Firefighter Health and Safety - News

Fire-Dex® LLC began in 1983 as a FIREfighting gloves manufacturer with outstanding DEXterity (hence the name Fire-Dex). They are one of the renowned manufacturers of not only gloves, but also turnout gear and all other head-to-toe structural firefighting apparel. In addition to structural gear, Fire-Dex also manufactures a full line of EMS clothing, Wildland, USAR, and Extrication garments. Highest quality garments Fire-Dex is still on record for delivering a 19,000-piece coat order; the...

Recycling and waste sites are places prone to huge fire hazards, due to some potentially flammable materials, inherent risks during disposal process, as well as other environmental factors. In particular, battery-related waste fires have become a growing challenge facing the global recycling and waste management sector. A new report jointly produced by Eunomia and the Environmental Services Association (ESA) estimates that of all the average 300 waste fires in the United Kingdom each year, appr...

The Township of Langley Fire Department is the first agency to become an internationally accredited agency in the province of British Columbia, in Canada. The accreditation team of the Township of Langley Fire Department appeared before the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 8, which marked the final step in the department’s journey towards earning accreditation from the CFAI. Accredited Agency Status Having answered numerous questions an...

Hicks Gate Fire Station will be throwing its doors open to the public this Saturday (17/08), showcasing Urban Search & Rescue (USAR) and how firefighters keep local communities safe. From 10am to 4pm, the open day will focus on the national resilience capabilities that ensure community safety through location extraction and stabilization in structural collapse. Staff will also demonstrate risk reduction and how everyone can play a part in making safety a key part of their daily lives throug...

BAFSA is pleased to see the GMB join the long-running campaign for sprinklers to be fitted in all schools in England. Scotland has had sprinklers fitted in all newly built schools since 2010 and Wales since 2014, it is time that children being educated in England enjoyed the same continuity of education. Fire Sprinklers Fires in schools disrupt education, destroy valuable work both of students and teachers, and deprive communities of valuable assets. Sprinklers save lives, protect firefighte...

Dräger Safety AG & Co. KGaA has acquired a stake in Focus Field Solutions Inc., a provider of industrial safety solutions based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. With this latest investment, Dräger extends its expertise in the area of digital worksites. Focus FS has developed a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform which digitizes critical operations data for people and assets. It offers different modules such as HSE (Health, Safety & Environment), E-Must...

Sirens will once again become a tool of Big Bear Fire Department to notify the public of emergency situations requiring action. This will be an additional way to notify the community in the event of an emergency. The first test will begin on Thursday, August 22, 2019 at 11:00 am with a 15 second siren blast. Tests will continue to run every month on the fourth Thursday at 11:00 am. During a true emergency, the full siren cycle will be run for three minutes. Radio frequency changes When the p...

BAFSA has published an amended BIF 24 which reflects latest courses available and future plans. The most recent addition to BAFSA’s portfolio of direct and indirect course delivery are Fire Sprinkler Design Courses. BAFSA delivers sprinkler design courses across the UK. These can be for individuals who wish to sit the LPCB Examinations and Reviews, or to improve their knowledge of the principles of sprinkler design. Tailoring to the needs of companies Currently the suite of courses incl...

GMB, the union representing school staff, are shocked and concerned by figures recently released by the London Fire Brigade, that report that of all 57 fires in schools across the capital attended by the LFB in the past year, not one of the schools were fitted with sprinklers also known as Automatic Fire Suppression System (AFSS). GMB Supporting LFB Campaign GMB is supporting the LFB campaign to ensure all schools are fitted with sprinklers by urging GMB members to contact their local members...

Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation company, announced that it will display an extensive array of apparatus and new technology innovations during the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ (IAFC) Fire Rescue International (FRI) conference and expo on August 7-10, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia.   Located at booth #1503, visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about the latest developments in fire apparatus, fire truck features, and technology that improv...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is the first fire service in the UK to achieve the ISO 45001 accreditation with a 100 percent pass rate. ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System is the world’s first International Standard for Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S). It was introduced in 2018 and replaces the previous British Standard of OHSAS 18001 in the organization. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service has been working closely with staff and partners to ens...

Huntingdon Fire Station is opening its doors to the public on Saturday August 10 for a free event that promises something for all the family. The station will be open for members of the public to come and find out what life is like at a fire station and take a look around our fire engines. Activities on the day include dunk a firefighter, raffle, face painting, and a BBQ. There’ll also be a vintage fire engine and memorabilia on show. They’ll be joined by colleagues from Cambridgesh...

TargetSolutions, a Vector Solutions brand that offers operations and training management software for the fire service, and the International Association of Fire Chief’s (IAFC) Volunteer & Combination Officers Section (VCOS) are proud to announce Lee Whitner of South Adams County (Colorado) Fire Department, as the recipient of the 2019 VCOS Training Officer Recognition Award. 2019 VCOS Training Officer Award As the award winner, Whitner will be recognized during the annual VCOS meeti...

Business owners and building managers have an extensive list of duties and responsibilities. One of them is maintaining and protecting the safety of their employees and building occupants from the risks and hazards of fire. This is one of the most crucial of all their obligations. Furthermore, businesses and buildings are required to comply with the rules and regulations set by national and local legislation. Because of the level of skills and technicality needed to stay compliant, it is best t...

Open Security & Safety Alliance (OSSA), an industry body comprised of leaders, influencers and innovative organizations from all facets within the security, safety and surveillance industry will have a strong presence at the GSX 2019 (Global Security Exchange 2019) event, being represented in nearly a dozen member booths across the show floor. OSSA will celebrate its one-year anniversary while in Chicago and demonstrate the rapid progress underway as competing and complementary institutions...

The deployment of the optical fiber at POK’s Nogent-sur-Seine site in France has enabled the fire safety equipment major to increase their internet speed from around 30 Mbps to 200 Mbps. They notice a significant difference when using software, such as skype for video-conferencing with customers or teams abroad. Similarly, sending large files now works very well and efficiently, the company noted. Optical fiber transmission POK strongly encourages their neighboring organizations to equi...

MSA, DuPont, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have teamed up again to help volunteer fire departments obtain much-needed gear through MSA’s Globe Gear Giveaway. This annual program began in 2012 and has provided 255 sets of gear to 45 departments to date. In 2019, another 13 departments will each receive four new sets of gear. The first 500 applicants also received a one-year NVFC membership, courtesy of MSA. The first two recipients of the MSA’s 2019 Globe Gear Giveaw...

Bristol Uniforms will be unveiling a new provision for Fire & Rescue Services (FRSs) at this year’s Emergency Services Show, to specifically help with the swift and safe cleaning and decontamination of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). A global renowned designer and manufacturer of PPE for the emergency services, Bristol Uniforms will be supplying specialist decontamination machines to Fire & Rescue Services for use on-site at fire stations, as well as enhancing its manag...

The Senior Director of Dyeing and Finishing Technology at TenCate Protective Fabrics, Bert Truesdale, will be delivering a keynote address at the 30th annual FLAME Conference in San Antonio, Texas, this May 19th through the 22nd. The FLAME Conference focuses on new advances in flame retardancy of polymeric materials. The conference is sponsored by BCC Research, a company that provides market research for clients looking to study new business opportunities. FR coatings science Over the course...

E- ONE, a subsidiary of REV Group and a global provider of emergency response vehicles, is proud to announce its expansion in Ocala, Florida with the addition of 66,000 square feet. E-ONE currently has a total of more than 300,000 square feet for its Ocala operations, including the Welcome Center and the Chassis, Body and Aerial facilities. In addition, at the E-ONE Hamburg, NY facility, there is a 75,000 square foot operation for stainless steel body production. The new expansion in Ocala, FL b...

During FDIC International 2019, TenCate Protective Fabrics is slated to showcase TurnOut Gear that has seen multiple exposures. TurnOut Gear for Firefighters Concern over higher rates of occupation cancer among firefighters prompts additional efforts in decontamination and cleaning of turnout gear to reduce particulate accumulation. But the question on everyone’s mind is whether the turnout gear is able to stand up to more washing and drying along with the daily wear-and-tear owing to fi...

People living and working in Clevedon are being invited to give something positive back to the community by becoming on-call firefighters. Avon Fire & Rescue Service (AF&RS) is looking to recruit five new on-call staff to help provide cover from the station in Clevedon. On-call firefighters use the same fire engines and equipment as their ‘wholetime’ (full-time) colleagues. The main difference is that on-call firefighters provide support from their home or workplace, rather...

Avon Fire & Rescue Service (AFR&S) recruits a special crew of trauma teddies thanks to a local organization. The 200-strong-crew will be spread out across the Service to ride on trucks alongside firefighters and specialist equipment. The cuddly crew will then be handed out to children involved in traumatic and upsetting incidents who are distressed or in need of reassurance and emotional support. Small Act Of Comfort This gives us an opportunity to engage with children and lessen the...

Firefighters have issued a summer heat safety plea following several incidents cornfields, grass and crop fires in Kent that have been linked to the hot and dry weather the county is currently experiencing. Countering wildfire incidents Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) deals frequently with rural fires, but during periods of hot and dry weather, incidents on grassland have the potential to become much bigger wildfires. Last year (2018), KFRS responded to almost 700 grassfires, and so far, t...

E-ONE, a subsidiary of REV Group and a global provider of emergency response vehicles, announce the award of a four-year Sourcewell (formerly NJPA) cooperative contract. Sourcewell creates national cooperative contract purchasing solutions on behalf of its member agencies. Cooperative contracts offer both time and money savings for users by consolidating the efforts of numerous individually prepared solicitations into one national, cooperatively shared process — taking advantage of the agg...

Dr. Sabrina Cohen-Hatton is to join West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service as its new Chief Fire Officer. Dr. Cohen-Hatton joins the service with 18 years of fire service experience including senior roles in London Fire Brigade, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, Welsh Government and most recently as Interim Deputy Chief Fire Officer for Surrey Fire and Rescue Service. She has helped shape national fire service policy and practice during her government secondments at Her Majesty Inspectorate of...

Firefighters from all across the country converged on Raleigh, North Carolina this week to attend presentations given by F.I.E.R.O. (the Fire Industry Educational Resource Organization) at its 2019 F.I.E.R.O. Fire PPE Symposium. 2019 F.I.E.R.O. Fire PPE Symposium The biennial fire safety and security conference boasted a record attendance rate and offered informational sessions on a wide range of subjects of interest for firefighters globally. TenCate Protective Fabrics, along with other indu...

Rave Mobile Safety (Rave), the trusted provider of emergency and public safety solutions that help save lives, has announced the newest enhancement to its school safety platform, which allows schools to unite school safety technologies directly from the Rave Panic Button app, the most widely used school safety app in the United States. Integration with Rave Panic Button This integration capability gives schools the cross-platform communication that they need to truly protect their communities,...

Universal Security Instruments (USI) in conjunction with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced a recall of smoke alarm model numbers - MI3050S and MI3050SB. Consumers owning these two smoke alarm devices should immediately inspect their alarms to determine if it will activate appropriately. Smoke alarms recall This recall (Recall # 19-162) involves Universal Security Instruments 10-year battery-operated ionization smoke and fire alarms with model numbers - MI3050S and M...

A program of free CPD seminars focusing on the lessons learnt from frontline operations will run at The Emergency Services Show 2019 at the NEC, Birmingham on 18 and 19 September. The Lessons Learnt Theatre, sponsored by UCLan, will feature case studies of major incidents including the Salisbury nerve agent incident, the recent wildfires on Winter Hill in Lancashire and the Ocado warehouse fire in Hampshire. Experts from across the emergency services community will detail findings from current...