United States of America (USA) Fire Industry News

A fault-tolerant network of fire alarm control panels from Advanced has been selected to protect the 3Ts Redevelopment program at the Royal Sussex County Hospital. 36 4-loop MxPro 5 fire panels, 46 repeater panels, and two custom-built AdSpecials panels from UK-manufacturer, Advanced, are to be installed at Brighton’s 3Ts hospital redevelopment as part of phase one of the program. Custom-built panels Phase one involves the construction of a 13-story building with two basement levels, lo...

Vimpex's Hydrosense Water Leak Detection System has been installed in Dublin Airport’s new Visual Control Tower (VCT) to protect the new state of the art facility from water ingress, which could seriously damage electrical, communication and computer networks. Visual Control Tower (VCT) The 87-meters high tower is Ireland’s tallest occupied structure and a commanding new addition to the city’s skyline. It comprises three separate but integrated building elements, the control...

Johnson Controls, the pioneer for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings and architect of OpenBlue connected solutions, is setting a new standard in fire suppression with the launch of ANSUL® NFF 3x3 UL201 Foam Concentrate. This new, patent-pending, Non-Fluorinated Foam (NFF) technology provides fast, effective fire suppression on most Class B hydrocarbon and polar solvent fuel fires. With a longer drain time than most AR-AFFFs, this foam blanket also delivers excellent post-extinguishmen...

The Capital Crescent Trail was crowded as bicyclists and walkers captured a few final moments of summer-like days before fall fully took hold when witnesses saw a man in his early fifties collapse a few yards from the Massachusetts Avenue pedestrian bridge. Bystanders called 911. Within moments the youthful-looking man laying on the pavement stopped breathing. Someone checked for a pulse, but none was found. Recognizing the man was in cardiac arrest, a companion began hands-only CPR. Medical e...

Roadmap to ease COVID-19 lockdown restrictions should prompt reviews on building fire safety. Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlined the Government roadmap “to cautiously ease lockdown restrictions”. Step two of this roadmap, to occur no earlier than 12th April, notes the return of mass non-essential businesses opening for customers. BAFE must stress once again that fire safety obligations continue as normal. What is important about this roadmap is that buildings opening soon contin...

The extremely cold winter this year is a reminder of the need for firefighters to be prepared and trained to fight fires in extreme conditions. Extreme environments tend to elevate the hazards of firefighting, which already include trauma, thermal injury, and smoke inhalation. The additional hazards range from minor inconveniences to extreme danger. One element that increases risk during the depths of winter is the increased incidence of fires caused by the additional use of (possibly hazardous...

The risk of fire is thankfully not an immediate threat in most people’s everyday lives. But this has led to a nonchalant attitude where many fail to appreciate the true dangers posed by a fire situation. The pandemic has served to make matters even more complex, and has pushed fire safety on the back burner as facility managers (FMs) turn their attention to COVID-proofing the workplace. Safety at work is now more of a focus than it has ever been, but the race to ensure we can return to wo...

As hospitals battle through the second major wave of the COVID-19 virus, concerns have been raised around the NHS’ on-going maintenance backlog and the impact on safety and infrastructure. In January 2021, figures suggested that the total backlog was the equivalent of the annual running cost of the entire NHS estate, which was around £9.7 billion in 2019/20. fire safety standards compliance Emergency hospital evacuations are inherently more complicated when compared to other publi...

The challenging year of 2020 has identified that international cross-border cooperation related to the prevention of and the response to wildfires is more important than ever. With landscape firefighting missions moving through Europe, there’s no surprise that the pan-European rescEU Commission has recently received a significant investment boost to expand its aerial firefighting capability. Tangent Link Ltd, organizers of the internationally acclaimed series of aerial firefighting events...

South Korea’s renowned visual recognition AI firm, Alchera Inc., announced that has been formally selected by California’s Sonoma County to provide early warning alerts of pending wildfire events. Alchera will offer consulting services to develop and deliver products, utilizing state-of-the-art fire detection technologies based on machine learning with Artificial Intelligence (AI). The firm’s visual anomaly detection solution can detect the start of a wildfire from a simple vi...

Studies have shown that local wildfire smoke is associated with increased hospitalizations for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and some cardiovascular health outcomes. However, less is known about how harmful smoke is as it travels and becomes long-range smoke. long-range smoke impact For the study Differential Cardiopulmonary Health Impacts of Local and Long-Range Transport of Wildfire Smoke, researchers separated out the health effects of local wildfire smoke from the hea...

Hardstaff Barriers is passionate about manufacturing and supplying high-quality roadside safety barriers, Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM) systems, perimeter fencing, and concrete security barriers, which are all designed to keep people and property safe. But the company’s ethos, which is reflected in its ‘For the Love of Lives’ tagline, not only applies to the products that it provides to protect the general public. Perhaps even more importantly, it relates to the opportuniti...

MSA, the pioneer in the development, manufacture, and supply of safety products that protect people and facility infrastructures, announced that Kenneth Krause, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer, will participate in a webcast conference call sponsored by Baird on March 23, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. ET. This event will be webcast live and can be accessed on the MSA website. Following the presentation, a replay will be available for 90 days under the “News and Events&r...

Detector testers training webinars remain as popular as ever, as a result, it is pleased to announce new dates for April and May. Led by the technical support specialist, Paul Gatens, the sessions are CPD certified and cover a broad range of topics linked to compliant testing and maintenance of fire detectors. Split into six areas, the webinar covers: Competency & Responsibility Standards & Best Practice False Alarms Test & Maintenance Tools Detector Removal & Cleaning W...

Royal Berkshire Fire Authority welcomes and supports the ongoing work of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), which aims to lead improvement across the fire and rescue sector at a national level. As part of this work, the Authority is pleased that Sir Tom Winsor, in the State of Fire and Rescue Annual Assessment in England 2020, has highlighted the outstanding work, which many fire and rescue services, including Royal Berkshire staff, have underta...

Between 4th January and 31st March FLIR firefighters in the EU, UK, Norway, and Switzerland have the chance to enter the “Going above and Beyond” competition to win over 12,000 EUR of FLIR firefighting Thermal Imaging Cameras (TICs) for their department. The winner will receive:  1 x FLIR K55 High-Performance thermal imaging camera 3 x FLIR K2 Compact TICs with MSX® image enhancement feature 1 x FLIR K1 Situational Awareness Camera 1 x FLIR OTM 136 Scion Thermal Monoc...

Fire & Security resourcing specialist - Zitko has created two new senior appointments, with existing employees - Terri Lalonde and Laura Raven promoted to the roles. Terri Lalonde Terri Lalonde joined the company in 2019 to manage all aspects of candidate experience, including service standards, engagement, marketing, and application/selection processes. Her promotion to the SLT underlines the importance Zitko attaches to candidate care and positions the company to maintain exceptional st...

It is designed for rapid initial attacks during firefighting operations and technical assistance: the portable pump vehicle with water tank (TSF-W) is a multipurpose vehicle suitable for a wide range of possible operations. And that is also the reason why German fire departments and disaster protection organizations have ordered over 350 of them from Rosenbauer. Well over 200 units have now been manufactured at the Rosenbauer competence center for compact vehicles in Neidling near St. Pölt...

The East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) has introduced bespoke, handmade cuddle pockets so that stillborn babies can be transported to the hospital with compassion and sensitivity. The knitted pockets are designed for babies who are less than 24 weeks, who are placed inside, and the ribbons tied together. The baby’s parents are then encouraged to hold their baby during the journey. Ambulance services EEAST is one of the first ambulance services in the country to begin using the po...

On this occasion, the end-user and client is one of the largest and popular retail hypermarket chains in the world, who are locally present in the GCC, Middle East, and Asian Territories. They own and operate over 250 hypermarkets in 15 countries across the region with future desires and plans to extend into another 38 countries in the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa, and Russia. For this foremost multinational retailer with high-value investments, the management company required a comprehens...

Faulty fire alarms endanger life and can result in fines for a business. Fire and rescue services across the country can impose fines on businesses that are responsible for excessive false alarms (the number of false alarms that trigger a fine varies by region).  For example, County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDFRS) can issue fines of almost £300 for premises visited three or more times in a year (BBC News). Servicing and maintenance The Office of National Stat...

Following the City of Orlando’s order related to the prohibition of alcohol sales where it is consumed on-premise, the Governor issued an executive order that mirrored the city's prohibition related to a bar, nightclub, and tavern establishments. Additionally, the Governor’s Executive Order, which takes effect at 5 p.m., March 17, 2020, provides specific regulations for restaurants. The City of Orlando, for consistency and to lessen confusion for businesses, will align with the Gove...

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer will join District 5 City Commissioner Regina I. Hill, Fire Chief, Benjamin M. Barksdale Jr., and Black Bee Honey student entrepreneurs to build a beehive at Orlando Fire Station One and announce a new honey product to the Black Bee Honey collection. After the beehive builds, the honey collected from this hive will be used for a new Black Bee Honey product, Flaming Hot Honey, a sweet treat infused with heat from hot peppers. The new product will be available this summer...

Apollo have recently introduced a new conventional Manual Call Point (MCP) into their product portfolio. Following customer feedback, they have created a conventional MCP that utilizes the same operation and resettable mechanism as the popular Apollo Intelligent Manual Call Point. The product, SC2900-001APO, has a new modern and sturdy design, is fitted with an alarm LED and has been designed to operate on a zone of conventional fire detection devices. It is supplied with both 470 Ohm resistors...

FlamePro, a British manufacturing specialist of life-saving garments for firefighters, announces the launch of a first-of-its-kind fire kit, having worked with its suppliers to bring new, innovative technologies to the market. The new valiant structural fire suit represents a significant step forward in firefighter protection, utilizing brand new developments in fabrics, membranes, and components. This includes a new fabric assembly, which incorporates an integrated 3D woven structure and state...

Fire protection solutions manufacturer Advanced has launched two new courses to understand BS 8629 Code of Practice recommendations and the EvacGo system designed to meet these recommendations. ‘A Guide to Meeting BS 8629’ is a continuing professional development course, approved by the FIA and the CPD Certification Service, suitable for fire safety in tall residential buildings. It is delivered online by the Advanced evacuation alert team, Ken Bullock, Advanced’s Business Dev...

Figures released by Hill and Smith Holdings PLC, a group that includes UK road and security barrier companies Hardstaff Barriers and Asset VRS, show that the firms remained ‘robust’ in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The financial results for last year show a ‘Robust performance, strong cash generation, and positive long-term prospects’ across the group. Furthermore, the group has also paid back the £3.6m it received from the UK Coronavirus...

Anheuser-Busch and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) are teaming up for the third year to provide critical hydration to volunteer fire departments responding to wildfires through the Emergency Drinking Water for Wildland Firefighters program. The program is an expansion of Anheuser-Busch’s longstanding tradition of providing emergency drinking water and supplies for disaster relief efforts. Anheuser-Busch is continuing its commitment in 2021 by pledging to donate 1.5 million cans...

The Thermite RS3, manufactured by Howe & Howe Technologies, is a wide-chassis, industrial firefighting robot that is remotely operated using a belly-pack controller to provide high-definition video feedback for easy maneuverability, even in difficult conditions. The Los Angeles City Fire Department was the first to buy the bright yellow firefighting vehicle, as announced last fall. Thermite RS3 robot Decon7 Systems has teamed with Howe & Howe Technologies to pioneer the delivery of D7...

Fire safety logbooks are critical for all non-domestic premises with fire alarm systems. A fire alarm logbook should remain on business and commercial premises at all times for a fast and efficient overview of existing fire systems, condition, testing history, and more. Although there is no statutory requirement to have a fire alarm logbook, having one is pivotal to remaining compliant and meeting requirements for relevant fire regulations. To help businesses understand the regulations concer...