United Kingdom (UK) Fire Industry News

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue football team triumphed over 13 other fire service teams North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s (NYFRS) football section had reason to celebrate on the 24th March 2011 when they triumphed in the “British Fire Service’s Sports and Athletics Association (BFSS+AA)” National 5-A-Side Tournament, which was held at the UK Futsal Arena in Birmingham. The squad was represented by 8 members of NYFRS stationed across the county....

LFB has warned schools in the UK which have not installed sprinklers on their premises for fire safety Sprinklers can significantly reduce the cost of repairing damage caused by a fire. Almost two thirds of new or refurbished schools planned for the capital have not been built with potentially life saving sprinklers installed, the London Fire Brigade is warning. This is despite Government guidelines introduced three years ago recommending they should be fitted. Sprinklers stop...

LFB is using Twitter to draw attention to the amount of time spent by firefighters on unnecessary call-outs London Fire Brigade is to use social networking website Twitter to highlight the amount of time its firefighters spend at call-outs to people who are stuck in lifts. On April 1, the Brigade will be tweeting every time it is called to help someone stuck in a lift. Last year, the Brigade attended nearly 10,000 lift call-outs but of these, just 67 were medical em...

This blue box depicts the towering scale of London Fire Brigade's carbon use reduction Fire authority chiefs have given the go-ahead to a scheme that will save the London Fire Brigade almost £1million on its energy bills over the next 10 years.Under the scheme, ten stations will receive a green makeover which will help cut energy bills by £80,000 a year, saving a total of 440 tonnes of CO² each year – equivalent to the height of The Monument to the Great...

ONESuit® Pro's increased shelf life improves longer-term cost-efficiency while ensuring maximum protection Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics has extended the shelf life of ONESuit® Pro gas-tight chemical-protective hazmat suits from seven to ten years following accelerated ageing and resistance testing.  The ONESuit® Pro’s increased shelf life improves longer-term cost efficiency while ensuring maximum protection over a ten-year period for fire, che...

Sprinklers in all new homes mandatory in Wales A backbench legislation introduced in 2007 by Ann Jones helps make fire suppression systems – Sprinkler a must in all new homes in Wales.On 16th February 2011, Welsh Assembly Members voted to make Wales the first country in the world to make fire suppression systems (sprinklers) mandatory in all new homes. I first introduced this backbench legislation in 2007 and have worked collaboratively with the Fire & Rescue Service...

The fire safety guidelines were published by NASHiCS in collaboration with CFOA New fire safety guidance measures for residential care homes have been published by two safety organisations. The guidelines were released by the National Association for Safety and Health in Care Services (NASHiCS) in collaboration with the Chief Fire Officers' Association (CFOA) and are aimed at supplementing the current guide published by the Department for Communities and Local Government. Da...

Having the proper fire safety and chemical-protective equipment is imperative where risk of hazardous chemical exposure is great With businesses still facing the effects of the economic crisis with budget cuts, safety remains a key concern when it comes to finding cost-effective solutions without compromising public safety. One type of incident which many businesses are not properly equipped for is hazardous chemical exposure. Ian Hutcheson of Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics...

Brigade's flagship youth scheme gets funded 1 million GBP  The award winning Local Intervention Fire Education (LIFE) scheme recently celebrated its 500th course. The programme, which sees young people taking part in fire brigade related activities, was originally set up in Tower Hamlets in 2002 to reduce anti-social behaviour directed at fire crews. Since it began, nearly 5,000 young Londoners have benefited from the scheme and there are now nine LIFE centres across...

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service organised a large-scale chemical leak training exercise at Grocontinental Grocontinental’s compound in Whitchurch Business Park – one of the largest freezer stores in Europe and a major Shropshire employer was the venue for the chemical leak training exercise.Firefighters donned special airtight chemical protection suits to tackle a reported ammonia leak during a large scale training exercise at a major food storage and distri...

KAC will outline key developments for fire systems integrators and installers at the International Firex 2011 show “This is an important year for KAC at Firex. It gives us an opportunity to show that we continue to drive the market after 40 years…,” said Mark Thomson, Marketing Development Manager.KAC, the world’s largest call point manufacturer, is back at the International Firex on 16-19 May at the NEC in Birmingham, to outline key developments f...

London Fire Brigade issues advice for smokers to prevent smoking-related fires In London, 14 people lost their lives in house fires caused by smoking materials and 121 people were injured in 2010. Since 2006, there have been 64 fatalities and around 700 injuries.One in three deaths that occur in accidental house fires is caused by cigarettes or other smoking materials such as matches and cigars, says London Fire Brigade.The warning is a stark reminder to people of the dangers...

The London Fire Brigade's services will not be compromised by overtime cuts The London Fire Brigade has today revealed plans to save £2million over the next five years by cutting unnecessary overtime paid to firefighters. The announcement comes days after Home Secretary, Theresa May, warned of cuts to overtime pay for the police. According to a report being put to the Finance and Personnel committee of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) n...

Crowcon's confined space entry gas detector will be showcased at the Health &Safety Expo Gas detection specialist Crowcon is showing its new portable Gas-Pro confined space entry (CSE) gas detector at the Health and Safety Expo in Birmingham this May. Specifically designed for CSE work, the Gas-Pro has application-driven features that include a top-mount display, internal pump, detection of up to five gases simultaneously, and +ve Safety – an innovative, tri-colo...

London Fire Brigade’s Twitter feed will encourage people to visit for the fire safety information The London Fire Brigade launched its official twitter feed for the latest information regarding fire and emergency incidents and fire safety information.Londoners will be able to get the latest information about major fires and emergency incidents in the capital as they happen with the launch of London Fire Brigade's official Twitter feed.The launch follows a successful tria...

Fire inspectors found a number of contraventions related to violations of fire safety laws in the shop In these tough economic times, it is important that companies do not take their eye off the ball, when it comes to making their business safe from fire. Greggs, the bakers, have been fined £50,000 and ordered to pay £20,326 in costs after pleading guilty to serious breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the "RRO"). London Fire Brigade prosecu...

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue told news providers about the smoke alarm which was without batteries Two residents in the first-floor property where the fire started were treated by paramedics for smoke inhalation. A fire in an Oxfordshire block of flats was discovered by sheer "good fortune" after it was revealed that batteries had been removed from the fire alarm. The fire at the building in Didcot, Oxford, was reported on Monday (December 13th) morning, reports BBC News. Tw...

Building fires can be avoided if proper measures are taken during the construction phase Councillor Coleman moved an assembly motion in January 2010 for the London Assembly to set up scrutiny investigation into issues around fire safety in buildings. Responding to the London Assembly report on fire safety in residential buildings, Chairman and Leader of London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority Cllr Brian Coleman said: "The recommendations reinforce changes we ha...

Draeger's UCF cameras can pinpoint the exact locatino of any thermal areas Firefighters no longer have to conduct a risk assessment before taking a thermal imaging camera into a potentially explosive environment.As part of its ongoing commitment to improving fire fighter safety and operational performance, Draeger Safety has developed the UCF range of thermal imaging cameras. For the first time, firefighters no longer have to conduct a risk assessment before taking a thermal i...

  Airport firefighters operate very differently to their municipal fire and rescue colleagues For the thousands of firefighters covering over 80 major commercial airports throughout Europe, life is very different from that experienced by their municipal fire and rescue service colleagues. The differences range from the type of regime they experience to the types of emergency they are called upon to deal with on a daily basis. Richard Cranham, Business Development Manage...

Fire and Rescue services and companies will benefit from the LG Group Annual Conference 2011 BAFE will be canvassing participant's opinions and sharing current issues with delegates at the conference. BAFE is proud to announce their attendance at this year's LG Group fire conference. The exhibition will explore a number of current fire issues, and will debate the key challenges facing the fire service in the future. Over two days delegates from government, leading fire and re...

Kidde's roadshow on ARGONITE C60 will provide information on gaseous suppression to fire protection ARGONITE C60 system is a total flooding fire protection system that extinguishes fires in enclosed spaces.Kidde Fire Protection announced the ARGONITE C60 Roadshow which will visit 4 locations in the next 12 months, introducing Kidde's patented Controlled Flow Technology and bringing the latest trends in gaseous suppression to fire protection professionals around the country. Ki...

The products discussed at the New Technology Day Seminar covered a wide range of fire protection products The day was open to FIA members, non FIA members and anyone with an interest in Fire Protection to attend a wide selection of seminars. The FIA is pleased to announce that its first New Technology Seminar Day was a success. The event took place on February 3rd at the FIA HQ in Hampton and saw the meeting rooms transform into a vibrant learning environment. The event serv...

PHS Compliance, the specialist service provider for compliance in electricity, gas, fire and power management  Fyr Fyter is a leading provider of complete, high quality fire safety services, equipment and specialist training programmes. Leading workplace service provider PHS Group has acquired the total fire protection company, Fyr Fyter (UK) Limited.  This business will join PHS Compliance, the specialist service provider for compliance in electricity, gas, fire an...

It is important for the residential as well as the commercial buildings to have a fire escape staircase Ninety-nine per cent of residential blocks do not have a secondary means of escape. Around 99 per cent of residential blocks of flats have no secondary fire escape, says the head of a residential development company. Roger Southam, managing director of Chainbow, told Investors Chronicle that, because the regulations for residential blocks are not as stringent as those...

The historic Duke's Head Hotel in Norfolk was damaged by the fire caused due to a faulty vaccuum cleaner It is believed that a faulty wet-dry vaccuum cleaner started the blaze. More than 50 firefighters were called when a major fire broke out at an historic hotel in Norfolk on Friday (December 10th). The fire broke out in the Duke's Head Hotel, based in the coastal town of Lynn, which is currently undergoing a £2 million renovation, reports Lynn News. It is believed th...

Fire officers found a number of fire safety failings during inspection The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order places a duty on the 'responsible person' for the premises to carry out a fire risk assessment. A brewery has been ordered to pay £27,481 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to serious breaches of fire safety legislation following a prosecution brought by the London Fire Brigade. Punch Taverns PLC admitted guilt on seven contraventions of the Regulatory...

D-Tec's FireVu detection systems will detect any possible occurences of fire inside the hangar saving both life and property D-Tec provides Royal Maintenance hangars with fast and reliable video smoke detection systems. Networkable CCTV-based FireVu VSD (Video Smoke Detection) systems from D-Tec part of AD Group have been supplied and commissioned by BSS-ME, its partner in the Middle East, for five large (90 m (L) x 90m (H) x 33 m (W)) hangars at the Royal Maintenance comple...

The video on bin fires has raised awareness of the catastrophic effects of bin fires and their aftermaths Residents are urged, if possible, to site their wheelie bin away from property and only put it out in the street just before the arrival of the bin collectors.The public has been urged to take action to stop their household bin from going up in flames and putting their home at risk from fire in an important safety message from Shropshire firefighters. A short film clip re-...

Sepura's TETRA terminal will help improve fire safety at Lyon-Saint Exupery airport Lyon Saint Exupery Airport's technical staff selected the Sepura STP8000 hand held radio because of its superior sound quality which ensures workers can communicate whatever the background noise and its robustness. Lyon-Saint Exupery Airport has selected Sepura TETRA terminals for its radio and communication needs following the recent deployment of a new digital communications system that...