United States of America (USA) Fire Industry News

With December finally here, the official first day of winter is right around the corner, and many have already been facing the first snow days of winter. As the cold weather continues to quickly approach, LSS Life Safety Services can’t help but think about all the potential fire risks that increase during this season. Winter is the peak season for heating-related structure fires due to the increased use of heating equipment. Since colder temperatures result in longer operating times, ther...

Avon Protection has received an order to supply two NATO Nations and one Partner, Belgium, Finland, and Norway with their foremost CBRN respiratory protection including FM50 mask systems, filters, spares, and accessories.  FM50 Air Purifying Respirator The FM50 provides operational flexibility required by NATO Allies and Partners forces; designed to protect troops in the most demanding of environments. Developed in conjunction with the United States Department of Défense to counte...

Since the Grenfell tower tragedy in 2017, residential high-rise fire safety has become a top priority for tower block building managers. If a high-rise building is found to contain combustible cladding, then the standard ‘stay put’ policy is no longer considered safe, and instead a temporary ‘simultaneous evacuation’ strategy must be put in place until the cladding issue is resolved. Currently a Waking Watch protocol is the preferred option for ensuring resident’s...

It is well reported that incident numbers attended by the UK Fire and Rescue Services have reduced over the last decade, partially as a result of the improved fire safety education conducted by dedicated teams in community fire safety, and other related activities. In particular, during the period 2008-2018, there was a 20% reduction in total fire calls. However, in 2019, there was a small annual rise in the number of fires attended, and in particular, secondary fires. (Home Office, 2020). As a...

The video-based fire detection Aviotec IP starlight 8000 from Bosch can now be used in environments without visible light. With the help of newly developed AI algorithms for video analytics, Aviotec's firmware version 7.72 is now able to reliably detect smoke and flames even with pure infrared lighting. Up to now, it was already possible with Aviotec to reliably detect flames and smoke in difficult lighting conditions down to a minimum of 2 Lux. Expanded field of application There are many a...

BBC News has reported the Valley Nursing Home, located in Clogher, County Tyrone is to be deregistered by Northern Ireland care home regulator RQIA (Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority). Critical inspections Critical inspections identified multiple hygiene and safety risks, an RQIA report stated, "Of particular concern, adequate precautions and systems were not in place to manage fire risk.” These ;significant breaches' have resulted in the care home’s deregistration, mea...

Apollo has been conducting thorough market research into healthcare buildings to gain a better understanding of the specific difficulties facing a fire detection system. In this article, Apollo explores its findings. There are over 1200 NHS hospitals across the UK, spread across 223 NHS trusts, ranging in age and complexity. Very few of them are single stand-alone buildings, instead, the sites usually represent complicated infrastructure networks that have grown and developed over a few decades...

Victaulic announced the appointment of Rick Bucher as Chief Executive Officer, succeeding John F. Malloy, effective January 31, 2021. Dr. Bucher was named President of Victaulic in April of 2020, following a June 2019 appointment as Chief Operating Officer. Before joining Victaulic in 2009 as Vice President of Engineering, Dr. Bucher worked for 15 years for W.L. Gore, a manufacturer of technologically advanced composite materials. Dr. Bucher received a B.S. and M.S. in engineering from Rice Uni...

Despite challenges posed by the pandemic, the USDA Forest Service today announced it surpassed goals and set records in 2020.   "2020 was a challenging year, with record wildland fire activity and the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the Forest Service, we have risen above these challenges and set our minds, hands and hearts to carrying out our mission to meet the needs of the communities we serve," said Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen. The Forest Service relied on its strong science...

Translation in an emergency setting is a challenge that first responders face on a daily basis. For example, London Luton Airport’s Fire Service would previously have to find a member of staff or a passenger that could help them translate, which is not always possible. As a last resort, the service would carry around a large flipbook containing numerous medical questions in a multitude of languages, but this did not solve the problem of understanding any responses. AI-Powered Language Tr...

Users may commonly associate base layers with athletes and with benefits including muscle compression, aid recovery, and improved blood flow and oxygen intake, it’s easy to see why they’re popular in the sports industry. But there’s no reason why they have to be limited to sports and why workers in cooler temperatures can’t benefit from base layer clothing. Granite Workwear has a wide range of base layer clothing for both men and women and from high-quality brands includ...

As activity around UK ports increases considerably due to Brexit, it is vitally important to keep the emphasis on safety to protect people and critical infrastructure. Recent events have shown that port safety needs to be a priority and managing the effective flow of people and traffic will be a key challenge to port authorities. Hardstaff Barriers have a range of products designed with port operations in mind that meet stringent industry standards, including their concrete options such as Mult...

Verint Systems (Verint), a globally renowned customer engagement company, has announced that it has received multiple awards from Consumidor Moderno and Grupo Padrão for excellence in customer engagement in the Brazilian market. Leveraging cloud-based solutions Leveraging cloud-based solutions from Verint’s Customer Engagement portfolio, organizations in Brazil and around the world are accelerating automation and leveraging AI-based solutions, such as speech and text analytics, to...

ImageTrend, Inc. announced the latest National Trauma Data Bank® (NTDB®) Data Dictionary will be available in Patient Registry™ on January 1, 2021. The timeliness of this update ensures that hospitals can accurately and efficiently collect information on their 2021 patients immediately, while simultaneously collecting data on their 2020 patients. This update further refines the NTDB Data Dictionary by retiring select basic fields and delivering the addition of new ones aiding in m...

A fire alarm system is one of, if not the most critical life safety systems in the building. For that reason alone, one should not compromise when selecting a fire alarm solution. A system needs to be reliable, which in turn gives confidence that one’s property is safe should the worst happen. Owners invest heavily in featuring the best-designed products in their buildings, so why should that stop with life safety systems? As with everything in life, more than just looks matter. One would...

On Tuesday, December 15, 2020, Orlando District 4 City Commissioner Patty Sheehan will join forces with City of Orlando firefighters to build nearly 100 bicycles that will be donated to children, ages five to 15, who live in the Reeves Terrace neighborhood and who have been notified in advance. Commissioner Sheehan and firefighters will turn wrenches and tighten brackets during the bicycle build event to make sure bicycles of all sizes and colors are ready for giving away on Monday, December 21...

Hunter are delighted to have been able to play their part in the supply of PPE to the frontline staff during the extremely difficult months of 2020. COVID has tested every business and challenged the way in which they operate. So to receive such a warm thankyou from one of their customers have really made Hunter finish the year with a great sense of pride. “Just passing on a heartfelt thanks from everyone at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service for the support provided this year with our...

COVID-19 dominated the headlines in 2020, and it had a profound impact on the fire industry. TheBigRedGuide.com published many articles about the pandemic and its impact, some of which were among the most-read articles of the year. This retrospective will highlight some of those pandemic-related articles, including links to the original content.  The Fire Industry Association (FIA) in the United Kingdom published a survey report on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The survey, conduc...

This is a national effort, led by the Government, to make high-rise residential buildings safer, and give a better understanding of high-rise residential buildings across the country. It has come off the back of the tragic Grenfell Tower disaster and is in its second phase. ACM cladding The first phase of the program focused on Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding. This saw SYFRS, and other fire services right across the country, work with building owners to identify buildings with ACM...

Rave Mobile Safety (Rave), a trusted partner for safety software protecting millions of individuals, announced the acquisition of SwiftReach Networks (SwiftReach), a foremost provider of emergency notification and incident management solutions. The combination of Rave and SwiftReach will provide wide-ranging capabilities and unmatched infrastructure to ensure optimal communications under the most demanding circumstances. Todd Piett, CEO of Rave, said, “The addition of SwiftReach and its F...

Even with slightly relaxed COVID-19 restrictions, Christmas in 2020 will be very different from the ones everyone is used to celebrating. Not everyone will be able to gather together under the same roof to spend the festive period together. Some will be in isolation or stuck abroad, away from family and friends. Together or apart, fires can still happen at Christmas time; in fact, it’s statistically the worst time of year for fires - which sadly can be some of the most destructive. In 202...

A fire in a utility room at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center was quickly extinguished, Baltimore County fire officials said. Fire officials said firefighters were called around 3:09 p.m. for a fire on the third floor of the hospital in Rossville. Hospital alarm system Fire officials said the hospital alarm system sounded and as firefighters were en route, the sprinkler system activated. Officials said firefighters found heavy smoke on the third floor and it took about 45 minutes to put...

A one-alarm fire at a northwest Houston hotel forced guests to evacuate early Saturday morning, according to the Cy-Fair Fire Department. At approximately 4:40 a.m., fire crews were dispatched to a Holiday Inn Express hotel located in the 9100 block of West Road on reports of a fire. On arrival, crews observed fire and smoke visible from a third-story unit. Sustaining smoke damage Firefighters attacked the blaze and extinguished it quickly, said Captain Daniel Arizpe, a public information off...

From August to November, areas of Western North America brace for fire seasons that grow increasingly more destructive. 2020, in particular, has brought the United States some of the most destructive wildfires seen throughout US history. In California alone, over 4 million acres have been burned in over 9 thousand incidents, claiming 31 lives and over 10 thousand structures. When looking at the totality of fire damage in all of Western North America, this number nearly doubles, with over 8 mill...

Technology and innovation are shaping the future of the fire industry. During 2020, TheBigRedGuide.com published many articles touching on research, development, and new technologies. This roundup will review some of the most popular articles, including links to the original content. Thermal Imaging & Augmented Reality (AR) Combining thermal imaging and augmented reality (AR) enables firefighters to see through smoke, in effect enhancing their vision in the life-threatening environment of...

Wildfires represent extreme instances of the deadly destructiveness of fire. There seem to be more wildfires every year, and there are certainly larger and more deadly wildfires all over the world than ever before. Wildfires dominate the public perception of the most extreme consequences of fire. This look back at 2020 will highlight some of the articles about wildfires published by TheBigRedGuide.com, with links to the full-length original articles. The wildfire season in 11 Western U.S. stat...

Global coatings manufacturer Hempel has enhanced its established and proven Olympic+ and Oceanic+ antifouling range and is, launching five new antifouling solutions: Oceanic Protect+, Oceanic Flex+, Olympic Protect+, Olympic Flex+ and Olympic Protect. Building on their proven effectiveness, reliability and impressive value-for-money, these five new products deliver additional benefits and choice within the existing product range. Hempel’s Olympic+ and Oceanic+ antifouling coatings have be...

The staff at Hardstaff Barriers has been busy over recent weeks, growing moustaches of different shapes and sizes – raising £1400 in funds for charity. Throughout the month of November 2020, four members of the Hardstaff Barriers’ team took part in the ‘Hardtash’ challenge, in order to raise money for Movember, the men’s health charity. Movember – Men’s health charity Hardstaff Barriers is a globally renowned manufacturer and supplier of roadsid...

Ensuring fire doors are up to standard is a valuable task that should not be underestimated. To comply with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, fire door installation and maintenance is a key requirement for every business to which the order applies. Regular inspection To ensure fire doors will perform as intended in the event of a fire, regular inspections should be undertaken. Six-monthly inspections are recommended by BS 9999, consisting of extensive checks of each component. I...

During the evening of Tuesday, Dec. 8 someone attempted to set fire to Nidaros Cathedral - the world’s northernmost medieval cathedral, built beginning in 1070, and Norway’s national sanctuary located in the city of Trondheim. Luckily, the fire was quickly detected by Autronica Fire and Security’s AutroGuard® protectors. The recently developed protector has technology that enables fast and reliable smoke detection. The Nidaros Cathedral is one of the first buildings where A...