United Kingdom (UK) Fire Industry News

One of Apollo’s next-generation products being displayed is the REACH Wireless range. Praised by customers for its intuitive user-interface and easy setup process, REACH Wireless makes it easier to solve challenging installation situations, such as extensions and occupied residential blocks using Apollo’s hard-wired addressable loop systems. Visitors at the Apollo stand will have the chance to get their hands on REACH equipment and experience first-hand just how easy it is to insta...

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) has released the shocking video after the owner of the property, in Halifax, agreed it needed to be seen, to educate the public on the dangers of lithium batteries. The video shows the owner rushing downstairs in the middle of the night after being woken by a popping noise, created by the batteries of an electric motorbike being charged inside the house. The sound indicated the batteries were failing due to thermal runaway–this is when too mu...

The ASFP is saddened to hear of the passing of the Fire Protection Association (FPA) Managing Director (MD), Jon O’Neill.  Jon was and continues to be one of the original advocates of improving fire safety standards within design, construction, and occupation. ASFP team and members  Jon O’Neill was single-minded in creating an environment that endeavored to lower the frequency of major fire events and associated casualty numbers. He continued to lobby those in positions...

Intertek, a globally renowned Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide, will join fellow corrosion and coatings industry companies from March 19 to March 23, 2023, at the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) Conference and Expo in Denver, Colorado, United States of America (USA). The negative effects of corrosion on materials and equipment are significant, causing not only production delays and costly repairs, but also extreme safety and environmental impa...

Broadcaster and safety campaigner - Nick Ross CBE has been announced as the new Independent Chair of Trustees for the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC). With a long-standing background in public health and community safety, as well as a celebrated career in journalism, including as presenter of the BBC’s Crimewatch program, Nick will take up the role of independent chair for NFCC from April. NFCC - professional voice of UK fire and rescue services The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFC...

To keep Victoria’s roads safe and smooth, the City is piloting a new pothole finder software that scans roads for damage to help locate and fix potholes as they develop. pothole finder tech Data from the new tool builds on city-wide road condition assessments conducted every three years and has significantly increased the number of potholes detected and repaired in Victoria. The pothole finder tech complements increased paving and road upgrades supported by additional funding for road m...

Residents in Rossington, Stocksbridge, Askern, Penistone, Dearne, and Birley are being challenged to step up and join their local fire crew, as the county’s fire service launches another on-call firefighter recruitment drive. New vacancies have arisen at the stations in each of these areas with more staff needed to keep the fire engines’ wheels turning and respond to fires, floods, road traffic collisions, and other emergency incidents. Fire officers say there has never been a bette...

Starting signal for the planning of the VdS-FireSafety Cologne on December 6 and 7, 2023: Exhibitors from the fields of fire protection and safety can now secure one of the exhibition spaces at koelnmesse and benefit from the multifaceted program of the major industry get-together. The attractive mix of international trade fair, first-class conferences, thematic forums and a new edition of the VdS-FireSafetyTalk (VdS-BrandSchutzTalk) on the trade fair stage is expected to attract more than 4,0...

Our 2023 training schedule continued recently as we supported engineers participating in the Accelerated Development Programme by Chubb Fire & Security. The session, led by DT’s Paul Gatens and Simon Flavell, covered products from across the DT portfolio with a focus on Testifire – a system of choice for Chubb due to the ease at which it offers compliant testing. The training covered; the set-up and use of the product and ensured each engineer was able to deliver compliant te...

Kentec Electronics, a pioneering manufacturer of life-critical control systems, has launched the Loop Explorer 2 (LE-2) software to provide installers with a faster, more secure means to program and configure fire control panels that delivers a highly secure means of controlling access to the engineering software and access to Kentec’s technical support. LE-2 supersedes the LE-1 and will be used to commission all Kentec’s analogue, addressable control panels, providing one softw...

A party drug warning has been issued by firefighters following several serious road traffic collisions. Firefighters in Bradford are staging an event to highlight the dangers of using nitrous oxide behind the wheel. nitrous oxide Crews from West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) will be at Centenary Square in Bradford on March 19, when they will have a mock road traffic accident showing what can happen while taking nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas. The gas is becomin...

Visitors to fire technology specialist Geofire’s FIREX International stand E80 will be able to get a sneak preview of the latest addition to the highly successful Agrippa acoustic range – a new Agrippa pillow alarm. The Agrippa ‘listen and learn’ technology, also available in the door holder and closer, is being used to alert deaf or hard-of-hearing people if the fire alarm sounds while they are sleeping. Pillow Alarm features and functions The Agrippa pillow alar...

Agrippa fire door holders are proving to be the perfect solution for a number of the UK’s prime care home operators, to ease access for residents while protecting them in the event of a fire emergency. A spokesperson for prime UK care homes operator where 29 wire-free Agrippa fire door holders are in use confirms that they are the perfect solution. “They are wire-free so they were very easy to install with no disruption, and have proved to be perfectly reliable, with no false activa...

Comelit-PAC’s fire system has been installed by CFS Systems on an 800-room student accommodation complex, dedicated to serving Crewe's new medical health science campus. The Apollo Buckingham Health Science Campus (ABHSC) offers degrees in biomedical sciences as well as medical foundation and conversion courses for health workers. The campus is majority owned by the University of Buckingham and Apollo and could have at least 3,000 students at the Crewe site by 2024. risk assessment...

Kentec Electronics, a manufacturer of life-critical control systems, has launched the Loop Explorer 2 (LE-2) software to provide installers with a faster, more secure means to program and configure fire control panels that delivers a highly secure means of controlling access to the engineering software and access to Kentec’s technical support. Loop Explorer 2 LE-2 supersedes the LE-1 and will be used to commission all Kentec’s analog, addressable control panels, providing one sof...

The West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority has approved a slight rise in its portion of council tax. Compared to the previous year, the rise will be six pence per week for Band A taxpayers, and 10p per week for Band D taxpayers. However, despite the rise, the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority precept remains the fourth lowest cost-per-head-of-population in the country. The authority took this decision following a survey earlier this year, where members of the public were asked if...

Dräger, a pioneer in the fields of medical and safety technology, is calling for fire escape hoods to become part of any fire safety plan where evacuation takes more than a couple of minutes – including educational facilities, hospitals, hotels and high-rise buildings. Fire escape hoods are designed to provide wearers with crucial minutes of protection from fire-related vapors, particles and gases, including carbon-monoxide. Dräger’s PARAT smoke hood range provide wearers...

Chubb Fire and Security, one of the life safety service providers is this week attending the Annual SafeZone EMEA Conference taking place in Birmingham, UK. The award-winning event connects business pioneers with experts like Chubb, to share innovation, best practices and how they operate with SafeZone solutions.  Chubb has partnered with CriticalArc on the SafeZone application since 2021. Forming part of Chubb visiON+ offering of connect safety services, SafeZone powered by Chubb combines...

Not so long ago, there was a time when a dirty helmet symbolized firefighter bravado. A dirty helmet was seen as a testament to how hard a firefighter worked and the horrible conditions he or she withstood when completing their duties. Sometimes, there was even concern that washing and cleaning a helmet would somehow reduce the likelihood of catching another fire in the near future.  A dirty helmet no longer necessarily shows anything about a firefighter's competency or dedication to thei...

This month sees a change of leadership at the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP). Current ASFP CEO - Steve Davies is stepping down to take up a new challenge with Corrosion Resistant Products Ltd, a division of Indutrade. The ASFP’s Business Manager - Mike Ward will be taking over as its new Managing Director. Steve Davies is moving on having led the Association through a period of huge development and growth over the last two years, putting down strong foundations for the...

Agrippa fire door holders have been successfully installed at Surrey’s leading specialist Science College to improve access for staff and students, and reduce the effects of door wear and tear while protecting occupants in a fire emergency. Blenheim High School, at Epsom, Surrey, is a co-educational, publicly funded specialist Science College. With in excess of 1,300 students the need to ensure smooth traffic flows while maintaining safety and security and unrestricted access are a priori...

A massive £200,000 fine plus costs and a four-month suspended prison sentence, handed down to a central London hotel owner for putting lives at risk by flouting fire safety laws, is the latest in a number of high-profile prosecutions sending out a strong message to those that own and manage hotels about the importance of fire safety. When fire safety officers visited the six-floor, 18-room hotel to carry out a routine inspection they discovered numerous fire safety breaches, including fai...

Taking the time to investigate and evaluate the options for turnout gear lockers is an important step in the purchasing process. Not all locker systems are created equal, nor with the same attention to detail. Turnout Gear Locker The Industry Standard for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) storage was created in 1998 with the introduction of the GearGrid Turnout Gear Locker. Since then, other look-a-like products have come and gone. When the facts, features, and benefits are reviewed, it bec...

Has the fire department been dealing with tangled and twisted hoses? There is a solution to that problem! GearGrid’s Hose Tamer Mobile Cart will allow transporting of the hose easily and successfully without it becoming tangled. The Mobile Cart protects the hose while also enhancing the maintenance and lifetime of department hoses. Hose Tamer Mobile Cart The Hose Tamer Mobile Cart is constructed of heavy-duty steel wire that the user can count on maximum durability. The Hose Tamer provi...

GearGrid’s Automotive Organizational Cart is the most effective way to keep items organized and accessible all in one central location. Being constructed of heavy-duty materials, this cart will ensure unlimited placement flexibility. In addition, the cart will ensure security through its complete locking capabilities. accessories GearGrid also offers accessories that will help meet storage needs. With the shelves being adjustable, users can move them to store whatever they may need...

GEARGRID’s new Custom Conference Table is the perfect addition to the sports team’s facility. Having two areas of customization, this table will be unique and personal to the school and team. Customization  In the center of the table, users can have their logo imprinted. Another opportunity for personalization is on the heavy-duty base with the option to get schools to name laser cut in the steel base.  There is also the option to choose from GEARGRID’s 15 differen...

This unique feature is sure to provide a unique and personal touch to every table. Made with GEARGRID’S rugged durability, users can count on this table to last for many years in their department. Custom Fire Station Table GEARGRID’S Custom Fire Station Table is made exceptionally well using T-Mold edging material on the tabletop. In addition, the base is made with 3/8” plate steel. Like other GEARGRID products, users can choose from a variety of colors that w...

GEARGRID’s Nightstand is the ideal decoration piece for the fire station dorm room. Being very convenient, this nightstand offers two USB ports and one standard outlet. Having these electrical connections makes for an extremely useful nightstand where users can charge phones or place a lamp.  In addition, an adjustable wire shelf is offered which is beneficial for the fire department's needs and makes for accessible storage. stability and durability The new and sturdy nightstand is...

Just like the rest of the products, the GEARGRID Bed Frame Set is built with only heavy-duty materials for ultimate durability. The Bed Frame Set comes with a Headboard, Footboard, and a Puffy Foundation Frame. There are two size options available, including the Twin XL or the Full sizes. On the headboard, there is a laser-cut Maltese cross at the top with custom options available. This unique personalization can include the name of your fire department for complete customization...

Airservices Australia, the nation’s Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP), has selected Frequentis for a continent-wide solution for its Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting Service (ARFFS). The solution will be made up of two components: the Frequentis’ multimedia collaboration and communication platform LifeX, extended by the messenger, incident and resource management module, OnSite.  “Emergency service organizations must have the most effective tools available to process cr...