South Africa Fire Industry News

Concentrations of hazardous substances in the ambient air at the workplace should not exceed specified limit values. Monitoring these sometimes very low values is a demanding task. The focus of the Dräger X-act 7000, in combination with the Dräger MicroTubes for different gases and vapors, is to measure carcinogenic and toxic substances in the lower ppb range. Dräger X-act 7000 analysis system The range of gases to be measured is being constantly expanded. The measurement-sensit...

Concentrations of hazardous substances in the ambient air at the workplace should not exceed specified limit values. Monitoring these sometimes very low values is a demanding task. The focus of the Dräger X-Act 7000, in combination with the Dräger MicroTubes for different gases and vapors, is to measure carcinogenic and toxic substances in the lower ppb range. The range of gases to be measured is being constantly expanded. The measurement-sensitive system of the X-Act 7000 is based on...

The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) is promoting awareness of the danger of heart attacks in the fire service. A toolkit provided by the IAFC includes information and resources to assist members and fire departments when responding to on-duty or duty-related cardiac events. The international campaign, titled ‘If You Don’t Feel Well, Don’t Make It Your Farewell,’ offers standard operating procedures (SOPs) including an example policy that departments can u...

The COVID-19 pandemic presents new economic challenges to county and municipal governments. Fire departments are likely to be impacted as local governments respond to the economic downturn with spending freezes, hiring freezes and spending cuts. Some local governments are hoping for help from the state and/or federal level. Although some governments have “rainy day funds” to address economic downturns, not all of them do. Furthermore, the extent of the current economic crisis may ex...

With so many of us having been confined to our homes over the past few months, it’s fair to say that we have started to notice more about our living environments. As we’ve become increasingly familiar with our surroundings, some of us have had the urge to change them. DIY projects have surged, gardens have been given a new lease of life and the rooms around our homes have been decorated (twice in some cases). Doors and fire safety It’s always nice to put up new wallpaper and...

Johnson Controls announces the launch of two new TYCO® pressure control valves for fire protection systems: the TYCO® Model RV-1A Pressure Relief Valve and the TYCO® Model PRV-1A Pressure Reducing Valve. The new valves offer simple, low-maintenance solutions for controlling and maintaining the optimal water pressure within commercial fire protection systems. RV-1A Pressure Relief and reducing Valve The TYCO® RV-1A Pressure Relief Valve automatically relieves excess pressure in...

The Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) takes this opportunity during National EMS Week to honor the men and women serving in fire and emergency services departments across the nation who deliver pre-hospital 9-1-1 emergency medical care. The fire service has a rich history of protecting the health and safety of the communities through an ‘all hazards’ response model that includes the delivery of pre-hospital emergency medical care. Fire service-based EMS providers are loca...

Erickson Incorporated, a foremost operator, maintainer, and manufacturer of utility aircraft, just won an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple-award contract as a subcontractor to Metson Marine Services, Inc. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Operational Support Services for Ocean Testing Contract will be performed at government locations based on each individual task order, all over the world. Completion is expected by June 2025.        &nb...

Viking’s Freedom® Residential Sprinkler System has been chosen to protect a new flexible, intelligent, and “right-sized” model home on display at year 2017’s PCBC Expo. The Flex House, presented by Green Builder Media and Shelter Dynamics, is a model home that features a flexible living space that is completely connected, intelligent, resilient, and sustainable. Visitors to PCBC in San Diego, June 28 and 29, can find the Flex House at Booth #705. “Viking is hon...

The revolutionary and progressive vehicle in existence in the fire service industry has left the concept stage and is taking big strides towards series production. Around five years ago, Rosenbauer started developing the first hybrid fire engine. This was due to be one of the highlights at the postponed world's fire service trade fair, Interschutz. Rosenbauer is now bringing the "Revolutionary Technology" out onto the stage and is entering the testing phase of the complete vehicle. CFT becomes...

Johnson Controls announces the launch of two new TYCO® pressure control valves for fire protection systems: the TYCO® Model RV-1A Pressure Relief Valve and the TYCO® Model PRV-1A Pressure Reducing Valve. The new valves offer simple, low-maintenance solutions for controlling and maintaining optimal water pressure within commercial fire protection systems. Maintains a relatively constant system pressure The TYCO® RV-1A Pressure Relief Valve automatically relieves excess pressure...

A personal protection system installed by Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS), in partnership with a local housing provider, prevented a significant house fire in the county in May 2020.  The misting unit is designed to suppress a fire to prevent it from spreading throughout a property, similar in principle to a sprinkler system. personal protective system The personal protective system (PPS) is a self-contained portable unit and works differently, as they also help keep proper...

Discussions with architects, developers and others, as well as main contractors when discussing areas of a sprinklered building frequency relate to areas where sprinkler protection can be omitted. One concern often raised with the British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association (BAFSA) is the possibility of injury or damage when sprinkler protection is installed in electrical utility rooms.  BS 5306 Part 0 standards The forthcoming iteration of BS 5306 Part 0 standards contains advice on the...

June 14 marked the third anniversary of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. As an organization, and as individuals, all have spent the last few days reflecting deeply on the Grenfell Tower disaster where 72 people tragically lost their lives and countless other lives changed forever. ‘The Bishop of Kensington, Graham Tomlin, said commemorating the fire has been "quite a challenge" because of coronavirus. Remembering Grenfell Yet thousands of people illuminated their rooms and houses green for G...

Beyond keeping the industry updated on the latest updates on the most important topics, the FIA is actively involved in these topics through its work with Government, councils and committees. The section aims to serve as a collection of the FIA’s involvement with a variety of topics and will be continuously updated moving forward with links to the relevant news story where available. This will allow one to see what FIA have done and are doing to improve the industry for the members. COVID...

Accela, a renowned provider of cloud-based solutions for government, announced the launch of its Civic Application for Fire Prevention. The solution helps fire departments increase their capacity and effectiveness and ensure they are equipped in the case of emergencies, especially amid an evolving environmental and public safety landscape. It consists of a complete system for managing permitting and inspection processes, including a mobile application available both online and offline to keep f...

2020 introduced a variety of unique challenges for many industries around the world. Not surprisingly, the fire detection industry was not immune to all of those challenges. However, as much of the global community defined our manufacturing and installing peers as “essential” or “critical” it required us, as an industry, to adapt so we could continue to service our customers with our products and services. Many regions around the world are experiencing significant deman...

Viking Electronics introduces ceiling speaker - the 30AE-70V for 70-Volt and 25-Volt paging systems that are economical and dynamic. The speaker distributes sound evenly, accurately, and affordably. “The 30AE-70V efficiently produces high quality audio and is a great addition to Viking’s paging collection,” said Paul Speltz, Senior Engineer, Viking Electronics, Inc. 30AE-70V ceiling speaker Viking’s new 30AE-70V ceiling speaker is designed to evenly distribute sound fr...

Due to the current lockdown in place, there have been restrictions on access to the site, both office and customer premises.  The Certification Body however will be required to assess competence on-site but may issue temporary certification during this period. Interested parties can contact the Certification Body for their current position. Concession granted It is the BAFE position that if scheme requirements cannot be fully met due to the current lockdown issues relating to access to c...

At 20:00 hours, E811 responded to a reported basement fire in the 7300 block of 16th Place in Co. 34’s area. E811 turned out with 6 and arrived on the scene, where units found smoke showing and a fire in the basement. The fire was soon knocked by E834 and searches were negative. E811 operated as RIT throughout the incident before returning to service.

MSA, the global front-runner in the development, manufacture, and supply of safety products that protect people and facility infrastructures, announced that Kenneth Krause, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer will participate in a webcasted conference call sponsored by Baird on Tuesday, June 16, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. ET.

The tragic Grenfell Tower fire incident occurred three years ago, on the 14th of June 2017. BAFE, the British Approvals for Fire Equipment has offered thoughts to the families and friends, at this time, who have lost loved ones and who have been affected in other ways by the saddening Grenfell Tower fire event. safeguarding lives in fire incidents BAFE have been working diligently to assist in making positive change to safeguard from any future loss of life and to dramatically improve building...

On April 29, National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) Chair Steve Hirsch asked President Donald Trump to exercise various legal authorities to assist emergency services organizations in dealing with challenges associated with COVID-19 and social distancing. Specifically, the NVFC is asking the President to: Exercise his authority under the Defense Protection Act (DPA) to encourage manufacturers to produce more personal protective equipment, like respirators, gloves, gowns, and face shields, to...

Titan are pleased to announce that they are offering a new range of luxury armored vehicles for use in corporate, government and private security sectors across Europe. Titan are now able to provide custom built armored cars including Range Rover, Mercedes Benz and Toyota Land Cruisers. The standard range offers full body armoring with B6 level protection, B6 overlaps to provide protection from bullets following linear and angular trajectories, upgraded suspension, wheel assemblies, slotted dis...

A flagship school in Port Talbot, Ysgol Bae Baglan, is being protected by fire panels from Advanced. Built by Bouygues UK, the new super-school is the first vertically integrated school in Wales, merging four older educational establishments into one. With 1,500 pupils ranging from reception class to GCSE level (3-16), it represents a large investment in school infrastructure in Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council. At the heart of the school’s active fire protection system, which co...

Scientists from the Institute for Fire and Disaster Protection in Heyrothsberge near Magdeburg have proven in a recent study that dangerous carbon monoxide (CO) penetrates through walls without any problems.  As the researchers report in detail in an article in the magazine of the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) (issue 2/2020), various building materials were examined. A clear passage of CO gas was detected. The concentrations detected were relevant from a to...

With recent developments in the approach out of lockdown, Fire and Rescue Services nationwide have been publishing useful advice and guidance for commercial/non-domestic buildings. A recent news item published by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) for example, announced a new fire safety leaflet “Returning to Work after COVID-19 Lockdowns” noting important fire safety measures that should continue to be followed to adhere to legislation. new safety measures BAFE has...

Brendan McGarrity, Head of Risk and Design at Evolution, the integrated fire and security systems business, has been admitted to the Register of Chartered Security Professionals. Becoming a Chartered Security Professional is a means of being recognized and continuing to represent the high standards and ongoing proficiency within the Security Industry. It is the gold standard of competency in security. Brendan says he is proud and honored to have been recognized by the Register as a CSyP: &ldqu...

Apollo Fire Detectors’ SOTERIA® range of detectors has been chosen to protect Ulster Bank’s headquarters in Belfast. Owned by RBS, Ulster Bank Group is a bank in Ireland with a branch network across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The group moved its headquarters to development in Donegall Square East in Belfast in 2000. The building required a life cycle replacement of its existing fire alarm system, which had been in service for 18 years, along with addition...

At a meeting of its Council on 9 June 2020, Members of the Construction Industry Council (CIC) appointed Justin Sullivan as its new Deputy Chair commencing with immediate effect. Justin is expected to succeed Stephen Hodder MBE, the incumbent Chair, following CIC’s June 2021 Council meeting when Stephen will stand down from his two year term of office as Chair and resume the role of Deputy Chair for one last year, in accordance with CIC’s rules and byelaws. High-end residential sec...