United States of America (USA) Fire Industry News

Underwriters Laboratories has reported on new discoveries of counterfeit sprinklers in Colombia and Indonesia. In two separate Public Notices published on its website, UL has identified the sprinklers as carrying fake US or Canada UL certification markings. The first set of counterfeit sprinklers, discovered in Medellin Antioquia, Colombia, have markings indicating they were manufactured by the Nanjing Fire Protection Technology Co. of China, carrying the Sprinkler Identification Numbers (SINs)...

The essential performance requirement of a fire blanket is to extinguish a cooking oil fire as detailed in BS EN 1869:1997. Some of the facts about fire blanket performance are stated as below: The fire blanket must have the ability to eliminate oxygen from the burning cooking oil to initially extinguish the fire. Good flexibility and draping qualities of the blanket are essential to achieve this aim. The design of the fire blanket must then allow the oil to gradually cool to...

Bronto Skylift’s longterm partner Height for Hire has just celebrated their company’s 40-year milestone. During this time, Bronto Skylift has supplied 2.46 kilometers of Bronto platforms to them. Bronto Skylift is truly appreciate of Height for Hire’s approach in their business. They go the extra mile to understand their customer needs and find a solution to every situation. This is what Bronto Skylift does too. The decades of Bronto Skylift’s own product development hav...

The tall wood building project was sponsored by the Foundation’s Property Insurance Research Group through a grant from the USDA, Forest Service The Fire Protection Research Foundation (the Foundation), the research arm of the National Fire Protection Association, has released findings on how exposed timber in high-rise residences might impact fire behaviour. The new Phase 2 ‘Fire Safety Challenges of Tall Wood Buildings’ report provides data and insights f...

A portable misting system installed by Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, in partnership with mental health charity Suffolk Mind, prevented a significant fire in a South Cambridgeshire home. The misting unit is designed to suppress a fire to prevent it from spreading throughout a property, similar in principle to a sprinkler system. A portable misting system is a self-contained unit and works differently, as it also helps with keeping property damage to a minimum while suppressing the fire...

At the end of 2017, the entire team of the French sales department of POK S.A.S carried out a titanic work in order to present the best possible offer to the UGAP call for tenders concerning 4 lots of fire equipment. UGAP tender offer for fire equipment UGAP is a public industrial and commercial establishment, created in 1985 and placed under the dual supervision of the French Finance Ministry, on the one hand, and the education minister, on the other. To date, it is the only French ‘gen...

Research undertaken by the Building Research Establishment in association with the FIA and a range of manufacturers of detection products has led to some momentous discoveries in the field of fire detection and alarm: more sophisticated multi-sensor detectors really are more effective at reducing false alarms than the ‘standard’ smoke alarms. The research, undertaken by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and the University of Duisburg in Germany, and part-funded by the FIA, u...

ASL’s Head of Business Development Neil Voce features in the March 2018 edition of Installation magazine with a thought leadership article providing insight into hybrid EN54 / Dante solutions for large multi-purpose venues, including stadia and entertainment venues. Single system solution In this engaging article Neil Voce waxes lyrical about the features and benefits to venue operators (and visitors) of installing such a system. A recent project at U-Arena, France features a hybrid EN5...

The NFPA Standard Council is charged with overseeing the NFPA codes and standards making process The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Board of Directors has appointed two new members to the NFPA Standards Council: Jack Poole of Poole Fire Protection Inc., and Rodger Reiswig of Johnson Controls. Poole and Reiswig are each serving a three-year term effective January 1, 2018. NFPA also announced that current members Patricia Gleason of Safety Equipment Institute (...

The ARA Property Services division is expanding its range of cleaning and maintenance capabilities. As of 1 February 2018, ARA acquired 100% of Complex Solutions, a professional cleaning company led by Ash Jones. Complex Solutions In its 20th year of operation, Complex Solutions is well-established in the provision of cleaning services, property maintenance, and healthcare cleaning solutions across a diverse clientele in the Sydney Metro area. Both parties are looking forward to the rang...

Denise Hynes has developed teacher workshops, prop kits, and safety events using NFPA programs The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has named Denise Hynes, public educator for Toronto Fire Services, as the 2018 Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year. Hynes will be recognised at NFPA’s 122nd Conference & Expo, the premier event in fire and life safety, this June in Las Vegas. Each year, NFPA bestows the Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year award on...

Task Force Tips has announced introducing the latest 1” version of its popular G-Force Series nozzles. The G-Force line of high quality, economical family of firefighting nozzles are based upon a customizable platform design of fixed, selectable, and automatic nozzles. G-Force Series nozzles G-Force combines 50 years of Task Force Tips design innovation and experience into true next generation firefighting tools and are manufactured exclusively at Task Force Tip’s production facili...

KME Fire Apparatus, globally renowned manufacturer of fire apparatus, has announced the delivery of 20 KME Custom Pumpers to Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD). KME Custom Pumpers The new trucks will join hundreds of KME apparatus currently in service at the LACoFD. The custom pumpers are built on KME’s Severe ServiceTM cab and chassis. The Severe ServiceTM chassis was engineered in conjunction with the fire service and designed for use in extreme conditions. KME’s Severe...

Britannia Fire’s UK-developed and made composite fire extinguisher is to be installed across Heathrow Airport’s terminals. Britannia Fire’s P50 – the first extinguisher cased in recyclable composite with a 20-year life span – has been chosen to protect the airport as part of its ambitious sustainability strategy, Heathrow 2.0. Manufactured in rural Norfolk, the P50 will replace 5000 traditional metal extinguishers across Heathrow’s sites because of its lower...

Erickson Incorporated, an aerospace manufacturer and aerial services company, contracted with Balfour Beatty to build a transmission line for Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSE), connecting renewable energy from the Dorenell Wind Farm to a transmission network at Blackhillock, Scotland between Aberdeen and Inverness. The project provides new sources of electricity with minimal impact on the land environment and is the first of its kind for Erickson in Europe. President of Commercia...

The Viking Corporation, a global provider in fire protection and life safety systems, has announced their new 8.0 K-factor Light and Ordinary Hazard Standard Coverage Dry Horizontal sprinklers with expanded UL Listings. Models include Standard Response glass bulb, Quick Response glass bulb, and Quick Response fusible link designs. Due to their newly-designed deflectors, these sprinklers are UL Listed for installation with the deflector from 4 to 12 inches below the ceiling. This feature gives c...

Potter announces the launch of the AFC Series of Addressable Fire Panels and ARC-100 Releasing Panel. The AFC-50, AFC-100, and AFC-1000 Fire Panels offer the highest point capacity available in the distribution channel ranging from 50 to 1270 points. The entire line has the same enhanced IP features as Potter's current line of panels. The AFC/ARC panels use the new PAD100 line of addressable SLC devices. Potter is extremely proud of these new panels and SLC devices because they are 100% as...

Great Bend, Kansas is home to a new pumper after the Great Bend Fire/EMS Department received the apparatus in mid-January, 2018. Built by premier fire apparatus manufacturer, Toyne, Inc., the pumper will assist in the firefighting efforts of the department, which serves 156 square miles of Baron County, in Kansas. Toyne pumper Toyne, Inc. built Great Bend's pumper on a Spartan Gladiator LFD 10-inch chassis Toyne, Inc. built Great Bend's pumper on a Spartan Gladiator LFD 10-inch chassis and is...

With public awareness now high around fire safety, the glazing component of structures is more important than ever as fire-resistant glass is an important requirement on many projects. Fire-resistant glass is specialist glass that has been proven to provide a period protection against fire during a Fire Resistance Test. The degree of protection offered depends on the type of fire rated glass used but generally speaking all fire rated glass acts as a barrier to help prevent the spread of flames...

Don Cox, VFIS Education Specialist, shares active shooter preparedness tips and assessment tools in EMS World. Here’s a shocking fact: In the U.S., there was approximately one mass shooting per day in 2017. Preforming Risk Assessments Regularly preform risk assessments that include: Identifying vulnerable areas within your organization and community, and recommending ways to reduce them Supplying the latest information/tips/ training methods to your members Developing partnerships...

The devastating fire at London's Grenfell Tower continues to spark debate among experts. At the annual conference of the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) in Duisburg, Richard Mills from the management team of the London Fire Department will report on the findings and consequences of the accident.  Although the police investigation is not yet complete, the officer from the London Fire Brigade (LFB) will give an impression of the complicated fire-fighting a...

Emergency Reporting (ER) offers customers who already have the Maintenance Module a new web app, FuelER. This one-of-a-kind app helps first responders easily and efficiently track fuel usage on their mobile devices for each apparatus used by their department to comply with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations and follow best practices for fuel documentation. It is available at FuelER.ersapps.com. Many Fire/Rescue departments have fuel tanks at each station, and EPA regula...

“The Federal Government’s commitment to research can help to improve the fire service if the front line is appropriately engaged,” says the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs President and Edmonton Fire Chief, Ken Block. Representing the country’s 3500 fire departments, the Association had asked the Federal Government to support mental health resilience training in first responders; research to better inform building code changes, and preservation of the volunteer firef...

The fact sheets for all 50 U.S. states serve as a snapshot of where each state has made improvements in meeting the needs of its communities How well are the needs of fire departments in your state being met? Access the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) all-new, state-by-state fact sheets and online portal, which deliver statewide and customisable data, to find out. Both resources were developed using results from the association’s four U.S. Needs Asses...

Abbot Fire Group were delighted to be presented with their certificate from the LPCB, the Loss Prevention Certification Board, for LPS 1531 Appendix 1; the installation and application of passive fire protection products. The certificate was presented by Ruth Tucker, LPCB Installer Scheme Manager, to Nigel Walton, Manager Director of Abbot Fire Group. John Bercow, MP for Buckingham, was also present at the event and said: “Huge congratulations to the team at Abbot Fire Group for achieving...

Oshkosh Corporation announces that it has been named the 2017 Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year in the annual competition sponsored by the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the advisory firm of Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP and the legal firm of Michael Best & Friedrich, LLP. The annual Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Awards Program recognizes Wisconsin companies that demonstrate a commitment to business excellence, which has a positive impact on the company and the state, makin...

Mountaineering legend Reinhold Messner visited the WAGNER Group stand during the Hamburg Logistics Days (21 and 22 February) 2018. The Tyrolean was on-site during the 16th edition of the event as a brand ambassador for the Gütegemeinschaft Paletten eV - among other things to present his book of the same name "Wild", published in 2017, during the lecture "Wild - the last trip on earth". oxygen reduction Beforehand, Messner stopped at the WAGNER stand. There, the extreme mountaineer...

Oshkosh Corporation announced that it has received multiple honors highlighting the Company’s commitment to sustainability. Barron’s recently rated Oshkosh Corporation eighth on their first ever ranking of the ‘100 Most Sustainable Companies’. The Barron’s ranking was created in partnership with Calvert Research and Management, an arm of Eaton Vance. They focused on the 1,000 largest publicly traded companies by market value that are headquartered in the United Sta...

Streamlight® Inc., a provider of high-performance lighting, launched the Streamlight® Jr. F-STOP™, an ultra-compact 2AA alkaline penlight that allows users to smoothly transition between spot and flood beams to meet both close-up and area lighting needs. Workplace lighting requirements The Streamlight Jr. F-STOP’s adjustable focus allows users to transition the beam from a piercing spot light to a smooth flood pattern by simply sliding the flashlight’s bezel. “...

Mr. Franklin L. Feder has been elected to the PACCAR Inc Board of Directors, effective April 30, 2018, according to Mark Pigott, PACCAR executive chairman. Mr. Feder will succeed Luiz Kaufmann, who will retire from the Board on April 29, 2018. “PACCAR is very pleased that Frank Feder will be joining the Board. His years of management experience in international business, especially in South America, finance and manufacturing will benefit PACCAR in its global growth,” said Mark Pigot...