Antigua and Barbuda Fire Industry News

The FIA is offering an exclusive new member benefit service with the offer to have one’s CPD certified by the FIA. All included in the cost of one’s membership, so there is no additional cost. As part of the service, the FIA can host, market and manage all bookings for any of one’s sessions which have been certified by the FIA CPD Certification Center. The FIA will then issue CPD certificates on one’s behalf to the delegates (only if the CPD session is hosted by the...

Aico celebrates a significant milestone in 2020 with finishing 30 years of renowned market presence in Fire and Carbon Monoxide (CO) protection solutions. Incorporated in 1990 in Oswestry, Shropshire, United Kingdom, Aico has rapidly grown from strength to strength over its 30-year history, with the growth being marked by the move to a new, bespoke head office. New Oswestry head office The new 7-acre site came as a necessity as Aico’s growth and success has seen significant expansion to...

The fire industry has made it absolutely clear, led by authorized bodies including the BAFE Fire Safety Register, that the current pandemic does not remove the need to comply with any fire safety requirements under the Building Regulations. As we now look beyond the lockdown period, John Allam, Operations Director at Amthal Fire and Security reviews the raft of new proposals demonstrating the Government and industry’s commitment to compliant fire safety and new immediate demands placed on...

Whether the machine needs to endure frigid temperatures, or it must ward against operator fatigue after long shifts, no one knows a cab’s needs better than the operator. Because of that fact, every machine has specific needs for its cab in order to get the most from its operators. Be it whether that’s a simplified design, solely focused on safety, or a highly-complex set up with numerous amenities. The most efficient way for OEMs to get what they want from their machine is to work w...

Armstrong Fluid Technology has created a series of three webinars designed to help building owners, managers, engineers and contractors discover more effective and efficient solutions for their fire safety needs. Ranging from a live panel discussion with Fire Safety Experts to webinars exploring the benefits of a packaged fire safety approach and the cost saving variable speed fire pumps, the webinars are focused on enhancing building performance. The individual webinars are listed below: Arm...

The term false alarm is used widely throughout the industry to describe an unwanted activation of a fire alarm system. False alarms can be caused by: The build-up of dust on the detector Steam and other fumes activating the detector Burnt food e.g. burning toast Incorrect system testing procedures Unwanted Manual Call Point activations This poll is a snapshot of what those in the business consider to be most common. Manual Call Point related false alarms: User error (in...

AQUASYS delivers 40 wall hydrant systems with high-pressure water mist including 6 pump stations to a well-known R&D partner for the automotive industry. In case of fire they protect more than 100 component, engine, transmission, and roller testing systems in 8 buildings. The decision for the AQUASYS system was based on comparative tests where the suitability and efficiency of the system in direct competition with another existing system was tested and proven on the basis of a 1.5 MW refere...

Apollo spoke to those in the field about emergency call-outs, and the most common causes of them. The research, supported by over 130 engineers, led to similar conclusions as BRE. What are False Alarms, and how do they occur? The term false alarm is used widely throughout the industry to describe an unwanted activation of a fire alarm system. False alarms can be caused by: The build-up of dust on the detector Steam and other fumes activating the detector Burnt food e.g. burning toast In...

Intelagard is giving away up to $75,000 in fire suppression and decontamination equipment to first responders. Twelve Macaw® backpacks with three-piece nozzle sets will be awarded to fire departments, hazmat teams, hospitals, police departments, and municipalities. Dennis Smagac, president of Intelagard, stated, “As the global economy has been severely impacted by the coronavirus, we at Intelagard want to give back to those organizations that have been and continue to be crucial to th...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) has announced hosting a webinar titled ‘Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Preservation and N95 Respirator Decontamination and Reuse’, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U. S. Fire Administration and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. PPE Preservation webinar The webinar will focus on the current research and best practices for preserving and decontaminating personal protective equipment and use of the Battelle Decon...

The NVFC recently hosted a Facebook Live discussion on creative fundraising ideas fire and EMS departments can consider to help bridge funding shortfalls caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent social distancing measures. If one has missed the live event, the recording can be watched on NVFC’s social media page.

The NVFC is running an ongoing survey to better understand the needs of volunteer and combination fire, EMS, and rescue departments dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures. Data collected helps inform the discussions with policymakers in Congress and federal agencies. NVFC asks volunteers to take the survey, and retake it each week so NVFC can track changes over time.    

NVFC chair Steve Hirsch sat down with Side Alpha podcast host Marc Bashoor in February to discuss volunteerism in the fire service, how to stem declining numbers, strategies for recruitment and retention efforts, and the future of the fire service. The podcast is now available for download. 

Anheuser-Busch and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have been named a 2020 Silver Halo Award winner in the Disaster Prevention/Relief category for the Emergency Drinking Water for Wildland Firefighters program. Keeping firefighters hydrated during long incidents or disasters such as wildfires is a critical need for fire departments, yet many volunteer departments struggle with limited budget and resources. To help departments meet this need, Anheuser-Busch teamed up with the NVFC in 2...

The National Fire Protection Association has announced the theme of Fire Prevention Week 2020 is “Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen.” Cooking is the major cause of home fires and home fire injuries in the U.S. NFPA urges to use the week of October 4-10 to educate one’s community on cooking hazards, the dangers of unattended cooking, and precautions one can take to prevent cooking-related fires.

Safety Stand Down is June 14-20, and departments are encouraged to suspend all non-emergency activities to focus on training relating to year 2020’s theme - protecting emergency responders at roadway incidents. Resources are available at the Safety Stand Down website, and webinar details would be posted soon. One can take the Safety Stand Down Quiz by June 17 for a chance to win one of 200 limited-edition challenge coins.

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), in partnership with the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FBHA) and the American Psychological Association (APA), has released a new directory of behavioral health professionals that are equipped and ready to help firefighters, EMS providers, dispatchers, and rescue workers. Emergency responders are at risk of many behavioral health concerns, including anxiety, depression, burnout, post-traumatic and acute stress, addiction, relationship challen...

First Priority Group, LLC, a globally renowned manufacturer, up fitter and service provider of emergency and specialty vehicles, is pleased to announce the introduction of two new product lines for law enforcement and fire vehicle conversions, the BlueTac and RedTac specialized vehicles. The new BlueTac product line will feature pre-configured mission specific vehicles for law enforcement specialty teams. Each BlueTac model is crafted around the core needs of the agencies expanding beyond routi...

Because of the ongoing drought, the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) has once again warned of the increasing risk of forest fires.  There are severe precipitation deficits, especially in the west, in the middle, and parts of northern and eastern Germany, said the vfdb Forest Fire Expert, Fire Director - Dr. Ulrich Cimolino.  Meteorological findings “The previous forecasts do not give any reason to give the all-clear,” said Dr. Ulrich Cimolin...

In relation to the fires in the last 6 months including the recent blaze in south east London that was attended by London Fire Brigade. Envirograf would like to remind people about the dangers of naked flames and embers left on balconies from using a BBQ. Especially, during the outbreak of COVID-19, as many people have been have been staying at home which has led to an increase of people spending more time on their balconies. Providing fire protection As the users can see a simple fire caused...

Erickson Incorporated, a foremost operator, maintainer, and manufacturer of utility aircraft has announced that the United States Department of Defense awarded Erickson Inc and other Non-defense agencies, the NAAMTA Global Medical Transport Accreditation. NAAMTA Auditors completed a systematic audit of company policies and procedures, safety and quality management processes, medical personnel and policies, aviation and maintenance personnel and policies, associated equipment, training, and faci...

Firefighting is a brotherhood that is surrounded by deep-rooted traditions and a calling to serve and protect others. To a majority in this brotherhood, their fellow firefighter is like family; some indeed are family. For Sioux Rapids Fire Department’s (SRFD) father-son firefighters, Fire Chief Scott Scheiber and Fire Captain Brady Scheiber, one of their traditions has come full circle as they visited Toyne, Inc. in Breda, Iowa to inspect the department’s latest Toyne Tanker. Physi...

Global safety equipment manufacturer MSA Safety Incorporated announced plans to expand its Cranberry Township manufacturing footprint to support anticipated future growth and enable productivity improvements within the company’s gas detection product portfolio. The expansion, which includes a new 20,000-square-foot, single-story manufacturing facility adjacent to the company’s existing building in Cranberry Woods Office Park (north of Pittsburgh, Pa.), will be used exclusively for a...

Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation company, announced that the Eighth Annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb set to take place on the steps of Lambeau Field in September, will now be hosted as a virtual fundraising event in support of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). Co-sponsored by the Green Bay Metro Fire Department, the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at Lambeau Field has been recognized as the largest event of its kind in the United States. Due to the unprecedented cir...

The campaign, Don’t Just Specify, Verify!, launched by the BAFE Fire Safety Register earlier in the year 2020 was established to create greater awareness of Third Party Certification in the fire safety sector. It is important that all premises management (i.e. the Responsible Person/Duty Holder) understand quality regulation is present in the fire safety industry through UKAS Accredited Third Party Certification and specify these appropriate providers. This should always be followed up wi...

Nittan Europe announces its Evolution dual optical fire detectors installed into the NHS Nightingale Hospital Bristol. Built in less than three weeks at the University of West of England Frenchay campus, NHS Nightingale Hospital Bristol has the capacity to provide up to 300 intensive care beds for coronavirus patients, if local services need them. The new facility is one of seven Nightingale hospitals to be set up around the country as part of a massive NHS effort to respond to the COVID-19 heal...

The current issue of the in-house publication of the Worshipful Company of Firefighters, Salamander, focuses on the effects of COVID-19 on the services delivered by some of its members. It includes articles from Fire and Rescue Services around the country, including London, Bedfordshire, Kent, East Sussex, Gatwick Airport and Lancashire, describing how each has adapted to the pandemic and worked with partner services. There are also articles from other Company Members who have been affected by t...

This Guidance Note has been prepared by a Special Interest Group (SIG), comprising representatives of FIA member companies, other invited experts in the practice of fire risk assessment in housing premises, and an observer from the National Fire Chiefs Council. Members of the SIG represent companies that carry out, in total, over 40,000 fire risk assessments for multi-occupied residential premises (blocks of flats and maisonettes) per annum. It has been published with the approval of the FIA Bo...

This Guidance Note has been prepared by a Special Interest Group(SIG), comprising representatives of FIA member companies, other invited experts in the practice of fire risk assessment in housing premises, and an observer from the National Fire Chiefs Council. Members of the SIG represent companies that carry out, in total, over 40,000 fire risk assessments for multi-occupied residential premises (blocks of flats and maisonettes) per annum. It has been published with the approval of the FIA Boa...

Protests and riots spread throughout the United States in response to the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis policeman. Firefighters are on the front lines as rioters set fires and even attack firefighters seeking to do their jobs. In Richmond, Virginia, rioters blocked a fire truck from responding to a burning home. Protesters had intentionally set the fire at the home, and there was a child inside. In Philadelphia during a 24-hour period, the fire department responded to doze...