Training & Education - News

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...

Between July 2018 and June 2021, UKAS’ measurement uncertainty technical focus, Dr. John Greenwood has worked with a consortium of other experts from several European National Metrology Institutes, designated institutes, an industrial company (Rolls-Royce), the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), an Asian NMI (AIST) and another accreditation body (Accredia), in order to produce a compendium of worked uncertainty examples. This project, 17NRM05 “Examples of Measurement Uncertainty Evalu...

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...

Many hallmarks of the holiday season, including Christmas trees, holiday decorations, cooking, and baking, present potential fire hazards that contribute to an annual increase in U.S. home fires during the winter months.  According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Christmas Day and Christmas Eve are among the leading days of the year for home fires (topped only by Thanksgiving Day). Attention and planning "December is a leading month for home fires, in large part bec...

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...

Alula, the pioneer in smart security and system communications for professional installers, introduces BAT-Fire, an innovative universal 5G-ready fire communicator for system integrators requiring an all-purpose, full-featured device. BAT-Fire builds on Alula's long history of developing award-winning products and services. BAT-Fire offers easy configuration and support of all fire alarm control panels using dial-capture to report Contact ID signals or flexible inputs for interfacing with diale...

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...

EEAST is pleased to announce that Dr. Simon Walsh has joined EEAST as Interim Medical Director. Having worked in several hospitals in the East of England during his training program, Simon was appointed as an Emergency Medicine Consultant and Paediatric Emergency Medicine specialist at the Royal London Hospital in 2004.  Experience  He started pre-hospital care in 2014, flying with London's Air Ambulance. After moving to live in Hertfordshire he joined Essex & Herts Air Ambulance...

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has created a Drone Knowledgebase to help more than 29,000 fire departments in the United States improve existing public safety drone programs or to establish new drone initiatives. Drones have become a key instrument for public safety efforts in recent years with first responders increasingly deploying aerial technology to achieve greater situational awareness during structural fires, wildfires, natural disasters, rescue efforts, and large publ...

National Foam announces that it will discontinue the sale of all PFAS based foam concentrates into the State of California effective January 1, 2021. National Foam UniversalF3 Green® 3% X 3% synthetic fluorine-free foam concentrate has proven to be the replacement of choice for end-users in the Industrial, Chemical, and Oil & Gas sectors. UniversalF3 Green® offers UL/ULC and LASTfire listings on both hydrocarbon and polar solvents in fresh and saltwater. Providing independent ass...

National Foam has announced the completion of its fluorine free foam manufacturing line expansion in Angier, North Carolina. This expansion, along with ongoing product initiatives, is designed to support the growing shift to synthetic fluorine free foam concentrates. fluorine free foam production “We have substantially increased our fluorine free foam production, to meet the rapidly growing demand in the marketplace,” said Bobby Nelson, the General Manager at National Foam. Bobby...

Advanced’s Technical Support Engineer, Mark Taylor, examines some of the solutions available to those tasked with protecting hotels from the threat of fire. Cooking equipment, careless smoking, and electrical malfunctions are three of the leading causes of fire in hotels. Aside from the serious threat to life and property, posed by genuine fires, failure to provide and maintain high-quality fire protection measures has other dire consequences as well. False alarms lead to disruptions...

BAFE continues to stress the importance of verifying appropriate UKAS accredited third-party certification with growing industry support. As the nation moves towards stronger responsibility and accountability for fire safety measures, the BAFE Fire Safety Register reiterates their message on the significance of UKAS accredited third-party certification. BAFE’s ‘Don’t just Specify, Verify’ campaign launched in March 2020 identifies the important second, and sometimes over...

In 2020, the Forensic Science Regulator set in place a timeline for Sexual Assault Referral Centers (SARCs) to achieve accreditation to ISO 15189:2012, by 1st October 2023. UKAS recognized that ISO 15189:2012 and the requirements for a management system was a new and unknown element for many SARCs and has worked with the FSR to develop an assisted application scheme (UAAS). UKAS application fee includes access to the UAAS The UAAS has been developed as a series of eLearning modules that guide...

The Royal Warrant Holders Association (RWHA) is an organization established in 1840. Its purpose is to ensure the continued existence of the Royal Warrant, as a respected institution. Businesses established enough to hold the Royal Warrant title must follow the regulations set by The Lord Chamberlain. What is the RWHA Seminar? RWHA Sustainability Seminar was held in central London, in October 2021. With guest speakers, including those of which A&E Fire Security are also proud members, the...

The Scutum Group is pleased to announce that Statewide Fire Corp. (Statewide Central Station) in the United States has joined Scutum North America Inc. Founded in 1981, Statewide is a UL Listed, TMA (The Monitoring Association) five-diamond designated central station, monitoring all emergency conditions throughout the United States and has established a reputation for excellence in customer service, expertise in the industry and cutting-edge technology. Acquisition of Statewide Alarm installe...

Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen's Association’s (CVVFA) Candice McDonald is featured in a new e-Book authored by CVVFA’s good friend, Chief Dennis Compton. Candice McDonald and 30 other exceptional women have been featured in the new e-Book for their vital roles in the fire service. Candice McDonald featured in new e-book Chief Dennis Compton chose to include Candice MacDonald in his e-book, describing her as a leader who balances her professional, family and volunteer respons...

When entering, exiting, or passing through a building, door hardware is always the first point of contact. Whether users are met with a mechanical system such as a lever handle, an exit device, or an access control solution, all architectural hardware must be fit for its role - operating as intended the first time, every time. Aside from being an integral piece of a building’s navigational network, door hardware inherently plays a vital role in critical safety scenarios too. Fire doors an...

Users are all only too familiar with the “Hands, Face, Space” mantra intended to help control the spread and risk of Covid-19. Obviously, this means it has never been more important to ensure that surfaces are kept clean. This includes items such as Nittan fire alarm control panels, which have controls and touch screens used by engineers and end-users when operating them. But as with all electronic equipment, the materials used to clean them need to be chosen very carefully. Tech...

Over 70 colleagues from the fire sector gathered at the Oriental Club in Stratford Place, London to celebrate the FPA's platinum jubilee. Guests included current and former government ministers, and staff from the NFCC, IFE, and the London Fire Brigade, among many others. More than merely a victory lap or a gathering of old friends, the event was also a poignant reminder of what can be achieved within the sector with a collective and unified voice, and a singular message.  FPA C...

BSI, the business improvement and standards company, are to take a seat on the Fire Industry Association’s (FIA) forum to facilitate knowledge sharing and improve fire safety in the UK. The FIA’s Internet of Things (IoT) forum will facilitate the exchange of industry knowledge and remove barriers to the development and adoption of IoT products and services in the fire safety sector. Alongside FIA forum members BSI experts will work to improve fire safety provisions across the UK by...

According to the NFPA, every 1 in 31 Christmas tree fire is deadly. Most households and businesses across the United States will bring a Christmas tree inside, decorated with ornaments and string lights. Fire risk with Christmas tree While Christmas tree fires are rare, they still happen and can result in fatal injuries. It’s important to be aware of the fire risks that come with owning a Christmas tree so that users can focus on creating the safest environment possible. If the user...

The adoption and implementation of hazard-resistant building codes is the most effective community mitigation measure against hazard risk. According to FEMA's Building Code Save Study, 65% of counties, cities, and towns across the United States of America (USA) currently have not adopted modern building codes. Getting community ready FEMA's new Building Science Resource Library, launched in October 2021, contains materials focused on creating disaster-resistant communities, including detailed...

3M and Mobileye, an Intel Company, have joined forces to advance road safety by bringing crowdsourced infrastructure asset data to transportation agencies through the 3M™ Roadway Safety Asset Manager platform, and to further their common commitments to reduce traffic fatalities and severe injuries, starting with projects in the United States. The 3M™ Roadway Safety Asset Manager puts roadway safety assets in one, easy-to-navigate cloud-based solution and helps transportation authori...

Globally renowned Japanese life safety solutions provider, Hochiki, has launched in the Danish market, with its most powerful and sophisticated fire control and indication system yet, L@titude. Following Part 13 certification, which then paved the way for DBI approval, this market renowned system uses an interface that is available in multiple languages, simple to use and understand. L@titude life safety system The new L@titude life safety system combines the very latest hardware and software...

The UKAS Academy Training Team continues to evolve with learners at the forefront of everything they do. A key objective of theirs is to ensure that they deliver valuable content to their customers to empower them to add value to their organizations and support them in the continuous improvement of their service. Over the coming year, they will be undertaking a three-part quality improvement project, designed to enhance their training programs and provide a delegate experience that is highly le...