Fire Prevention - News

The new Fire Safety Bill (FSB) for England and Wales has been lauded by some in the fire industry, as the answer to many of the challenges faced post the Grenfell tragedy era, but it may not be as far-reaching as many had expected. Stacey Adams, the Market Development Manager at Apollo Fire Detectors Ltd, takes a look at the Fire Safety Bill, what it contains, what it aims to achieve, and its implications for the fire industry. New Fire Safety Bill for England and Wales The new Fire Safety Bi...

Lorient, a globally renowned manufacturer of high-performance sealing systems, is proud to unveil the latest edition of its popular: Acoustic, Smoke & Fire seals for Door Assemblies brochure. Founded in 1979, Lorient was responsible for introducing intumescent technology for fire doors to the UK & this new brochure showcases its extensive product portfolio. A fire door is an engineered safety device A fire door is an engineered safety device that is a crucial part of the passive fire...

On Tuesday, June 22, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is hosting “Keeping You Informed: The Big Wide World of Building and Life Safety”, a one-day program that addresses some of today’s leading building and life safety issues, opportunities, and challenges. The program is part of the association’s virtual 125th Anniversary Conference Series, which replaces the traditional in-person 2021 NFPA Conference & Expo and runs from May 2021 through M...

If they’re a busy office manager, checking the fire safety requirements for the commercial building is normally one of the last things on their mind.  With so much to think about, like constant emails and endless calls, it can be easy for regular fire safety checks to slip off the to-do list. fire safety best practices Fire safety drills have slipped to one side while they finish their quarterly reporting The hectic day-to-day, hustle and bustle of the office can mean corners are...

Notting Hill Genesis is looking for fire experts to help with fire safety and compliance across its 66,000 portfolios of homes across London and the southeast. fire safety services Launched on the government’s procurement portal Tenders Direct on 18 May, the Fire Consultants Framework 2021 is made up of five lots that cover a range of fire safety services related to the design, construction, refurbishment, maintenance, and management of housing stock. The housing association has allocat...

A court in Preston fined the former owner of the Plaza Beach Hotel in Blackpool £15,000 for multiple breaches of the Fire Safety Order that saw it treated as an unofficial HMO. Findings Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service first visited the hotel in September 2017 and prohibited its use after finding: Several members of staff sleeping in the basement with inadequate fire detection, Fire separation throughout the hotel was inadequate, Fire doors would not close, Combustible materials...

Essex Fire Chief pledges £70,000 to the local council to ensure most vulnerable benefit from sprinklers as part of match funding approach to dealing with fire risk across the county. sprinklers Seven housing estates in the Felmores area of Basildon will be retrofitted with sprinklers. Previously, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service provided £50,000 to Basildon Council to fit sprinklers in a high-rise residential block. This announcement coincides with the NFCC’s National Sp...

The discussion covered a wide range of topics all linked to multi-sensor detectors and featured a panel of experts including our own Paul Gatens. With the development and installation of multi-sensors continuing to grow, our training and support teams are experiencing an increasing number of enquiries about how these devices should be tested.  As well as covering this point, the roundtable also provided an opportunity to discuss the importance of false alarm reduction, certification, and t...

On October 26, 2019, a worker and his wife were both fatally injured due to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) exposure at a waterflood station in Odessa, Texas—one of six fatal H2S accidents in the United States in the last two years. On May 4, 2021, the US Chemical and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) published its final report of the incident with guidance on how future incidents can be prevented with appropriate safety measures. This blog post describes what happened, why H2S safety is a critical...

Verint®, The Customer Engagement Company™, announces it is showcasing the latest innovations leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics to support the real-time work imperative at its customer conference, Verint Engage21, taking place May 19-21. These solutions – Real-Time Agent Assist, Contextual Knowledge, and Verint IVA for Agent Assist – are all powered by Verint DaVinci AI and Analytics. Verint Da Vinci AI and Analytics infuse advanced machine learning mode...

More than 4.5 million U.S. properties are at a high-to-extreme risk of wildfire, with more than two million of those in California alone, according to estimates from Verisk, a foremost global data analytics provider. To help promote the importance of building resilient communities for property insurers and their customers, the National Fire Protection Association is providing Verisk with robust data on communities engaging in wildfire mitigation efforts. Verisk will leverage the data from the N...

Fire organizations have come together for the first time to create a Core Code of Ethics based on the Nolan Principles that puts supporting communities first. The National Fire Chiefs Council, Local Government Association, and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners have jointly published a Core Code of Ethics that sits alongside a new Fire Standard. This is in response to one of the recommendations made by Sir Tom Winsor in his State of Fire and Rescue reports. The Fire Minister, Lo...

Coatings manufacturer Hempel launched Hempafire Pro 400, a new passive fire protection coating that maintains the stability of steel structures in the event of a fire for up to 120 minutes and has been optimized for maximum efficiency in the loadings for a 90-minute duration. Passive fire protection coatings Passive fire protection (PFP) coatings insulate steel during a fire, which extends the steel’s load-bearing capacity and gives valuable extra time for evacuation and emer...

For property owners looking to further protect their home or business or for anyone with an intruder alarm system, one of the easiest and quickest things that they can do is to upgrade the existing system. They may decide to upgrade the system by replacing the old system completely or by adding different elements to the existing system, in order to update it. The need to upgrade the security system There are many reasons why someone may want to upgrade their current fire or security system. F...

    The AUBE is the largest and oldest conference of its kind in the science and research surrounding fire detection and alarm. This year the event will be organized from September 21-23, 2021. As in 2014 and 2017, the 17th International Conference on Automatic Fire Detection (AUBE ’21) is combined with SupDet; an annual conference on Suppression, Detection and Signaling Research and Applications. It will be either a hybrid event at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisb...

Portsmouth City Council is investing £9.5 million over the next five years in retrofitting sprinklers in high-rise blocks as part of a £22 million package of fire safety measures. The announcement comes at the start of the NFCC’s Sprinkler Safety Week and is supported by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service working in partnership with the city. retrofit program The retrofit program was due to start but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The council carr...

Manchester Fire Chief sets out priorities for the next four years with a pledge to improve and regulate the built environment, in order to protect people, property, and the economy. This is the first Fire Plan for Greater Manchester since responsibility for the fire and rescue service moved to the Mayor, Andy Burnham. The Plan addresses the impact of major incidents such as the Manchester Arena attack in 2017 and the 2019 Cube fire in Bolton. Fire Plan Commenting on the launch of the Plan, Ch...

Teledyne Technologies Incorporated announces the successful completion of the acquisition of FLIR Systems, Inc. At each of the respective company’s special meeting of stockholders held on May 13, 2021, the stockholders approved and adopted merger proposals related to the Agreement and Plan of Merger dated January 4, 2021. FLIR will now be included in Teledyne’s Digital Imaging segment and operate under the name Teledyne FLIR. Under the terms of the agreement, FLIR stockholders recei...

Mayflex has become a strategic partner to Zitko Talent: the new industry training initiative designed to fast-track entry-level field engineers into Fire & Security. The 12-month program offers trainees paid employment from day one, combined with around 300 hours of certified product training and theoretical study towards a level 3 industry qualification. The product training is tailored to the trainee’s workplace. Full range of courses Zitko Talent and working with fellow partners...

Super Vac, the manufacturer in fire ventilation equipment, is expanding its popular DeWalt and Milwaukee battery fan lineups with the addition of three different 20” variable-speed battery-powered fans. Equipped with DeWalt FLEXVOLT batteries or Milwaukee M18 or M28 REDLITHIUM batteries, these fans deliver some of the battery fan outputs. Moreover, with the introduction of these fans, Super Vac continues to offer the most interchangeable PPV interface on the market, pairing with many depa...

Often considered the unofficial kick-off to summer, Memorial Day weekend typically includes lots of celebrations and cookouts, often with outdoor grilling as a focal point. As the holiday and summer months near, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reminds everyone of basic safety tips and precautions to grill and celebrate safely. NFPA data shows that from 2014-2018, fire departments responded to an annual average of 10,600 home fires annually involving grills, hibachis, or barbec...

Johnson Controls, the global pioneer for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, unveils new 8-inch (20-cm) color touchscreen displays for the company’s Autocall 4100ES and 4010ES fire alarm control units. The new color ES Touch Screen Display (ES TSD) improves fire panel performance by giving users more information, more intuitive functionality, easier multi-language accessibility, and improved esthetics. new color ES Touch Screen Display (ES TSD) Each ES TSD can display eight color-...

The UK Government has published draft legislation that will see planners include fire safety information and consult on it with the Health and Safety Executive, as part of a new gateway-based approach to building safety. This development is in response to Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Safety, where she identified a lack of fire safety considerations at the planning stage for high-rise residential buildings. Gateway review points The government consulted on propose...

During the National Sprinkler Week, Fire Chiefs will be highlighting how different approaches to sprinklers across the United Kingdom (UK) means that not all new schools will be protected. The FPA is supporting the campaign that runs from Monday, 17th - 23rd May. It will raise awareness of the benefits of sprinkler systems in keeping people and buildings safe from fire. sprinklers installation One area the NFCC is concerned about is new build schools. In Scotland and Wales, sprinklers are req...

Johnson Controls, the global pioneer for smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings and architect of OpenBlue connected solutions, is setting a new standard in fire suppression with the launch of WILLIAMS FIRE & HAZARD CONTROL® T-STORM® NFF 3x3 UL201 Foam Concentrate.  This new, patent-pending, Non-Fluorinated Foam (NFF) technology provides fast, effective fire suppression on most Class B hydrocarbon and polar solvent fuel fires. With a longer drain time than most...

Strategically located in Randburg, a prosperous district in the Gauteng province, Northlands Corner is a 40,000 square meter site divided into units leased to a wide range of businesses to utilize as retail, office, showroom, and storage space. The development is owned by Northlands Business Park Pty, a construction, property management, and maintenance company. Established in 1999, Northlands quickly recognized the growing requirement in the area for secure enclosed industrial parks designed t...

“Farrow & Ball is an iconic, luxury, decorative paint and wallpaper company. It is used by consumers, designers, and cultural institutions around the world – all of who have a passion for rich colors in eco-friendly paint. I am very proud to welcome our new colleagues to the Hempel family. Together we will ensure that Farrow & Ball continues its strong growth journey,” says Hempel Group President & CEO Lars Petersson.  Hempel is taking the next, large step to...

Dedicated to employee development, they’d like to say huge congratulations to Stephen Matthews for passing the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) Foundation Course in Passive Fire Protection. Stephen is the first person to complete this course, using the half-day training entitlement available to all employees to support the investment in people. Employee engagement roadmap Rapidly following in his footsteps, all of the colleagues, across every business function (includin...

The demand for warehouse space is up due to online shopping, but insurer - Zurich says that warehouse sprinkler laws are outdated and should be changed. Recent research by Zurich reveals that the number of warehouses gutted by fire increased by 42 percent. Using Home Office statistics, Zurich found that in 2019/20 the number of warehouse fires stayed steady but the number gutted by fire rose considerably. insurance claims The cost of insurance claims has increased across the market. Zurich cl...

A new guide provides assistance and recommendations on how to best specify cable containment systems to improve electrical safety in buildings in the event of a fire. Free to download, the new guide explains how to create a cable pathway through a building, while navigating the current standards landscape. electrical installation standards Creating Cable Pathways is published by Legrand UK & Ireland and takes on board changes to IET Wiring Regulations. It is in line with Dame Judith Hacki...