Bermuda Fire Industry News

The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the fire service will continue at least through 2021 and possibly for years to come. Specifically, several aspects of the pandemic have impacted the fire service long-term and have possibly changed it forever.  More awareness of Health Issues For one thing, the pandemic has heightened awareness about issues of health and wellness of firefighters. In this regard, COVID-19 has been just the latest in the series of health and wellness issues surroundin...

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...

UKAS was pleased to contribute to CQI’s recent report ‘The Future of Work’, which explores the realities of “digital transformation” in the workplace. When considering the age of digitalization (often referred to as the 4th Industrial Revolution) ‘The Future of Work’ report considers the key drivers for change that were identified by CQI’s Research Advisory Panel.  These include: Big data and analytics Augmented reality Artificial i...

The end of a challenging year is worth celebrating and so is Twiceme's second anniversary. The last year was difficult for many, while surprisingly promising for a few. Although it was far from the year, Twiceme hoped for on a humanitarian level, new learnings were gathered and adjustments were made, which will result in new opportunities in 2021. Twiceme Technology’s journey towards becoming a global standard of accessible vital info faced several obstacles in early 2020, however, these...

A national inspection has praised the response of South Yorkshire’s fire service to the COVID-19 pandemic. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue adapted to the pandemic effectively, carried on delivering its core services and provided additional support to the community during the first phase of the pandemic. Inspectors also found that staff well-being was made a clear priority for the service and praised senior pioneers for actively promoting well-being services, in a report published b...

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...

Recently the Columbia-Richland Fire Department became one of only 250 fire-service agencies in the U.S. that will take part in a new nationwide pilot program to map areas of risk in the communities. Tracking fires and emergencies In the coming weeks, the new software will be coming online at the department that will help keep track of and chart areas in Richland County that have experienced fires and other types of emergencies. Using this information, the department can then take actions that...

HMICFRS has outlined its key findings in a report which covers how the Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Staff stepped up to support the communities and partners during the pandemic. As a service Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Staff welcomes the opportunity to consider any lessons learned from the inspection. They will review the areas for consideration identified by HMICFRS as they continue to support the staff and partners, whilst trying to ensure the communities safety during these challenging time...

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,...

Vimpex has supplied Agrippa wireless acoustic fire door holders to hold open fire doors at the HQ of one of England’s largest housing associations to provide an easy and effective method of infection control, while not impacting on fire safety. A COVID-secure risk assessment identified the need to reduce the touching of fire door locks and door handles at the organization’s administration offices by staff and visitors. “Reducing the spread of germs and bacteria has never been...

The pandemic has made it difficult to predict demand from one month to the next, when it comes to field service engineering. This makes the flexibility of employing contractors even more attractive. In Autumn 2020, STANLEY Security Solutions approached the Zitko contracts team with a considerable challenge: resource a group of 8 – 10 contractors to support the company’s operations in various UK regions. The requirement was for an immediate start and the specification was strict: mul...

AVK International has added a double spigot fitting and a 3-way socket fitting to our Supa Lock™ range. The new double spigot allows for reversing the male/female connection and comes in handy in connection with the 3-way socket fitting that allows for branching off the pipeline. The patented Supa Lock™ system provides a 100% corrosion-free joint combined with fast and easy assembly with maximum flexibility. Due to its simple design, Supa Lock™ offers long-term safety...

Over the past 24 hours, 08:00 am 20/01/2021 to 08:00 am 21/01/2021, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS) have received 233 calls through its Joint Fire Control. Of the 233 calls, Joint Fire Control received 140 flood-related calls. 71 calls of external flooding, 57 calls of internal flooding, and 12 calls where the flooding posed a risk to life. Amongst the busiest station areas during this period were Abercrave, with 11 incidents, Llandeilo 8, Ammanford 8, Carmarthen 7, and Wel...

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...

Artificial intelligence and journalistic expertise are the basis of a disinformation detection system developed and implemented in a collaboration between press relations, NewsGuard, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing, and Ergonomics FKIE. First use case A qualitative analysis of media coverage of the 2020 US election. The analysis reveals that Donald Trump’s media dominance over his challenger Joe Biden was due primarily to the spread of fake news and...

Dorothy Hosein has stepped down as chief executive of the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust, following a period of ill health. Dr Tom Davis, medical director and deputy chief executive, will continue as interim chief executive while the recruitment process for a substantive chief executive takes place. Recruitment process The process to recruit a permanent chief executive for the Trust is expected to start at the end of this month, with the appointment of a successful candidate expe...

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...

When one of the UK’s major Fire & Security companies needed to hire a number of hard-to-find field engineers, Zitko was their first-choice partner. They were awarded the assignment on an exclusive basis, with a brief to find engineers skilled and certified in both Fire and Security technologies. Engineers tend to specialize in one or another field, so the assignment was challenging, especially with the additional requirement to fill the roles urgently across various locations. Buildi...

For the construction of the 22-storey Sutton Court Road Build to Rent Accommodation in South London, ClearView Communications has chosen and installed Quelfire’s ‘one-stop-shop’ QuelStop Firestopping System to effectively fulfill the passive fire protection requirements of the high-rise project. Comprising a mix of studio, one-, two, and three-bedroom apartments, totaling 165 units over 22 storeys, Sutton Court Road Build to Rent Accommodation is Watkin Jones Group’...

The Agility team is excited to announce the addition of Apollo Fire Equipment & Apparatus Repair as their first exclusive authorized dealer for the state of Michigan. Apollo Fire Equipment has provided Michigan fire departments with the highest quality firefighting and rescue equipment for more than 50 years and they are thrilled to have Apollo on board to support the sales and marketing of our FirstLook360 camera systems for Michigan fire rescue and emergency personnel.

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...

At 18:26 hours on January 18th, 2021, E811 was dispatched as part of the fire task force for a working fire in the 14000 blocks of Cherry Lane Ct. First arriving units found heavy smoke conditions on arrival, with fire originating from a potential HazMat trailer inside the structure. Upon arrival, E811 assisted in extinguishing the surrounding fire and containing the fire to the trailer until it was able to be safely removed. E811 operated for approximately an hour before returning to service.

Innovation in the fire protection industry can oftentimes be slow to move forward, particularly when compared to other similar industries. This is because legislation, regulation, and enforcement, while all necessary proponents within the sector, can often slow the tide of revolutionary ideas. However, the ability to innovate in this industry can quite literally be a matter of life and death. The developing intricacies of modern infrastructure and the demand for more sustainable solutions must...

As the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations begins around the country, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) continues to offer support to the health sector during the pandemic. Having already seen staff from various parts of the Service helping with training new ambulance drivers, supporting the community hubs and working as ambulance drivers, CFRS is now offering its support with the vaccination program. Chief Fire Officer Chris Strickland said: "The pandemic has been such a challenging t...

Fire and rescue service employers have unilaterally scrapped a ground-breaking agreement with the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) which had enabled firefighters to assist the NHS and care sector response to COVID-19. Negotiations over health and safety measures for firefighters delivering high-risk COVID-19 duties were ongoing when the National Employers issued a communication ending the agreement on the evening of Wednesday 13 January. The decision appears to be supported by the National Fire Chiefs...

The Agility team is proud to announce the addition of All Hands Fire as their first exclusive authorized dealer for the New York and New Jersey areas. FirstLook360 camera systems All Hands Fire is a premier fire department equipment supplier providing the latest innovative equipment for police departments, government agencies, firefighters, EMTs, and EMS personnel. We’re excited to have All Hands Fire on board supporting the sales and marketing of their FirstLook360 camera systems for t...

Equipped with a quick-response operational mechanism, Early Suppression Fast Response (ESFR) sprinkler systems respond to flames in the initial stage of the fire development itself. They are high volume sprinkler systems that provide extraordinary protection for highly stacked storage occupancies. ESFR sprinkler systems These ESFR sprinklers are specifically designed to deliver copious amounts of water, so that the fire can be suppressed shortly after the sprinkler operates. Consequently, fire...