Fire Industry News for August 2023

More residents than ever to benefit from sprinklers in their homes as Nottingham City Council funds fire safety improvements in their housing stock. Following the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, Nottingham City Council agreed to an £8.5 million fire safety enhancement program. Nottingham City Homes manage the Council’s housing stock and have overseen fire safety works in low-rise and high-rise blocks across the city. Nottingham City Homes The program of works has led to sprinklers be...

BAFE statement on the fourth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower Fire. BAFE would like to recognize the fourth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower Fire and pay respects to all the people who lost loved ones and their homes because of this event.   Regrettably, the fire highlighted multiple areas where substantial change is required to maintain a safe environment for people in their homes. BAFE has strong objectives to be part of this positive change to improve the fire safety arena and will c...

Following the success of FireQual in gaining regulated status from both CCEA Regulation in Northern Ireland and SQA Accreditation in Scotland, are not standing still. Attention is now turning to the subject matter of Fire Detection and Alarms. FireQual is developing a series of qualifications that will look to provide the underpinning knowledge required by those who work within the area of fire detection and alarms. industry-led qualifications In addition, reflecting on the core messages of t...

Entries are now open for the new Fire and Security Matters Awards organized by Fire Safety Matters and Security Matters magazines – both of which are published by Western Business Media – and are supported by BAFE.   The Fire and Security Matters Awards are free to enter and recognize excellence and innovation in the fire and security sectors. The winners of the Fire and Security Matters Awards will be revealed at a gala dinner and ceremony to be held at the Ricoh Arena in Cov...

A London Fire Brigade investigation into a residential high-rise fire in Poplar revealed that the building’s ventilation systems failed to clear toxic smoke from escape routes putting the lives of residents at risk. In a report published on 1 June, fire investigators found that smoke detectors on the floor of the fire failed to operate the Automatic Opening Vent (AOV) and the cross-corridor fire doors. This meant that the smoke collected in the hallways and prevented the safe escape...

BAFE is sad to hear of the passing of Paul Fuller CBE, former Fire Sector Federation Chairman. Paul Fuller died on Monday 7th June 2021. Paul’s contribution Dennis Davis, Executive Officer of the Fire Sector Federation, states “Paul, who was serving as Chief Fire Officer Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and Chief Executive Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Authority, died early this morning in hospital whilst receiving treatment for a recently diagnosed illness.” BAF...

The new edition of the biannual BAFSA member publication, Focus provides a round-up of work taking place in the sprinkler industry. John McCann, BAFSA Chairman welcomed members to the June 2021 edition of Focus magazine, the voice of the automatic water-based fire suppression industry. He reflected on the pressures faced by the construction industry resulting from pent-up demand from COVID-19, as well as the ensuing scarcity and rising costs of building materials.  He is delighted that mo...

A court has quashed an appeal brought by a restaurant owner against a hefty fine after a fire revealed major fire safety breaches in the premises. Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service originally brought a prosecution against Beta UK Ltd who owns Malik’s Restaurant in Cookham, Berkshire. The case was heard by Reading Magistrate’s Court in October 2020. Fire at Malik’s Restaurant in Cookham, Berkshire Police have said they think the attack was an attempt to endanger lives"...

Hempel has acquired a unique technology developed by Das Lack Enertherm (DLE), a German-English company. Combined with internal expertise, the technology will enable Hempel to develop and launch coating products with insulating properties within the next year. The acquisition is part of Hempel’s new double impact strategy that will see the company double its revenue to EUR 3 billion by 2025 and create leadership positions in the energy segment.  The strategy will be realized through...

Osage Beach Fire Protection District recently took delivery of two new Rosenbauer Rescue Engines. These new apparatuses are now the frontline apparatus that respond to calls for service allowing older apparatus to be placed into reserve status. Rosenbauer Rescue Engines Engine 11 and Engine 12 are stationed out of fire stations 1 and 2, and respond to all calls for service. These apparatuses are outfitted with a 700-gallon water tank, 30 Gallon Class A Foam Tank, with a 1500 gallons per minut...

The Department for Education has published a revised version of Building Bulletin 100 and is now consulting on updated and expanded guidance that sees school boarding accommodation included for the first time. BB 100 is non-statutory guidance that advises how to minimize the spread of fire within a school and how to ensure the building structure is adequately resistant to the effects of fire. It also sets out the requirements for fire and rescue services to access schools in the event of a fire...

Big Bear Valley has experienced inclement weather. During these times, cellular service could be interrupted. The Big Bear Fire Department would like to remind everyone that they can text to 9-1-1, when placing a phone call to the department does not work. Use 911 as the phone number, type the message, and hit send. The message will be sent to the closest dispatch center, where it will appear on the dispatcher’s screen. That dispatcher can then have a text conversation with the person to...

In a brand-new episode of Assembly Point, RIBA past president, Jane Duncan OBE, explores why fire safety must be taken seriously, and what action still needs to be taken to ensure tragic events such as Grenfell are never repeated. Jane is the Chair of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Expert Advisory Group on Fire Safety formed shortly after the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017. Its work is based on two key principles: To be visible and transparent in their discussion and outp...

Greater Manchester Fire and rescue service rounds off National Sprinkler Week with new videos promoting the benefits of sprinklers for local businesses. Love 2 Sleep is a major supplier of bedding to hotels, NHS and others based in Salford. There was a fire in their factory at 0215 which activated the sprinkler system; this alerted both the fire and rescue service as well as the business owner. Results of sprinklers Speaking about the fire in this video, the company representative said: &ldqu...

The UK Government has published draft legislation that will see planners include fire safety information and consult on it with the Health and Safety Executive, as part of a new gateway-based approach to building safety. This development is in response to Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Safety, where she identified a lack of fire safety considerations at the planning stage for high-rise residential buildings. Gateway review points The government consulted on propose...

“Farrow & Ball is an iconic, luxury, decorative paint and wallpaper company. It is used by consumers, designers, and cultural institutions around the world – all of who have a passion for rich colors in eco-friendly paint. I am very proud to welcome our new colleagues to the Hempel family. Together we will ensure that Farrow & Ball continues its strong growth journey,” says Hempel Group President & CEO Lars Petersson.  Hempel is taking the next, large step to...

National Safe Boating Week runs from 24 to 30 May. At the Fire Protection Association, they thought this would be a great opportunity to share knowledge, information, and testing standards when it comes to preventing boat fires. Watermist systems are an effective way to protect ships from fire. These systems have an important job and therefore must be properly maintained and tested and can help with that. Royal Navy Defence standards Receiving an accreditation underpins the importance of expe...

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has recently launched its Small Organisations Newsletter - SME Newsletter. The NCSC notes “SMEs cover a huge range of businesses and makeup 99% of all business in the UK." cyber-related issues The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) adds, "Often SMEs do not have the budget of large organizations to spend on cyber security. This Newsletter aims to break down cyber-related issues into bitesize pieces which can be read in a coffee break." The NC...

Howard Passey talks to Sarah Brodie from the Association of British Insurers about what matters to the insurance industry when it comes to fire safety. In this third episode of the FPA’s brand-new podcast, Assembly Point, Howard and Sarah discuss how legislation offers the opportunity for welcome improvements to fire safety in the built environment. fundamental reform The ABI has argued for many years that there needs to be fundamental reform of the building safety and regulatory system...

Essex wood treatment firm, Prime Biomass Ltd created a huge fire safety risk to the local community by storing more than double the agreed limit of wood waste. A jury at the Old Bailey returned unanimous guilty verdicts against two directors of an illegal waste wood operation in Essex. One director was ordered to pay £50,000 in fines, compensation and legal costs while the other faces a five-year ban as a company director. A third director was acquitted by a majority verdict. five-week t...

Marking a year of challenges and change, IFSEC Global reviews a year of fire safety and publishes its list of the top influencers in fire safety. The Fire Safety Annual Report covers a wide range of fire safety topics and looks at how the fire safety industry has responded to Covid-19. In his foreword to the report, Ian Moore, Chief Executive of the Fire Industry Association said: “It has been an unpredictable and a somewhat turbulent year for us all. Broadly speaking, our year...

The confidential reporting system for the building industry now includes fire safety and has been relaunched as CROSS, Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures UK.  CROSS-UK welcomes reports about fire safety and structural safety issues related to buildings and other structures in the built environment. Reports include information that will help others to learn from safety issues and typically look at concerns, near misses or incidents. Structural Safety’s main function Establ...

Roy Wilsher steps down as NFCC Chair after four years, handing over to his successor, Mark Hardingham. Created in 2017, the NFCC is the professional voice of the fire and rescue service and builds on the legacy of the Chief Fire Officers Association. Prior to taking on the role of Chair, Roy Wilsher was Chief Fire Officer of Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. He was in charge when the Buncefield oil depot exploded in 2005, this was one of the largest fires in Europe since the second wo...

Recently, BAFE published information discussing the roadmap for easing COVID-19 restrictions and that this should prompt reviews on fire safety.  Within this, BAFE reassured that fire safety service providers continue to operate as safely as possible following appropriate COVID-19 guidance to help clients meet their obligations. free rapid lateral flow tests The Construction Industry Council (CIC) has distributed important information that the Government is providing free rapid lateral f...

“We are very excited to move into our Hempel Campus, which is a modern, international workplace and architecturally attractive. It is based on our vision of how we want to work together in teams and cross-functionally. Our new facilities reflect our culture and give us the perfect work environment enabling us to deliver on our ambitious strategy and growth targets,” explains Pernille Fritz Vilhelmsen, Hempel's Chief  People & Culture Officer. The new R&D facility will b...

A residential structure fire was reported on E Barker Blvd in Big Bear City at approximately 2:35 pm, on Friday, March 5, 2021. Upon arrival, fire crews observed a residential structure with smoke visible from the front as well as smoke and flames from the rear of the structure. The resident of the house was able to self-evacuate with no injuries.   Units continued fire suppression activity with complete knock-down obtained within approximately 10 minutes. The fire was contained to the ki...

Despite uncertainty and disruption across regions and markets due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hempel demonstrated agility and clear priorities concerning the safety of employees, timely and high-quality support to customers, as well as financial robustness to protect future investments. With an EBITDA margin of 10.1%, including extraordinarily high investments in their supply chain in China, this was a satisfactory result. Hempel Delivers Strong Results “I am very satisfied with our achie...

“We firmly believe that placing sustainability at the heart of how we do business is essential for our ambition to double the company. Our customers expect more sustainable solutions and today's and tomorrow's employees want to work for companies that have a clear and progressive position on sustainability. And of course, it's the right thing to do,” says COO and Executive Vice President Katarina Lindström. “Our ambition to double by 2025 makes our commitment to sustain...

The report puts forward an argument against 'the threat of industrial action', referencing the two strikes that have occurred in the past twenty years over disputes for better working conditions and pay, before a plea to all policymakers to consider removing firefighters’ right to strike entirely.  Tensions are already high in the sector, with one in every five firefighters having been cut from the fire and rescue service since 2010. The report also criticizes the pace of change with...

CLC launches 'industry mega-poll to track the impact of PI insurance crisis'. Companies from across the industry are being asked to take part in the biggest-ever review of construction’s growing professional indemnity insurance crisis. In recent years, firms from across the industry have reported sharp increases in premiums for PI insurance, while also seeing stricter curbs on the levels of cover. Some firms have reported four-fold increases in policy costs, while others have said that th...