Fire Industry News for April 2020

As Protectowire faces the ever-changing circumstances related to COVID-19, they find themselves having to make unprecedented decisions about business as usual. And the truth is that, in this moment, there is no business as usual. Curtailing business travel Their diverse network of suppliers gives them great flexibility to reroute in case there is a disruption. They are actively monitoring and managing their network to ensure delivery of raw materials. To date, none of their US-based suppliers...

Hochiki Europe, a renowned manufacturer of life safety solutions, has partnered with the FIA (Fire Industry Association) to host a roundtable discussing best practice when it comes to life safety in Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs). Panelists were made up of professionals involved throughout the life safety procurement chain, including representatives from the manufacturing, facilities management, consultancy/specification and installation sectors, as well as the FIA itself. selecting emerge...

BAFE is delighted to announce that Lewis Ramsay QFSM has joined the BAFE Board of Directors. Lewis Ramsay is a former Assistant Chief Fire Officer of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service specializing in both Response and Resilience and extensive work in Prevention and Protection. Stephen Adams, Chief Executive – BAFE, commented: “The BAFE Board brings together a very wide range of experience of the fire protection industry and related skills. Lewis’s experience and knowledge w...

These are unprecedented times. At Carrier, protecting the health, safety and well-being of the employees and serving customers is Carrier’s top priority. The solutions are essential to healthy living, to maintaining indoor air quality, transporting the world’s perishable food and medical supply and keeping people protected from smoke and fire. As they navigate the evolving circumstances surrounding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), they are taking actions aligned with the latest inf...

Protectowire announces that they are officially open for business. They are able to reopen after having been deemed an ‘essential service’ in keeping with Massachusetts Governor Baker’s order. Necessary fire protection products Of course, the safety of the staff is of utmost importance and they will continue operating with the recommended CDC guidelines in place including social distancing, disinfecting surfaces and allowing those that can work from home to do so. Protectowi...

At Abtech Safety, they are closely monitoring the daily situation with COVID-19 and following Government advice. Abtech Safety has taken the decision to close their Deeside site for 2 weeks from FRIDAY 3rd APRIL and reopen on MONDAY 20th APRIL. During this time, they will not be shipping orders, but staff will still be answering emails from home. harnesses and lanyards Their factory in Darwen is continuing to manufacture with skeleton staff. They will be able to process your orders and still d...

Bronto Skylift announced that Fire Group Ltd.’s entity, Prioritet Ltd. has been named as a non-exclusive Bronto Skylift distributor in Russia. The agreement includes the sales of Bronto Skylift high-rise rescue and fire fighting products as well as professional supporting services, such as spare part supply and maintenance activities within the given territorial region. Fire fighting vehicles distributor Harri Tanhuanpää, Regional Sales Manager, Bronto Skylift said, “In t...

Sepura is carefully monitoring the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic and taking all necessary precautions to protect and support its employees and customers as they in turn protect and support the public. They are closely following UK government advice. Critical functions are being maintained in the office, supported by home-based teams as necessary to minimize the risk of infection whilst ensuring customer requirements can be met. warehousing, configuration and support Sepura’s main o...

BAFE has announced releasing a fire safety advisory during the on-going coronavirus (COVID19) pandemic. The advisory stated, “During this extraordinary situation, it must be noted that fire safety cannot be put on hold. Fire does not discriminate, and it is important that your fire safety policy is well maintained appropriately”. Fire safety systems and provisions It further reads, ”BAFE have discussed this fact before, but fire safety systems and provisions are different to...

The new fire safety bill, announced by the UK government post consultations with FIA (Fire Industry Association) and fire industry experts, aims to help people feel safe in their homes around the country, whilst ensuring that a fire related tragedy similar to that of Grenfell Tower fire never happens again. Fire Safety Bill The proposed Fire Safety Bill will amend the Fire Safety Order 2005 to clarify that the responsible person or duty-holder for multi-occupied, residential buildings must man...

The health, safety and wellbeing of all FAFS employees and those they come in contact with is of paramount importance.  They are closely monitoring available information from Public Health England (PHE) and the World Health Organization on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) to ensure that appropriate measures are taken by all team members to mitigate the spread of the virus.  FAFS confirms that their operational capacity and ability to deliver services and solutions have in no way been compr...

The worldwide spread of the corona virus is also a concern for Dräger (Drägerwerk Verwaltungs AG). They are seeing a significant increase in demand worldwide for ventilators, the corresponding accessories and personal protective equipment for especially health staff and frontline workers, along with the general global population at large. Employee safety and protection At the same time, Dräger (Drägerwerk Verwaltungs AG) stated that it is the company’s duty of care to...

IFEDA (Independent Fire Engineering & Distributors Association) releases statement informing that it has postponed all training courses until at least 1st June. "With yesterday’s public health announcements in mind I am sure you will appreciate that IFEDA has no option but to postpone all training courses until at least 1st June. A full refund will be offered to all who have paid, or you may wish to have your candidate moved to a later course when we can confirm dates, please let us k...

As BAFE Registered Companies will be aware, there are certain time period requirements when service and maintenance work should be performed for fire safety provisions and systems. At present, if a client is not permitting access on-site due to coronavirus precautions, the company should make sure that they explain that it is their decision to not allow the completion of the work. It is the role of the premises management (i.e. Responsible Person/Duty Holder) to ensure they fulfil their fire sa...

Sepura has hired Victor Rodrigues as Strategic Account Director for Southern Europe, confirming the company’s ambition to continue growing business in the region. Victor has extensive experience in global sales from an initial spell with Sepura, having provided TETRA radios to national police forces that are still in use across Southern Europe today, a testament to the radios’ durability. regional critical communications market Victor latterly headed up Sepura’s South Americ...

With the news currently dominated by Coronavirus (COVID-19) Firetrace wanted to notify its customers that they are monitoring the situation and doing everything they can to reduce any risk. Firetrace will continue to check daily the guidance from the government and relevant public health authorities and be guided by that advice. The well-being of the staff, customers is vital, please be advised that the Company has absence management procedures, sick leave and emergency dependants leave process...

In light of recent advancements regarding the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring this a public health emergency of international concern, FAFS is asking that all of their external stakeholders including but not limited to; sub-contractors; suppliers and customers, take the appropriate action to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.  FAFS asks that anybody who may be an infection risk to refrain from entering any of their properties or sites....

Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation company, has announced that Global Emergency Products, dealer for Illinois and Indiana, was acquired by MacQueen Emergency. The acquisition is comprised of territories and all facilities, including dealership and service locations. MacQueen Emergency, a customer-focused provider of the highest-quality emergency products, will begin offering expanded services to Illinois and Indiana, while continuing to service its existing regions of Minnesota,...

Globally renowned critical equipment supplier and servicing partner, JLA has welcomed another three new businesses into the Group, bringing the total to six in six months. Stafford-based Astral Fire and Security and Preston-based firms T. Jolly Services and Atlas Sterile Services, are the latest companies to have been acquired. Helen Ashton, Chief Executive Officer at JLA said, “I am thrilled that Astral Fire and Security, T Jolly Services and Atlas Sterile Services have joined the JLA Gr...

In view of the current situation regarding coronavirus (COVID-19), BAFE are issuing guidance relating to BS5306 fire extinguisher exam invigilation and fire extinguisher technician assessments. Any individual who has recently travelled to a Category 1 or Category 2* location or is showing signs of a medical condition that could be diagnosed as coronavirus should not attend their scheduled BS5306 exam. BS5306 fire extinguisher technician exams If any of the above information applies, please co...

BAFSA one day, free to attend seminars are attracting record numbers. Working closely with host Fire & Rescue Services the dynamic programs, which have both regional and national relevance, are all delivered by BAFSA advisers, all fire sprinkler experts, Fire Officers, practitioners and end users. Seminars in February and March, in St Ives and Stone respectively sold out three weeks before the date of the event, and the third seminar of the year in Poole on 24th is expected to be full subsc...

BAFE, the independent register of quality fire safety service providers, have launched a new campaign to inform premises management and the public that specifying Third Party Certification is only part of the process in acting with due diligence. The campaign, ‘Don’t just Specify, Verify!’ points out the important second, and sometimes overlooked, verification stage when specifying and sourcing a competent Third Party Certificated provider to help comply with fire safety legis...

BAFSA (British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association Ltd.), along with Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service, Dorset Fire & Rescue Service and Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service, announced that they are disappointed to report that they have made the difficult decision to postpone the joint sprinkler seminars slated to be held on 18th and 24th March respectively due to the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic fears. Joint sprinkler seminars postponed The organizations stated in a joint...

Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation company, has announced that it has secured an order for eight custom pumpers from Clayton County Fire and Emergency Services based just south of Atlanta in Riverdale, Georgia. Sold through the exclusive Pierce dealer for Georgia and Florida, Ten-8 Fire Equipment, the order for eight Pierce Enforcer Pumpers is the largest in the department’s history and a continuation of Clayton County Fire & Emergency Services’ 2016 apparatus add...

A primary school in the Highlands was evacuated after a fire broke out inside the building. All children and staff at Park Primary in Invergordon were safe, Highland Council said. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said the blaze was ‘well-developed’ and ‘large’ when seven SFRS appliances and a high reach appliance were at the scene and firefighters were ‘working to extinguish the flames’. High-Reach appliance At its height, there were more than 50...

The Government consultation ‘Fire safety: risk prioritization in existing buildings’, closed recently. In January Stephen Adams, Chief Executive, BAFE, encouraged everyone to review the document provided on the MHCLG website and to respond accordingly. The call for evidence noted it was “in line with the Secretary of State’s commitment to conducting a full-scale technical review of the Fire Safety guidance to the Building Regulations (Approved Document B) and to provide...

For almost 100 years, Magirus Lohr has manufactured fire engines in Hönigtal near Kainbach in Austria. As a result of successful business developments in recent years, there is a requirement to accommodate potential growth. “Following increasing demand, we started a strategic search for a new location in 2017,” said Christian Reisl, Managing Director, Magirus Lohr, adding “Due to the specific topographic conditions, there is no possibility for expansion at the Hönigta...

Following the recent outbreak of the Coronavirus in China, FAFS is working with their Supply Chain Partners to ensure minimum disruption for customers, and continuation of their supply routes.  As a fire life safety and security service provider and key member of the Marlowe Fire & Security Group of companies, FAFS has access to an extensive and diverse supply chain, governed by and incorporated into their Business Continuity Strategy.   FAFS Business Continuity Strategy ensures...

Mr. Ed Comeau has been recognized by the International Fire Safety Training Association (IFSTA) and the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) as the recipient of the 2020 Dr. Anne W. Phillips Award for Leadership in Fire Safety Education. Campus fire safety For over 20 years, Comeau has been the leading advocate in the nation for campus fire safety. The genesis of his efforts began in 1999 when he published the first edition of Campus Firewatch, an electronic newsletter that has ra...

Sepura has been shortlisted for “Large Business of the Year” at the Cambridge News Business Excellence Awards 2020, a reward for achieving record revenues through significant sales around the world, including in the UK, the Netherlands, USA, Canada and Oman. The decision to recognize Sepura’s success is a milestone in their recovery from a challenging financial position in 2017. Since then, the company has succeeded in bringing class-leading products to market, achieving outst...