Training & Education - News

Business owners are being urged to ensure that their vacant properties are as safe and secure as possible to protect them from harm during the latest lockdown. The warning comes from security barrier experts at Hardstaff Barriers, who specialize in protecting premises against squatters, thieves, arsonists, and fly-tippers. On January 4, the Government urged people, once again, not to travel to their places of work and to work from home if it is possible to do so. Since then, this has resulted i...

An inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) confirmed that Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service (RBFRS) has adapted and responded to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic effectively, thereby highlighting the additional support that the fire service has been offering its communities, throughout this public health crisis. RBFRS response to COVID-19 In August 2020, the UK Home Secretary commissioned HMICFRS to examine how fire and rescue...

Volunteers are special people, willing to share their time and passion to help others, simply because they care and want to make a difference. Those inspirational individuals form an important part of Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS), working alongside operational crews and office-based teams to help keep communities across Kent and Medway safe. Trying new challenges KFRS is fortunate to have 34 volunteers supporting a range of roles, and now the service is looking to welcome more people...

The Agility team is excited to announce the addition of Solid Responder LLC as their first exclusive authorized dealer for the US State of Florida. Solid Responder Solid Responder is the brainchild of Joe Hernandez from Disaster Medical Solutions, who has served as the DHS/FEMA National Coordinator and Lead Instructor for the US&R Medical Team Training Program and Lead SME for current curriculum development at FEMA. Solid Responder provides equipment designed, developed, tested, and prove...

Rosenbauer America, a renowned global manufacturer of custom fire apparatus, has announced the appointment of Mark Fusco. He will be assuming the role of Vice President of Sales & Marketing at the company. Marketing and sales expert Mark Fusco brings with him more than two decades of marketing and sales experience to Rosenbauer America. His expertise includes channel development, go-to-market strategy, sales, inventory, and operations planning (SIOP), precision technologies, and data insig...

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) have been recognized nationally for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, SFRS was praised for its positive contributions to the local community and commitment to the welfare of its staff. In August 2020, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) was commissioned by the UK Home Secretary to examine how fire and rescue services are responding to the pandemic. Effective command and control frameworks...

The community is at the heart of Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS), and on-call firefighters help to strengthen those links by serving the villages and towns where they live and work.  Luke Pritchard is an on-call firefighter based in Faversham, where he lives with his wife and their two young children. Having grown up in the town, the 35-year-old wanted to be a firefighter at his local fire station from a young age and successfully applied for the role four years ago.  Comments of...

With distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine accelerating around the globe, hopes are high that society can reclaim a sense of pre-pandemic normalcy in the coming months. Organizations may look to call many of their remote workers back to physical buildings as the vaccine rollout continues. However, there are unique new challenges to in-person work in a post-pandemic world, as organizations who have maintained in-person workforces can attest. Managing an in-person workforce in 2021 Marc Bognar,...

Following significant requests from customers, Apollo Fire Detectors have expanded their portfolio of free webinars and virtual CPD’s. In order to continue providing its training service throughout the national lockdown, Apollo released a selection of over 15 virtual courses in May 2020. The courses have been a huge success with thousands of attendees from over 30 countries taken advantage of the weekly sessions. Due to this success, and COVID-19 restrictions being in place once again in...

Warwickshire residents are warned to check their chimneys as Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service has attended a series of chimney fires across the county in recent times. The Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service have been called out for multiple chimney fire incidents in Leamington Spa, Rugby and Northend, in the United Kingdom, just in the last seven days. Chimneys need to be swept regularly Residents are reminded that chimneys must be swept regularly by approved chimney sweeps, as consiste...

Firefighting kit has a number of functions. It protects crew members in a wide range of situations and makes them instantly recognizable in an emergency. Replacing the firefighting kit at the right time keeps fire firefighters and rescue personnel safe and comfortable, no matter what the emergency. Call outs for firefighters  According to the UK Home Office, in the last year, 28 per cent of call-outs for firefighters and rescue staff involved responding to fires, 42 per cent of call outs...

Rapidrop is the UK manufacturer and supplier of fire sprinkler system products serving the needs of the fire detection and suppression industry worldwide. From their headquarters in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, Rapidrop manufacture fire sprinkler heads to suit commercial applications. Now exporting to over 75 countries’, Rapidrop provides tailored solutions and dedicated support from a worldwide sales and distribution network. They are proud to have been involved in many prestigious cons...

Teledyne Gas and Flame Detection is taking the global fight against COVID-19 to new levels, using its gas detection and monitoring technologies to not only support vaccination programs but prevent the potential for virus propagation. Gas detection can play a major role in the deployment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is manufactured in locations including the US, Germany, and Belgium. This vaccine requires storage and transportation at -70°C in sealed containers due to its mRNA (Mess...

PACCAR and Aurora have signed a global, strategic agreement to develop, test, and commercialize autonomous Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks. This collaboration will integrate PACCAR’s autonomous vehicle platform with the Aurora Driver software, in order to enhance the safety and operational efficiency of PACCAR’s customers. Autonomous-enabled vehicles In the strategic partnership, PACCAR provides autonomous-enabled vehicles with industry-renowned quality, durability and reliability, r...

AVK International (AVK) is pleased to announce a new range of universal and dedicated encapsulation collars for repair of pipe sockets and pipe walls. Hydro Stop, Hydro Fast and Hydro Smart are ideal for performing safe and permanent repair under pressure. Hydro-Cos. S.r.l., the new member of the AVK Group, has developed a wide range of universal and dedicated encapsulation collars, and can also offer completely customized solutions for any leak. Standard encapsulation collars The standard en...

It’s a New Year, and everyone is ready to start 2021 right. As a facility manager, director of operations and/or engineer, the overall fire safety of the building should be high on the to-do list. Two systems that should not be overlooks are the facilities barriers and HVAC. LSS Life Safety Services® and Hughes Environmental are both part of LSS Holdings, and are working together to create healthy, and safe work environments for employees. Therefore, for the month of January, with the...

With the UK continuing its battle against COVID-19, businesses everywhere are facing the unenviable task of ensuring virus-free workplaces for staff and customers alike. For this reason, HI-KLEEN from Hi-line Industries has been proving exceptionally popular since its introduction in the summer of 2020. To help even more companies benefit from this highly effective surface sanitizer for commercial premises, Hi-line has produced a short but highly informative video that demonstrates the product&...

SFP, the restructuring and turnaround group, publishes a new free Guide to Business Survival with easy to follow practical steps which includes a number of remedies to help fire and security businesses navigate through the current crisis. The Guide to Business Survival is set up in three clear stages of keeping or getting a business back on track. True financial position Part One explores the steps a business can take without having to resort to borrowing, and the importance of a cashflow for...

Hunter supports Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month currently being promoted internationally, and the efforts being made across the UK and Ireland to improve the future long-term health outcomes for our firefighters. Recent ground-breaking research revealed the serious health risks to UK firefighters following exposure to toxic fire effluents, the chemicals emitted during a fire, in an independent University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) report commissioned by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU). The...

Packexe were awarded a Royal Warrant in 2016 for supplying Packexe protection film to the royal household and last year, the company added a Queens Award for Enterprise to their name. Recognized in the category of innovation for their time critical glass management tool, Packexe SMASH, Packexe have been supplying emergency teams across the globe with their innovative extrication tool for the last decade. Packexe SMASH Packexe SMASH is designed to hold glass securely in place, reducing the ris...

For many years, Italy has been demanding the active use of fire fighting systems in trains in addition to the usual use of fire detection systems. Following this demand, a part of the TGV fleet to be used in the future on the high-speed line between Milan and Paris will therefore also be retrofitted with a fire fighting system from AQUASYS. The first retrofit sets of the high-pressure water mist system will already be delivered this year. Existing train structure As a result, the customer rec...

Emergency Reporting, the provider of Fire & EMS records management software headquartered in Bellingham, Washington, releases a new report to assist customers with their applications for the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The application period for this grant opened on January 4. With fire department budgets being significantly challenged in today’s climate, the AFG program provides some much-needed relief. Submitting...

An ASIS International UK Chapter member for nearly 20 years, John A. Petruzzi, Jr., CPP, will serve as President of the association’s Global Board of Directors in 2021. John Petruzzi’s discussed his goals for the coming year in a Q&A session. The ASIS blog asked Petruzzi to discuss the impact of his ASIS volunteer roles on his career. Power of the ASIS family John A. Petruzzi said, “I’ve often said that I owe much of my success to the power of the ASIS family. From...

Daniel Muijs, Ofsted's Deputy Director of Research and Evaluation, has published a handy guide on what is going well and not so well with remote learning. The information published covers: What is remote education? Common myths about remote education Using remote education to deliver learning How to keep it simple Adapting learning Remote feedback and assessment Technology provision Live vs. recorded delivery Engagement online Additional resources Whether the organization eng...

For anyone who is not aware and is responsible for fire extinguishers within their building, there has been a change for class D Powder extinguishers (which are used for metal fires). This change has been introduced with BS 5306-10:2019, published 31/10/2020, and supersedes BS 7863:2009 (which is withdrawn). clearer differentiation Guidance published in December 2020 by FIA (Fire Industry Association), states, “The major change is the color-code for class D Powder extinguishers (fo...

The Department for Education released its latest guide to support home learning encouraging education providers to identify their strengths and areas for improvement in the provision of remote learning opportunities to candidates during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is not a statutory framework and is meant to encourage discussion internally within an organization to meet basic requirements using the resources and tools currently available and ways to take remote learning opportunities further....

Granite Workwear products are always manufactured with the user in mind. They understand the importance of needing high-quality workwear that users can rely on. That’s why they make sure all their products are fully tried, tested and fit for purpose. Granite Workwear highlights 5 products that can help keep users warm this winter. Helmet Liners - JSP has a range of helmet liners to help keep the head warm when working in cold working conditions. Whether the user is on a construction site...

Birmingham-based business successfully ramps up during the global pandemic and is set to go from strength to strength in 2021, rewarding its dedicated team with a generous wage increase and Christmas bonus. Amid coronavirus pandemic reports of companies making heavy redundancies there is one good news story to emerge from the West Midlands. Zicam Integrated Security Limited has not only managed to avoid redundancies and furloughing staff but has flourished in the last nine months to achieve a f...

Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) is on a mission to encourage the people of Kent and Medway to help keep hydrants healthy in their local area. Located all over the county, fire hydrants provide firefighters with access to a steady flow of water to fight fires. They are used by crews whenever they need more water than they’re able to carry on fire engines, and can be a vital asset for firefighters. However, if they’re ever damaged or obscured, it could waste valuable minutes for c...

Innovative manufacturer of fire detection equipment, Global Fire Equipment (GFE), has added to its product portfolio with the launch of G-One, a versatile addressable single loop fire control panel with advanced connectivity. The G-One has been designed with affordability and flexibility in mind. Thanks to its sophisticated design, easy installation, and intuitive commissioning, it is an ideal solution for a wide range of single loop applications, from offices and restaurants, to shops, schools...