Fire Emergency Response - News

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) have been recognized nationally for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, SFRS was praised for its positive contributions to the local community and commitment to the welfare of its staff. In August 2020, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) was commissioned by the UK Home Secretary to examine how fire and rescue services are responding to the pandemic. Effective command and control frameworks...

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...

The end of a challenging year is worth celebrating and so is Twiceme's second anniversary. The last year was difficult for many, while surprisingly promising for a few. Although it was far from the year, Twiceme hoped for on a humanitarian level, new learnings were gathered and adjustments were made, which will result in new opportunities in 2021. Twiceme Technology’s journey towards becoming a global standard of accessible vital info faced several obstacles in early 2020, however, these...

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...

The community is at the heart of Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS), and on-call firefighters help to strengthen those links by serving the villages and towns where they live and work.  Luke Pritchard is an on-call firefighter based in Faversham, where he lives with his wife and their two young children. Having grown up in the town, the 35-year-old wanted to be a firefighter at his local fire station from a young age and successfully applied for the role four years ago.  Comments of...

With distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine accelerating around the globe, hopes are high that society can reclaim a sense of pre-pandemic normalcy in the coming months. Organizations may look to call many of their remote workers back to physical buildings as the vaccine rollout continues. However, there are unique new challenges to in-person work in a post-pandemic world, as organizations who have maintained in-person workforces can attest. Managing an in-person workforce in 2021 Marc Bognar,...

The pandemic has made it difficult to predict demand from one month to the next, when it comes to field service engineering. This makes the flexibility of employing contractors even more attractive. In Autumn 2020, STANLEY Security Solutions approached the Zitko contracts team with a considerable challenge: resource a group of 8 – 10 contractors to support the company’s operations in various UK regions. The requirement was for an immediate start and the specification was strict: mul...

Over the past 24 hours, 08:00 am 20/01/2021 to 08:00 am 21/01/2021, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS) have received 233 calls through its Joint Fire Control. Of the 233 calls, Joint Fire Control received 140 flood-related calls. 71 calls of external flooding, 57 calls of internal flooding, and 12 calls where the flooding posed a risk to life. Amongst the busiest station areas during this period were Abercrave, with 11 incidents, Llandeilo 8, Ammanford 8, Carmarthen 7, and Wel...

Warwickshire residents are warned to check their chimneys as Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service has attended a series of chimney fires across the county in recent times. The Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service have been called out for multiple chimney fire incidents in Leamington Spa, Rugby and Northend, in the United Kingdom, just in the last seven days. Chimneys need to be swept regularly Residents are reminded that chimneys must be swept regularly by approved chimney sweeps, as consiste...

Firefighting kit has a number of functions. It protects crew members in a wide range of situations and makes them instantly recognizable in an emergency. Replacing the firefighting kit at the right time keeps fire firefighters and rescue personnel safe and comfortable, no matter what the emergency. Call outs for firefighters  According to the UK Home Office, in the last year, 28 per cent of call-outs for firefighters and rescue staff involved responding to fires, 42 per cent of call outs...

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...

Dorothy Hosein has stepped down as chief executive of the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust, following a period of ill health. Dr Tom Davis, medical director and deputy chief executive, will continue as interim chief executive while the recruitment process for a substantive chief executive takes place. Recruitment process The process to recruit a permanent chief executive for the Trust is expected to start at the end of this month, with the appointment of a successful candidate expe...

PACCAR and Aurora have signed a global, strategic agreement to develop, test, and commercialize autonomous Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks. This collaboration will integrate PACCAR’s autonomous vehicle platform with the Aurora Driver software, in order to enhance the safety and operational efficiency of PACCAR’s customers. Autonomous-enabled vehicles In the strategic partnership, PACCAR provides autonomous-enabled vehicles with industry-renowned quality, durability and reliability, r...

The biggest advantage in federal procurement is speed of acquisition. As technologies evolve more rapidly, getting modern tech into the hands of end users before it is obsolete is essential. Tailored Logistics Support (TLS) The Defense Logistics Agency’s Tailored Logistics Support (TLS) Program is designed to do just that: decrease the amount of time it takes for Federal customers to put a contract out to bid, get a response and then have products or services delivered. How long does th...

Getting funding is an important but equally challenging part of maintaining a fire department. As equipment ages, it deteriorates and becomes less efficient. Eventually, those inefficiencies add up, and it’s no longer safe to use. Even the most diligent and attentive departments can find themselves with a shortage of funding when a tool unexpectedly breaks, or piece of equipment falls apart. Thankfully departments have access to alternative funding sources. This article will concentrate o...

The Agility team is excited to announce the addition of Apollo Fire Equipment & Apparatus Repair as their first exclusive authorized dealer for the state of Michigan. Apollo Fire Equipment has provided Michigan fire departments with the highest quality firefighting and rescue equipment for more than 50 years and they are thrilled to have Apollo on board to support the sales and marketing of our FirstLook360 camera systems for Michigan fire rescue and emergency personnel.

AVK International (AVK) is pleased to announce a new range of universal and dedicated encapsulation collars for repair of pipe sockets and pipe walls. Hydro Stop, Hydro Fast and Hydro Smart are ideal for performing safe and permanent repair under pressure. Hydro-Cos. S.r.l., the new member of the AVK Group, has developed a wide range of universal and dedicated encapsulation collars, and can also offer completely customized solutions for any leak. Standard encapsulation collars The standard en...

As the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations begins around the country, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) continues to offer support to the health sector during the pandemic. Having already seen staff from various parts of the Service helping with training new ambulance drivers, supporting the community hubs and working as ambulance drivers, CFRS is now offering its support with the vaccination program. Chief Fire Officer Chris Strickland said: "The pandemic has been such a challenging t...

Equipped with a quick-response operational mechanism, Early Suppression Fast Response (ESFR) sprinkler systems respond to flames in the initial stage of the fire development itself. They are high volume sprinkler systems that provide extraordinary protection for highly stacked storage occupancies. ESFR sprinkler systems These ESFR sprinklers are specifically designed to deliver copious amounts of water, so that the fire can be suppressed shortly after the sprinkler operates. Consequently, fire...

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...

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had a successful year of research and development in the area of detecting and predicting the impact of wildfires and wildfire smoke. NOAA's Office of Satellite and Product Operations (OSPO) continues to improve its Hazard Mapping System Fire and Smoke Product with the latest fire and smoke monitoring methods and satellite data available. The product provides near real-time maps, fire data statistics, and data sets for mo...

Johnson Controls, the global pioneer for smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings and architect of OpenBlue connected solutions, is expanding its Tyco DS Dry Sprinkler product family to include the DS-8 8.0K (K 115) Dry Pendent Sprinkler. The enhanced features of the DS-8 Sprinkler make it ideal for protecting commercial freezers and outdoor spaces like balconies, breezeways, loading docks, and parking garages. DS-8 Dry Sprinkler The DS-8 Dry Sprinkler provides more flexibility for designers...

Gorman-Rupp has updated the 2” T Series pumps to incorporate the following Super T Series features: External, shimless clearance adjustment Four-point back cover attachment with pusher bolt holes Easy-grip handle for back cover removal A two-point “webbed” plate design A patented inspection cover 5-year warranty Super T2s The new Super T2s are dimensionally interchangeable with the Classic T2s, making field replacement simple. The Super T2 comes standard with the Er...

The crash of a small aircraft in the Rosewood neighborhood of Columbia on January 13, 2021, caused one home there to catch fire. Plane crash CRFD crews were dispatched to the scene on the 2900 block of Kennedy Street near S. Maple. While en route to the scene responders called for a 2nd Alarm. The small plane itself crashed in the backyard of a home and the wreckage caught fire. The pilot onboard the plane was killed and has since been identified by the Richland County Coroner as 62-year-old...

The National Fire Chiefs Council has released a range of updated risk assessments which will allow fire-fighters and other staff to continue work on COVID-related activities – while taking on more. To support this, 10,000 lateral flow tests a week will be provided by the government to fire services, meaning up to 5,000 fire-fighters could soon be supporting the UK-wide vaccination program underway. These tests will help keep firefighters who are undertaking vital COVID work safer –...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest more than $46 million through the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership for projects that mitigate wildfire risk, improve water quality, and restore healthy forest ecosystems on public and private lands. Funding for 37 projects includes $13 million for eight new projects and $33.3 million to complete work on 29 projects previously selected in 2019 and 2020. Through the projects, USDA’s Forest Service (FS) and Natura...

It’s a new year, which means one has a new budget. So, one should start 2021 right with LSS Life Safety Services, to help them keep their facility’s fire barriers maintained and up-to-date with fire and life safety codes and standards. As a reminder for the New Year, below is a list of core services LSS offers. fire and smoke barriers Fire & Smoke Damper Inspections Dampers prevent the spread of fire and smoke within the facility’s ductwork. Fire dampers are used in...

The global smart PPE technology market size is projected to reach USD 7.70 billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 15.9% during the forecast period. Growing utilization of Industry 4.0 technologies in developing personal protective equipment (PPE) will be a game-changer for this market, finds Fortune Business Insights™ in its report, titled “Smart PPE Technology Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Product Type (Smart Safety Gloves, Smart Shoes, Smart Eyewea...

An ASIS International UK Chapter member for nearly 20 years, John A. Petruzzi, Jr., CPP, will serve as President of the association’s Global Board of Directors in 2021. John Petruzzi’s discussed his goals for the coming year in a Q&A session. The ASIS blog asked Petruzzi to discuss the impact of his ASIS volunteer roles on his career. Power of the ASIS family John A. Petruzzi said, “I’ve often said that I owe much of my success to the power of the ASIS family. From...

Daniel Muijs, Ofsted's Deputy Director of Research and Evaluation, has published a handy guide on what is going well and not so well with remote learning. The information published covers: What is remote education? Common myths about remote education Using remote education to deliver learning How to keep it simple Adapting learning Remote feedback and assessment Technology provision Live vs. recorded delivery Engagement online Additional resources Whether the organization eng...