Industry News

From the 16th October 2019 we will be able to request North Yorkshire Police’s drones to assist us at incident scenes. Thermal imaging drones North Yorkshire Police have been using drones since 2018 to assist with searches, examining crime scenes and at road traffic collisions. The drones use thermal imaging technology and are able to take photographs and videos. They were used earlier this year to assist us at a large fire in a workshop in Northallerton. Group Manager Mark Naylor from...

During the Pennsylvania Association of Fire Equipment Distributors (PAFED) Annual Conference on October 16-18, 2019, Kistler O’Brien’s President, Eric Blasser, was recognized for his exemplary dedication, service, professionalism, and leadership on behalf of PAFED and the fire equipment industry.

Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) is demonstrating its continuing support for Fire Door Safety Week by holding a series of free fire door safety seminars. The national awareness safety campaign, which took place between 23-29 September 2019, was launched in 2013 in response to a legacy of fire door neglect and aims to increase the public’s understanding of the role that fire doors play in protecting life and property. It is led by high-profile organizations such as the British Woodwork...

Micro-distilleries are a rapidly emerging industry that is creating a lot of concern among fire safety officials due to the unique fire risks they bring to the communities in which they are located. The potential causes of fire and explosion at a micro-distillery are no different than those associated with a large distillery. However, unlike large distilleries, which are typically located in rural areas, micro-distilleries pose additional safety risks due to their proximity to populated areas an...

The Queen’s speech raised a number of post-Grenfell Tower issues including building safety standards legislation. She declared “My Ministers will bring forward laws to implement new building safety standards.”  Within the official document released alongside this speech, it stresses that the purpose of this legislation will be to “put in place new and modernized regulatory regimes for building safety and construction products, ensuring residents have a stronger voice...

The latest of West Midlands Fire Service’s large-scale training exercises involved more than 100 volunteers playing the roles of casualties and evacuees. West Midlands Fire Service joined forces with Coventry University and Coventry City Council, to provide a unique opportunity for students on a number of courses to put their learning into practice. Just after 10am on Friday 5 October, some 10 fire engines and more than 50 firefighters responded to the training scenario of a fire in the c...

Following the publication of the Raising the Bar Interim Report, the Competence Steering Group (CSG) are welcoming responses to this document. “The Competence Steering Group is inviting comments on its interim report Raising the Bar, which sets out measures to improve competence in the design, construction and fire sectors. The measures are intended to tackle competency shortcomings identified in the Hackitt Review, Building a Safer Future, following the Grenfell Tower fire.” raisin...

In response to requests from fire departments, KIMTEK has introduced the FIRELITE® FHR-205, a new version of its popular FIRELITE® series skid units for use with UTVs. Distinct from KIMTEK's patient transport units in the FIRELITE series, the FHR-205 skid unit positions the hose reel to wind off to the rear. Constructed of KIMTEK's signature rugged, high quality aluminum diamond plate and tubing, FHR-205 skid units are durable, attractive, and produced to KIMTEK's highest standards of ma...

MSA Safety Incorporated announced that its next generation G1 Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) has received U.S. government approval from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and certification from the Safety Equipment Institute (SEI) as compliant to the 2018 Edition of the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) 1981 performance standards. With this approval, the company can begin shipping the new NFPA-compliant SCBA immediately. Earlier this y...

The National Fire Chiefs Council’s (NFCC) Home Safety Week runs from 30th September to the 6th October 2019. The campaign is encouraging households to check smoke alarms are right for their homes needs and will provide them with an early warning in the event of a fire. Most homes have smoke alarms installed (95%) but in nearly 20% of accidental house fires in the UK alarm failed to activate. The most common reasons were the smoke failed to reach the detector was because batteries were eit...

Today’s home fires burn faster than ever, making escape planning all the more critical to home fire safety. Studies show that in the past, people had approximately 17 minutes to escape a typical home fire from the time the smoke alarm sounds. Now they may have as little as two minutes to get out safely. NFPA Fire Prevention Week With these concerns in mind, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has announced ‘Not Every Hero Wears a Cape, Plan and Practice Your Escape!&rsq...

Fire chiefs endorse position papers on hot work safety, the economic impact of firefighter injuries, suicide prevention, the National Firefighter Registry, data analyst/chief information officer, and the Centre for Homeland Defence and Security Fire chiefs from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States participated in the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Urban Fire Forum (UFF) last week at NFPA headquarters in Quincy, Massachusetts. NFPA President and CEO Jim Pauley welcomed...

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FSRI) launched a nationwide contest aimed at spreading the Close Before You Doze fire safety message. This public safety campaign encourages everyone to close all the doors in their homes each night before bed as research conducted by UL FSRI shows that in a home fire, a closed door can be an effective barrier against deadly levels of carbon monoxide, smoke and flames. Now, UL FSRI is looking for the public's help to share this message via videos that e...

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) announced that after passing technical committee ballot, the NFPA Standards Council issued a Tentative Interim Amendment (TIA), or emergency amendment, to allow for a second type of lock, enabling schools to employ a potentially more cost-effective door locking solution while delivering a higher level of safety to students, staff and visitors. The TIA is aimed at better protecting students and staff against targeted acts of violence. Schools were,...

The Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, made the following statement in both Houses: “I updated the House today in an Oral Statement on the Government's progress on building safety and set out this administration’s approach. As set out in the Statement, I am consulting on changes to fire safety regulations for new-build blocks of flats." "We will seek to commit to requiring sprinkler systems as standard in a wider range of new...

Tim Passmore, Police and Crime Commissioner and Suffolk County Councillor Richard Rout, formally opened the new shared Police/Fire station in Beccles (Friday 30 August 2019), along with Chief Constable Steve Jupp and Deputy Chief Fire Officer Dan Fearn. This is the eleventh shared community Fire and Police facility in Suffolk with stations already operating in Leiston, Newmarket, Saxmundham, Felixstowe, Woodbridge, Ixworth, Elmswell, Debenham, Framlingham and Clare. There are also plans for fur...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service has entered into an agreement with the Rapid Relief Team to support firefighters when they are attending prolonged incidents by providing food and refreshments. The Rapid Relief Team (RRT) is a non-profit charitable organization. Its volunteers are members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church and their mission is to provide voluntary support to the emergency services at large scale incidents. The volunteers make themselves available to support emergen...

As the condition of aging bridges, roadways, transportation resources, and grids across the U.S. has increasingly become the focus of discussion, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has issued Renovations Needs of the U.S. Fire Service, a new report on the fire service’s aging infrastructure. Two key findings within the report show that more than 21,000 firehouses across the country are beyond 40 years of age with total replacement costs estimated to be in the $70-$100 billion...

Mark W. Earley, former National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) chief electrical engineer and NFPA 70, National Electrical Code (NEC) staff liaison, has been presented the Richard G. Biermann National Electrical Code Outstanding Volunteer Award. Earley has worked for NFPA since 1986 and served as staff liaison and secretary to the NEC Correlating Committee from 1989 until his retirement in August 2019. He has co-authored NFPA’s reference book, Electrical Installations in Hazardous Loca...

NFPA and The Center for Campus Fire Safety are partnering up to help ensure those living spaces are as safe as possible through their Campus Fire Safety for Students campaign. The campaign raises awareness about the threat of fire among college students in both on- and off-campus housing, and puts relevant information in the hands of parents, staff, and students, who are encouraged to take proactive measures to protect themselves and their peers against fire. Many of the resources offered are d...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is pleased to announce that the next NVFC Training Summit will take place June 26-27, 2020, in Orlando, FL. Pre-register here to save your spot and get updates as event information becomes available. NVFC Training Summit 2020 Launched in 2014, the Training Summit provides an opportunity for first responders from across the country to participate in valuable classroom training as well as exchange ideas and best practices with their peers. The NVFC&rsq...

Manholes on-board ships or in industrial or offshore plants are generally only used from time to time. The manholes are closed most of the time and are only opened when there is a need for maintenance or other activities to be performed on the installation. Gaskets are used to ensure the steel sealing plates reliably seal off the manhole. The NOFIRNO gaskets supplied by Beele Engineering for these types of systems were recently subjected to one of the most severe fire tests possible. Tested To...

Firefighters in Chichester would like to thank residents for their quick thinking after a fire in a property on Thursday afternoon. Crews from Chichester, Bognor Regis and Selsey were mobilized to the incident on Lennox Road, Chichester, at 3.37pm following reports of a fire in a residential flat, with the first crew from Chichester arriving on scene within five minutes. Upon arrival they found smoke issuing from a window of the property. Rescuing an adult male from the property trapped by fire...

GMB, the union representing school staff, are shocked and concerned by figures recently released by the London Fire Brigade, that report that of all 57 fires in schools across the capital attended by the LFB in the past year, not one of the schools were fitted with sprinklers also known as Automatic Fire Suppression System (AFSS). GMB Supporting LFB Campaign GMB is supporting the LFB campaign to ensure all schools are fitted with sprinklers by urging GMB members to contact their local members...

New figures released show that no schools, which have had fires recently, had sprinklers fitted. This year alone, London Fire Brigade had attended 57 fires in schools in the capital and new figures released by the Brigade show that not a single school had an automatic fire suppression system (AFSS) fitted. The Brigade has long been calling for sprinklers to become a mandatory requirement in schools. In particular, they want sprinklers to be mandatory in all new school builds and for all schools...

GMB, the union representing school staff, are shocked and concerned by figures recently released by the London Fire Brigade, that report that of all 57 fires in schools across the capital attended by the LFB in the past year, not one of the schools were fitted with sprinklers also known as automatic fire suppression system (AFSS). GMB supports the LFB campaign to ensure all schools are fitted with sprinklers by urging GMB members to contact their local members of parliament and tell them they w...

When a fire broke out on site, more than 400 staff were evacuated in less than three minutes from the Hull factory of offsite specialist Walker Modular. Five fire engines were called to the scene after the alarm was raised at the bathroom pod manufacturer. Company owner Shane Walker told the Enquirer, “I’m so proud of my staff and the fire service for dealing so well with a difficult situation. We liaised with the fire service when we designed the factory and all the fire suppressio...

Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) has welcomed the Ministerial Statement to the House, given by the then Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, James Brokenshire, in which he updated members on building safety. In particular, he informed those present that following an independent investigation into timber fire doors, no issues had been found with the consistency of the fire-resistance performance of the doors tested. This is good news for the industry and adds fur...

As a professional firefighter, one has likely grown accustomed to people depending on them when disaster strikes their property. And just as the fellow citizens depend on them to suppress a dangerous fire, they depend on fire hoses and other equipment to function efficiently so that the firefighter can do their job. Below is a look at the key role handline nozzles play in extinguishing fires and how they can ensure that the nozzle is kept in good working order. Why is proper nozzle maintenanc...

The undergrowth fire on the Lydd Ranges is now fully extinguished after three days of firefighting. On July 26, 2019, the emergency phase of the incident led by Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) officially came to a close after all firefighting operations were completed. Duty of care has now been handed back to the land owner. Lee Rose, Assistant Director Channel Tunnel and Resilience at KFRS, said: “On behalf of the service and all other agencies that have been involved throughout the...