Fire Insurance - News

  VIKING Life-Saving Equipment has acquired HydroPen, the company behind the unique HydroPenTM container firefighting solution supplied to hundreds of ships. HydroPen's rapid uptake has been due to its combination of innovation, efficiency and ease of use. Attached to a ship’s hose and raised on a telescopic arm by a single crew member, water pressure alone powers its ‘drill and spray’ nozzle to penetrate a container door before switching to spray m...

The number of Police Fire and Crime Commissioners could rise after the PCC elections on 6 May, as the UK Government indicates strong support for this type of governance. Currently, there are four Police Fire and Crime Commissioners in England: Staffordshire Essex Northamptonshire North Yorkshire Julia Mulligan is stepping down in North Yorkshire and Mathew Ellis is likewise in Staffordshire. PCC elections Other PCCs have shown interest in taking on governance in the fire but have bee...

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has recently launched its Small Organisations Newsletter - SME Newsletter. The NCSC notes “SMEs cover a huge range of businesses and makeup 99% of all business in the UK." cyber-related issues The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) adds, "Often SMEs do not have the budget of large organizations to spend on cyber security. This Newsletter aims to break down cyber-related issues into bitesize pieces which can be read in a coffee break." The NC...

Owners of a hotel in Leamington Spa have been ordered to pay £350,000 plus costs after a judge at Warwick Crown Court found them guilty of multiple breaches of the Fire Safety Order. 38 breaches of fire safety laws Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service inspectors visited the Falstaff Hotel on multiple occasions between 2017 and 2019, finding smoke alarms covered in plastic bags, fire escapes blocked with laundry, locked fire exits, and faulty alarms. The owners of Talash Ltd and parent f...

Fire Safety Bill receives Royal Assent and is an Act of Parliament, leading to major changes to fire safety in response to the Grenfell Tower fire. The Fire Safety Act 2021 provides the legal basis for meeting some of the recommendations from Sir Martin Moore-Bick’s Grenfell Inquiry Phase 1 report. series of regulations The Act makes changes to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, known as the Fire Safety Order. It’s not the end of the process, as much of the cont...

£9.5 million fire safety framework contract will see social housing providers accessing suppliers to provide external wall certification and fire engineering services. The Peabody Trust is pioneering a tender exercise to help find suppliers who can provide external wall assessments for their own building stock as well as allow other social housing groups to use the same framework. safe and affordable housing The Peabody Group is responsible for 71,800 homes across London and the southea...

A Cambridgeshire fire officer is taking on a fitness challenge to raise money for The Fire Fighter’s Charity. Group Commander Simon Thompson has taken on the challenge of completing 44,597 press-ups, marking one for each member of staff who works for the fire service in England. Firefighters' Memorial Day He began the ‘44k by the 4th May’ mission on 1 December and will be completing the remaining press-ups on Tuesday 4 May (Firefighters’ Memorial Day) at Cambridge...

An electric vehicle (EV) crash in Woodlands, Texas has prompted significant scrutiny and calls for emergency personnel to be trained on the fire risks associated with high voltage, lithium batteries within EVs (electric vehicles). In response to the tragic accident that killed two occupants last week, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are reminding first and second responders that resources are available to help safely address i...

Congratulations to the many pubs, restaurants and cafes that have reopened for outdoor dining and drinking. Once again, we’re all adapting to a new normal – one where we eat, drink and socialize outside. But it’s not just the tables and chairs that make this new arrangement possible. As hospitality businesses know, public safety is vital, but not just in COVID-19 terms. Barriers in outdoor seating areas Many local authorities across the United Kingdom (UK) have accepted that...

Court hears how a rail worker suffered severe burns as a result of a fire caused by health and safety breaches in an electrical substation in Kent. Recently, Network Rail pleaded guilty at Folkestone Magistrate’s Court to an offense under the Health and Safety at Work Act for failing to protect the safety of staff. failure to maintain dehumidifiers The incident took place on 20 December 2018 after Network Rail failed, over a significant period of time, to prevent water from leaking into...

Howard Passey talks to Sarah Brodie from the Association of British Insurers about what matters to the insurance industry when it comes to fire safety. In this third episode of the FPA’s brand-new podcast, Assembly Point, Howard and Sarah discuss how legislation offers the opportunity for welcome improvements to fire safety in the built environment. fundamental reform The ABI has argued for many years that there needs to be fundamental reform of the building safety and regulatory system...

The UK Government has published its second quarterly update on progress to meet the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations, highlighting the breadth of work taking place. In a useful development, the UK Government is providing thematic updates of the work taking place by the government, the London Fire Brigade, the National Fire Chiefs Council, and other bodies to respond to the 46 recommendations made by Sir Martin Moore-Bick in his Phase 1 report. update Key changes in this quarter include:...

Global fire detection and alarm devices leader, Argus Security (Argus), has appointed Giorgio Koursaris as its new General Manager, with responsibility for both - Argus and its UK sister brand, Hyfire. He joins at a pivotal moment for the well-known brand, which is about to embark on a series of new product launches that promise to revolutionize the fire sector. New General Manager appointed Giorgio Koursaris will oversee both commercial and production operations for Trieste-based Argus Gior...

Fire detection equipment manufacturer, Global Fire Equipment (GFE), has been awarded EN 54-13:2017+A1:2019 system compatibility approval, demonstrating the company’s ongoing commitment to offering its customers best-in-class fire detection and alarm solutions. An international third-party accredited laboratory awarded GFE the EN 54-13:2017+A1:2019 approval for its entry level and high-end addressable fire detection and alarm systems. Various individual components EN 54-13:2017+A1:2019 i...

The decision by Southampton City Council to fit sprinklers in all its high-rise residential blocks proves right with yet another fire quickly extinguished.   importance of sprinklers Firefighters from the newly combined Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service were called to a fire in a flat on the 21st floor of a tower block in Southampton this week. The first crew was on the scene within three minutes and found that a cooker fire in the kitchen was already out on arriva...

The Fire Protection Association is among the first UK testing laboratories to become UKAS accredited for BS 8458 water-mist system testing. The Fire Protection Association (FPA) is delighted to announce it has been awarded UKAS accreditation to carry out fire tests on water-mist systems to BS 8458 : 2015 Fixed fire protection systems - residential and domestic water mist systems - code of practice for design and installation.  automatic fire suppression systems It is proud to be leading...

Dispelling the myths about sprinklers, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service highlights the benefits of modern systems for both new builds and older properties. new year-long campaign This new year-long campaign led by the service’s Business Safety team will include COVID-safe events, as well as interactive social media chats, where local businesses can ask questions about how sprinklers work to extinguish fires at the source.  The campaign will focus on different business sectors each...

Verint Systems (Verint), the globally renowned customer engagement company, announced the April speaker line-up that features how to power today’s evolving workforce of people and bots. Thought leaders will address new workforce management trends and challenges at SWPP, the Verint/Opus Research webinar series focused on customer engagement data and AI and analytics, how to modernize knowledge management for greater productivity and VoC strategies for better customer insights. In addition...

A fire investigation has concluded at the Metropole Hotel, Llandrindod Wells, which was undertaken following a fire at the premises on Tuesday evening, April 13, 2021. The investigation determined that the cause of the fire was accidental. The significant fire was brought under control and extinguished by firefighters and rescue personnel belonging to the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service. However, effective fire safety measures already placed at the hotel helped contain the fire to th...

Building on the themes explored in its ‘Managing Fire Risk in the Fifth Façade’ session, ROCKWOOL is set to present a panel discussion on ‘Designing Compliance in the Fifth Façade’ at London Build Online (15th – 24th March 2021), the UK’s largest virtual event for the construction industry. The session, which will take place on 18th March 2021 (9:30 am), brings together experts from across the industry for a detailed discussion of compliance cri...

Coatings supplier - Hempel has provided coatings to protect the Orbital O2 tidal energy turbine – the world’s most powerful tidal turbine. Hempel’s ambition is to become the major global coatings solution provider for the global renewable energy segment. O2 is set to operate at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in the Orkney Islands in the UK. Around the islands of Orkney, tidal currents can reach over four meters per second, making them some of the strongest in the wor...

Shareholders approved all resolutions proposed at Airbus SE’s 2021 Annual General Meeting (AGM), including the renewal of the Board mandate of Chairman René Obermann. The Board mandates of Amparo Moraleda, Victor Chu, and Jean-Pierre Clamadieu were also renewed. 2021 AGM resolutions Following the AGM’s approval of his Board mandate, René Obermann was formally reappointed Chairman at a Board meeting held after the shareholder meeting. At the same Board meeting, Amparo...

Essex wood treatment firm, Prime Biomass Ltd created a huge fire safety risk to the local community by storing more than double the agreed limit of wood waste. A jury at the Old Bailey returned unanimous guilty verdicts against two directors of an illegal waste wood operation in Essex. One director was ordered to pay £50,000 in fines, compensation and legal costs while the other faces a five-year ban as a company director. A third director was acquitted by a majority verdict. five-week t...

Airbus has taken the next step in reducing its industrial carbon footprint, with the maiden flight of a Beluga super transporter using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), from the aerospace company’s Broughton plant in the United Kingdom. The north Wales line station, which uses the Beluga fleet to transport aircraft wings to Toulouse, Hamburg and Bremen, becomes the second Airbus European site to use SAF, after Hamburg introduced the fuel to its cargo activities at the end of 2019. Decarbo...

Airbus SE is announcing the following changes to the Executive Committee, led by Chief Executive Officer, Guillaume Faury, following approval from the Board of Directors. These changes come at a new juncture for both commercial aviation and defense activities, with the decarbonization of the aviation sector becoming a central ambition for the industry, and strategic European defense programs entering their development phase. The following changes will be effective from 1st July 2021: After...

Marking a year of challenges and change, IFSEC Global reviews a year of fire safety and publishes its list of the top influencers in fire safety. The Fire Safety Annual Report covers a wide range of fire safety topics and looks at how the fire safety industry has responded to Covid-19. In his foreword to the report, Ian Moore, Chief Executive of the Fire Industry Association said: “It has been an unpredictable and a somewhat turbulent year for us all. Broadly speaking, our year...

AW Hainsworth is pleased to announce the appointment of Amanda McLaren to the post of Managing Director at the company. Following the formation of the Family Council and the appointment of Andrew Wright as Non-Executive Chairman in 2018, Amanda McLaren is a welcome addition and will support the Executive Director Team, with the safe running of this family business. Supporting customers and suppliers in COVID-19 Period Amanda McLaren is a highly experienced Executive Board Director with a reco...

Many home-automation options provide us with the features of making the place: spacious, energy-efficient,cost-effective, and safe. Generally referred to as smart home innovation, the attributes of the transformation include automatic administration of appliances, for example, lighting, temperature, window blinds, surveillance cameras, locks, smoke alarms, and even pet feeders. These features commonly have cell phone applications that permit the homeowner to control the appliances from anywhere...

Euralarm, the globally renowned fire and security solutions organization, has announced support for a resolution of the European Parliament that asks for quick solutions from the European Commission to improve the standardization of construction products, while also pushing for a transition to a sustainable and more circular economy. Resolution on standardization MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) have recently called in the resolution, adopted with 686 votes in favor (4 votes against a...

On January 5, 2021, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) awarded Darley Defense a contract on the 5th iteration of the Special Operational Equipment (SOE) Tailored Logistics Support (TLS) Program. This contract will allow Darley to continue its legacy of contributing to the Nation’s defense. In World War II, Darley was awarded the Army-Navy ‘E’ Award for excellence in production. Currently, Darley continues to produce, but the TLS contract is about distribution, requiring differ...