Fire Insurance - News

When it comes to protecting businesses against disruption, water damage can pose a serious threat, especially in the modern age where electrical systems are ingrained in almost every aspect of daily life. Advanced moisture detection systems can help building owners mitigate the risks to their bottom line. Building owners and facilities managers have an almost all-encompassing role to play in keeping businesses running. For these professionals, ensuring downtime is minimized by staying ahead of...

East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) and Her Majesty’s Coastguard are trialing an initiative that aims to improve response times to search and rescue missions on the northeast Suffolk coast. One of HM Coastguard’s six response vehicles in Suffolk has been based at Saxmundham Ambulance Station since the summer and the new location is expected to significantly cut response times to incidents on the coast. This co-location will also improve joint working between HM Coastgua...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) will be taking part in #KnowExactlyWhere week with emergency services, local authorities and organisations around the United Kingdom (UK), in order to raise awareness about the free what3words app - and how it can be used to save precious time, resources and lives in an emergency. what3words has divided the world into a grid of 3m x 3m squares. It has given each square a unique combination of three words - a what3words address. ///ports.rests.stint,...

The 12th annual ImageTrend Connect Conference – Connect 2020 came to a close on Friday, July 24, 2020, after a week of education, idea sharing and networking with peers, all while taking place in a hybrid setting. Connect 2020 event brought administrators and users of ImageTrend solutions together from 41 US states from the comfort and safety of their own homes. Connect 2020 conference event Highlights of the Connect 2020 event included the release of ImageTrend Aware, a free mobile app...

Continuing its transition from component supplier to provider of integrated solutions, focused on solving complex problems, IDEX Fire & Safety is tapping into its vast cadre of talent, to name new roles and responsibilities that will guide the company in its strategic growth. The new promotions and role expansions recognize 11 company leaders and industry experts. Integrated solutions provider “We continually strive to provide end users and our channel partners with integrated solut...

CIC welcomes the MHCLG’s publication of the draft Building Safety Bill, together with its associated guidance and the Home Office’s publication of the Fire Safety Consultation. Taken together, CIC believes that the new legislative framework has the potential to deliver the most fundamental improvements to building safety regulation for over 50 years. These will include: A new national regulator that will strengthen the whole regulatory system for building safety, Greater acco...

Professional competence recommendations set out in Dame Judith Hackitt’s Building a Safer Future report are set to be fulfilled by BSI with a new standards program. BSI, in its role as the UK National Standards Body, announced a new National Standards program to raise professional competence in the built environment sector. The standards aim to tackle the competence challenges identified in the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, Building a Safer Future,...

The government is determined to continue to learn the lessons from the Grenfell Tower fire, and reform building and fire safety to ensure that such a tragedy can never happen again. Government published the draft Building Safety Bill which “takes forward reforms to the (domestic) building and fire safety system.” They state the Bill will “improve building and fire safety, so that people will be, and will feel, safer in their homes.” UKAS Accredited Third-...

Two Norfolk paramedics from the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) went above and beyond the call of duty by tackling a fire in a top-floor flat before evacuating the building. Doug Bishop and Jonathan Poole were the first emergency service at the flats on Hunstanton High Street, shortly after 2pm on Thursday 9th July, 2020 and found the couple who had reported the fire at the bottom of the four-storey building. Hearing the fire was still ablaze and residents in neighboring flats were st...

BAFE, the British Approvals for Fire Equipment has stated that professional competence recommendations set out in Dame Judith Hackitt’s ‘Building a Safer Future’ report is set to be fulfilled by BSI with a new standards program. National Standards program “BAFE is actively working on a number of Working Groups (WGs), including the Built Environment Competence Standards (BECS) Strategy Group and the Competence Steering Group (CSG) to help raise and set the bar of fire sa...

Dyne Fire Protection Labs is excited to announce the growth of the laboratory services to include Total PFAS Analysis via TOF. The concerns regarding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) continue to grow. In response, regulations continue to impose restrictions on PFAS, a group of thousands of manmade chemicals, and not just individual species of PFAS, like perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). As a result, PFAS analytical techniques that only look for a ha...

Work has started this week on a brand new, energy-efficient station for firefighters in Barnsley. The existing 60-year-old, three-storey building on Broadway, Kingstone is being demolished after it had reached the end of its operational life. It’s being replaced with a new two-floor, three-bay facility on the same site. A separate multi-use facility is planned to be built on the same site, which will host the service’s award-winning Princes Trust Team Program initiative, as well as...

BAFE SP101 fire extinguisher technician assessments and BS 5306 Exam during the coronavirus pandemic. BAFE is focused on protecting assessors and fire extinguisher technicians from the threat of COVID-19. After reviewing the risk threat posed by COVID-19, BAFE has established new safety procedures to recommence fire extinguisher technician assessments for the BAFE SP101 Scheme. BAFE SP101 Scheme BAFE is now in a position to accept bookings for assessments with immediate effect from 06/07/2020...

The Chief Executive of East of England Ambulance Service has thanked staff for embracing new ways of working which have helped deliver faster response times during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest figures show that despite the challenges of COVID-19, the Trust is consistently meeting all national standards, due in part to more staff to manage calls and more vehicles on the road. Compared to 2021, ambulance response times to reach the most seriously ill (category o...

Following the Grenfell Tower tragedy and the points raised under the Dame Judith Hackitt review covering compliance and competence with independently tested products, the IFC scheme was developed with the Smoke Control Association (SCA). Developed to raise the importance of smoke control and the use of the EN/BSI and ISO standards, utilizing SCA guides for fire safety in buildings alongside of sprinklers. The IFC SDI 19 scheme is the first smoke control scheme accredited to UKAS. competence an...

The cancellation of Independence Day professional fireworks programs in 2020 could raise the risk of wildfires as more amateurs undertake their own pyrotechnic shows, according to four organizations who focus on risk mitigation. "Leave fireworks to the professionals. Sparklers alone generally cause about one-fourth of all injuries during each year's Fourth of July celebrations," said Michele Steinberg, Wildfire Division Director, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), who noted amateurs w...

The technology behind the Twiceme solution, Near Field Communication (NFC), has been around for quite some time. However, it isn’t until now that it has gained momentum as a widespread and household technology. This has been adopted by key players in the field, as recent strides forward have opened all NFC functionalities to Apple’s iPhones as well as Android smartphone makers. The technology is therefore introduced for the first time to a truly global public, which enables third-pa...

The world of the fire service is heavily related to tangible and tangible things. In this context, people like to think of personal protective equipment, portable pumps, pumps, rescue equipment or emergency vehicles, a dream on 4 wheels with flashing lights and a tone horn, so to speak. Intangible things like software (unfortunately) do not yet have a high priority in the fire service. Digitization In the current discussion about digitization, however, the use of information technology is gett...

Wildfire smoke occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic can increase susceptibility to the virus and other infections by irritating the respiratory system, resulting in altered immune function. Populations vulnerable to smoking, including those with compromised immune systems, children under 18, pregnant women, adults 65 and over, and outdoor workers need to be aware of this risk. How to reduce risk from wildfire smoke Inform the community about these actionable steps that t...

Alarming findings are published in the 'Home Router Security Report 2020' by the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE. Of the 127 home routers tested by seven major manufacturers, nearly all were found to have security flaws, some of them very severe.  security flaws The problems range from missing security updates to easily decrypted, hard-coded passwords and known vulnerabilities that should have been patched long ago. A team led by Peter...

Purchasing, production, logistics, distribution, and markets form a network spread over continents and nations, the details of which are difficult for companies to keep track of. However, such an overview with a focus on one's own company contributes to the company's success in many ways. FIFI project The project, 'Fraud Information-Fusion Intelligence' by Fraunhofer FKIE adapts proven approaches, procedures, and tools used by security authorities to the requirements of companies, develops t...

The Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003 was the initiating legislation for the development of Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). This legislation encourages communities to develop these plans to help reduce their risk to wildfire loss, as well as create healthier natural ecosystems. The ambiguity in the legislation allows communities to develop effective plans that are relevant to their conditions and can change as community capacity, and other conditions change. Why it is important...

BAFE is pleased to note the announcements made by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Most notably, the one meter plus rule (in England) will help in the continuation of the fire safety industry by gaining access to buildings to perform essential fire safety work and maintenance as required by legislation. BAFE awaits further guidance to be released by the Government shortly, which will assist the industry to determinedly continue with extreme care and diligence. fire safety provisions and systems...

Fireworks can be beautiful, but they can be unpredictable and deadly. Numerous fires have resulted from the use of personal fireworks, not to mention causing severe injuries to the users. Personal fireworks are illegal throughout Big Bear Valley, including 'safe and sane' fireworks. In addition, all fireworks that explode, shoot into the air, or move along the ground are termed dangerous and are illegal anywhere in California, USA. fines up to $1,000 Big Bear Fire Department’s Assistant...

Throwline stations are being installed at waterside locations across Cambridgeshire. The potentially lifesaving equipment is being installed in hotspots and high-risk sites across the county, that are known locations for people going into the water, or where incidents have happened in the past. throwline stations The 12 throwline stations are being installed with two already in place at Riverside Park in Huntingdon and in Ely. The installations have come at a time when we see most water-r...

The family of an ‘amazing lad’ who died after jumping in a lake is calling for people to stay out of open water this summer. Taylor Matthews, known as Tay, tragically passed away after jumping into the water at Skelbrooke Quarry, from a bank around 30ft high, in July 2018. The inquest into his death ruled that Tay died from immersion, with his body instantly shutting down due to the cold water. And now, as part of South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s new Dying For A D...

G4S India offers a comprehensive range of solutions under the work assurance program in the post COVID-19 lockdown era. This year so far has been quite unprecedented for people, businesses, economy and the government. Safety and care for all lives has taken a center-stage and a preventive approach is the most sought-after behavioral change. Everything that was done prior to COVID-19 is being questioned from a safety stand point and simple things that were routine have become important now, for...

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) and Yorkshire Water have created a video warning of the dangers of open water as part of the national Drowning Prevention Week, which runs between June 12 and 19. The video highlights some of the hidden dangers present within rivers, canals, reservoirs, and other types of watercourses. Drowning Prevention Week Drowning Prevention Week was created by the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) UK and the campaign is in its 7th year. Firefighters in West...

On the heels of expanding its industry-renowned eDRAULIC watertight extrication tool (EWXT) line and attaining NFPA 1936 2020 certification for it, HURST Jaws of Life announced that it has earned NFPA 1936 2020 compliant status for all of its current low-pressure and high-pressure tools, as well as its StrongArm multi-tool, completing the company’s certification for all pressure rescue products available today. HURST Jaws of Life attains NFPA 1936 2020 compliance “HURST Jaws of Lif...

Discussions with architects, developers and others, as well as main contractors when discussing areas of a sprinklered building frequency relate to areas where sprinkler protection can be omitted. One concern often raised with the British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association (BAFSA) is the possibility of injury or damage when sprinkler protection is installed in electrical utility rooms.  BS 5306 Part 0 standards The forthcoming iteration of BS 5306 Part 0 standards contains advice on the...