Industry News

“For some time now, our customers have hoped for the trusted Bronto on a smaller scale, this is the very answer to this demand. We are bringing the same quality equipment to lower level access that we provide to the higher worksites.”, says Antti Suoniemi, Access Sales Director from Bronto Skylift. S35EM truck mounting platform The S35EM is all about the ease of use and the increased effortlessness it brings to the worksites. It has all the elements of a true work machine, yet it&r...

As per a new law aimed at better safeguarding fire rescue and emergency services personal, offenders who assault or attack emergency workers are to face longer jail terms. The maximum jail term for assaulting an emergency worker, including fire service personnel, will double from six to 12 months, once the new law goes into effect. An episode of the West Midlands Fire Service’s (WMFS) TV series, ‘Into the Fire’, shows one of the WMFS crew members being intimidated by a gang....

First Alert, the most trusted brand in home safety, Campus Firewatch and the Michael H. Minger Foundation have selected 25 organisations to participate in the second annual Town/Gown Fire Safety Community Service Project to raise awareness about fire safety. The initiative pairs firefighters with local colleges and universities to raise awareness among students and community members across the country about the importance of working smoke alarms and help to improve fire safety in homes. The cho...

The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, issued the following statement on Firefighters' National Memorial Day. "While most people do their best to get out of harm's way when there's a fire, firefighters run directly into it. They do that with the full knowledge of what could happen. And when tragedy strikes, the grief felt by a firefighter's family, friends and colleagues is shared by the whole country.  Firefighters' National Memorial Day is a...

A recent decision by the U. S. Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit clearly demonstrates the importance of issues raised by unauthorized publishing of codes and standards. The Court issued its decision in a copyright and trademark infringement case brought by three standard development organizations (SDOs), namely - the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), along with ASTM International (ASTM) and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)...

Fire doors are always important, but it can be even more crucial for those who manage buildings with a sleeping risk such as hotels and hospitals. The condition of each door can dramatically impact the performance of the door to hold back, smoke, gasses and fire. Here are some simple things to keep in mind to ensure that the resident’s premises and their occupants remain protected. A fire door is only effective barrier to fire (and possibly smoke) when its shut. prop open fire doors So,...

Over three million fire doors are installed every year in the UK, yet incorrect specification, poor installation and a lack of maintenance is still a common occurrence. In light of this, and to coincide with Fire Door Safety Week, ASSA ABLOY UK is holding a dedicated event at West Midlands Fire Service’s headquarters in Birmingham to help raise the bar on standards of quality for fire door safety. The event will take place on Thursday 27th September and is aimed towards building owners, f...

ShotSpotter-Verizon collaboration expands with ShotSpotter Flex inclusion ShotSpotter, Inc., global company in gunshot detection solutions that help law enforcement officials identify, locate and deter gun violence, announced that Verizon Communications Inc. has expanded its partnership to include reselling ShotSpotter Flex, the company’s flagship gunshot detection solution, as a stand-alone offering to its customers. ShotSpotter, used by more than 90 cities to help figh...

September is Campus Fire Safety Month, and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and The Center for Campus Fire Safety (The Center) are working together to promote their national Campus Fire Safety for Students campaign. The campaign, which raises awareness about the dangers of fires among college-aged students who live in on- and off-campus college housing, serves as an important reminder for students, parents, fire safety professionals, and safety educat...

FirstNet is bringing public safety a much-needed technology upgrade to help them connect to the critical information they need More than 2,500 public safety agencies across the country have joined FirstNet. This is nearly double the number of agencies since the last update in July. FirstNet is the nationwide public safety communications platform dedicated to America's first responders. Being built with AT&T, in public-private partnership with the First Responder Network A...

The extent of the passive fire protection remediation work required in England’s social housing stock has been revealed by a new investigation, the findings of which suggest that thousands of families are being exposed to unnecessary risk. A study by Inside Housing magazine analyzed the fire risk assessments for 1,584 residential tower blocks (approximately 40% of the stock of social housing tall buildings) and discovered that major problems with fire doors and compartmentation were widesp...

Checkmate Fire are long-time advocates of the benefits of third-party certification for all passive fire protection and their belief has been further strengthened by the Government’s ongoing investigation into the quality of fire doors. The company believes that all fire doors should be certified by an approved UKAS certification scheme, and it appears that the Government is now moving towards implementing this. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has examine...

Firefighters are asking local businesses and residents for help in protecting properties, after tackling several bin fires in Sittingbourne in recent days. five wheelie bin fires In the last six days, crews have been called to five wheelie bin fires including: Tuesday, 21 August - Two fire engines were called at 9.34pm to a large metal wheelie bin that was alight at the back of a shop in Sittingbourne. They used a high pressure hose reel to put the fire out. Wednesday, 22 August - Crews were...

The fire escape hood Parat 5500 protects the user against fire gases, vapours and particles with a CO P2 filter The fire escape hood Parat 5500 is now available in a flame-retardant holster constructed from aramid material as the variant PARAT 5550. The holster, which was specially developed for fire rescue teams, in combination with the fire escape hood is system approved together with the Dräger breathing apparatus according to EN 137:2006, Type 2. The holster can be a...

Approximately 200 troops will be sent to help in mop-up operations to contain the fire's spread The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, and the Honourable Harjit Sajjan, Minister of National Defence, made the following statement about wildfires in British Columbia: "The Government of Canada has accepted a formal request for federal assistance from the Government of British Columbia to help protect communities affected by wildfires....

The legislative Regulation Review Committee in Connecticut has formally approved new safety codes, including a State Building Code, Fire Safety Code and Fire Prevention Code that will fall short of nationally recognized standards and fire safety requirements. The Connecticut codes all go into effect by October 2018, but none will include requirements for fire sprinklers that are part of nationally recognized safety codes – including the International Residential Code and the Life Safety Co...

The Shulman Rogers FCC Licensing staff prepares hundreds of applications every year for land mobile radio, microwave and other radio services Hundreds of thousands of acres have been lost in the paths of the worst fires in California history. In addition to the loss of lives and homes, vital communications infrastructure is at risk. Many government agencies need to relocate critical emergency transmission infrastructure as a result of the fires. Loss of this public safety in...

Spartan Emergency Response gets latest orders for Spartan apparatus Spartan Emergency Response, a business unit of Spartan Motors, Inc, advances its position as the global supplier of safety driven design with two significant orders for apparatus built on custom Spartan cabs and chassis that are expected be delivered to Latin America later this month. The Cuerpo de Bomberos de Puerto Rico and the Cuerpo de Bomberos de Santiago chose Spartan apparatus equipped with Spartan Adva...

The Lavender Ribbon Report provides 11 actions that can be taken to mitigate the risk of cancer for firefighters The International Association of Fire Chiefs’ (IAFC) Volunteer and Combination Officers Section (VCOS) and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have partnered to develop and release the Lavender Ribbon Report: Best Practices for Preventing Firefighter Cancer. This report provides 11 actions that can be taken to mitigate the risk of cancer for firefighter...

The fire district has received in excess of 80 calls per year due to the opioid epidemic The Orland Fire Protection District joined 13 Illinois governments including several from the Southwest Suburban in filing a class action lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Cook County against Purdue Pharma, one of the leading manufacturers of opioid-based prescription drugs, 26 other pharmaceutical companies and three doctors. The lawsuit alleges that Purdue Pharma intentionally downplayed...

Advanced announces fire protection and safety guidelines for historic and heritage sites Global fire systems firm, Advanced, has launched a new guide to fire protection for historic and heritage sites. Historic and heritage sites present unique challenges to end users, specifiers and installers. The new brochure is designed to help key stakeholders understand some of the solutions available for the challenges they face. It addresses many common problems in ensuring adequate ac...

The latest national codes recognise fire sprinklers as a proven technology for preventing deadly fires In just 11 days, four major fires have drawn the nation's attention to the dangers associated with older residential properties that do not have fire sprinkler systems. The fires included three in apartment buildings and one in an extended living hotel. Although all the incidents involved low-rise buildings, the fires spread quickly, trapping many occupants on upper floors an...

A senior firefighter from Kent Fire and Rescue Service has issued an urgent appeal for people to be extra vigilant during the current hot weather to protect the county’s countryside from fires. Countering risk of outdoor fires Although Kent and Medway experienced a good amount of rain last weekend; the sun, dry weather and high temperatures are back and have returned the county to tinder dry conditions and increased the risk of outdoor fires. Assistant Director Channel Tunnel and Resili...

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service engage with various trade organisations to raise awareness of best practice around fire safety On the 25th May 2017 fire safety inspectors from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service visited a takeaway shop, Mr Happy Oriental Restaurant and takeaway, on Blossom Street, York. During the visit the fire safety inspectors found that there were people living and sleeping on the first and second floors of the building. There was no working...

Increasing awareness of the benefits of LMR technology for mission-critical and business-critical organisations around the world have facilitated this growth Highlights • Cost-optimised digital technologies are the fastest-growing digital licensed mobile radio (LMR) technology, as global LMR users migrate to digital. • Deployments of cost-optimised digital technologies increased by 16 percent in 2017, reaching more than $1 billion in revenue, compared to an avera...

The National Wildfire Suppression Association was founded in 1991 and currently has 245 member companies across the United States Over 3500 Professional Private Firefighters from member companies of the National Wildfire Suppression Association are currently on the fire lines in the west helping our agency partners during this explosive fire season. These folks are often the unseen heroes on the lines providing resources to supplement the agency workforce. “Our folks a...

More and more success for Tema Sistemi’s Acquatech® Deluxe product, the invisible water mist for prestigious environments. Aquatech® Deluxe is a high pressure water mist system that generates a mist of water drops that can be directed through appropriate components and dispensing nozzles, fully engineered, manufactured and tested in their laboratories. Protecting luxurious surroundings Its unique design modern and totally made in Italy has meant that some of the most important f...

A family from Borough Green has spoken of their relief at surviving a serious fire in their house, thanks to working smoke alarms fitted by Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS). Homeowners Stephen and Sarah Cole describe their ordeal which happened just six weeks ago, in a new film for Kent Fire and Rescue Service, which shows the extent of the damage to their home, as part of a campaign to encourage more families with young children to sign up for free safe and well visit. Smoke alarms Smoke...

Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) and Kent Police are asking those enjoying the hot summer weather to heed their water safety advice and stay out of the county's rivers. Kent and Medway has a wide variety of lakes, tidal and non-tidal rivers and waterways, all of which carry hidden dangers. Fire crews and local officers will be at The Lees in Yalding on Saturday 28 July highlighting the dangers of swimming in the nearby weir, which can become a fast-flowing torrent without notice. KFRS commu...

A new report by USDA Forest Service researchers provides science-based information to help decision-makers, practitioners, and researchers to promote the sustainable harvest of non-timber forest products. The Assessment of Non-timber Forest Products in the United States under Changing Conditions synthesizes the best available science for managing non-timber forest resources in the U.S. “Many private landowners harvest non-timber products to generate income from their forests,&rd...