Industry News

Ian Neal is distributing aid with a ShelterBox Response Team in the Sendai area of Japasn A British firefighter has paid an emotional tribute to the Japanese fire officers who lost their lives during the recent earthquake and tsunami.Ian Neal is a crew manager for the Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service and a volunteer for international disaster relief charity, ShelterBox. He is currently distributing aid with a ShelterBox Response Team in the Sendai area of Japan; one of the are...

The Chemical Safety Board conducts root-cause investigations of chemical  accidents The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has deployed a four-person team to the site of an explosion in a fireworks storage facility near Honolulu, Hawaii. According to media reports, the incident occurred in a bunker used to store confiscated fireworks at Donaldson Enterprises, Inc. on Friday April 8. Five workers were fatally injured as a result of the incident.  CSB Investiga...

Protex Arabia was launched in response to increased demands for fire services and alarm systems Saudi Arabia’s homeland security market is forecast to become the second largest in the world after the United States, with an expected worth of a massive US$97 billion in the next 7 years. This equates to a massive US$12 billion spend per year, highlighting very real business opportunities in this rapidly evolving market.As tensions increase...

North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service attends nearly 100 fires on moorland and woodland every year  Visitors to the Yorkshire Dales National Park and North York Moors over Bank Holiday weekend are being asked to be particularly vigilant to reduce the risk of moorland and grassland fires.  With the warm weather set to continue over the holiday weekend, the risk of a fire is becoming a concern. Fire risk warning notices are being put up around the National Pa...

Dany Cotton of the London Fire Brigade makes London's top 40 most influential women list Dany Cotton, Deputy Assistant Commissioner, LFB ranks alongside 40 women on the most influential women list. The list includes Princess Diana, Margaret Thatcher and Dame Judy Dench.The highest ranking operational woman firefighter in the UK has been included in a poll to find the most influential woman in London over the last 100 y...

Bunker Hill students can now receive certificates from the National Fire Academy, part of the DHS The National Fire Academy has recognised the Bunker Hill Community College Fire Protection and Safety Program as meeting all requirements for the Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) Curriculum. FESHE online and classroom courses are taught by professional firefighters, including deputy chiefs and chiefs of area fire departments. Students who complete the required...

Specialist firefighters from KFRS along with U.S. teams set up their base in Ofunato city, Japan The UK-ISAR team, including seven specialist firefighters from Kent Fire and Rescue Service, has set up its base in a school in Sumita, north Japan, near Ofunato, along with teams from the United States. This is in an area 20km outside of the city area that has been assessed as being completely safe from any further aftershocks or resultant tsunamis. There have been difficulties e...

2011 NVFC award winners special banquet will take place on April 5th in Alexandria The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) has announced the winners of its four national awards. A special banquet to honor the recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Fire Prevention Award, Junior Firefighter of the Year Award, and Junior Firefighter Programme of the Year Award took place during the NVFC’s spring meeting on April 5 in Alexandria, VA. “We are very pleas...

The London Fire Brigade reports that 6 out of 10 schools weren't planning to install fire sprinklers Almost two thirds of new or refurbished schools planned for the capital have not been built with potentially life saving sprinklers installed, the London Fire Brigade warns. This is despite Government guidelines introduced three years ago recommending they should be fitted. Sprinklers stop fire from spreading and greatly reduce the chance of death or serious injury, says the B...

NVFC International Relief Fund is set up to support the Japan Firefighters Association in their relief efforts NVFC is supporting the Japan Firefighters Association with rescue and cleanup efforts by making a contribution to the International Relief Fund.The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and Fire Corps join with the rest of the world in expressing sorrow at the loss and devastation in Japan that has resulted from the recent earthquake and tsuna...

MedeFile International, Inc supports American Red Cross for Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Fund 15% of all new MedeFile membership revenues through April 15th to be donated to American Red Cross for Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Fund.MedeFile International, Inc. a leader in Internet-enabled Personal Health Record (iPHR) management solutions, announced that in response to the magnitude 8.9 earthquake and massive tsunami tragedy that recently struck Japan, the c...

LFB’s latest figures show chip pans still cause a significant number of fires in homes across the capital The London Fire Brigade has issued new statistics which show that chip pans still cause hundreds of fires across London each year.Many people think of chip pans as being from a bygone era but London Fire Brigade’s latest figures show they still cause a significant number of fires in homes across the capital.The Brigade used National Chip Week (21st-27th Februar...

Carbon monoxide-Awareness is run completely by unpaid volunteers who aim to make a difference Carbon monoxide (CO)-Awareness is run completely by unpaid volunteers who aim to make a difference. Lynn Griffiths, President/Founder of Carbon monoxide-Awareness - a registered charity and founder of the national Carbon monoxide Awareness Week tells the Fire Industry Association (FIA) her story. She and her children were poisoned by carbon monoxide (CO) for over a decade, now knowin...

EMS award programme launhed by CFSI and MedicAlert will boost the morale of the professionals from the industry The Excellence in Fire Service-Based EMS Awards Programme recognised fire departments that have implemented best practices in EMS. The Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) and the MedicAlert Foundation have announced the establishment of a new awards programme to recognise fire departments from across the country for outstanding achievements in EMS services....

The service will commemorate EMS personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow men EMS Personnel who have died in the line of duty will be remembered at the National EMS Memorial Service in Colorado. The National EMS Memorial Service has released the names of those who will be honoured at the 2011 National EMS Memorial Service, which will be held on June 25 in Colorado Springs, CO. The service will honour 43 EMS providers from 18 states who died in the line of du...

Cap Wiz resource tool will make communication easier between first responders and senators Last year the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) subscribed to Cap Wiz, a grassroots advocacy outreach tool that enhances the ability to influence members of Congress by making it easier for members and supporters to communicate with their Representatives and Senators. Using Cap Wiz, the NVFC can post draft letters to elected officials and federal agencies on a special section of ou...

The program helps build greater awareness around challenges faced by volunteer firefighters The Power Those Who Protect Us program will provide volunteer fire departments with batteries to power life-saving equipment. The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and Duracell have partnered to launch the Power Those Who Protect Us battery donation program. Through the program, Duracell is donating over 10 million batteries to volunteer fire departments to help power life-sav...

Navistar, Inc. and WIT presented the inaugural “Influential Woman of the Year” award to Rochelle Gorman Rochelle Gorman, Chief Executive Officer, CalArk International has been named “Influential Woman of the Year”.Navistar, Inc. and the Women In Trucking Association (WIT) presented the inaugural “Influential Woman of the Year” award to Rochelle Gorman, chief executive officer, CalArk International, at a ceremony during this week’s...

NextAlarm offers a variety of burglary and fire protection products for homes and small businesses  NextAlarm offers a variety of burglary and fire protection products for homes and small businesses. Under the agreement, Hughes will offer all of NextAlarm's products and services to subscribers of its HughesNet service. NextAlarm Monitoring Services, Inc. announced a distribution agreement with Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes), the global leader in broadband sate...

Hoeganaes Corporation site which has witnessed flash fires since January is undergoing an investigation by CSB CSB investigations look into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in regulations, industry standards, and safety management systems. The CSB is deploying a team to the site of a flash fire at the Hoeganaes Corporation in Gallatin, Tennessee. The incident occurred during maintenance on a burner...

LFB has warned schools in the UK which have not installed sprinklers on their premises for fire safety Sprinklers can significantly reduce the cost of repairing damage caused by a fire. Almost two thirds of new or refurbished schools planned for the capital have not been built with potentially life saving sprinklers installed, the London Fire Brigade is warning. This is despite Government guidelines introduced three years ago recommending they should be fitted. Sprinklers stop...

United Technologies has been the top sponsor of the conference since its inception in 2005 Sandy Diehl, United Technologies Vice President for Integrated Building Solutions, said developers, urban planners and government officials have only begun to achieve the environmental and economic benefits.In a keynote address at a leading green building event, a top United Technologies Corp. executive said, "The world must think beyond individual buildings in order to realise the great...

LFB is using Twitter to draw attention to the amount of time spent by firefighters on unnecessary call-outs London Fire Brigade is to use social networking website Twitter to highlight the amount of time its firefighters spend at call-outs to people who are stuck in lifts. On April 1, the Brigade will be tweeting every time it is called to help someone stuck in a lift. Last year, the Brigade attended nearly 10,000 lift call-outs but of these, just 67 were medical em...

100th anniversary of the deadly fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City U.S. Department of Labor announced mobile website that features audio tour and background of historic event of Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the deadly fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a new website and audio tour optimised for smartphones documenting that milestone in labor'...

Sprinklers in all new homes mandatory in Wales A backbench legislation introduced in 2007 by Ann Jones helps make fire suppression systems – Sprinkler a must in all new homes in Wales.On 16th February 2011, Welsh Assembly Members voted to make Wales the first country in the world to make fire suppression systems (sprinklers) mandatory in all new homes. I first introduced this backbench legislation in 2007 and have worked collaboratively with the Fire & Rescue Service...

NFPA's new appointees will increase the number of jurisdictions requiring home fire sprinklers The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has appointed Dennis M. Mathisen of Roseville, Calif. and Timothy P. Travers of Whitman, Mass to increase the number of jurisdictions requiring home fire sprinklers. Travers will cover the Northeast region, while Mathisen will cover the Western region. "Fire sprinklers save lives and NFPA is working hard to se...

The fire safety guidelines were published by NASHiCS in collaboration with CFOA New fire safety guidance measures for residential care homes have been published by two safety organisations. The guidelines were released by the National Association for Safety and Health in Care Services (NASHiCS) in collaboration with the Chief Fire Officers' Association (CFOA) and are aimed at supplementing the current guide published by the Department for Communities and Local Government. Da...

Brigade's flagship youth scheme gets funded 1 million GBP  The award winning Local Intervention Fire Education (LIFE) scheme recently celebrated its 500th course. The programme, which sees young people taking part in fire brigade related activities, was originally set up in Tower Hamlets in 2002 to reduce anti-social behaviour directed at fire crews. Since it began, nearly 5,000 young Londoners have benefited from the scheme and there are now nine LIFE centres across...

ATF's NRT investigates fire and explosive incidents with advanced techniques and equipments Since its inception in 1978, the NRT has responded to more than 700 incidents, and has partnered with federal, state and local investigators in meeting the challenges faced at significant arson and explosives incidents. The National Response Team (NRT) from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) along with agents from the ATF Baltimore Field Division were activat...

London Fire Brigade issues advice for smokers to prevent smoking-related fires In London, 14 people lost their lives in house fires caused by smoking materials and 121 people were injured in 2010. Since 2006, there have been 64 fatalities and around 700 injuries.One in three deaths that occur in accidental house fires is caused by cigarettes or other smoking materials such as matches and cigars, says London Fire Brigade.The warning is a stark reminder to people of the dangers...