United Kingdom (UK) Fire Industry News

A fire at Veolia’s recycling center off the Old Kent Road was likely caused by a wrongly-disposed lithium battery, the company said. Veolia issued a warning to Southwark residents to safely dispose of their waste after the fire, to which four fire engines and 25 firefighters were called. There were no injuries, added the London Fire Brigade – but it said the incident could’ve been worse if a sprinkler system hadn’t been in place. 500kg of recyclable materials were damaged...

West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) announced that it will be hosting two realistic and interactive road traffic collision (RTC) rescue challenges at this year’s Emergency Services Show. Extrication Challenge Taking place at the NEC, National Exhibition Centre Birmingham, United Kingdom from 18 to 19 September, 2019, the Extrication and First Aid & Trauma Challenges will provide an arena for some of the UK’s best rescue personnel to come together and develop their proficiency lev...

West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) has been graded as ‘Good’ in a report published on 20th June by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). This is the first report completed by HMICFRS into WMFS since the inspection program recommenced in 2018 after a break of several years, during which time WMFS has seen significant government funding reductions. Safety and rescue report The inspectorate has commented that they are ‘very pl...

Xact is delighted to announce that it has won a five-year contract with London Fire Brigade to provide fire safety training to its inspecting officers. London Fire Brigade contract It marks a hat trick for the training provider with the UK’s busiest brigade, having already scooped two other LFB contracts earlier this year to provide courses and qualifications in Level 5 Diploma Fire Engineering Design and HTM Healthcare Premises. LFB are looking forward to developing our partnership with...

Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) is effective, efficient and looks after its people. Following an independent inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), the service has been awarded ‘good’ in all three areas in the first review of its kind. And as a result, Kent has emerged as one of the top performing services in the country, of those assessed so far as part of a rolling program to inspect all 45 fire and rescue services...

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate for Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has published its inspection report on Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS). TWFRS was graded as Good in all three areas inspected. HMICFRS looked at how effectively and efficiently the Service prevents and protects the public from, and responds to, fires and other emergencies. It also examined how well they look after the people. In its summary the HMICFRS stated: “Overall, we commend Tyne...

Byker firefighters have been commended by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service Chief Fire Officer Chris Lowther for their lifesaving actions on the River Tyne. Crews were dispatched to the quayside at around 5am on Sunday May 5 after receiving reports of a woman threatening to jump from the Tyne Bridge. During their journey to the River Tyne, they received an update confirming that she had jumped into the water. Locating woman using thermal imaging camera When the crews arrived at the pontoo...

Sepura has received recognition from the critical communications industry by winning three awards at the 2019 Critical Communications Awards held at CCW. Sepura won ‘Best Use of Critical Communications in Vertical Markets’ for their installation of STP8X radios and applications at Shell’s refinery plant in Singapore. Awards won by Sepura at CCW2019 In addition, Sepura was recognized for their implementation of a full site communications system at Heathrow Airport walking awa...

Set to stand at 62-storeys high, 22 Bishopsgate in the City of London will, on completion, become the second-tallest building in Western Europe. The 278m office building will offer 1.275 million sq. ft of high specification office space, as well as eight community spaces, covering over 100,000 sq ft, including an innovation hub, curated gallery space, fresh food market, gym and wellbeing retreat. Once completed, Advanced will protect both of Western Europe’s tallest buildings, with 22 Bish...

Installation of fire protection equipment is required in commercial, industrial, and public buildings to maintain the safety of people in the event of an emergency. The Office of the Technical Regulator (OTR) is the regulatory authority for FCF Mackay fire service installations. They are responsible for the electrical, gas, and plumbing safety and technical regulations in South Australia. They conduct inspections to ensure fire service installations comply with Australian Standards. Build...

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) released its annual “U.S. Firefighter Fatalities in the United States” report, which showed a total of 64 U.S. firefighter fatalities while on duty in 2018. This continues a five-year trend of fewer than 70 deaths per year. It is also the eighth time in the last 10 years that fewer than 70 on-duty deaths have occurred; the death toll is half what it was in the first five years that NFPA conducted this study. Of the 64 fatalit...

Crews were called to Earle House in Winchester around 10pm to reports of a fire in a bin store area. Two crews from Winchester and one from Eastleigh attended the incident. Fire chiefs say the sprinkler system was set off, helping to keep the fire under control until their arrival. Crews then managed to extinguish the fire. They believe the fire may have been started from a discarded cigarette butt or another lit item, such as a candle, which had not been put out properly.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has released NFPA 1300, Standard on Community Risk Assessment and Community Risk Reduction Plan Development. This new standard helps a broad range of authorities determine what kind of emergencies are occurring in their community, where, and to whom. Community Risk Assessment Community Risk Reduction (CRR) is a process that helps identify and prioritize all types of risks, and emphasizes the integrated and strategic investment of resources to red...

There are over 1 million electric and plug-in cars on U.S. roads. The batteries used in these cars have special safety concerns for first responders if there is a car fire. These cars can experience multiple classes of fires: Class A (tires, fabrics, plastics). Class B (fuel). Class C (lithium-ion batteries in hybrid and electric cars). Class D (magnesium, titanium, aluminum, and lithium). common risks Electric vehicle fires can be thousands of degrees hot. Applying water or foam...

Jactone's certified protection and quality that the PAFSS LPS1666 electrical enclosure fire suppression systems offer are spreading around the globe. This recent order for the systems came from a customer in New Zealand and it is now on the way over to them. The LPS1666 certified PAFSS fire suppression provides protection inside the enclosure and discharge at the heart of the fire, extinguishing quickly and preventing the fire from spreading to neighboring enclosures/equipment and the wider bui...

The Metropolitan “Metro” Fire Chiefs Association, a Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) held its 2019 annual conference in Edmonton, Alberta June 8-14. More than 110 Metro chiefs from Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Mexico, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States attended the conference and elected the Association’s 2019-2020 officers and board members. The officers are: Chi...

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...

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) announced Roger Allard, Robert G. Bill, Gunnar Heskestad, and Hsiang-Cheng Kung as the winners of 2019 Phillip J. DiNenno Prize. The award and $50,000 in prize money were presented at NFPA’s Conference & Expo in San Antonio. The prestigious DiNenno Prize recognizes groundbreaking innovations that have had a significant impact in the building, fire and electrical safety fields. The prize is named for the late Philip J. DiNenno, the greatl...

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) elected Patrick J. Morrison to its board of directors at the association’s annual Conference & Expo in San Antonio. The three-year term for each member takes effect upon the close of the conference. Three existing board members, Hatem Kheir, Teresa L. Deloach Reed, and Stacy N. Welch were re-elected to a second three-year term. General President At IAFF Morrison serves as assistant to the general president for occupational health, safet...

At the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Conference & Expo in San Antonio on Sunday, the association presented a series of awards that recognize outstanding achievements in fire and life safety. Harry C. Bigglestone Award The Harry C. Bigglestone Award is given annually to a paper appearing in Fire Technology that best represents excellence in the communication of fire protection concepts. This award honors the memory of Harry C. Bigglestone, who served as a trustee of th...

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has announced Jon Nisja, fire safety supervisor with the Minnesota State Fire Marshal Division (SFMD), as the winner of the 2019 James M. Shannon Advocacy Medal. Nisja has been awarded the 2019 medal for his passion and career-long commitment to fire safety. In particular, Nisja played a key role in changing model codes and strengthening Minnesota’s fire code. Promoting fire safety The James M. Shannon Advocacy Medal was established in hono...

The X3302 multispectrum infrared flame detector (X3302) from Det-Tronics is now third-party approved for the industry’s field-of-view for hydrogen fires, as well as approved for methane, methanol and synthesis gas (syngas) fires. Det-Tronics, a global provider of fire- and gas-safety systems, is a part of Carrier, a global provider of innovative heating, ventilating air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies. The X3302 flame detector’...

Sepura is showcasing its new Over the Air Programming (OTAP) capability at Critical Communications World 2019 in Kuala Lumpur. TETRA radio fleets Developed to support easier management and upgrade of TETRA radio fleets, Over the Air Programming enables remote updates and upgrades of software and features on Sepura’s latest SC Series of radios through Wi-Fi connectivity. Fleet Managers face logistical headaches having to collect radios back from sites to install radio upgrades in the tra...

Carrier’s fire safety brands will display their extensive fire detection and suppression solutions at NFPA 2019, June 17 – 19 in San Antonio, Texas. On display in booth #1437 will be a wide range of fire products and systems that protect residential, commercial, institutional and light to heavy industrial areas in multiple applications, including oil & gas, power generation, data centers, automotive, hospitality, campus, marine and food and beverage. Carrier is a global provider...

Patol will be returning to the Firex International exhibition to demonstrate its extensive capabilities in industrial fire protection. The focus on stand FX650 will be one of the more recent additions to Patol’s product range - the Fire Thermal Infrared (FireTIR) detection system. The system features fixed infrared cameras connected to a user-friendly software interface through which the surface temperatures of the area being protected are monitored in real time. Camera Lens Cleaning Hi...

Isover, a manufacturer and supplier of innovative insulation solutions, will be showcasing its U Protect passive fire protection range for HVAC applications at this year’s FIREX International 2019 on stand FX110. A critical risk to address when designing a building is the potential spread of fire within HVAC systems from one compartment to another. As such, at this year’s FIREX International, Isover will be focusing on its U Protect system, which offers passive fire protection for c...

The ARA Group is pleased to announce that on 28 May 2019, ARA acquired NEDA Facilities Services  (NEDA), a building services business based in Auckland. Led by Managing Director - Greg Froude, NEDA provides comprehensive facility services for some of New Zealand’s largest and most significant organizations from major retailers, commercial offices, and infrastructure companies to government departments, educational facilities, and heritage buildings.  new opportunities Edw...

The Construction Industry Council (CIC) inaugurated Stephen Hodder MBE as its new Chair at its Council Meeting on 11 June 2019. Stephen succeeds Professor John Nolan, in this role for a two year term of office starting with immediate effect. John Nolan now becomes Deputy Chairman for a year, in accordance with CIC’s rules and byelaws. Stephen Hodder MBE, a former RIBA President, is the Chairman of Hodder + Partners is the incorporated continuation of Hodder Associates which he founded in....

Building owners/managers are obliged by law to maintain a fire-safe household or establishment. A fire outbreak can cause a devastating loss or damage to life and property. However, this can be prevented by complying with the safety standards. The safety standards require some fire protection equipment installed that suits the property or building design. TAS fire equipment requirements The required type and number of fire protection equipment are dependent on the size of the building The re...

In all areas of Tasmania where the risk of bushfire is considered high, the State may require TAS Fire Permits during certain period. The objective of this permit is to coordinate and monitor controlled burning of vegetation and reduce the risk of spreading the fire. Permit periods are commonly enforced from November to March or during the dry summer period; this may vary from year to year relying on the dryness of the vegetation and the risk of fire. TAS Fire Services TAS Fire Services permi...