Training & Education - News

The widely awaited digitalBAU 2020 event took place for the first time from February 11th to 13th, 2020 in Cologne, Germany. The new trade fair for digital solutions for the entire building life cycle was well attended with more than 10,000 visitors and was aimed at everyone involved in the construction industry. In addition to the predominantly software manufacturer, G-TEC was also represented as an engineering office with a trade fair stand at the buildingSMART eV joint stand. G-TEC’s...

Tom came to ISSEE in January to do some work experience and gain valuable insights from the team of experienced ex-military instructors as part of his preparations for a career in the British Army. “With an aspiration to join the British Army, I spent two weeks undertaking work experience with ISSEE because I wanted to gain an understanding in some of the methods and practices that they utilize in their training and operations that could be applicable to working in the army.” Groun...

Halma, the global group of life-saving technology companies, has acquired Maxtec, LLC, based in Utah, USA. Maxtec is a pioneer in the design, manufacture and distribution of oxygen analysis and delivery products for use in medical and non-medical applications. They specialize in innovative products for respiratory care, including in oxygen sensors and analyzers for use in hospital acute care units. Maxtec will be managed as part of Halma’s Perma Pure business, whose medical dehydration pr...

The Government consultation Fire safety: risk prioritisation in existing buildings, closes in mid February 2020. In January Stephen Adams, Chief Executive – BAFE, encouraged everyone to review the document provided on the MHCLG website and to respond accordingly. The call for evidence noted it was ‘in line with the Secretary of State’s commitment to conducting a full-scale technical review of the Fire Safety guidance to the Building Regulations (Approved Document B) and to pro...

Apollo Fire Detectors will be celebrating 40 years of making smart devices that keep people safe from fire at FIREX International 2020. The company, which holds the Royal Warrant, can be found on stand FX510 at The Fire Solutions Zone alongside their Halma sister companies. They will be exhibiting a variety of next-generation products including the Soteria range. This includes the flush mounted Soteria Dimension designed for commercial environments with high aesthetic requirements and is also i...

Avon Fire & Rescue Service (AFRS) is changing how it responds to Automatic Fire Alarm signals to reduce its response to unnecessary false alarms. From the 1st April 2020, the new procedure will be introduced and will mean the automatic response to some alarms will be removed. This change follows the implementation of the Service Plan (2019-2022) to ensure that the AF&RS is better able to match resource to risk and ensure public safety. In 2018/19 alone, AF&RS attended over 5,700 cal...

At INTERSCHUTZ 2020, BALS Brandschutz is exhibiting a new version of its tried-and-tested fire safety education and fire prevention case system - this time for stovetop fat fires. One of the most treacherous types of fire associated with open flames typically occurs in kitchens when cooking fats or oils are heated above their burning point and catch fire. Fire prevention concepts What makes such fires so dangerous is that attempts to extinguish them with water can lead to fat explosions. The...

The Homes for Heroes Foundation has donated $5,000 to the National Volunteer Fire Council’s (NVFC) Volunteer Firefighter Support Fund in order to assist volunteer firefighters and EMS providers impacted by a disaster. This is the second donation the Foundation has made to the Support Fund; in December, they contributed $7,500 to help volunteer responders in need. Joanne Hilliard presented NVFC staff with a $7,500 donation from Homes for Heroes for the NVFC Volunteer Firefighter Support Fu...

Following an exhaustive search, the International Fire Suppression Alliance (IFSA) has announced that Paul Sincaglia, P.E. will become the organization’s first full-time Managing Director, effective from March 1, 2020. A fire protection engineering graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Paul brings a broad range of experience to the IFSA. Fire safety industry veteran Most recently, he has served as Director of Industrial, Fire and Life Safety for Osborn Engineering in Cleveland, Oh...

The U.S. Census will take place in 2020. Fire departments have shown interests in becoming a partner with the Census Bureau to encourage their local community to participate. The partners come together to spread the message about the importance of participation in their communities. These trusted voices serve as census ambassadors, helping to create awareness about the importance of participating. Partners run the spectrum of government, nonprofit, corporate, and community organizations that sp...

At Textron Systems, their engineers push themselves daily to rapidly evolve current technologies and meet their customers’ future needs. As part of their team, they are innovators, thinkers, and doers, creating the solutions their customers count on to accomplish their missions. Throughout Engineering Week, Textron highlights engineers from across their family of brands, including Textron Systems, Howe & Howe, TRU Simulation + Training, and Lycoming. Join them as they celebrate the gr...

Fire on board! This is a grave danger for any ship, but especially so when a ship is ostensibly safely docked in the harbor, where 'normal' firefighters are on duty and have to cope with the special challenges on board a ship. Firefighters’ safety Since 2005, 44 potentially disastrous incidents have occurred in German ports alone, including 15 fires and 13 spills of hazardous materials. EFAS, a joint project coordinated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processi...

The Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) and Masimo will honor the San Antonio (TX) Fire Department (SAFD) and the Chesterfield County (VA) Fire and Emergency Medical Services with the Excellence in Fire Service-Based EMS Award. The award presentations will take place on April 30th at the 32nd Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner in Washington, DC. EMS awards program First presented in 2011, the Excellence in Fire Service-Based EMS Award has recognized fire departments fr...

The Fire Industry Manufacturers’ (FIM) Expo is heading to Northern Ireland this spring with a one-day stop on Wednesday, 22nd April to the impressive Titanic Centre in the heart of Belfast, Ireland. Organized by the Fire Industry Association (FIA), FIM Expo features many of the UK's renowned fire detection and alarm manufacturers and focuses on showcasing the latest products and developments in this sector of the industry. Fire Industry Manufacturers’ (FIM) Expo FIM Expo is a road...

Mr. Ed Comeau has been recognized by the International Fire Safety Training Association (IFSTA) and the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) as the recipient of the 2020 Dr. Anne W. Phillips Award for Leadership in Fire Safety Education. Campus fire safety For over 20 years, Comeau has been the leading advocate in the nation for campus fire safety. The genesis of his efforts began in 1999 when he published the first edition of Campus Firewatch, an electronic newsletter that has ra...

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large family of man-made chemical compounds found in a wide range of consumer products, such as nonstick products, polishes, waxes, paints, and cleaning products. Two PFAS compounds, perfluorooctane acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), may be present in firefighting aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) solutions. Certain PFAS can accumulate and stay in the human body for long periods of time. Long-term exposure to PFAS/PFOA/PFOS, in h...

Sepura has been shortlisted for “Large Business of the Year” at the Cambridge News Business Excellence Awards 2020, a reward for achieving record revenues through significant sales around the world, including in the UK, the Netherlands, USA, Canada and Oman. The decision to recognize Sepura’s success is a milestone in their recovery from a challenging financial position in 2017. Since then, the company has succeeded in bringing class-leading products to market, achieving outst...

PANTHER, AT and aerial ladders in 1/43rd and 1/87th scales have already been available to model collectors. German toy manufacturer Dickie Toys, a company of the Simba Dickie Group, presented fire engines in toy format at the Nuremberg Toy Fair at the end of January, making the hearts of the smallest firefighting fans beat faster. Small-Format airport fire engine The aerial ladder and PANTHER are true to Rosenbauer design. In addition to the familiar look, the detailed design of the toy vehicl...

During FIA’s Northern Ireland week, the FIA is excited to be bringing the Fire Industry Manufacturers (FIM) Expo, Northern Ireland Fire Industry Conference (NIFIC) and FIA’s renowned training to Northern Ireland. The events, designed in line with the FIA’s principal objectives, will cover the most pressing subjects in the fire industry, regardless of what your business focuses. The FIM Expo features many of the UK's fire detection and alarm manufacturers and focuses on showcas...

IFEDA, the Independent Fire Engineering & Distributors Association, is delighted to announce the introduction of a new course, Understanding a Fire Risk Assessment. The Fire Safety Order 2005 requires that the Responsible Person in a business must have a fire risk assessment in place. British Standard 5306 parts 3 and 8 stipulate that a fire extinguisher servicing technician must confirm the presence of, and check the contents of, a company’s fire risk assessment. This course has been...

Belfast is the chosen location to host the next FIA FIM Expo. FFE will be showcasing its extensive range of beam smoke detectors and flame detectors. FIM Expo is a brilliant opportunity to see the latest fire detection products, network and attend two free CPD accredited seminars: Overview of the Changes to: BS 5839-1:2017 The future of qualifications in FD&A Visitors can pre-register before the event or on the day when they arrive at the Titanic Centre, Belfast.

Since January 2020, pioneer manufacturer of world class fire evacuation, signalling and building infrastructure system products Vimpex Limited acquires the legal rights and ownership of Sigma Fire and Security and its brands Smart+Guard and Smart+Cage from Evac+Chair International. Vimpex Managing Director James Jones says that "This important acquisition marks a pivotal moment for Vimpex, and an exciting point in our growth as a UK manufacturer.” Alarm System Equipment "Evac+Chair Inte...

The International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) announced its partnership with edtech firm MindEdge Learning to provide an online prep course for IAEM’s Associate Emergency Manager (AEM®) and Certified Emergency Manager (CEM®) certifications. The course offers curated learning, review materials, and sample test questions designed to support student success in applying for the AEM® or CEM® certification. Authority comment “This course will offer more oppo...

The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs’ is honored to announce that Whistler Fire Chief John McKearney has been appointed as the President of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC), effective immediately. He will serve the remainder of past CAFC President, Chief Ken Block’s term. Chief Block stepped down in order to accept the role of Fire Commissioner in the state of Victoria, Australia. “I’m honored to have been appointed by my colleagues and to serve in this...

New FireWatch Mobile App, extended Mobilization integration and flexible working features. Join Infographics for the Webinar! The new phone app, which will feature in the live demo, includes: Location aware capabilities with ‘roaming’ availability cover at any location Automated mobilization, confirmation of attendance and ETA Leave and training workflow requests and approval Access to training course calendar and personal activity calendar Actionable KPIs regarding contracte...

Founded in August 1996, Dave Melton the inventor of Firetrace, could never have envisioned the success his simple invention would have grown to become. 23 years later sees Firetrace Ltd manufacture and install their 100,000th Firetrace Automatic Fire Suppression System. And not only this, it was exchanged to reinstate a system which had expired its lifespan at Discovery Park, Sandwich. Electrical control panels Dave Melton, Inventor of Firetrace says, “I don’t believe it. Original...

Viking Electronics Inc. has announced the release of its brand new 2020 Product Catalog. The catalog features many new innovations, as well as Viking’s core products – such as emergency phones, door entry systems, paging amplifiers, mass notification systems, hot line phones, and more. The catalog is a comprehensive “go-to” resource - offering countless ideas and custom solutions for “Access Control” to “Zone Paging” and everything in between. &ld...

A fire at a high-rise block of flats in North Wales has been successfully extinguished thanks to an effective sprinkler system. North Wales Fire and Rescue Service crews were called to a report of a fire at Bolingbroke Heights, Flint at 1749, and appliances from Flint, Deeside, and Holywell were mobilized to the incident. Firefighters rescued a man in his 70s from a heavily smoke-logged flat within the building. He received a precautionary check for smoke inhalation at the scene. The fire was...

West Yorkshire Fire was first called to a fire at 1317 today, on the ground floor of the Speedibake building on Chald Lane in Wakefield. By 1550, 75% of the ground floor had become consumed by the fire. About 140 firefighters were at the scene from across the country and it is clear the fire service was stretched for available water using a nearby park lake to secure additional supplies for their efforts. There were no reported injuries. Fire Service Statement In a statement released at 1800,...

Angus Fire has announced that the company will be attending The JOIFF Foam Summit 2020, hosted by JOIFF (The International Organization for Industrial Emergency Response and Fire Hazard Management), and held at the Edwardian Radisson Hotel at Heathrow Airport, London, United Kingdom on February 10th 2020. The theme for the JOIFF Foam Summit 2020 is ‘Fire Fighting Foam – Where Are We Now & Where Are We Going’. Speakers from around the world, including renowned scientists, e...