Industry News

Life during and immediately after COVID-19 will change the way one lives, especially the work patterns. Marketers have historically done everything in their power to get people to read their stories, watch their videos and absorb their advertisements. The enemy is the lack of time in the working day. In the last 2 months, there has been a paradigm shift in what is now labeled as the ‘new normal’, as an unprecedented amount of people have had the majority of their work and/or social...

Throughout April and into the foreseeable future the FIA will continue providing its online CPD sessions across the breadth of the fire industry with '99% of delegates saying that the training meets their needs well to extremely well and 98% are satisfied or very satisfied with the CPD content. Hundreds of enthusiastic delegates took part in the FIA’s second industry-recognized online CPD day. The fire industry has adapted incredibly well to the impacts of COVID-19 and it has not hindered...

The Fire Safety Bill had a successful second reading in the House of Commons. The Minister of State (The Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP) discussed the tragic Grenfell fire and that the Government is resolute in its commitment to ensure that (events of this kind) are never repeated. “The Queen’s Speech committed the Government to bringing forward two Bills on fire and building safety. The first is this short, technical, Home Office-led Fire Safety Bill, which will amend the Regulat...

April 30th is the day the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) was supposed to host the 32nd Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner, an event to have been attended by 1,500 fire and emergency services leaders across the country to pay tribute to the dedication and commitment of our nation’s firefighters and emergency services personnel. Back in the latter part of 2019, CFSI considered different themes for the 2020 program and selected “Recognizing Our Nation&rsqu...

In the Fire Sector Federation’s latest newsletter (Spring 2020), they state, that the Federation has continued to work with the Home Office to address some of the implications arising from the proposed amendment of the Fire Safety Order. Most recently this has involved concerns on updating fire risk assessments to include the external walls of multi-occupied residential buildings. The Bill’s impact assessment suggests around 1.6 million buildings may be affected by this clarificatio...

Steve Hirsch, Chair of the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), has been named as an advisor to the Small Town America Civic Volunteer Award (STACVA) program. This new national award, scheduled to launch June 1, will honor extraordinary public service volunteers in small localities (under 5,000) nationwide and help shine a spotlight on a growing national problem: a decline in the availability of citizens to fill important public safety and service roles. Advisory team members will help desig...

First Responders Children’s Foundation is providing support to first responders, including volunteer firefighters and EMS providers, who are experiencing hardship as a result of COVID-19. The Foundation is a Regional Partner of the ‘One World: Together at Home’ concert and was also featured in the ‘Fox Presents iHeart Living Room Concert for America.’ Financial support programs To help first responder families who are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundat...

May 5 is #GivingTuesday, and National Volunteer Fire Council ask that people consider a donation to the NVFC’s Volunteer Firefighter Support Fund. This fund provides a stipend to help eligible volunteer firefighters and EMS providers who have been impacted by a large-scale disaster, home fire, or have suffered loss of wages due to COVID-19. The fund relies entirely on donations, and 100 percent of donations go to help responders in need.

EMS Week is May 17-23, and year 2020’s theme of “Ready Today - Preparing for Tomorrow” is especially meaningful as EMS providers are on the front lines of COVID-19 response while continuing to provide everyday lifesaving services to their communities. One can use this week to thank and celebrate the EMS providers as well as let the community know all they do. 

Suffolk County Council has made sprinkler systems mandatory in all new special schools after the DfE refused to fund them. Education chiefs in Suffolk have approved plans which mean all new-build special educational needs schools must be equipped with sprinkler systems, after it emerged the Department for Education did not make the system mandatory. Suffolk County Council Labour education spokesman Jack Abbott said he was "deeply concerned" it wasn't mandatory for mainstream schools too. A repo...

In a story in the Irish Times, the use of technology using satellites and drones is being used to detect and deter wildfire starters. Conditions for the spread of fires in uplands areas, which break out annually in March and April are said to be “perfect” for forest fires after a long dry spell. Winds could also cause fires to spread faster. Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed warned that satellite imagery was being “carefully monitored” to detect when farmers or...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) created a survey to better understand the experiences of volunteer and combination fire, EMS, and rescue departments dealing with the outbreak of COVID-19 and related social distancing measures. NVFC asks that all take a few minutes to complete the survey, and that to re-take the survey each week so that NVFC can track changes over time. Based on survey and other feedback from NVFC members, answer choices related to responder mental health, morale, fun...

The NVFC created a survey to better understand the experiences of volunteer and combination fire, EMS, and rescue departments dealing with the outbreak of COVID-19 and related social distancing measures. NVFC encourages all to take the survey weekly so they can track changing needs and challenges. First Responders Children The First Responders Children’s Foundation is providing financial support to first responder families who are enduring financial hardship due to the coronavirus outbr...

This is a reminder that on April 23, 2020, CIC will be holding the third in its Age of Coronavirus series of webinars. This webinar is entitled Construction’s Recovery from the Age of Coronavirus and it is to be held on Thursday, 23 April at 2 p.m. (lasting for approximately one hour). The two speakers will be Peter Kubik/Brian Johnson from UHY Hacker Young on the financial aspects of recovery and turnaround – what is available for businesses etc. – and then Alasdair Reisner...

National Drowning Prevention Week has started, which will see Avon Fire and Rescue Service (AF&RS) focus on helping people stay safe around water in line with the Government’s guidance and restrictions that remain in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The dedicated week of action runs from April 20 to April 26 and is led by the National Fire Chiefs’ Council (NFCC) and supported by fire and rescue services all over the UK. During the week messages will be shared on AF&R...

Chief executive Alex Carmichael is keen to reiterate that SSAIB is fully operational and continues to provide certification for over 1,800 registered firms and new firms looking to join during the current COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Due to the restrictions imposed by the Government - relating to travel and social distancing – the UKAS-accredited certification body for the fire and security industries has embraced new technology to provide remote audits for certification, surveillance...

Fire Sector Federation provides an update on the work undertaken to reform building safety regulations. The early April announcements of the results of the Building Safety Proposals consultation linked to the two published outcomes, Response and Economic Impact BSP Response BSP Impact offer considerable insight into the government's intent to: improve the current system; advance remediation of unsafe cladding, and update Approved Document B. New building safety system More recently in an...

Fire Safety Matters Magazine has launched a new podcast for the fire safety industry. Fire Safety Matters (FSM) launched their inaugural podcast episode featuring the new BAFE campaign.    The Don’t Just Specify, Verify! campaign focuses on the important verification stage of Third Party Certification when sourcing a competent provider to help meet fire safety obligations.    Verification is extremely important, as BAFE Registration or any Third Party Certification...

Ian Moore CEO of the FIA encourages business to join Dame Carolyn Fairbairn (Director-General, CBI) and The Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP (Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) for an invaluable discussion on UK business and economy - including: An update on the government’s major support packages including the JRS, and access to finance An overview of the government’s thinking on the UK’s recovery plan Advice on how businesses can help the government ef...

Thousands more employees will able to receive support through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) after the eligibility date was extended to 19 March 2020, the government announced.

BAFE, British Approvals for Fire Equipment has announced that it welcomes the statement from the UK Home Office, regarding the Key Worker status for all fire industry employees, providing essential services, as published by the FIA, Fire Industry Association. The BAFE statement added that the organization was grateful for the FIA initiative to clarify this. Key Worker Status directly to FIA The Minister of State for Security, the Rt. Hon James Brokenshire, MP in the UK Parliament, has written...

Euralarm released a Communiqué with recommendations on updating national Codes (like a Building Code, Fire Code, etc.) when new Standards become available. The development of new or revized standards follows a certain process that is finalized with the ratification of the standard by the standardization body (CEN, CENELEC, …).  Following the ratification there are dates that the new or revized standard is available, announced and published followed by a date that the former s...

Avon Fire & Rescue Service (AF&RS) warns against deliberate fires after several callouts since lockdown began.    Despite the current government guidance on staying at home to help alleviate the Coronavirus pandemic, AF&RS continues to be called to mindless cases of arson that put both crews and the community in danger.  Since the start of the government’s stay at home directive on Monday 23rd March, crews have attended 58 deliberate fires across...

SSAIB were overcome with pride upon discovering that registered firm PLP Fire Protection have been providing invaluable assistance in the building of the Government’s first emergency field hospital at the ExCel in London. The temporary NHS Nightingale hospital has been set up to treat up to 4,000 coronavirus patients, with Dorset-based PLP Fire Protection helping to transform the ExCel exhibition space – which was due to host IFSEC International and FIREX International next month, be...

While the Grenfell Inquiry has been paused due to COVID-19, ministers have announced another overhaul of building regulation with the aim to improve fire safety. The measures, which will apply to all new builds over 11 meters, come as part of a wider government initiative to improve fire safety following the tragic Grenfell Tower. This new fire safety program comes a month after Rishi Sunak announced £1bn to remove all types of dangerous cladding with the new Building Safety Fund. announc...

Sprinklers protect life, protect buildings and keep firefighters safer. This was confirmed in a parliamentary debate on fire safety and sprinkler systems at Westminster Hall recently by a wealth of experts.   They work and make complete sense as an important layer of safety, but why is one not making use of them? Is now not the time to finally act on this?  Overall fire safety  Requested by Sir David Amess MP, and former firefighter and MP Jim Fitzpatrick (Chairman and Secretar...

For businesses and organizations using unheated warehouses or other structures, where freezing temperatures could cause the pipes in an automatic sprinkler system to burst, chances are, the system is equipped with a dry-pipe fire sprinkler system. Dry-pipe sprinkler systems Dry-pipe sprinkler systems are used in settings where a temperature above 40°F (4°C) cannot be reliably maintained. Unlike wet-pipe systems in which the pipes are filled with water, the pipes in a dry-pipe system ar...

As the COVID-19 emergency continues to evolve, fire departments and fire protection contractors must ensure fire prevention and life safety systems and equipment are in working order at all times. These fire and life systems and products are essential functions in safeguarding the public, businesses, and institutions. CAL FIRE - OSFM regulations The CAL FIRE - Office of the State Fire Marshal (CAL FIRE - OSFM) regulations continue to be in effect and relevant deadlines apply. The California Fi...

When it comes to the public fire brigades’ services, the equipment used is generally governed by a set of national regulatory and operational requirements that vary slightly between countries. However, it’s also important that the private fire crews within airports, ports, oil and gas and petrochemical installations also conform to fire safety guidelines within their specific industries. Among these essential safety measures that must be adhered, is ensuring that the communication t...

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue is advising businesses to review fire risk assessments following the Prime Minister’s announcement to restrict movement and close businesses.  "The fire safety measures within buildings are designed for their specific use and often do not include people sleeping. It may therefore not have the necessary fire safety measures installed to make this a safe practice," said Fire Safety Lead Matt White.  Isolating electric items  The advice comes af...