cold storage susceptible to fire risk. Econofoods understand the critical business impact a fire would have at their stores. Keeping the food at the right temperatures in controlled cold storage is essential to providing customers with the best produce. specialist fire protection measures Due to the harsh conditions of a bulk freezer room Wayne Behrens of Coetzer Fire Services...

With the start of a new year comes expected change. 2021 is no different for the Automotive Service Technician with some finalized rules behind Motor Vehicle Air Conditioning (MVAC) service. The EPA, under the direction of Administrator Wheeler, signed a final rule entitled, “Protection of Stratospheric Ozone: Motor Vehicle Air Conditioning Systems Servicing”, on Monday, January 11, 2021. SAE safety standards Under this new ruling, any person repairing or servicing an R-1234yf MVA...

The new Fire Safety Bill (FSB) for England and Wales has been lauded by some in the fire industry, as the answer to many of the challenges faced post the Grenfell tragedy era, but it may not be as far-reaching as many had expected. Stacey Adams, the Market Development Manager at Apollo Fire Detectors Ltd, takes a look at the Fire Safety Bill, what it contains, what it aims to achieve, and its implications for the fire industry. New Fire Safety Bill for England and Wales The new Fire Safety Bi...

Churches Fire & Security, a national provider with over 29 years of experience in the fire safety and security industry announces the acquisition of Dragon Fire & Security Systems. Experts in fire and security systems for homes and businesses across South Wales, Dragon Fire & Security Systems are approved to all of the industry’s highest recognized standards, including the NSI (Gold) and the BAFE Alarm Certification Scheme. High-quality service “We are delighted to ann...

For thousands of restaurants, hotels, offices, factories, hospitals, leisure facilities, and retailers across the UK, fire extinguishers and fire doors are in a position to act should a fire occur. Legislation in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 states that all businesses must have fire extinguishers readily available and visible at all times. Fire doors also fall under this ruling, with the maintenance of them being a key requirement for every business to which the Order applies....

Northern Minnesota’s International Falls Fire Department (IFFD), together with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, quickly extinguished a dangerous wildfire on the shore of Rainy Lake. On May 18th, amid elevated fire danger conditions and high winds, the fire jumped across open water from Frank Island to Voyageurs National Park on the U.S. mainland, but those responding swiftly extinguished it with help from a new Lake Assault Boats fireboat. Fireboat stationed on rainy lake...

In a brand-new episode of Assembly Point, RIBA past president, Jane Duncan OBE, explores why fire safety must be taken seriously, and what action still needs to be taken to ensure tragic events such as Grenfell are never repeated. Jane is the Chair of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Expert Advisory Group on Fire Safety formed shortly after the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017. Its work is based on two key principles: To be visible and transparent in their discussion and outp...