Fire Safety Testing - News

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Ford Corkscrew Fire burning in Stevens County, Washington. The state of Washington’s request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) was approved by FEMA Region 10 Acting Regional Administrator Vincent Maykovich on Monday, Aug. 16, 2021, at 8:41 p.m. PT. He determined that the Ford Corkscrew Fire threatened to cause such destruction as would constitute...

With on-site productivity remaining key for fire engineers around the world, the use of the electronic range of test solutions continues to rise as an increasing audience becomes aware of the unique benefits offered. While testing with the range of Solo smoke aerosols remains popular, and the most widely used method of testing, there is increasing demand for solutions that offer greater compatibility with the latest detector designs and support increased productivity on site. Standout features...

Two South Yorkshire firefighters are among a 20-strong team bidding to cycle the length of the UK to raise mental health awareness and thousands for charity. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s Mark Peart and Paul Simmonite are joining firefighting colleagues from Suffolk for the 10-day, 1,000-mile ride from Lands End to John O’Groats in September. The team is aiming to raise £50,000 for The Fire Fighters Charity, which supports the mental, physical, and social needs of a...

FireEye, Inc., the intelligence-led security solutions company, has introduced FireEye XDR, a unified platform, designed to help security operations teams to strengthen threat detection, accelerate response capabilities and simplify investigations. FireEye XDR platform The FireEye XDR platform provides native security protections for endpoint, network, email, and the Cloud, with a focus on improving organizations’ capabilities, for controlling incidents from detection to response. FireE...

A draft of PAS 8673 is available for public comment and contains competence requirements for the new role of Building Safety Manager. This PAS is based on the recommendations and core competence criteria set out in BSI Flex 8670. It supports the introduction of the Building Safety Manager that is contained in the Building Safety Bill currently going through Parliament. PAS 8673 The BSI has facilitated the development of PAS 8673 and it is sponsored by MHCLG. Brian Atkin is cited as the techni...

FireQual, the specialist Awarding Body for the fire protection industry has qualifications that act as eligibility criteria for the FESS (Fire, Emergency and Security Systems) Systems Operative Card in Fire as part of the ECS Card Scheme. Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (ECS) The Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (ECS), administered by the Joint Industry Board for the Electrotechnical Industry, is a CSCS Partner Scheme covering the electrotechnical sector and includes more than 175,0...

WEROCK Technologies GmbH, innovative manufacturer of rugged tablets, notebooks and handhelds, presents the Rocktab U210, a powerful, ultra-compact, yet fully rugged tablet, which is designed specifically for the requirements of fire and rescue services. The new Ultra Series model comes with market-renowned features and is available to order now. Whether it's up-to-date information on the situation and location of an operation, map material, hydrant plans or retrieving rescue maps, the right com...

Apollo is dedicated to keeping people safe from fire and that’s why it offers free ongoing advice to building managers, housing associations, and others on choosing appropriate fire protection for buildings with fire safety concerns such as flammable cladding or compartmentation. Apollo works closely with its partners across the country who are doing a tremendous job at installing fire detection and alarm systems into the affected buildings. Apollo’s partner Pacific Fire and Securit...

Holding accreditation provides many benefits to a wide range of organizations. In addition to demonstrating technical competence to the local market, it can also provide confidence to overseas markets through multilateral agreements (MLAs) whereby the reports and certificates issued by bodies accredited by signatories of these accreditation agreements receive global recognition. This benefit is essential to UKAS customers operating on the global market, so it is vital that UKAS retains its EA,...

The value of the contract currently published on Contracts Finder is between £9 and 12 million over five years. The council is looking to install new fire sprinkler systems (and associated works) in 30 of its two and three-storey supported housing blocks as well as 102 blocks of general needs residential accommodation. The closing date for suppliers to respond is 10 September 2021. Retrofit sprinkler systems This comes after the council worked with Hampshire and Isle of W...

Firefighters in Wisbech are urging residents and visitors to think before they park, to help tackle the ongoing problem of inconsiderate parking in and around the town.  Drivers are urged to take care when parking their vehicles so they do not prevent fire engines from attending potentially life-threatening emergencies. Causes of delayed response  There are some areas around Wisbech that are notorious for motorists parking down both sides of a narrow street and there have been times...

APE Fire & Security states that businesses can employ security guards to patrol the premises, outside of business hours, in order to keep the premises secure. While many organizations and companies may see this as the perfect security solution, there are alternative options out there, to cater to varying needs. The benefits of Manned Security Visual deterrent Criminals are most often opportunists. When they see sites without visible security, they are more likely to take the risk and...

When working for extended amounts of time in a cold store, it’s important to make sure that the workwear of the staff reflects the environment they work in, in order to help keep them safe and comfortable in carrying out their jobs. This article covers the ideal Cold Store workwear to ensure enhanced safety and comfort for the wearer in doing the work tasks. Headwear Starting off with headwear, it all comes down to the environment, for instance, if working in a place where there might b...

The first signs of fire can be spotted 24/7, even in challenging outdoor conditions, on a manufacturing complex, thanks to algorithm-driven video camera, AVIOTEC from Bosch Security Systems. AVIOTEC firmware version 7.81 AVIOTEC takes the next step, as it goes outdoors. The performance has been extended for equal reliability in sheltered outdoor areas. AVIOTEC's new firmware version 7.81 comprises AI-supported algorithms, which can now detect flames and smoke in changing weather and light cond...

Gentoo is investing over £32 million over four years in internal refurbishment works across its housing stock for 60,000 residents. In an early notification published on Contracts Finder last month, Gentoo set out details of its intentions. The contract is divided into three lots with lot 3 focused on high-rise buildings and the installation of sprinkler systems and fire alarms. The value of lot 3 alone is £7 million and will be awarded on a framework basis for up to six providers...

After spending a large amount of the year 2020 and first half of 2021 confined in homes, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is safe to say that there are lots of people who are excited to get back out into the world. As lockdown restrictions are easing and things begin to open again, it is important that everyone knows how to keep their homes safe, in the return to normality. APE Fire & Security have put together a quick list of things that residents can do to secure their homes: Do not l...

MSA Safety Incorporated (MSA), DuPont Personal Protection (DuPont), and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) are helping volunteer fire departments obtain much-needed turnout gear, through MSA and DuPont’s Globe Gear Giveaway. Now in its tenth year, the program has provided over US$ 1 million worth of fire safety gear to assist volunteer fire departments in need. Globe Gear Giveaway In 2021, 13 fire departments will each receive four sets of turnout gear and four helmets, in order...

Globally renowned fire and life-safety systems manufacturer, C-TEC, is exhibiting at The Fire Safety Event 2021. Hosted at Birmingham’s NEC, from September 7 - 9, 2021, the eagerly-awaited event will feature free CPD-accredited educational seminars, 120+ exhibitors and the fire industry’s latest products, technology and solutions. C-TEC’s fire alarm systems C-TEC will be showcasing CAST, its revolutionary new own-protocol fire alarm and detection system, ENVISION, its futuri...

UKAS is pleased to report that the UKAS IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) scope has recently been extended in the area of management systems certification, with two food/feed schemes being added at Levels 4 and 5: FSSC 22000 is a Food Safety Management System sector scheme that builds upon ISO 22000. UKAS currently accredits 10 Certification Bodies to provide this service. FAMI-QS is a proprietary management system standard in its own right for the specialty feed ingre...

Following the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, the Government introduced the UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) regime, as part of the domestic legal framework introduced for goods being placed on the GB market. Review of the UKAS publication GEN 5 As the UKCA regime has developed, a review of the UKAS publication GEN 5 has been undertaken, leading to some updates to the latest edition of this document. Changes include updated names and contact details of the Competent Authorities and the expansi...

Responding to an average of nearly 30,000 calls a year to false alarms generated from automated fire alarm activations, unwanted fire alarm signals (UFAS) account for 30% of all incidents by the service. Time for Change Reducing Unwanted Fire Alarm Signals is a new consultation document from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. It shows that only 2% of automatic fire alarms from non-domestic properties were actual fires, with only a tiny percentage requiring firefighting as the majority were...

AEI Cables has been highlighting the importance of using only approved cabling in signal and control equipment for fire safety. Importance of approved cabling Now, the fire industry is supporting its campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of not using approved cabling, as specified under the revised version of the Code of Practice for Category 3 fire performance cables. The systems, powered by these cables, including smoke and heat extraction systems, assist fire services in firefighting...

Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack has responded to the UN’s latest major report on climate change, which was published recently. He said that “Firefighters here and across the world are on the front line of the climate crisis. We see the effects of climate change every time we fight wildfires and save people from floods, and we will fight as hard as we can for politicians to wake up and take notice. As a humanitarian service, we cannot stand by and watch this happen.&...

Organizations have long understood the many potential business benefits of holding certification to an international management system, such as the widely recognized ISO 9001 quality, ISO 14001 environmental, and ISO 45001 occupational health and safety standards. More than being a certificate to hang on the wall, certification is a powerful business tool, providing a degree of certainty in uncertain times. Externally, certification offers the potential to lower barriers to trade by opening doo...

Airbus Defense and Space, the German prime for the tri-national Future Combat Air System Program (FCAS), has contracted Fraunhofer FKIE and DMI Solutions to develop an Explainable AI (XAI) demonstrator. The project is realized jointly with the FCAS Expert Commission on the responsible use of new technologies. Airbus Defense and Space, the German prime for the tri-national Future Combat Air System Program (FCAS), has contracted Fraunhofer FKIE and DMI Solutions to develop an Explainable AI (XAI)...

Task Force Tips (TFT) was created 50 years ago by a firefighter to provide tools to help first responders to do their job more safely and effectively. Currently, TFT is helping to keep firefighters healthier as well. TFT has partnered with Purafil, part of the largest air filtration company in the world to integrate proven and patented filtration technology into a new TFT product: CrewProtect™. filtration technologies Put simply, CrewProtect cleans the apparatus air that firefighte...

Verint Systems (Verint), the globally renowned customer engagement company, has announced the expansion of the digital-first capabilities of its cloud platform through the acquisition of Conversocial. With this expansion, Verint’s market-renowned conversational AI provides brands the ability to orchestrate customer journeys with a connected experience across their channels of choice. Robust support for digital customer engagement The acquisition will expand Verint’s robust support...

On 8th and 9th December 2021, the next VdS-FireSafety Cologne 2021 event will be held at Koelnmesse, with expert conferences, an expert trade fair, free themed forums and the new format VdS-FireSafetyTalk. Fire protection professionals can look forward to 8th and 9th December 2021, with VdS Training Center (VdS) looking optimistically towards the end of the year and expecting to be able to hold VdS-FireSafety Cologne 2021 event on these dates, featuring an expert trade fair, themed forums and e...

Danone is a global pioneer in dairy, water and baby nutrition products, with well-known brands including Actimel, Evian and Cow & Gate. They are delighted to have completed a number of Sprinkler and Fire Alarm & Detection installations for Danone over the last ten years in their various Manufacturing Facilities. In Macroom, where they produce infant and follow-on formula, they designed, supplied and retro-fitted a Sprinkler System to FM Global standards into an existing Powder Milk Prod...

Automatic has installed a number of Sprinkler Systems into Glanbia Manufacturing Facilities around the country, both in green field new build projects and in existing buildings. In Belview, for Glanbia Ingredients, they designed, installed and commissioned an NFPA Fire Protection System for the new green field Dairy Facility. The works also included water supplies (Sprinkler, Tank and Fire Pumps) along with underground Hydrants and Fire Main. There was also a Gas Suppression system installed....