Fire Safety Standards - News

As Dame Judith Hackett reiterated the need for companies to make changes ahead of the Building Safety reform at last week’s BESA conference, ventilation specifiers are being urged to consider more holistic solutions compliant with rigorous regulations. As industry debates the nuances of the proposed Building Safety Bill, ventilation expert Elta Group is accelerating collaborations between its specialist brands, Elta Fans Applied Technology and Acoustica, to balance the competing design de...

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 one's 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 decoratio...

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...

Victaulic announced the appointment of Rick Bucher as Chief Executive Officer, succeeding John F. Malloy, effective January 31, 2021. Dr. Bucher was named President of Victaulic in April of 2020, following a June 2019 appointment as Chief Operating Officer. Before joining Victaulic in 2009 as Vice President of Engineering, Dr. Bucher worked for 15 years for W.L. Gore, a manufacturer of technologically advanced composite materials. Dr. Bucher received a B.S. and M.S. in engineering from Rice Uni...

As activity around UK ports increases considerably due to Brexit, it is vitally important to keep the emphasis on safety to protect people and critical infrastructure. Recent events have shown that port safety needs to be a priority and managing the effective flow of people and traffic will be a key challenge to port authorities. Hardstaff Barriers have a range of products designed with port operations in mind that meet stringent industry standards, including their concrete options such as Mult...

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...

On Tuesday, December 15, 2020, Orlando District 4 City Commissioner Patty Sheehan will join forces with City of Orlando firefighters to build nearly 100 bicycles that will be donated to children, ages five to 15, who live in the Reeves Terrace neighborhood and who have been notified in advance. Commissioner Sheehan and firefighters will turn wrenches and tighten brackets during the bicycle build event to make sure bicycles of all sizes and colors are ready for giving away on Monday, December 21...

There is a rule of thumb that a fire will double in size every minute, which means putting out a fire quickly can drastically reduce the amount of danger and damage it can cause. One of the biggest changes in firefighter speed and effectiveness in the past 50 years has come with the introduction of Compressed Air Foam Systems. ODIN CAF Systems ODIN is known for its industry-renowned CAF Systems; its systems can improve firefighter effectiveness by up to 400%. CAFS have been pioneered and prov...

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...

Rave Mobile Safety (Rave), a trusted partner for safety software protecting millions of individuals, announced the acquisition of SwiftReach Networks (SwiftReach), a foremost provider of emergency notification and incident management solutions. The combination of Rave and SwiftReach will provide wide-ranging capabilities and unmatched infrastructure to ensure optimal communications under the most demanding circumstances. Todd Piett, CEO of Rave, said, “The addition of SwiftReach and its F...

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...

A fire in a utility room at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center was quickly extinguished, Baltimore County fire officials said. Fire officials said firefighters were called around 3:09 p.m. for a fire on the third floor of the hospital in Rossville. Hospital alarm system Fire officials said the hospital alarm system sounded and as firefighters were en route, the sprinkler system activated. Officials said firefighters found heavy smoke on the third floor and it took about 45 minutes to put...

A one-alarm fire at a northwest Houston hotel forced guests to evacuate early Saturday morning, according to the Cy-Fair Fire Department. At approximately 4:40 a.m., fire crews were dispatched to a Holiday Inn Express hotel located in the 9100 block of West Road on reports of a fire. On arrival, crews observed fire and smoke visible from a third-story unit. Sustaining smoke damage Firefighters attacked the blaze and extinguished it quickly, said Captain Daniel Arizpe, a public information off...

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...

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...

UNION is urging security installers to ensure they are ready for the new UKCA mark, which is replacing CE marking for products sold in Great Britain. This includes products such as fire-resistant and emergency locks, panic exit devices and door closers. The UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) marking is the new product marking system that will be used for goods being placed on the market in Great Britain. It covers most goods that previously required the CE marking. CE marked products From 1 Januar...

CertAlarm, an organization offering a pan-European quality mark in the fire protection and security systems industry, announces the launch of its new Online Quoting Platform. With a variety of national marks in Europe, manufacturers are forced to prove compliance by having their product re-tested and re-certified by local test and certification bodies – a highly expensive and time-consuming process that needs to be repeated in each country. With CertAlarm, fire and security products need...

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...