Wildfires - News

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is investing in rural economies, reducing wildfire risk, and improving forest conditions by awarding $7.62 million in grants as part of the agency’s Wood Innovations Grant program.  Program opportunities  The Wood Innovations Grant program advances innovations in wood products that create jobs, revitalize local economies, and support sustainable forest land management. Thirty-five business, non-profit, university and tri...

Big Bear Fire Department announces that it will suspend its popular chipping program for the 2020 season. This grant-funded program has been highly successful in helping residents create defensible space around their structures.  denied grant letters The Fire Department actively researches and applies for hazardous fuel reduction grants to keep the chipping program and the hazardous tree removal program going. The Department recently received denial letters for the three grants appl...

For the first time, community wildfire risk has been mapped nationwide to help community leaders mitigate risk. The USDA Forest Service announced the free, interactive, easy-to-use website, Wildfire Risk to Communities. This website is designed to help community leaders nationwide understand how wildfire risk varies across a state, region, or county and allow them to prioritize actions to protect their communities. The Forest Service is leading the Wildfire Risk to Communities project...

Residents across the county are being urged to stay fire safe, while they isolate themselves with their families at home, during the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic.A week into the UK government’s instruction to stay at home except for essential journeys, fire crews have responded to several fires that might have been easily avoided by following some simple fire safety advice. Ahead of the pandemic reaching the predicted peak, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service wants to ensure crews a...

Fire Equipment Inc. is very pleased to announce that three great Cape Cod-based fire protection businesses are combining into the only full-service fire protection company located on Cape Cod. The three fire protection businesses include: Fire Equipment Inc. – Fire Alarms & Special Hazard Suppression Systems Ralph J. Perry Inc. – Fire Extinguishers & Kitchen Fire Systems CANCO Fire Sprinkler Services – Fire Sprinkler Systems These three businesses are now combi...

As a supplier of lighting and warning equipment for the public safety organizations that serve communities, Code 3 will continue operations during this difficult time. There is an update on Code 3's status from ESG (ECCO Safety Group) President for Americas region, John Ducharme. ESG and Code 3 recognize that many of the customers directly support first responders, as well as private and government agencies that are directly responsible for not only keeping everyone safe, but also for maintaini...

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a major incident being declared by Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service. With the number of confirmed cases continuing to rise throughout the UK and the government's advice for those showing symptoms or knowing someone showing symptoms, to isolate for extended periods, the Service is getting ready to face staffing challenges. Prepare for COVID-19 impact Chief Fire Officer - Chris Strickland said, “Please be assured that we currently have...

International Fire Suppression Alliance, Ltd. (IFSA) recognized that the emergence of the COVID-19 virus spread, declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), has resulted in the postponement or cancellation of virtually all industry events over the next few months, as countries struggle to contain it.  Fire Industry events cancelled The list of international events and trade shows cancelled and postponed includes: 17-18 March 2020 - ABSpk conference in Sao Paulo –...

The most important investment a firefighter must make is in the boots he or she wears on the job. Firefighters cannot afford to be distracted by unnecessary discomfort and pain as they try to save the lives and property of others. Firefighting boots can be classified as Structural, USAR, Wildland, HAZMAT, or any combination of these mentioned. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) establishes standards for safety in firefighter boots. HAIX® meets the standard with the selection of...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will invest more than $41 million this fiscal year through the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership for projects that mitigate wildfire risk, improve water quality and restore healthy forest ecosystems on public and private lands. Funding for 36 projects includes $10.6 million for 16 new projects and $30.5 million to complete work on 20 projects previously selected in 2018 and 2019. Through the projects, USDA’s Forest Service (FS) and Na...

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 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...

Good outcomes in communities before, during, and after a wildfire event are dependent upon a holistic look at the risk and effective, ongoing community engagement by firefighters, residents, and all partners in an area. Whole Community approach Good communication allows all participants to feel that their perspectives are heard and valued and increases their willingness to participate in promoting wildfire safety. This is the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Whole Community approach. Use...

Due to climate change, wildfires will increase in violence and occurrence every year. As energy will continue to be stored in the atmosphere, extreme weather phenomenon like droughts and heatwaves will be more frequent, at the same time the increasing temperature will decrease the moisture in biomass. As such, the high-risk days of wildfire, in North America alone, will increase from 37 in 2009 to 59 in 2050. Two months, where North America is burning. Emergency response personnel, across the g...

Dry fire sprinkler systems have been around for a long time and are used to protect unheated warehouses and structures, where freezing temperatures could cause the pipes in a wet pipe sprinkler system to burst. They are also increasingly being used in areas containing sensitive or very expensive contents due to the fears that leaking fire sprinkler pipes could cause. As the use of dry pipe systems has become more widespread, concerns regarding the impact of corrosion common in dry pipe systems...

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) is celebrating after receiving a resounding ‘good’ report from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). The independent assessors visited WYFRS this summer as part of a national inspection program of all 45 fire and rescue services in England. effectiveness, efficiency The results of the tranche three of the inspections have been published, reporting on 15 more of the fire and rescue s...

Erickson Incorporated, a worldwide renowned operator, maintainer, and manufacturer of utility aircraft, has been recognized as a Top 10 Defense Manufacturing Provider for 2019. Defense manufacturing “We are an aircraft OEM that has much of the same capabilities of the larger OEMs, such as Lockheed and Boeing, when it comes to defense manufacturing and MRO capabilities (maintenance, repair, and overhauling), yet with the agility of a small business,” said Kevin Cochie, Vice Presiden...

An article entitled, ‘Brazil Burning’ in the November/December 2019 issue of the NFPA Journal gives examples of the breakdown in what the National Fire Protection Association is now terming the country’s ‘fire and life safety ecosystem’. Recent fire incidents in Brazil In the NFPA Journal article, Angelo Verzoni, of the writing staff at the National Fire Protection Association, lists the September 12, 2019 Badim Hospital fire in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil that killed...

It’s only been in the past several years that thermal imaging cameras (TIC) have moved up in the firefighting equipment hierarchy from “nice to have” to “must-have” status. Two big factors in this greater acceptance of TICs are a lower cost per unit and growing support for TICs as life-safety equipment on the same level as SCBA and PPE. Cost-effective cameras More fire departments were able to buy thermal imaging cameras due to the low cost and use on a regular b...

The ideal fire extinguisher test equipment offers efficient health protection and cost savings in equal measure, combined with a strong environmental awareness. Brandschutztechnik Müller GmbH attaches great importance to the above mentioned factors in all its product developments, with occupational safety and ergonomics considered to be the key focus. Powder suction machines (PSM) Brandschutztechnik Müller guarantees optimum ergonomic handling when testing, emptying and filling fire...

Halloween and Bonfire Night can be plenty of fun for all of the family to enjoy, but with lots of potential hazards, it’s really important to keep the user and their family safe. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is encouraging people to enjoy the autumn festivities safely by following some simple safety advice. Organized fireworks display Group Commander Paul Clarke, the Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Head of Community Fire Safety, said: “We wish everyone a h...

The International Security Expo 2019 will bring together government, industry, academia, and the entire end-user community in charge of regulation & procurement under one roof, to debate current challenges and to source the latest security technologies and services. ISSEE will be present at this globally renowned security event. International Security Expo International Security Expo is the fastest-growing international showcase of security with 375+ international exhibitors and educationa...

Evacuation planning is one of the most difficult tasks in emergency management. Bottlenecks on evacuation routes have resulted in deaths. Because of this, StreetLight Data researched small towns across the U.S. and their evacuation routes. The results are available free to government agencies looking to develop disaster evacuation plans or improve infrastructure. Research details  The research involved 30,000 towns in the U.S. with populations under 40,000. These communiti...

Abbot Fire Group is delighted to announce that they have achieved BAFE SP203-1, the accreditation for fire alarm design, installation, commissioning and maintenance. This is an extension of their existing BAFE SP203 accreditation for maintenance of fire alarms. BAFE SP203-1 accreditation The BAFE SP203-1 accreditation ensures that all elements of fire alarm design, installation, commissioning, handover, and maintenance are now covered by this independent third party, industry recognized accred...

A man has been sentenced to 27 months in a Young Offender Institute for arson, after lighting a fire on Ilkley Moor, which could have been 'catastrophic'. Mohammed Zulkifl admitted the offense at Bradford Crown Court earlier in 2019. setting fire to the grass The court heard the 20-year-old lit a fire using a cigarette lighter while fire crews were already battling two separate larger fires on the moor, which had broken out earlier the same day neither of which have been attributed to Zulkifl...

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...

When the structure of the Parisian cathedral burned, the Parisian fire brigade sent a tracked robot inside the burning nave, dragging a 70-liter hose and delivering between 1500 and 2000 liters of water per minute, which is too insufficient to extinguish the enormous burning structure. Parisian cathedral fire extinguishing task With current technologies, attacking the fire from elevating platforms would have been more appropriate Onlookers to the arduous fire extinguishing task taken up by th...

Since its beginning dating back to 1981 (a division of W.S. Darley since 1997), ODIN Foam has specialized in customizing Foam and CAFS firefighting systems. In fact, ODIN Foam had 7 CAFS engines at the Yellowstone Fire in 1987. Customizing systems to fit customers’ wants and needs has been a stronghold for Odin Foam and continues now. In 2016, ODIN Foam equipped firefighters with almost 200 customized CAFS systems, Ultra-High Pressure systems, and Drop-In Skid systems (with and without fo...

FIREX International 2019 (FIREX 2019) was great success for Application Solutions (Safety and Security) Ltd (ASL), as the organization welcomed clients, distribution partners and media at ExCeL London exhibition and convention center, for the duration of the fire safety exhibition. Head of Business Development at Application Solutions (Safety and Security) Ltd (ASL), Neil Voce, stated “We got the opportunity to discuss a number of new projects with existing clients and new prospects over...

Bushfires are inevitable; a lightning strike, human negligence, accidents, or arson can start this catastrophe. It is important for people living in rural, semi-rural or a country town to be aware of their area is on a fire-prone zone; the Shire council have maps that locate these zones. The Shire is responsible for securing certain procedures that are conducted and that the standards of fire preparedness in the local community are high. Some of these procedures include reducing flammable fuels...