United Kingdom (UK) Fire Industry News

Avon Protection is proud to be attending the first World Defense Show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 06-09 March. Avon Protection has been a trusted partner in Saudi Arabia, with its products deployed in military and first responder units for many years. As a world leader in respiratory and head protection systems, Avon Protection is committed to supporting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s mission to achieve self-sufficiency in its military industries, with the development of world-class military...

Avon Protection Ceradyne in conjunction with 3M™ PELTOR™ are pleased to offer a new integrated headset adapter solution for use with the U.S. DOD Integrated Head Protection System (IHPS). The Avon Protection Ceradyne IHPS headset adapters allow for select 3M™ PELTOR™ ComTac™ headsets to be seamlessly mounted to the rails of the IHPS helmet. This new solution integrates exceptional ballistic performance with hearing protection and communications, while providing...

In 2020, the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) awarded Avon Protection a 10-year contract to supply a complete CBRN personal respirator system. The framework contract enables NATO countries and partners to purchase Avon Protection’s market foremost respirator system, including the FM50, MP-PAPR, ST53, filters, and related accessories. Delivering of the 100,000th FM50 across all NATO nations Not only have Avon Protection recently completed their first successful year of deliver...

AVK International introduce a new range of large diameter resilient seated gate valves for fire protection applications 08-07-2021. The new range is manufactured at the premises in Denmark and consists of gate valves in DN450-600 available in three main types:  With rising stem (OS&Y) and handwheel  With non-rising stem (NRS), post indicator flange, and wrench nut With non-rising stem (NRS), ISO flange, and wrench nut. The three valve types are available with PN16 or ANSI...

When extinguishing systems protect against risks involving e.g. plastics or flammable liquids, the use of foam agents is almost indispensable. Using those, many materials can be extinguished more efficiently or even at all. However, these foams often contain per/poly-fluorinated chemicals persistent and toxic, so manufacturers and users are actively looking for environmentally friendly solutions; also because of the increasingly tightened legal limits. fluorine-free biodegradable extinguishing...

CHEMTREC and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) are teaming up for the fourth year to provide volunteer fire departments with the CHEMTREC HELP (Hazmat Emergencies Local Preparedness) Award to enhance their hazardous materials response capabilities and improve responder safety. CHEMTREC HELP Award The 2022 application period is now open until September 1, 2022. Two U.S. volunteer fire departments will each receive US$ 10,000, through the CHEMTREC HELP Award in 2022. Fire departments m...

National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) members can enter to win a personalized Cairns XF1 Fire Helmet, courtesy of MSA Safety Incorporated (MSA Safety). Cairns XF1 Fire Helmet The jet-style design of the Cairns XF1 Fire Helmet reduces snag hazards, provides a personalized fit, and houses its own integrated light module, and the soft goods are removable, washable, and replaceable. This is the second of three opportunities to win an XF1 helmet in 2022. One recipient will be randomly selected, a...

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Authority (SYFRA) has appointed a new Assistant Chief Fire Officer. Andy Strelczenie was appointed following a selection process, which included a written application, operational assessment and three interviews – including a final one with members of the Fire Authority’s appointments committee. Andy has worked within the fire and rescue service for 26 years, originally at Hereford and Worcester Fire & Rescue Service before transferring to South...

The episode begins with Jonathan O’Neill OBE, FPA Managing Director, speaking with Chris Miles, Regional Business Director at UL, to explore how international testing practices could benefit the UK’s own building safety. Their discussion starts with a look at the Building Safety Act receiving royal assent, and whether a clearer, more transparent, and more effective specification and testing regime for construction products was being achieved. Chris casts doubt over whether this has...

Kent Fire and Rescue Service is proud to announce during Pride Month, that it’s the first emergency service to achieve the Pride in Care quality standard for its commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). Awarded by the national charity, Opening Doors, the standard is given to organizations that commit to strengthening their inclusion of LGBTQ+ people over 50. comprehensive accreditation process The fire service underwent a comprehensive accreditation process to receive the...

Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) is delighted to announce it has been awarded the Investing in Volunteers (liV) quality standard, in recognition of its commitment to volunteering.  The celebrations also mark the start of national Volunteers’ Week, which begins on 1 June.  recruits; supports and manages volunteers Throughout the process to achieve the accolade, KFRS worked with an IiV assessor to examine how it recruits, supports, and manages volunteers, to ensure they have...

Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire) and East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (East Con) announced staffing of the new, but previously unopened, Fire Station 55 in Oakley. The station is fully staffed for the first time with a three-firefighter engine company equipped to dispatch on either the station’s standard Type 1 Engine 55 or its wildland firefighting Engine 355. Positive impacts The addition of this fire crew is expected to have positive impacts on fire a...

The contributions made by selfless volunteers who provide life-saving care in emergencies, transport patients to vital appointments, and offer a variety of other essential support are being hailed by the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST). EEAST is thanking its army of nearly 1,000 volunteers during volunteers’ week, which begins on 1 June and runs until 7 June. They include: Around 900 community first responders (CFRs), leap into action to tackle medical emergencies in the...

Fire safety and protection are more prevalent now than ever before. There is a huge push on competency and compliance for the installation and products in the fire industry in 2022, following tragic recent events such as Grenfell. Just like a plumber would need to showcase that they are competent to service a boiler, the demand for fire protection installers to show they are competent is essential. What is Passive fire protection (PFP)? Passive fire protection (PFP) is a crucial component of...

The LFB accepted every recommendation made by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and has already implemented 26 of the 29 recommendations directed specifically at the LFB and other fire and rescue services. One key recommendation has seen the introduction of an electronic system to record Fire Survival Guidance (FSG) call information in the control room and display it simultaneously in command units and at the bridgehead – a safe working space at least two floors below the fire). The FSG app...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is pleased to announce that Dr. Candice McDonald will join the staff as deputy chief executive officer. In this role, she will assist CEO Sarah Lee in managing the internal operations of the NVFC, including grants oversight, budget development, organizational planning, and more.   “We are very excited for Dr. Candice McDonald to join the NVFC as a key part of our staff leadership team,” said Lee. “Candice brings a myriad of...

MSA Safety, Inc., the global pioneer in the development, manufacture, and supply of sophisticated safety solutions that help to protect people and facility infrastructures announces the launch of the MSA Bacharach® MGS-401 Entrance Monitor. MGS-401 Entrance Monitor The MGS-401 improves facility safety by displaying gas concentration levels outside the monitored area. This entrance monitor provides clear audible and visual alarms with a perimeter strobe, enabling compliance with IIAR, ASHRA...

Alongside the Fire Safety Act, the UK government has now committed to Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 and a raft of new measures that are designed to ensure a full response to the Grenfell Tower inquiry recommendations. The launch, coming at the same time as the commencement of the Fire Safety Act 2021, is described as ‘the most comprehensive plans for fire reform in decades’. The plans will be set out in the UK government’s Fire Reform white paper, in order to strength...

SMARTSHOOTER, a designer, developer, and manufacturer of innovative fire control systems that significantly increase the accuracy and lethality of small arms, will present the SMASH X4, a Fire Control System with an x4 magnifying optic scope, at the Eurosatory exhibition in Paris. Detection, recognition & identification SMASH X4 combines an x4 magnifying optic scope with SMARTSHOOTER's SMASH unique fire control capabilities, thus providing extended detection, recognition & identificati...

The National Foam Fire Protection Engineering Seminar is the only one of its kind conducted anywhere. As a participant, the user will be among a select group of practicing engineers and technical personnel who will be able to earn a certificate of completion this year. The instruction is concentrated and intense, and class size is limited. Why attend this seminar? 20-hour class certificate awarded upon conclusion of the seminar. Live demonstrations of fluorine-free foam systems. Discuss...

Fire crews used an aerial platform to bring a distressed tawny owl to safety after it had become stuck in overhead phone lines. West Yorkshire Fire Service control center received a call at 06:15 after noisy crows had raised the alarm to residents. Rescuing the owl Station Manager - Ronnie Goldwater attended the scene followed by animal rehabilitation volunteer Vikki Clarke, who took the bird to a specialist vet and left it in rehab. Mr. Goldwater said, "It was so distressed and flapping...

Possibly the most common question asked. The simple answer is quite probably, yes. Every property (excluding a single occupancy domestic home) from an HMO to a block of flats, care home, nursery, school, community center, warehouse, hotel the list goes on MUST by law, have a “regular” fire risk assessment completed.  Fire risk assessment Under the “Regulatory Reform (fire safety) Order 2005” it is law that "The responsible person must make a suitable and sufficient...

A safety warning on the use of lithium-ion batteries is being issued by Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) following several battery related fires this month. A safety warning on the use of lithium-ion batteries is being issued by Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) following several battery related fires this month. Lithium-ion batteries, or li-ion batteries (sometimes called LIBs) are commonly found in many items including mobile phones, laptops, e-bikes, hover boards, vaping devices and sco...

When it comes to the correct selection of fixed fire-fighting suppression systems, there are many external influences that can affect the correct specification of fire suppression for the protection against fire of many buildings. By far the two biggest influences are cost and space, when the decision should be based on hazard, risk, effectiveness, longevity of water supply, fire strategy, third-party approvals, standards, research & testing, proven track records, and insurability. Fixed f...

Avon Protection will showcase its full range of integrated personal protection solutions at Eurosatory 2022, including full-face respirators, ballistic helmets, escape hoods, SCBA systems, modular PAPR units, underwater equipment, and CBRN protective equipment. There, the Group will demonstrate its position as a world-renowned company in CBRN protection, with its respiratory technology solutions that are designed to meet the modern threat environment and enhance the capability of the tactical m...

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP), the UK’s trade association for passive fire protection, will be showcasing its range of training courses, guidance documents, and membership services on stand 3A/H30 at the Fire Safety Event at Birmingham NEC from 5-7 April. Their experts will be on hand to answer all the passive fire protection queries, discuss the latest regulatory requirements, and to explain how their training courses can help to demonstrate competency. Fire prot...

FIREX International 2022 was bustling with visitors, glad to be back networking, demonstrating new technologies, and sharing ideas. Education was high on the agenda across the three days at London’s Excel, with various live seminars and panel discussion sessions held throughout the show. Fire Education Seminars covered topics ranging from social sustainability to safety leadership, while the Fire Protection Association (FPA) InfoZone hosted sessions on sprinklers in schools, the safety...

West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service welcomes the commencement of the Fire Safety Act in England and Wales, and the Fire Safety Regulations in England, as important steps forward in improving fire safety. responsible persons The service is also urging responsible persons (RPs) for multi-occupied residential buildings to prepare for legislation that will commence in January 2023. The Act clarifies that RPs for multi-occupied residential buildings must manage and reduce the risk of fir...

In association with a building’s built-in passive fire resisting features, residential sprinkler systems have been demonstrated to be very effective at protecting lives from fire, both of the occupants and those attending. Their use has typically been prevalent where normal safety measures might be considered insufficient to assure the safety of occupants either due to their own special needs, or due to the specific challenges of the building such as its height, layout, or remoteness from...

Trends in garments and protective gear for firefighters are evolving to address the changing needs of the fire service. Garments worn by firefighters must be comfortable and allow an adequate range of motion. They must protect first responders from hazards such as heat and exposure to blood-borne pathogens. Fire service clothing must be durable to withstand long-term usage in hostile environments. “It’s personal for everyone in the industry,” says Oliver Spoecker, Director, W...