COVID-19 - News

The IAFF welcomes the Canadian election result and is prepared to work with the Liberal minority government and MPs from all parties to continue advancing firefighter and public safety issues. “We congratulate all MPs elected to the House of Commons on September 20 and look forward to collaboration from all parties on the issues that matter most to Canadians, and the issues that we bring forward on behalf of Canada’s professional firefighters,” says IAFF Assistant to the Gener...

Fire Chiefs and Fire & Rescue Services across the United Kingdom have recognized the emerging practice of ‘wedging fire doors open’ as an increased threat to fire safety in a post-COVID world. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said, “We have identified that some premises are wedging open self-closing fire doors as a COVID-19 control measure intended to reduce the need to touch locks and door handles. Self-closing fire doors are fitted within your premises to...

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDFRS) has implemented Dräger’s Cleaning Solution as part of its new state-of-the-art decontamination facility, designed to ensure optimal cleaning and disinfection of firefighter equipment. The initiative will not only help protect firefighters from harmful carcinogens and germs, but the innovative nature of the new decontamination and cleaning regime will also help improve the useful working life of the equipment the firefighte...

Amid a tumultuous time for the healthcare industry due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the top 25 health insurance companies remained in tight competition when it came to member satisfaction, according to new research released by Verint®, The Customer Engagement Company™. The range for satisfaction (SAT) scores from highest to lowest was just under nine points out of a possible 100, suggesting that all the top 25 health insurers are highly competitive, according to the Verint Experie...

East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) is supporting the World Health Organisation's (WHO) global event, World Patient Safety Day. EEAST has been celebrating World Patient Safety, which will be culminating in World Patient Safety Day, held on the 17th of September. The 2021-2022 goal is 'Safe maternal and newborn care'. World Patient Safety Day The company's website has a dedicated page that focuses on, what to expect when calling 999 for pregnancy or childbirth. EEAST has been sharing lot...

East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) and West Suffolk College are working together to broaden the scope of the Health and Social Care course, with the aim of attracting more students.   A six-week taster module has been designed by EEAST staff for the Health and Social Care course, which starts on the 23rd September, 2021, in order to offer both skills and an insight into career development opportunities in the ambulance service. EEAST course covering ambulance service...

Masimo announced the CE marking and commercial launch in Europe of the single-patient-use adhesive rainbow® SuperSensor™, compatible for use with both Masimo and third-party monitors with Masimo rainbow® technology inside. In an industry first, the comprehensive, convenient, and multi-purpose SuperSensor uses 12 LEDs to simultaneously offer 12 blood constituent parameters noninvasively and continuously: SET® oxygen saturation (SpO2), total hemoglobin, SpHb®, carboxyhemoglo...

Thermal imaging technology can be used for a range of different purposes. Thermal imaging cameras can have a range of uses and formats for detecting different temperatures.  These cameras work by combining heat sensors and a specially adapted lens. This allows the user to efficiently identify regions of excessive temperature.  How do they work? Any object with a temperature above absolute zero will emit a detectable amount of infrared radiation Cameras must be fitted with a lens th...

Hardstaff Barriers is reminding every member of its workforce that they are valued and supported and that there is always somebody available to listen. As a long-standing advocate for workplace mental health support, Hardstaff issued the reminder to mark World Suicide Prevention Day, on September 10, 2021. Raising awareness In the UK in 2019, 6,524 people took their own lives. Men are three times more likely than women to die by suicide. Women are more likely to report suicidal thoughts. Men...

In May 2021, sparks in a ventilator ignited a deadly blaze in the intensive care unit of a COVID-19 treatment building at an Indian hospital. Investigations into the incident later revealed a variety of gaps in the building’s fire protection measures. While incidents of this severity are thankfully relatively rare, this tragic example serves to remind us of the particular risks associated with healthcare settings. The presence of countless fire hazards, the difficulties of effectively m...

South Yorkshire’s fire service has won a national award for its response to a major wildfire, which crews spent 22 days tackling last year. The fire affected a huge area of rare peat moorland, which is a site of special scientific interest and home to several rare species of animals and plants. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue won the Incident Management Award at CIR Magazine’s Business Continuity Awards 2021 for its work in coordinating the response to the incident, which inv...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is urging businesses that have reopened their doors, not to overlook fire safety and ensure it remains a top priority in the workplace. The call comes as part of the National Fire Chiefs Council's (NFCC) Business Safety Week which runs from the 6th - 12th September. The campaign aims to make businesses aware of their fire safety responsibilities, so they comply with legislation to keep both premises and occupants safe from fire. Reviewing fire safety Man...

“The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenging time for all of us. It has and continues to be very stressful on and off the job for our members and their families. We have now lost 49 members to COVID-19 – eight since August 3.” “Our union continues to encourage and strongly recommend that all members be vaccinated to prevent the spread of disease. The reality is, the vaccines work and our union can collectively fight COVID-19 and its variants. Please watch my video encou...

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) is urging Berkshire residents to ‘Be Water Aware’ as part of the National Fire Chiefs Council’s (NFCC) Drowning Prevention and Water Safety Week (26 April – 2 May).  Accidental drownings In 2019, 223 people tragically lost their lives in accidental drownings and 44% of those people had no intention of ever being in the water. More people died in the UK in 2019 from accidental drowning than cyclists did on the road. R...

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) has teamed up with Thames Valley Police (TVP), South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) the Environment Agency and local councils to support the Royal Life Saving Society’s (RLSS) national Drowning Prevention Week campaign, running from 19-26 June. Over 400 people tragically lose their lives in accidental drownings each year in the UK and Ireland and many more suffer life-changing injuries. In order to reduce the number of accidental drownings...

During 6-12 September, Royal Berkshire Fire, and Rescue Service (RBFRS) is supporting the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) Business Safety Week. Business Safety Week urges local businesses that have re-opened their doors not to overlook fire safety and ensure it remains a top priority in the workplace. Throughout the week, RBFRS will be reminding businesses of their fire safety responsibilities so that they comply with legislation to keep both premises and occupants safe from fire. Steps to...

This month, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service is supporting the National Fire Chiefs Council’s Home Fire Safety Month campaign. Over the course of four weeks, from Monday, 30 August until Sunday, 26 September, they will share safety advice to help keep the user safe in their home or business. Each week will focus on a different area, covering chimney fire safety, business fire safety, fire door safety, and gas safety. Fire Safety Month James Whitton, West Hub Protection Manager, s...

Loudoun County has established a voluntary database that provides emergency responders with important health information, in compliance with Virginia’s Marcus-David Peters Act, which was signed into law in December 2020. Virginia’s Marcus-David Peters Act The law aims to provide behavioral health responses, when an individual is experiencing a crisis, related to mental health, substance abuse or developmental disability, in the US state of Virginia. The bill requires that by July 1...

Attenti, a pioneer in the electronic monitoring industry, will be presenting their domestic violence deterrence solution at The Emergency Services Show. Taking place at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre on the 7th and 8th of September, The Emergency Services Show is the UK's largest event for the emergency services. Law enforcement officials Comments Roni Weinberg, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Attenti, "Domestic abuse is the world's hidden pandemic. We're excited to be pre...

For the second year, DripDrop Hydration (DripDrop ORS), a renowned rehydration therapy company, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), the global association representing the volunteer fire, EMS (Emergency Medical Services), and rescue services, have teamed up to provide dehydration relief to volunteer firefighters. Oral rehydration solution (ORS) DripDrop is providing 200,000 sticks of their oral rehydration solution (ORS) to volunteer fire departments across the U.S. The donation co...

The Scottish Government has launched a new campaign to raise awareness of new fire safety laws that mean all homes must have interlinked smoke alarms from February 2022. The Building and Fire Safety Ministerial Working Group was established after the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 to review Scotland’s existing building and fire safety regulatory frameworks. Their work has resulted in several changes in Scotland including this new approach to smoke alarms. New regulations New regulations un...

Fire and rescue services across the UK worked with partners to respond to the impact of COVID-19. Making a difference provides a series of short case studies to show the range of activities that services did over the last 18 months; it recognizes that the pandemic is not over and services continue to help communities in many different ways.  Phil Garrigan is the NFCC lead for the COVID-19 response. He said: “The pandemic was unlike anything else we have...

While they all hoped 2020 would see the end of lockdowns in Australia, 2021 has brought on new pandemic-driven challenges as the COVID-19 Delta variant continues to affect the majority of states across the nation. New South Wales and Victoria are experiencing some of the harshest lockdowns Australia has seen in an effort to ‘stop the spread’ of the highly contagious Delta variant. Impact on the local businesses These frequent and prolonged lockdowns are having a significant impact...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is pleased to announce the winners of its 2021 Annual Fire Service Achievement Awards. NVFC’s awards recipients Theodore Schroll Jr. will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by ADT, Robert James will receive the Chief James P. Seavey Sr. Health and Wellness Leadership Award, co-sponsored by VFIS and Ward Diesel Filter Systems, Paige Davis will receive the Junior Firefighter of the Year Award, sponsored by California Casualty, and t...

Firefighters in Wisbech are urging residents and visitors to think before they park, to help tackle the ongoing problem of inconsiderate parking in and around the town.  Drivers are urged to take care when parking their vehicles so they do not prevent fire engines from attending potentially life-threatening emergencies. Causes of delayed response  There are some areas around Wisbech that are notorious for motorists parking down both sides of a narrow street and there have been times...

After spending a large amount of the year 2020 and first half of 2021 confined in homes, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is safe to say that there are lots of people who are excited to get back out into the world. As lockdown restrictions are easing and things begin to open again, it is important that everyone knows how to keep their homes safe, in the return to normality. APE Fire & Security have put together a quick list of things that residents can do to secure their homes: Do not l...

MSA Safety Incorporated (MSA), DuPont Personal Protection (DuPont), and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) are helping volunteer fire departments obtain much-needed turnout gear, through MSA and DuPont’s Globe Gear Giveaway. Now in its tenth year, the program has provided over US$ 1 million worth of fire safety gear to assist volunteer fire departments in need. Globe Gear Giveaway In 2021, 13 fire departments will each receive four sets of turnout gear and four helmets, in order...

Task Force Tips (TFT) was created 50 years ago by a firefighter to provide tools to help first responders to do their job more safely and effectively. Currently, TFT is helping to keep firefighters healthier as well. TFT has partnered with Purafil, part of the largest air filtration company in the world to integrate proven and patented filtration technology into a new TFT product: CrewProtect™. filtration technologies Put simply, CrewProtect cleans the apparatus air that firefighte...

On 8th and 9th December 2021, the next VdS-FireSafety Cologne 2021 event will be held at Koelnmesse, with expert conferences, an expert trade fair, free themed forums and the new format VdS-FireSafetyTalk. Fire protection professionals can look forward to 8th and 9th December 2021, with VdS Training Center (VdS) looking optimistically towards the end of the year and expecting to be able to hold VdS-FireSafety Cologne 2021 event on these dates, featuring an expert trade fair, themed forums and e...

G3 Systems handed over its Fire Protection Service (FPS) function to DEU (German Armed Forces) Air Operations Group firefighters, marking the conclusion of a continuous working relationship at the Mazar e Sharif (MeS) airbase which began on 21st November 2014. During the last 6 and a half years, G3 Systems Limited, working through the NATO Supply & Procurement Agency (NSPA), has successfully provided the DEU at MeS with continuous aviation and structural fire cover, ensuring all airfield em...