Fire Safety Planning - News

Fireworks are beautiful but are very dangerous if not used properly. The Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office encourages anyone who chooses to use consumer fireworks to practice fireworks safety or find alternative ways to celebrate. “Fireworks safety is paramount as we continue to battle COVID-19,” said Harris County Fire Marshal Laurie L. Christensen. “If you choose to use consumer fireworks, please read the cautionary labels and dispose of your fireworks...

Global Fire Equipment (GFE) is delighted to announce an updated version of their prestigious graphical supervision software - Odyssey XLP, now compatible with their new range of Chameleon addressable fire alarm control panels. The Odyssey Graphics Display and Alarm Management System allows the connection of up to 64 panels to a PC, the compatible panels are namely OCTO+, GEKKO, NODE+, G-One, JUNO NET, and JUNIOR. License structure scheme The main difference between the Odyssey XLP and Odyssey...

FieldEquip team is excited to announce the launch of its new product EquipConnect, an IoT solution developed using advanced technology to fulfill the needs of the field service industry. EquipConnect EquipConnect is a powerful IoT (Internet of Things) solution that supports real-time productivity monitoring, predicting equipment health, and failures to sustain maximum uptime. EquipConnect integrates with the edge gateway and connects with Equipment securely EquipConnect integrates with the e...

VIKING Life-Saving Equipment A/S (VIKING) is driving more investment into its marine fire service business. The inauguration of VIKING’s Foam Lab Odense, which specializes in the testing of a vessel’s reserves of firefighting foam, intensifies the company’s focus on marine fire service, a segment earmarked for significant growth in the coming years. “Our ambition is to cover all aspects of marine firefighting equipment, and our new state-of-the-art laboratory puts us on...

Robert Jenrick MP, The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities, and Local Government, announced a “New £30 million fund for leaseholders in England to pay for the installation of fire alarm systems in high-rise buildings with cladding.”  Adding that this will remove or reduce “the need for costly interim safety measures such as waking watch.” Install common fire alarms The written statement continues by saying that “This step is supported...

Hardstaff Barriers has provided a handy guide to the challenges and solutions faced by UK (United Kingdom) ports, during the busy Brexit transition period. The guide offers the top 10 considerations for Port Traffic Management. Top 10 considerations for Port Traffic Management include: Traffic Flow – Creating effective movement of traffic around ports Key to effective operations is ensuring freight is moved in and around ports with minimal disruption, our range of barriers provide a...

The Harris County Fire Marshal's Office wants everyone to practice fire safety when decorating this holiday season. Candles, holiday decorations, and Christmas trees are not only beautiful, fun, and part of the holiday season, but they also increase fire risk. "As you and your family prepare for this joyous time of year, we ask that you also think about fire safety," said Harris County Fire Marshal Laurie L. Christensen. "By following a few fire safety precautions, like ensuring decorations are...

Fire rating systems are a way of determining how much time a passive fire protection system can withstand a fire. There are several international variations, but they all follow a plotted curve of time over temperature. What are the standards and ratings - and what do they mean in real-world situations? There are several testing standards for fire curtains, which can vary internationally. These include BS 8524-1, BS EN 1634-1 and UL 10D. Since 2014, the UL 10D product safety standard has become...

The need for safe firefighter training must be balanced with sufficient challenge to prepare firefighters for the unpredictable nature of the fire ground of the future. Training must not be so controlled as to give firefighters a false sense of security, nor can it disregard established safety procedures for the sake of increased realism. To maintain an effective cadre of firefighters and officers, the fire service must find new and dynamic ways to train personnel to act in a safe, decisive man...

Since its launch in 2013 by world-pioneering coatings manufacturer, Hempel, the Hempaguard X7 hull coating has been applied over 2,000 times. Hempel has continuously documented Hempaguard X7’s ability to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions for shipowners, and now the exact impact has been calculated. Hempaguard X7 hull coating Michael Hansen, Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer at Hempel, comments: “Reaching this important milestone of 2,000 full shi...

Hardstaff Barriers has maintained its prestigious FORS Gold status for another year, in recognition of the company’s commitment to fleet safety, efficiency, and environmental protection. The manufacturer and supplier of protective barriers and perimeter security systems first received Gold accreditation in the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) in 2019. The company learned that it had maintained its Gold status – the highest level that can be reached due to its consistently hi...

With December finally here, the official first day of winter is right around the corner, and many have already been facing the first snow days of winter. As the cold weather continues to quickly approach, LSS Life Safety Services can’t help but think about all the potential fire risks that increase during this season. Winter is the peak season for heating-related structure fires due to the increased use of heating equipment. Since colder temperatures result in longer operating times, ther...

The Mick George Group has grown to become one of the leading suppliers to the construction industry in the heart of East Anglia and East Midlands. Operating with a single tipper truck in 1978, the company’s commercial fleet size has now grown to more than 400 HGV vehicles. They specialize in Bulk Excavation & Earthmoving Services, Demolition and Asbestos Removal, a wide range of Skip Hire and Waste Management Services, and Aggregate & Concrete Supply, as well as their...

There are over 1200 NHS hospitals across the UK, spread across 223 NHS trusts, ranging in age and complexity. Very few of them are single stand-alone buildings, instead the sites usually represent complicated infrastructure networks, that have grown and developed over a few decades. This in turn increases the complexity of the fire detection system across the whole site. fire detection challenges The challenges in managing fire detection systems in such structures can be associated with: C...

BBC News has reported the Valley Nursing Home, located in Clogher, County Tyrone is to be deregistered by Northern Ireland care home regulator RQIA (Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority). Critical inspections Critical inspections identified multiple hygiene and safety risks, an RQIA report stated, "Of particular concern, adequate precautions and systems were not in place to manage fire risk.” These ;significant breaches' have resulted in the care home’s deregistration, mea...

Despite challenges posed by the pandemic, the USDA Forest Service today announced it surpassed goals and set records in 2020.   "2020 was a challenging year, with record wildland fire activity and the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the Forest Service, we have risen above these challenges and set our minds, hands and hearts to carrying out our mission to meet the needs of the communities we serve," said Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen. The Forest Service relied on its strong science...

Users may commonly associate base layers with athletes and with benefits including muscle compression, aid recovery, and improved blood flow and oxygen intake, it’s easy to see why they’re popular in the sports industry. But there’s no reason why they have to be limited to sports and why workers in cooler temperatures can’t benefit from base layer clothing. Granite Workwear has a wide range of base layer clothing for both men and women and from high-quality brands includ...

Verint Systems (Verint), a globally renowned customer engagement company, has announced that it has received multiple awards from Consumidor Moderno and Grupo Padrão for excellence in customer engagement in the Brazilian market. Leveraging cloud-based solutions Leveraging cloud-based solutions from Verint’s Customer Engagement portfolio, organizations in Brazil and around the world are accelerating automation and leveraging AI-based solutions, such as speech and text analytics, to...

ImageTrend, Inc. announced the latest National Trauma Data Bank® (NTDB®) Data Dictionary will be available in Patient Registry™ on January 1, 2021. The timeliness of this update ensures that hospitals can accurately and efficiently collect information on their 2021 patients immediately, while simultaneously collecting data on their 2020 patients. This update further refines the NTDB Data Dictionary by retiring select basic fields and delivering the addition of new ones aiding in m...

This is a national effort, led by the Government, to make high-rise residential buildings safer, and give a better understanding of high-rise residential buildings across the country. It has come off the back of the tragic Grenfell Tower disaster and is in its second phase. ACM cladding The first phase of the program focused on Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding. This saw SYFRS, and other fire services right across the country, work with building owners to identify buildings with ACM...

Even with slightly relaxed COVID-19 restrictions, Christmas in 2020 will be very different from the ones everyone is used to celebrating. Not everyone will be able to gather together under the same roof to spend the festive period together. Some will be in isolation or stuck abroad, away from family and friends. Together or apart, fires can still happen at Christmas time; in fact, it’s statistically the worst time of year for fires - which sadly can be some of the most destructive. In 202...

Global coatings manufacturer Hempel has enhanced its established and proven Olympic+ and Oceanic+ antifouling range and is, launching five new antifouling solutions: Oceanic Protect+, Oceanic Flex+, Olympic Protect+, Olympic Flex+ and Olympic Protect. Building on their proven effectiveness, reliability and impressive value-for-money, these five new products deliver additional benefits and choice within the existing product range. Hempel’s Olympic+ and Oceanic+ antifouling coatings have be...

The staff at Hardstaff Barriers has been busy over recent weeks, growing moustaches of different shapes and sizes – raising £1400 in funds for charity. Throughout the month of November 2020, four members of the Hardstaff Barriers’ team took part in the ‘Hardtash’ challenge, in order to raise money for Movember, the men’s health charity. Movember – Men’s health charity Hardstaff Barriers is a globally renowned manufacturer and supplier of roadsid...

Ensuring fire doors are up to standard is a valuable task that should not be underestimated. To comply with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, fire door installation and maintenance is a key requirement for every business to which the order applies. Regular inspection To ensure fire doors will perform as intended in the event of a fire, regular inspections should be undertaken. Six-monthly inspections are recommended by BS 9999, consisting of extensive checks of each component. I...

On Friday 11th December 2020 Coopers Fire took part in National Christmas Jumper Day in aid of Save the Children and raised a brilliant £102.00! Save the Children exists to help every child reach their full potential. In the UK and around the world, they make sure children stay safe, healthy and keep learning, so they can become who they want to be. Tackling major problems They lead the way in tackling problems like pneumonia, hunger, and protecting children in war while making sure eac...

Container fires on board very large container ships have been sufficiently frequent for the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) to call for a review of the firefighting equipment on board existing vessels. While the ultra-large container ship may bring welcome economies of scale, fire-fighting capabilities on board have not kept pace with the increasing vessel sizes. This creates a serious risk for crew, as well as for cargo owners, ship owners and insurers. Due to vessel size, only...

South Yorkshire’s Fire Service is highlighting the story of a firefighting hero killed during the Sheffield Blitz-exactly 80 years after the events that took his life. Frederick Parkes Spencer was the only permanent, full-time Police Fireman–as they were then known–to have been killed when thousands of tons of explosives were dropped on Sheffield on the night of 12 and 13 December 1940. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue has already honored Frederick by naming one of the confer...

HazSim's Founder - Phil Ambrose originally developed the HazSim Pro to increase the situational awareness of his peers and improve safety training through realistic experiences.  The HazSim Pro is currently used to train thousands of personnel in Fire, Military, Oil and Gas, and Power facilities across North America. The system is used for basic hazwoper, HazMat Tech/Spec, Confined Space, and any training for those who encounter dangerous atmospheres. Hands-On Simulation Training "The Ha...

With the end of the year approaching, it’s time to start planning for next year and preparing for a building’s fire and life safety inspections. As a professional in the fire and life safety industry, LSS Life Safety Services are constantly urging that a building’s fire and life safety protection systems be properly maintained. This means both passive fire (fire/smoke dampers, fire doors, fire barriers), as well as active fire (sprinklers, fire extinguishers) protection system...

PAS 79-1:2020 and PAS 79-2:2020 replace PAS 79:2012. Please note PAS 79:2012 has been withdrawn.  This has been superseded by two new documents: PAS 79-1:2020 Fire risk assessment. Premises other than housing. Code of practice (published December 2020). PAS 79-2:2020 Fire risk assessment. Housing. Code of practice (published December 2020). BAFE published information regarding the public consultation in April 2020. Generic fire risk assessment guidance The BSI website notes that t...