Industry News

FEMA funding available to reimburse 75 percent of the eligible firefighting costs under an approved grant The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has authorized the use of federal funds to help the state of California fight the post fire in Kern County. The authorization makes FEMA funding available to reimburse 75 percent of the eligible firefighting costs under an approved grant for managing, mitigating and controlling the fire...

The enhanced program is for emergency responders to make their job safer and easier USFA and the International Association of Fire Fighters developed best practices for Emergency Vehicle and Roadway Operations Safety The United States Fire Administration (USFA), in partnership with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), announced the release of Best Practices for Emergency Vehicle and Roadway Operations Safety, which highlights the results of a U.S. Department...

The new fire detection system of Surrey Hotel belongs to Fire Industry Association  A new fire detection and alarm system has been installed in the Ramada Farnham hotel in the south-east of England, which now features a safety solution from Hochiki, a member of the Fire Industry Association. The 96-bedroom Surrey hotel now boasts better protection in the form of more than 1,000 Hochiki devices from the firm's Enhanced System Protocol range. Building services consultancy...

Second deadliest fire for firefighters in U.S. history has 100th anniversary The Great Fire of 1910 ranks second on the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) list of deadliest incidents in the U.S. During the summer of 1910, forest fires burned an estimated 3 million acres in Idaho and Montana. The incident, known as The Great Fire of 1910, killed 78 firefighters on August 20 of that year and ranks second on the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA...

Home safety checks, installation of smoke alarms and the like are made easy with Sound the Alarm website The International Code Council (ICC) and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have announced the release of the Sound the Alarm website. Sound the Alarm is a community outreach and education program designed to reduce rural community fire hazards and other potential dangers in residential homes. The ICC received a Fire Prevention & Safety Grant to implem...

If the proposal is accepted, the county will face a major shortage of firefighters when need arises Cumbria firefighters will take longer to get to traffic accidents involving heavy goods vehicles, and at times will be unable to handle water rescues, if the Cumbria Fire Service carries out its plan to cut down the crewing of sophisticated rescue equipment.Cumbria FRS proposes to get rid of eight firefighter jobs, which will leave insufficient firefighters to crew the county&rs...

Fugate made the use of social media and mobile technology a priority in FEMA's outreach to the public Craig Fugate, Administrator of FEMA addressed the American Red Cross Emergency Social Data summit on the use of social media in emergency management. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate addressed the American Red Cross Emergency Social Data Summit on the growing use of social media in emergency management. Fugate discussed ways social media c...

The survey respondents expected quick response to an online appeal for help A new American Red Cross survey shows many web users would turn to social media to seek help for themselves or others during emergencies and they expect first responders to be listening. The online survey asked 1,058 adults about their use of social media sites in emergency situations. It found that if they needed help and couldn’t reach 9-1-1, one in five would try to contact responders through...

El Mirage Fire Department guarantees the City two responding units in the event of emergency, when fully operational El Mirage Firefighters claims layoffs directly impacts the safety of residents. After failing to apply for a tax reimbursement that could have provided the city of El Mirage with nearly $50,000, officials including City Manager, BJ Cornwall ignored calls for negotiation and elected to lay off five firefighters; El Mirage Firefighters claims layoffs directly imp...

FIA and Chief Fire Officer's Associationworking together on reducing false alarm False alarm reduction plans could put lives at risk. Controversial plans by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Services to cut automatic fire alarm call outs have raised concerns that they could end up putting lives at risk, it has been reported. In a bid to free up engines to fight genuine fires and help save money, operators will ask people to confirm themselves that there is actually a blaze before f...

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescure Service fined the China Wok £15,000  A reminder for businesses to makesure they follow the fire safety requirements by North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service. North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has issued a reminder for businesses to ensure they comply with fire safety requirements after a restaurant owner was slapped with a fine of £15,000 for not abiding by the rules. The breaches came to light after a fire started at...

Negotiations and discussions have been going on the issue of proposed firefighter shift plans Discussions and negotiation on the proposed changes have been going on for five years but have not yet resulted in a collective agreement. The London Fire Brigade has begun the process of formal consultation with the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) on its proposed changes to start and finish times of shifts for London firefighters. Discussion and negotiation on the proposed changes...

"This was a case of someone failing to understand theirresponsibility as a landlord"  The landlord pleaded guilty to eight counts of breaching the Fire Safety Order 2005 in his three-storey property where the top two floors had been transformed into a number of flats. The importance of businesses complying with regulations has been highlighted by the prosecution and fining of a landlord who was ordered to pay £8,500 for fire safety breaches. Cheshire Fire and...

Heavy smog in Kriusha, Ryazan, 155 miles south of Moscow   Emergency action is reported to have 'stabilized' the situation at Sarov, the now-closed town where first Soviet nuclear bomb was built. Forest and peat fires have killed at least 52 people, made more than 4,000 homeless, diverted many flights and pushed air pollution in Moscow to six times its normal level. Russia's Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu has warned that wildfires raging in the west of the...

Many people killed in house fires are asleep at the time Many people killed in house fires are asleep at the time. A smoke alarm will wake you up and give you vital extra time to escape. Costing from as little as £5, there really is no excuse for not having a smoke alarm in your home. You can get a free smoke alarm and fire safety check by booking a home fire risk assessment, but if you want to choose your own, get clued up with this advice from the Greater Man...

Support of FBU lead Mr Bennett'scase towards victory The Fire Brigades Union and Thompsons Solicitors have secured a ground-breaking victory for firefighter Christopher Bennett after he was sacked for sending an email to colleagues about the fire service's insistence that he used a chair that was injuring his back on nightshifts at work. The Tribunal found that his right to freedom of expression under the Human Rights Act had been breached and that his dismissal was unfa...

Two special reports focusing on US fires have been released by USFA The USFA has announced the release of two special reports: "One- and Two-Family Residential Building Fires" and "Multifamily Residential Building Fires On The Causes And The Characteristic Of Fires". The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) announced the release of two special reports focusing on the cause and characteristics of fires in one- and two-family and multifamily residential buildings. The reports, One-...

The new campaign initiated by DHS and TSA would help in providing better and effective security measures Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator John S. Pistole launched two major enhancements to general aviation security the general aviation component of DHS's nationwide "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign, and a streamlined system for vetting passengers and crew on general avia...

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service proposals would bring down safety and security measures   Warwickshire FBU Officials are planning branch meetings across the county to gauge members' response to plans to close three fire stations. The move follows last weeks decision by Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Authority to close Studley, Warwick and Brinklow stations and replace a whole time day crewing appliance with a small fires unit. The Fire Authority met in full on 2...

Cadets and their trainers celebratepassing out with Commissioner Ron Dobson and Chair of LFEPA’s Cllr Susan Hall The first 20 youngsters to complete London Fire Brigade’s Community Fire Cadet Course have attended a special Passing Out Parade.  The programme was launched in Tower Hamlets and Hackney in February 2009 and to mark the end of the course the Cadets received certificates from London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson at a special ceremony at the Brigade&r...

Cardiac arrest was identified as the main cause of firefighters' fatal injuries The 2009 edition of the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) annual firefighter fatality report, Firefighter Fatalities in the United States – 2009 and U.S. Fire Service Fatalities in Structure Fires, 1977-1999, was recently released, showing that 82 firefighters died while on-duty last year. This is the lowest total since 1993 and the third lowest recorded since NFPA bega...

The mural is a masterpiece which was painted by a group of 13 people belonging to different age groups A unique fire themed mural portraying the history of London Fire Brigade has been unveiled at Dowgate fire station last week. The mural, which was painted by 13 local people, was unveiled at a special event at Dowgate fire station, at which London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson presented certificates to the talented painters. The mural, which is approximately 24ft long...

Sepura’s STP8200 hand-portable radio has already received accolades from customers  Sepura announced the contract award to its partner Selectric Nachrichten-Systeme GmbH for the delivery of up to 37,0000 Sepura TETRA radios to the German federal state of Rheinland-Pfalz. This substantial contract win closely follows last month’s announcement which put Selectric and Sepura in the spotlight once again for the award of the contract from the German...

The stress factor is an often-overlooked phenomenon after any disaster People are likely to experience at least one of several emotional responses due to disasters that affect health, emotions, and behavior. Some times the effects are temporary and in some cases it takes years to overcome it. It has been more than three months since the President issued a disaster declaration for Rhode Island as a result of the severe storms and flooding occurring in March and April. While re...

Fire Corps award of  excellence honours fire service professionals of the fire and safety industry  Nominees must be registered with Fire Corps and be part of or affiliated with a fire/EMS department or sponsoring agency representing the fire and emergency services. Does your fire department have an outstanding Fire Corps program to support your emergency personnel? Then recognize their accomplishments by nominating them for the 2010 Fire Corps Award of Excellence....

The training session will boost up the knowledge and skills of junior firefighters The session for junior firefighters is open to youth ages 13-18 and will cover topics such as youth leadership, future paths in the fire service, and youth-led activity ideas. The National Volunteer Fire Council's (NVFC) National Junior Firefighter Program has partnered with Firehouse Expo, Spartan Motors, Inc., and California Casualty to hold the National Junior Firefighter Academy on Saturday...

Final cook-off will be on August 20, with the winner receiving $10,000 If you have a recipe that promotes good health and tastes great, the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) encourages you to submit it for your chance to win. Help promote healthy eating in the fire service while entering for a chance to win $10,000. Television show LIVE! with Regis and Kelly is holding a Coast-to-Coast Fire House Cook-Off this summer. Firefighters can submit their favourite recipe,...

Zephyr Technology announced anothervalidation of PSM with Prince George's county Throughout multiple days of training, fire instructors were impressed with the insight the PSM system provided relative to fitness and levels of exertion candidates experienced during the practicum. Zephyr Technology, developers of Physiological Status Monitoring (PSM) solutions for First Responders, announced another validation of PSM Responder; this one with Prince George's County, Marylan...

The one day programme also includes training in a classroom environment at the National Flood School’s site A new course aimed at insurance professionals has been launched by the National Flood School, which gives a real insight into the damage that fire causes in the home. The National Flood School is putting its state-of-the-art Flood House to a new use by setting fire to the property as part of the Fire Damage Awareness Day. Believed to be the only purpose-built flo...

Medal of Valor that changed officer Saccenti's life forever Tom Saccenti was awarded the Medal of Valor at his local church Mansfield First Assembly of God. Labor Day weekend 1999 rookie police officer Tom Saccenti never expected that he would be involved in an incident that would change the course of a friend’s life forever. While driving home from a church bonfire, Officer Saccenti saw a lone volunteer fire tuck sitting on a bridge one street over. Out of curiosity an...