Fire Insurance - News

A draft of PAS 8673 is available for public comment and contains competence requirements for the new role of Building Safety Manager. This PAS is based on the recommendations and core competence criteria set out in BSI Flex 8670. It supports the introduction of the Building Safety Manager that is contained in the Building Safety Bill currently going through Parliament. PAS 8673 The BSI has facilitated the development of PAS 8673 and it is sponsored by MHCLG. Brian Atkin is cited as the techni...

FireQual, the specialist Awarding Body for the fire protection industry has qualifications that act as eligibility criteria for the FESS (Fire, Emergency and Security Systems) Systems Operative Card in Fire as part of the ECS Card Scheme. Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (ECS) The Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (ECS), administered by the Joint Industry Board for the Electrotechnical Industry, is a CSCS Partner Scheme covering the electrotechnical sector and includes more than 175,0...

WEROCK Technologies GmbH, innovative manufacturer of rugged tablets, notebooks and handhelds, presents the Rocktab U210, a powerful, ultra-compact, yet fully rugged tablet, which is designed specifically for the requirements of fire and rescue services. The new Ultra Series model comes with market-renowned features and is available to order now. Whether it's up-to-date information on the situation and location of an operation, map material, hydrant plans or retrieving rescue maps, the right com...

The value of the contract currently published on Contracts Finder is between £9 and 12 million over five years. The council is looking to install new fire sprinkler systems (and associated works) in 30 of its two and three-storey supported housing blocks as well as 102 blocks of general needs residential accommodation. The closing date for suppliers to respond is 10 September 2021. Retrofit sprinkler systems This comes after the council worked with Hampshire and Isle of W...

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...

APE Fire & Security states that businesses can employ security guards to patrol the premises, outside of business hours, in order to keep the premises secure. While many organizations and companies may see this as the perfect security solution, there are alternative options out there, to cater to varying needs. The benefits of Manned Security Visual deterrent Criminals are most often opportunists. When they see sites without visible security, they are more likely to take the risk and...

When working for extended amounts of time in a cold store, it’s important to make sure that the workwear of the staff reflects the environment they work in, in order to help keep them safe and comfortable in carrying out their jobs. This article covers the ideal Cold Store workwear to ensure enhanced safety and comfort for the wearer in doing the work tasks. Headwear Starting off with headwear, it all comes down to the environment, for instance, if working in a place where there might b...

The first signs of fire can be spotted 24/7, even in challenging outdoor conditions, on a manufacturing complex, thanks to algorithm-driven video camera, AVIOTEC from Bosch Security Systems. AVIOTEC firmware version 7.81 AVIOTEC takes the next step, as it goes outdoors. The performance has been extended for equal reliability in sheltered outdoor areas. AVIOTEC's new firmware version 7.81 comprises AI-supported algorithms, which can now detect flames and smoke in changing weather and light cond...

Gentoo is investing over £32 million over four years in internal refurbishment works across its housing stock for 60,000 residents. In an early notification published on Contracts Finder last month, Gentoo set out details of its intentions. The contract is divided into three lots with lot 3 focused on high-rise buildings and the installation of sprinkler systems and fire alarms. The value of lot 3 alone is £7 million and will be awarded on a framework basis for up to six providers...

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...

Organizations have long understood the many potential business benefits of holding certification to an international management system, such as the widely recognized ISO 9001 quality, ISO 14001 environmental, and ISO 45001 occupational health and safety standards. More than being a certificate to hang on the wall, certification is a powerful business tool, providing a degree of certainty in uncertain times. Externally, certification offers the potential to lower barriers to trade by opening doo...

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...

The newly created not-for-profit organization, the Building Safety Alliance will deliver a publicly accessible register of certified Building Safety Managers in a move that will increase confidence in the competence of these new duty holders prescribed in the Building Safety Bill. Emerging from the working group activity of the Competence Steering Group, the Building Safety Alliance marks a significant step forward for establishing the role of a Building Safety Manager in higher risk buildings....

Derby Crown Court sentenced Thirunavukkaradu Kuladaisamy to suspended prison time, as well as a large fine and court costs for fire safety breaches, after a fire in a converted house two years ago. Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service attended a fire at 1057 London Road, Derby on the night of 23 November 2019. According to local newspaper reports at the time, the police and fire service officers remained at the scene of the fire all night investigating the blaze. Fire safety regulations Respond...

The new training year 2021 has begun and with it three new trainees have joined G-TEC. The company warmly welcomes - Anna Katharina Bücking, Lara Steindecker and Tim Henrichs, who will complete their training as Technical System Planners. While Lara Steindecker and Tim Henrichs started their training in Siegen, they are also pleased to have won the first trainee for their Hamburg location. G-TEC wishes all trainees every success and fun with many interesting projects. G-TEC announces star...

Whether it’s the building, roads, schools, or offices around us, a civil engineer has been involved in the design and construction of the structure. Civil engineers are the ones who plan, design and manage construction projects, in order to create and improve buildings that make up the majority of the United Kingdom (UK) and the world at large. Workwear for civil engineers Owing to this nature of their job, civil engineers spend a lot of time on the project and are in many different loc...

HURST Jaws of Life has introduced eDRAULIC 3.0, taking its fastest and most powerful battery-powered extrication tools and making them faster, operational in both fresh and salt water, and now also the smartest through a smart dashboard display that provides operators with real-time feedback on tool status. “We’re continually evolving HURST Jaws of Life extrication tools to make first responders’ jobs safer, easier, and more efficient, and eDRAULIC 3.0 takes tool innovation to...

Howe & Howe Inc., a subsidiary of Textron Systems Corporation, a Textron Inc. company, unveiled its latest innovations for the firefighting community – its next-generation Thermite EV2, an all-electric firefighting robot, as well as its new, handheld controller. The Thermite EV2 is an all-electric firefighting robot operated by a software-driven controller to effectively target fires with a modular design, including a multi-position nozzle and additional attachments. Thermite EV2 Ho...

BAFE Fire Safety Register has teamed up with building services membership scheme operator, NAPIT to offer a new competency scheme for organizations involved with Grade D fire alarm systems.  Two years in the making, the new scheme will assess the competency of organizations that provide design, installation, commissioning and maintenance services for BS 5839-6 Grade D fire detection and fire alarm systems in domestic premises. BAFE and NAPIT partner on new Competency Scheme This new comp...

The Fire Standards Board for England has published the Prevention Fire Standard setting out what fire and rescue services should be doing to keep communities safe from fire. This is the seventh Fire Standard to be published and sits alongside the operational response Fire Standards released earlier this year. The Protection Fire Standard will be published in September 2021. New Prevention Fire Standard published Fire and rescue services will look to use the Prevention Fire Standard to ensure...

Following an extensive development process over two years in the making, the BAFE Fire Safety Register and NAPIT are proud to announce a new Scheme to assess the competency of organizations, who provide design, installation, commissioning and maintenance services for BS 5839-6 Grade D fire detection and fire alarm systems in domestic premises. BAFE DS301 Scheme BAFE DS301 (For the Design, Installation, Commissioning and Maintenance of Grade D Fire Detection and Fire Alarm Systems in Domestic P...

With more people planning to spend time outdoors over the coming weeks, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) is urging residents to take some simple steps, in order to reduce the risk of a wildfire breaking out. Wildfire awareness campaign A week-long wildfire awareness campaign (running 26 July – 1 August) is taking place, following a period of warm and dry weather, and with more people expected to be outside, enjoying the countryside, due to COVID-19 restrictions easing and...

East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) is encouraging the public to use NHS 111 online for medical advice, with demand for 999 calls increasing and ambulance staff helping more patients. NHS 111 online service The NHS 111 online service offers patients quick advice on the best option for them to get the care they need, including getting a call back from a trained clinician or nurse, booking them an appointment in A&E or providing advice on how to help them recover. The call c...

In 2021, the Felixstowe Community First Responders (CFRs) embarked upon a variety of fundraising activities to replace aging lifesaving equipment. The funds will be used to purchase new equipment in line with improvements to their skillset, running costs, and keeping up with the rapidly increasing size of the team of volunteers. This is in addition to their primary goal of responding to local emergency medical calls to stabilize, treat and reassure patients until the arrival of an ambulance cre...

A Sheppey homeowner is helping Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) share life-saving safety advice after a vanity mirror sparked a fire in the bedroom of his home. The blaze developed in the occupant’s bedroom in Belgrave Road on Sheppey, on a sunny afternoon on Friday 16 July, and is believed to have started after sunlight reflected from a vanity mirror onto some bedding. The heat from the mirror's reflection caught the bed alight, which then spread throughout the room within a matter o...

A Knowsley tower block played host to a major training exercise when the Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service (MFRS) led an exercise to test their response, in the case of a major high-rise fire incident. MFRS’ fire safety training exercise Around 80 emergency service staff, eight fire engines, two support vehicles, and an aerial platform ladder vehicle descended on the unoccupied Gaywood Green, on Broad Lane, in Kirkby, United Kingdom, on Thursday, July 22, 2021, as part of the fire saf...

Artificial intelligence is set to supercharge the way safety advice is delivered to the public, following the launch of a new service by fire officers in South Yorkshire. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service has launched a brand new system that allows local residents to get a virtual fire safety check from the comfort of their own homes. All people have to do is text a number from their mobile phones, or scan a QR code, and they will be asked a series of questions on things such as smoke a...

Verint Systems (Verint), the globally renowned customer engagement company, has that it has won an AI Breakthrough Award for excellence and innovation in Artificial Intelligence (AI). Verint Intelligent Virtual Assistant Professional (IVA Pro) Package is the winner of the ‘Best Virtual Agent Solution’ award. Earning its fourth consecutive AI Breakthrough Award, the company previously won ‘Best AI-based Solution for Customer Service’ award in 2020, ‘Best Chatbot Sol...