Firefighter Health and Safety - News

'Challenge Your Potential' and apply for a Regional (Retained) Firefighter role with the MFS. The South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) is dedicated to providing an efficient and effective emergency service to the South Australian community. Being a MFS Firefighter is one of the most highly respected careers in South Australia. The MFS is looking for community-minded individuals who are fit, healthy, and possess personal and professional values that align with themselves....

Chate Singh pleaded guilty to six offenses under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. He was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for 18 months, at Nottingham Crown Court. According to the fire service, a judge said Singh's actions could have had 'catastrophic consequences'. Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service noted that the breaches included failing to provide adequate fire safety training for staff, failing to implement procedures such as safety drills, and failing to...

Without significant warning, a vicious wildfire quickly destroyed hundreds of homes in just hours in Colorado. The American Red Cross is responding there, where tens of thousands of people have had to leave their neighborhoods. Spurred by strong winds, the fire spread very quickly. Thousands are without power and gas, leaving them without heat in single-digit temperatures and facing a winter storm warning. Red Cross Response Red Cross disaster workers, some of whom have had to evacuate their o...

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has authorized the use of federal funds, in order to help with firefighting costs for the Marshall Fire burning, in Boulder County, Colorado, USA. Fighting Marshall Fire FEMA Acting Regional Administrator, Tammy Littrell approved the state’s request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG), after receiving the request and determining that the fire threatened such a level of destruction that it would constitute a major disaster. At...

Health officials have praised a North East Fire and Rescue Service after they helped set up a vaccination center in a matter of days. Millions of residents across the UK have been invited to receive their Coronavirus booster vaccination in the face of an increase in Omicron cases in recent weeks. The new strain has led to a spike in transmissions during the festive period and health officials have called on the public to protect themselves. But it has led to a huge demand for new vaccination...

A landlord has been found guilty of a series of fire safety failings that left residents with only one option to escape a fire: via a restaurant with a metal shutter that was closed at night. Inspection London Fire Brigade inspectors visited the takeaway restaurant on New North Road in Islington after concerns were raised by one of the tenants and the local council.  There was residential accommodation on the first and second floors of the building with the takeaway on the ground floor....

Throughout the pandemic, everyone at Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) has been proud to support the blue light partners, NHS colleagues, local councils, and community organizations. People from across KFRS have volunteered to offer their services whenever possible, including during the mass roll-out of Covid-19 testing and more recently, vaccinations. In the last week, officers have been helping to collect thousands of vaccines from hospitals across Kent and Medway, and delivering t...

Experts are highlighting the importance of installing crash-rated barriers in roadworks after the latest figures showed there have been 347 road worker casualties on the UK’s roads in the last four years. Vehicle restraint system (VRS) manufacturer and supplier, Hardstaff Barriers, has issued the advice after examining the STATS19 road casualty data, published by the Department for Transport each year. Road worker casualties Between 2017 and 2020, six pedestrian road workers were killed...

The Extinguishing Section of Euralarm has published a guidance document on maintenance of extinguishing systems/equipment, controlled by electronic detection systems. Unlike a production tool, a fire protection system is on operational standby and is only activated in the event of a fire. Some faults may appear without being detectable, by a non-specialist operator. This is why it is necessary to carry out regular maintenance visits by specialists, to confirm the level of performance of the ins...

Continuing to invest in the training and development of colleagues, Checkmate Fire Solutions (Checkmate Fire) is delighted to finish 2021 in style – with a veritable bouquet of new qualifications and accreditations! As an ongoing process, the company ensures that their people have the opportunity to further both their careers and their expertise within the business. Through additional training and qualifications, Checkmate Fire aim to have the most motivated and knowledgeable team possibl...

AW Hainsworth is proud to announce that they have been accredited with ISO 45001:2018, which focuses on occupational health and safety in the workplace. ISO is recognized worldwide as a respected standards body, and this standard focuses on improving employee safety, reducing workplace risks and creating better, safer working conditions. This reinforces the company’s commitment to their workforce by ensuring they provide their employees a healthy and safe place of work. ISO 45001:2018 ac...

UKAS is the National Accreditation Body for the United Kingdom. UKAS is appointed by the Government, to assess and accredit organizations that provide a variety of services including certification, testing, inspection, and calibration based on compliance with international standards and demonstration through objective evidence of competency and impartiality in the performance of defined activities. At the beginning of the pandemic reliable testing was quickly identified as a key component in th...

Within just 48 hours of the government announcing the acceleration of the national vaccination program, fire and rescue services are already supporting the effort and have vaccinated hundreds of people.   Almost half a million vaccinations have been given by fire and rescue service staff this year – and this figure is set to rocket in the coming days as more services will be administering the boosters. Up to 2,500 fire and rescue services, staff could assi...

"With the Frequentis product line ASGARD, which is specifically designed for use in fire brigade and industry control center in the German market, we offer a flexible, highly reliable software solution for safety-critical control center. ASGARD strengthens Frequentis' strong position in the German public safety market," says Frequentis CEO - Norbert Haslacher. Frequentis was awarded the contracts for the projects in the context of EU-wide tenders. Frequentis Germany will be responsible for the...

As an organization invested in industry-led qualifications developing the knowledge, skills, and behaviors of individuals working within the fire safety sector, FireQual sees the development of a fire and security apprenticeship in Wales as a key step forward in demonstrating the importance of education and training within fire safety. FireQual Chair, Lewis Ramsay, commented on this latest development, "Since its inception, FireQual has been keen to not only provide a new generation of qualific...

As an organization invested in industry-led qualifications developing the knowledge, skills, and behaviors of individuals working within the fire safety sector, FireQual sees the development of a fire and security apprenticeship in Wales as a key step forward in demonstrating the importance of education and training within fire safety. Authority comment FireQual Chair, Lewis Ramsay, commented on this latest development, “Since its inception, FireQual has been keen to not only provide a n...

Fire and Rescue Services across the country will once again be assisting with the national vaccination program, following the government’s push to offer everyone aged over 18 a booster jab by the end of the year.   To date, almost half a million vaccinations have been given by fire and rescue service staff – and hundreds of thousands of hours spent on setting up centers and helping to run them.   Fire and rescue service staff have been assisting with the vaccination...

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has released its Fifth U.S. Needs Assessment report, which found that while some fire department needs have declined, some unmet needs have remained constant, and many areas have increased need. This includes aging facilities and apparatus, a lack of behavioral health and safety programs, and challenges in providing training and certification for structural firefighting and other community needs. About the Needs Assessment report Published every...

Education is the future and requires top performance. G-TEC, as a globally renowned specialist in the planning of technical building equipment, defines this claim for itself as follows: ‘Innovative building concepts that meet user requirements over the entire service life are indispensable’. G-TEC’s new school center projects Two large school projects currently planned by G-TEC in Weinheim and Heilbronn show how energy efficiency can be consistently implemented for the best p...

In the latest episode of Assembly Point, Howard Passey, director of operations at the FPA, Dennis Davis, executive officer at the Fire Sector Federation, Adrian Dobson, secretary of the RIBA EAG, and Peter Caplehorn, CEO at the Construction Products Association look back at the key milestones and turning points in fire safety in the UK, as well as looking ahead to the next 75 years.  Episode 10 of the podcast marks the 75th anniversary of the FPA and began with a look back at significant...

Following a successful introduction of the event in 2020, the Fike Technology Day is back for 2022. Detector Teters recently confirmed the attendance along with 13 other exhibitors – all of whom will be sharing their latest solutions designed to bring unique benefits to the fire industry. Event Schedule The day is free to attend and will take place at the Silverstone race circuit in Northampton. As well as the exhibition, the day will also feature several seminars and presentations led...

During the 51st General Assembly of Euralarm, the European association representing the fire safety and security industry, the members have chosen Jon Könz as new President of Euralarm. He succeeds Martin Harvey, who was President for the past three and half years. Before being elected President, Jon Könz was Chair of the Services Section of Euralarm. He is Head of Industry Affairs, at Siemens Smart Infrastructure. Euralarm’s 2021 General Assembly The 2021 General Assembly was...

The award recognizes the work undertaken throughout 2020/2021 by the FPA to revolutionize its digital services by launching two new websites and a CRM system to improve customer engagement, integrating a third-party security tool throughout all digital platforms to protect the members, delivering two successful virtual events, and implementing a new webinar platform to improve member engagement and also in the process of launching an app to improve accessibility to digital products. Both websit...

The UK Government has apologized to the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy, and admitted to a string of failings in the years leading up to the disaster, dubbed one of the ‘major scandals of our time.’ The government’s Barrister told the Grenfell Tower Inquiry it was ‘deeply sorry for its past failures’, in regards to overseeing building safety. Jason Beer QC said shifted some of the onus onto local inspectors, saying they were responsible for the safety...

On November 18, President Biden signed the Protecting America’s First Responders Act (S. 1511) into law. The bill contains language clarifying that members of fire departments who provide traffic incident management services, often referred to as fire police, are public safety officers and eligible to receive the Public Safety Officers’ Benefit (PSOB). Bill signing ceremony The bill also makes it easier to qualify for PSOB Disability and extends for two years a presumption that...

Thanks to member feedback, the new membership scheme offers FPA members additional benefits such as access to the Business Property and Protection Portal which produces a risk report for any business type in the UK, the Cladding Compliance Toolkit created by RISC Authority, which aims to help users understand the complex legislative fire safety requirements of external building cladding systems, and easier access to resources such as our popular Assembly Point Podcast. Launch of a CPD Record To...

The Minister of Transportation, Dr. Ángela María Orozco Gómez, adopted the Manual for the Design, Construction, Operation and Maintenance of Road Tunnels for Colombia through Resolution 20213040058015 of December 2, 2021. Scope of the manual The manual includes the general and necessary requirements for the management of planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of tunnels, which covers the general guidelines and guidelines to be implemented by public entit...

Verint Systems (Verint), the customer engagement company, has announced a strategic partnership with Theta Lake, a globally renowned provider of modern collaboration security and compliance solutions. The partnership provides financial and trading organizations, as well as other businesses, with extended capabilities to help avoid the legal, business, and reputational consequences of compliance breaches, misconduct, data loss, and security issues. Verint – Theta Lake partnership The par...

Hytrans Systems BV’s submersible pump is linked to the power-pack, by means of 60 meter long hydraulic hoses, allowing access to any water within 60 meter distance from the power-pack, either horizontal or vertical. Hytrans' submersible pump The submersible pump is not like a standard fire truck or draft pump that has to stand very close to the water. Additionally the pump features the capability to pump salt water, chemically polluted water, mud, dirt and operate from shallow water, wit...

An update to all BAFE registered organizations and the wider fire safety industry. Recent weeks have seen a new Omicron variant of COVID-19 emerge and begin to spread across the UK. With this, the Government has re-introduced measures to mitigate this risk such as mask-wearing in shops and on all public transport.   BAFE is confident by now that the fire safety industry fully understands its position as a life safety, and therefore necessary, provision of service required to continue (whe...