Fire Safety Planning - News

Damien Ward has been in the passive fire protection industry for over 13 years now, and he has found that it’s one of those industries that someone is either in, or they have no real idea about – at least, not beyond the basics. A bit like the Freemasons, or the Illuminati, or the Order of the Phoenix (that does exist outside of Harry Potter, right?). Following the devastation of Grenfell, users probably know that there’s a cladding crisis in the country, and they definitely k...

Business owners are being urged to ensure that their vacant properties are as safe and secure as possible to protect them from harm during the latest lockdown. The warning comes from security barrier experts at Hardstaff Barriers, who specialize in protecting premises against squatters, thieves, arsonists, and fly-tippers. On January 4, the Government urged people, once again, not to travel to their places of work and to work from home if it is possible to do so. Since then, this has resulted i...

Elbeco introduces the new BodyShield™ External Vest Carrier V4. Based on extensive wear testing and evaluations, changes were made to the BodyShield™ that address an improved side closure performance while providing enhanced mobility and comfort. Features The addition of a 2" knit elastic extension to the end of each front side panel providing an extra range of motion while relieving the FastLock closure of direct stress when bending, getting in and out of vehicles, running, etc....

An inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) confirmed that Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service (RBFRS) has adapted and responded to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic effectively, thereby highlighting the additional support that the fire service has been offering its communities, throughout this public health crisis. RBFRS response to COVID-19 In August 2020, the UK Home Secretary commissioned HMICFRS to examine how fire and rescue...

Volunteers are special people, willing to share their time and passion to help others, simply because they care and want to make a difference. Those inspirational individuals form an important part of Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS), working alongside operational crews and office-based teams to help keep communities across Kent and Medway safe. Trying new challenges KFRS is fortunate to have 34 volunteers supporting a range of roles, and now the service is looking to welcome more people...

The Agility team is excited to announce the addition of Solid Responder LLC as their first exclusive authorized dealer for the US State of Florida. Solid Responder Solid Responder is the brainchild of Joe Hernandez from Disaster Medical Solutions, who has served as the DHS/FEMA National Coordinator and Lead Instructor for the US&R Medical Team Training Program and Lead SME for current curriculum development at FEMA. Solid Responder provides equipment designed, developed, tested, and prove...

Rosenbauer America, a renowned global manufacturer of custom fire apparatus, has announced the appointment of Mark Fusco. He will be assuming the role of Vice President of Sales & Marketing at the company. Marketing and sales expert Mark Fusco brings with him more than two decades of marketing and sales experience to Rosenbauer America. His expertise includes channel development, go-to-market strategy, sales, inventory, and operations planning (SIOP), precision technologies, and data insig...

Global safety equipment manufacturer MSA Safety Incorporated announced it has acquired U.K.-based Bristol Uniforms (“Bristol”) in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $60 million. The acquisition strengthens MSA's position as a global provider of fire service PPE products while providing an avenue to expand its business in the U.K. and key European markets. Headquartered in Bristol, U.K., Bristol Uniforms is a renowned innovator and provider of protective apparel to the f...

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...

Recently the Columbia-Richland Fire Department became one of only 250 fire-service agencies in the U.S. that will take part in a new nationwide pilot program to map areas of risk in the communities. Tracking fires and emergencies In the coming weeks, the new software will be coming online at the department that will help keep track of and chart areas in Richland County that have experienced fires and other types of emergencies. Using this information, the department can then take actions that...

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...

AVK International has added a double spigot fitting and a 3-way socket fitting to our Supa Lock™ range. The new double spigot allows for reversing the male/female connection and comes in handy in connection with the 3-way socket fitting that allows for branching off the pipeline. The patented Supa Lock™ system provides a 100% corrosion-free joint combined with fast and easy assembly with maximum flexibility. Due to its simple design, Supa Lock™ offers long-term safety...

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...

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...

Fire and rescue service employers have unilaterally scrapped a ground-breaking agreement with the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) which had enabled firefighters to assist the NHS and care sector response to COVID-19. Negotiations over health and safety measures for firefighters delivering high-risk COVID-19 duties were ongoing when the National Employers issued a communication ending the agreement on the evening of Wednesday 13 January. The decision appears to be supported by the National Fire Chiefs...

The Agility team is proud to announce the addition of All Hands Fire as their first exclusive authorized dealer for the New York and New Jersey areas. FirstLook360 camera systems All Hands Fire is a premier fire department equipment supplier providing the latest innovative equipment for police departments, government agencies, firefighters, EMTs, and EMS personnel. We’re excited to have All Hands Fire on board supporting the sales and marketing of their FirstLook360 camera systems for 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...