HazMat Protection Accessories news

The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) and the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) have strengthened our cooperation arrangement, marking a new chapter in SCC and UKAS’s history of collaboration. The renewed agreement signals a refocus on Canada-UK relations within the context of accreditation and conformity assessments, which can play a key role in facilitating trade between Canada and the UK. Partnership with UKAS “Accreditation is a critical driver of economic prosperity...

At three in the morning, members of the Glen Echo Fire Department began waking up. It was not a fire or medical emergency, but it was another call to serve. Glen Echo volunteer firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics, along with the Department’s Chief and Operations officer were designated to support the 59th Presidential Inauguration. In previous years, the Department had deployed one or two units to the event, but this year the little Department nestled in a small community at the bottom edg...

UKAS was pleased to contribute to CQI’s recent report ‘The Future of Work’, which explores the realities of “digital transformation” in the workplace. When considering the age of digitalization (often referred to as the 4th Industrial Revolution) ‘The Future of Work’ report considers the key drivers for change that were identified by CQI’s Research Advisory Panel.  These include: Big data and analytics Augmented reality Artificial i...

A national inspection has praised the response of South Yorkshire’s fire service to the COVID-19 pandemic. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue adapted to the pandemic effectively, carried on delivering its core services and provided additional support to the community during the first phase of the pandemic. Inspectors also found that staff well-being was made a clear priority for the service and praised senior pioneers for actively promoting well-being services, in a report published b...

Artificial intelligence and journalistic expertise are the basis of a disinformation detection system developed and implemented in a collaboration between press relations, NewsGuard, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing, and Ergonomics FKIE. First use case A qualitative analysis of media coverage of the 2020 US election. The analysis reveals that Donald Trump’s media dominance over his challenger Joe Biden was due primarily to the spread of fake news and...

When one of the UK’s major Fire & Security companies needed to hire a number of hard-to-find field engineers, Zitko was their first-choice partner. They were awarded the assignment on an exclusive basis, with a brief to find engineers skilled and certified in both Fire and Security technologies. Engineers tend to specialize in one or another field, so the assignment was challenging, especially with the additional requirement to fill the roles urgently across various locations. Buildi...

For the construction of the 22-storey Sutton Court Road Build to Rent Accommodation in South London, ClearView Communications has chosen and installed Quelfire’s ‘one-stop-shop’ QuelStop Firestopping System to effectively fulfill the passive fire protection requirements of the high-rise project. Comprising a mix of studio, one-, two, and three-bedroom apartments, totaling 165 units over 22 storeys, Sutton Court Road Build to Rent Accommodation is Watkin Jones Group’...

Hunter supports Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month currently being promoted internationally, and the efforts being made across the UK and Ireland to improve the future long-term health outcomes for our firefighters. Recent ground-breaking research revealed the serious health risks to UK firefighters following exposure to toxic fire effluents, the chemicals emitted during a fire, in an independent University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) report commissioned by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU). The...

Packexe were awarded a Royal Warrant in 2016 for supplying Packexe protection film to the royal household and last year, the company added a Queens Award for Enterprise to their name. Recognized in the category of innovation for their time critical glass management tool, Packexe SMASH, Packexe have been supplying emergency teams across the globe with their innovative extrication tool for the last decade. Packexe SMASH Packexe SMASH is designed to hold glass securely in place, reducing the ris...

Granite Workwear products are always manufactured with the user in mind. They understand the importance of needing high-quality workwear that users can rely on. That’s why they make sure all their products are fully tried, tested and fit for purpose. Granite Workwear highlights 5 products that can help keep users warm this winter. Helmet Liners - JSP has a range of helmet liners to help keep the head warm when working in cold working conditions. Whether the user is on a construction site...

The Bundeswehr plans to equip its infantry with unmanned ground vehicles for the transport of material and weapons. It has tested various off-the-shelf systems in a variety of operational scenarios as part of two troop exercises. The Fraunhofer FKIE provided technical and scientific support for the tests. The results demonstrate the high potential of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and the level of maturity they have already attained. The conclusion among soldiers and experts was unanimous: the...

Emergency services from various regions in Germany have been sounding the alarm for months: According to those responsible, the flood of operations can hardly be managed anymore and endangers rapid care in life-threatening cases.  The Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) as a neutral network for protection, rescue and safety now wants to analyze the problem together with the key players in the rescue service and look for possible solutions. Representatives of AG...

The staff at Hardstaff Barriers has been busy over recent weeks, growing moustaches of different shapes and sizes – raising £1400 in funds for charity. Throughout the month of November 2020, four members of the Hardstaff Barriers’ team took part in the ‘Hardtash’ challenge, in order to raise money for Movember, the men’s health charity. Movember – Men’s health charity Hardstaff Barriers is a globally renowned manufacturer and supplier of roadsid...

South Yorkshire’s Fire Service is highlighting the story of a firefighting hero killed during the Sheffield Blitz-exactly 80 years after the events that took his life. Frederick Parkes Spencer was the only permanent, full-time Police Fireman–as they were then known–to have been killed when thousands of tons of explosives were dropped on Sheffield on the night of 12 and 13 December 1940. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue has already honored Frederick by naming one of the confer...

First responders looking at upgrading their extrication tools are seeing a new letter among The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA®) standards for performance requirements. And they may be wondering, WTF: What’s the F-test? Tool’s performance ability The new test is a “High Strength Materials” test, otherwise known as the F bar cut test NFPA standards specify performance requirements for powered rescue tools and components that are used by emergency services per...

When The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA®) 1937 was ratified on October 25, 2020, it brought with it new recommendations for rescue tool care and maintenance, guiding service technicians and the first responders who use the tools in requirements and best practices that assure end users and the patients they treat are safe during extrications. The standards are already in effect and should be posted online soon; in the meantime, they sat down with HURST Jaws of Life® Engineering Ma...

In a study on the topic of 'Future technologies and scenarios in fire and disaster protection', the Karlsruhe University of Technology and Economics and the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) want to examine how the latest technologies can support emergency services. Furthermore, it should be found out how operational processes can be simplified and accelerated. The basis for the analysis is an online survey aimed at those responsible for fire departments, rescue ser...

The FIA has unveiled its participation as a founding member in a new, industry-wide initiative designed to attract and develop a new generation of fire protection engineers.  Zitko Talent Zitko Talent is an alliance of major manufacturers, installation companies and educators Zitko Talent is an alliance of major manufacturers, installation companies and educators, who will be providing an intensive 12-month program of salaried work experience, training, and development. The program is s...

The fire service’s recovery from flooding which hit South Yorkshire last autumn has been recognized with a major international award. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue was awarded ‘Most Effective Recovery’ at the Business Continuity Institute’s Global Awards. The award-presented to the service’s Resilience, Planning, and Contingencies team at a virtual ceremony- recognizes organizations that have effectively managed major incidents. The fire service rescued more th...

A Sheffield building owner has been fined after obstructing the work of fire safety inspectors. Mr. Gunes Ata, trading as Noble Design & Build, was found guilty by Sheffield Magistrates Court of failing, without reasonable excuse, to comply with requirements imposed by an inspector from South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue. Mr. Ata did not attend the hearing on Wednesday (18 November) and did not enter a plea, but the court heard the case in his absence. Fire safety laws Court ordered M...

The mission is to develop the Twiceme concept into a global standard and the vision is to create safer adventures and working environments for people exposed to a greater risk of accidents. An essential part of this is building trust and recognition of the Twiceme symbol among rescue professionals and end-users. With increased support from the global rescue community, Twiceme Technology is on the right track to becoming a worldwide pioneer of accessible vital info. A Future Tool for Rescue Pro...

Global Fire Equipment is delighted to announce that its Global Business Development Director, Paul Pope Eng.Tech AIFireE, has been re-elected to the main board of the Fire Industry Association (FIA). This is Paul’s third consecutive term on the board. Paul was also elected as Vice Chair of the FIA’s Fire Detection and Alarm Council which represents manufacturers and suppliers of fire detection and alarm equipment. In addition, Paul remains the Vice Chair of the Service Council and h...

There has been a lot of talk about Zitko Talent lately, following its public launch in October 2020. In case missed, Zitko have forged an alliance of major Fire & Security employers, manufacturers, training companies, and trade bodies. The purpose? To attract and develop 1,000 technical entrants to the industry a year, via an intensive 12-month foundation training and paid experience program. It’s designed to open the door wider - to engineers from other sectors, to college leavers, a...

Imagine going into a shop and asking for an item. They tell them they’re out of stock, so what do they do? They ask them for it again and again and again. Employers are doing something rather similar in Fire & Security when it comes to hiring engineers. There’s a finite supply that is dwindling steadily, as older colleagues retire and their potential replacements fail to grasp the attractions of an engineering career.  If they look at the job boards, they’ll see &lsqu...

A residential structure fire was reported on Maple Lane between Eucalyptus Lane and Manzanita Lane in Sugarloaf at approximately 6:43 pm, on Monday, November 9, 2020. Upon arrival, fire crews observed a residential structure with heavy smoke and flames showing. Crews immediately went into defensive attack mode to the fully involved structure to provide protection to the adjacent structures. No occupants were in the home at the time of the incident. Big Bear Fire Crew carry out fire suppression...

The fire safety market in the UK is a peculiar one. While the trade at large is among the most advanced in the world in terms of the firefighting solutions on offer, the biggest challenge for the customers is that this trade is a scattered one. There is no brand in the genre that offers a holistic fire safety range, ranging from extinguishers to suppression systems and everything in between, and a customer if left to deal with multiple suppliers for their fire safety requirements. Complete spe...

A man from Sheffield, who set himself on fire when using petrol on his seemingly unlit garden fire, is urging people not to follow in his footsteps and make the same mistake. Paul Wyatt, 50, was burning hedge trimmings in his garden earlier this year. He put paper on the bottom and hedge trimmings on top, before adding a match, which didn’t light the fire. He decided to apply a drop of petrol, planning to step back and throw a match on. Unbeknown to him, the original match was still smold...

With Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement made on Saturday (31/10/2020), lockdown measures will be introduced across all of England this Thursday (05/11/2020). Initial guidance, in relation to going to work, published following the Prime Minister’s announcement states: “To help contain the virus, everyone who can work effectively from home must do so. Where people cannot do so (for instance people who work in critical national infrastructure, construction or manufa...

Specialist Fire & Security resourcing consultancy - Zitko has unveiled Talent: a new industry-wide training initiative designed to address the growing shortage of engineers trained for design, engineering, commissioning, and support. Talent is a coalition of employers, manufacturers, training companies, and industry bodies, who are coming together to provide a year’s structured paid employment and certified training specific to the trainee, their employer, and their job. Security tec...

2020 has been a challenging year, so it’s been a real boost to find out that Zitko have been shortlisted in two categories of the Security and Fire Excellence Awards. Back in March, when the lockdown struck, recruitment activity came to an abrupt halt. Zitko decided to stay open to support the clients and industry, sharing knowledge and adding value in whatever ways they could. Zitko COVID-19 initiatives This led to a whole raft of Zitko COVID-19 initiatives:  An outplacement pr...