Fire Industry News for December 2020

As Dame Judith Hackett reiterated the need for companies to make changes ahead of the Building Safety reform at last week’s BESA conference, ventilation specifiers are being urged to consider more holistic solutions compliant with rigorous regulations. As industry debates the nuances of the proposed Building Safety Bill, ventilation expert Elta Group is accelerating collaborations between its specialist brands, Elta Fans Applied Technology and Acoustica, to balance the competing design de...

The video-based fire detection Aviotec IP starlight 8000 from Bosch can now be used in environments without visible light. With the help of newly developed AI algorithms for video analytics, Aviotec's firmware version 7.72 is now able to reliably detect smoke and flames even with pure infrared lighting. Up to now, it was already possible with Aviotec to reliably detect flames and smoke in difficult lighting conditions down to a minimum of 2 Lux. Expanded field of application There are many a...

Translation in an emergency setting is a challenge that first responders face on a daily basis. For example, London Luton Airport’s Fire Service would previously have to find a member of staff or a passenger that could help them translate, which is not always possible. As a last resort, the service would carry around a large flipbook containing numerous medical questions in a multitude of languages, but this did not solve the problem of understanding any responses. AI-Powered Language Tr...

COVID-19 dominated the headlines in 2020, and it had a profound impact on the fire industry. TheBigRedGuide.com published many articles about the pandemic and its impact, some of which were among the most-read articles of the year. This retrospective will highlight some of those pandemic-related articles, including links to the original content.  The Fire Industry Association (FIA) in the United Kingdom published a survey report on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The survey, conduc...

From August to November, areas of Western North America brace for fire seasons that grow increasingly more destructive. 2020, in particular, has brought the United States some of the most destructive wildfires seen throughout US history. In California alone, over 4 million acres have been burned in over 9 thousand incidents, claiming 31 lives and over 10 thousand structures. When looking at the totality of fire damage in all of Western North America, this number nearly doubles, with over 8 mill...

Technology and innovation are shaping the future of the fire industry. During 2020, TheBigRedGuide.com published many articles touching on research, development, and new technologies. This roundup will review some of the most popular articles, including links to the original content. Thermal Imaging & Augmented Reality (AR) Combining thermal imaging and augmented reality (AR) enables firefighters to see through smoke, in effect enhancing their vision in the life-threatening environment of...

Wildfires represent extreme instances of the deadly destructiveness of fire. There seem to be more wildfires every year, and there are certainly larger and more deadly wildfires all over the world than ever before. Wildfires dominate the public perception of the most extreme consequences of fire. This look back at 2020 will highlight some of the articles about wildfires published by TheBigRedGuide.com, with links to the full-length original articles. The wildfire season in 11 Western U.S. stat...

With Grenfell inquiries continuing to uncover a number of fire safety issues, it’s clear that decision makers must learn from critical mistakes in a bid for better fire safety standards. Karen Trigg of Allegion UK highlights the key lessons that must be taken from Grenfell to help ensure a disaster of this magnitude never happens again. On the 14th June 2017, UK witnessed a tragedy. A myriad of critical issues, whether the result of mistakes, oversights or neglect, led to the largest fire...

The fire alarm control equipment from UK manufacturer, Advanced, has been installed at the core of a wireless fire detection system protecting Leuchie House in East Lothian on the Scottish Borders. As part of an upgrade to the existing radio fire system at the classical Georgian mansion house in North Berwick which operates as a respite center for people with multiple sclerosis, an Advanced 4-loop MxPro 5 fire panel has been installed alongside the latest EMS wireless FireCell equipment. Fire...

UNION is urging security installers to ensure they are ready for the new UKCA mark, which is replacing CE marking for products sold in Great Britain. This includes products such as fire-resistant and emergency locks, panic exit devices and door closers. The UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) marking is the new product marking system that will be used for goods being placed on the market in Great Britain. It covers most goods that previously required the CE marking. CE marked products From 1 Januar...

CertAlarm, an organization offering a pan-European quality mark in the fire protection and security systems industry, announces the launch of its new Online Quoting Platform. With a variety of national marks in Europe, manufacturers are forced to prove compliance by having their product re-tested and re-certified by local test and certification bodies – a highly expensive and time-consuming process that needs to be repeated in each country. With CertAlarm, fire and security products need...

The holiday season is fraught with possible dangers from fire. Ranging from dried-out Christmas trees to overloaded electrical circuits, the dangers are high in a season when awareness may be at a low point. Fire departments are well positioned to communicate these dangers to citizens. Social media makes it easier than ever to spread “messages of good habits” when it comes to fire prevention in homes and businesses. A Look At The Statistics The dangers are high in a season when aw...

Juan Molina is head of the voluntary firefighters of Malagueño, a city located near Córdoba in northern Argentina, where this year’s fire season has been particularly intense. Every year between August and October the mountains that surround the town of Córdoba become a raging inferno and the battle to save the forests, indigenous wildlife and livestock is waged by firefighters and locals alike. This year, for the first time they are being supported in their fight by...

Firefighters are ready to assist the UK’s rollout of COVID-19 vaccines after an agreement was reached between the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and the fire and rescue service National Employers. The agreement allows firefighters to assist other public sector organizations with the track, trace, and isolate measures, and to check that potential higher risk premises are COVID-secure. Firefighters will inspect workplaces where relevant authorities have raised concerns about COVID-security, not...

From a 48-storey fire in the UAE, to a 200-firefighter-strong blaze at student accommodation in the UK, several high-profile, high-rise fires continue to keep the focus of utilities, regulators, developers, and public associations everywhere on actively seeking ways to reduce the risk of fire with innovative materials. Statistics show that the majority of fire related fatalities occur in a domestic setting between the hours of 10 pm and 6 am. Protecting high-rise residential buildings from fire...

Parents and teachers are being warned not to give their children real candles for nativities, carol concerts, and other festive activities. Events will look slightly different this year with Government restrictions in place, but some services are still due to go ahead while others could take place virtually and London Fire Brigade is concerned about the potential for injury. The warning follows a serious accident in December last year when a child was badly burnt after his costume came into co...

Fire Safety & Protection, LLC ("FSP"), a portfolio company of Sunny River Management, LLC ("SRM"), announces the acquisition of All-Star Fire, LLC ("All-Star"), a local tenured provider in the fire & life safety industry and known throughout the greater Atlanta market for its high level of customer service, reliability and technical expertise. Based in Atlanta, GA, FSP is an emerging high-growth fire & life safety business that is building a strong presence in the Eastern United Stat...

Erickson Incorporated, a worldwide brand of operator, maintainer, and manufacturer of utility aircraft, has announced final FAA certification for the composite main rotor blades on the S-64F and CH-54B. Earlier this year, Erickson announced FAA approval of the S-64E model. This recent announcement finalizes the certification of the S-64F and CH-54B, solidifying FAA certification for the entire fleet of S-64 Air Crane E & F models, as well as the CH-54 Skycrane A & B models. The advanced...

Dame Judith Hackitt has provided an update to the Construction/Health and Safety/Fire Safety industry via HSE’s Building Safety eBulletin. “BAFE fully support Dame Judith’s comments, stressing the interest in UKAS Accredited Third Party Certification has increased over the last three years with the addition of more tender specifications stipulating this requirement." "BAFE continue to monitor the portfolio of Schemes available to ensure they remain the highest levels of determ...

The dates for INTERSCHUTZ have been changed, with the event now taking place from June 20 to June 25, 2022. The decision to reschedule the world's renowned trade fair for the fire, rescue, civil protection and safety/security verticals was taken by Deutsche Messe, after a process of thorough deliberation and intensive discussion with key market players. INTERSCHUTZ In a context that has affected numerous other trade fairs and events taking place all over the world, the move was driven by the l...

Lake Assault Boats, a manufacturer of purpose-built and mission-specific patrol, rescue, and fireboats, has received an order for seven 36-foot patrol vessels from the U.S. Army’s Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point (MOTSU) and Military Ocean Terminal Concord (MOTCO). The first two vessels will be delivered in April 2021; five additional craft will arrive later in the year. The boats will be placed on duty either in Brunswick County, North Carolina, or the eastern San Francisco Bay Area i...

What is the status of the operational fleet? Which vehicles are ready for operation? What condition are they in? Where are the vehicles now? What and how much operating and extinguishing agents (water, foam, etc.) do they have on board? RDS Connected Fleet RDS Connected Fleet provides this and all other information required to prepare for operations. Connected Fleet is the further development of the proven service for fire vehicle management system with new hardware, user interface and functio...

A clear indication of both, the company’s improved relationship with Government, and the incredible effort of individuals, is the secondment of two specialists from FIA members to the Department of International Trade - UK Defence and Security Exports. Here is what the key people involved in this great partnership have to say. Ian Moore, CEO, FIA: "Working with Government for our members and the wider industry is, and has always been, a key priority. We are proud our relationship with Gov...

Rosenbauer presents a new forest firefighting vehicle. It meets both category 3 of EN 1846-2 for all-terrain firefighting vehicles and specific requirements for the protection of the vehicle crew, as defined for example in the French standard NFS 61-517 or NFS 61-518. This includes a thermal self-protection system and a driver's cab equipped with a rollover cell. With its compact dimensions, low center of gravity, and single tires, the all-wheel-drive vehicle is ideally suited for use in rough...

Why should end users use third party certificated companies when sourcing contractors for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of firefighting, fire detection and alarm systems. Even with the best equipment, fire detection, fire suppression, gas extinguishing and passive fire protection systems are only effective if they are correctly designed, installed, commissioned and maintained. It is therefore vitally important that specifiers select only competent installation companie...

When a fire broke out on site, more than 400 staff were evacuated in less than three minutes from the Hull factory of offsite specialist Walker Modular. Five fire engines were called to the scene after the alarm was raised at the bathroom pod manufacturer. Company owner Shane Walker told the Enquirer: “I’m so proud of my staff and the fire service for dealing so well with a difficult situation. We liaised with the fire service when we designed the factory and all the fire suppressio...

Everyone at Alberta is appreciative of the work being carried out by all Medical and Support Personnel at Mater Dei. They know that every single moment of their time is dedicated to saving lives and it is because of this that they should have the best tools to ensure a better use of their skills. Hikvison together with local authorized partners, Alberta have donated a Hikvision Temperature Screening Solution so that key workers can monitor the elevated skin-surface temperature of hospital visit...

LFB crews were called to a rapidly developing fire on the sixth floor external balcony of Tweed Walk Tower Hamlets – a twelve storey apartment block. The fire spread horizontally along the balcony from the seat of the fire affecting the balcony of the adjacent dwelling. Due to the intensity of the fire the patio doors/glazing located adjacent to the seat of the fire failed. The prompt activation of the Automatic Fire Suppression System (AFSS) restricted the fire damage to the glazing unit...

Ampac’s is pleased to announce that their new EvacU Emergency Warning Control and Indicating Equipment is now officially Activfire Listed and approved to the requirements of AS4428-16:2015 Grade 2 and 3. Available as either a Standalone unit or as an integrated system with the FDCIE, the EvacU can broadcast information and provide warnings to up to 8 emergency zones. Speaker line monitoring The EvacU product range includes the following features: Highly Efficient 25W and 50 W Class &...

The BSI has made available a number of standards to help guide businesses through these difficult times. They have also a number of free to watch seminars. One can see the details of the standards available and the webinars on the company’s official website. “Following the outbreak of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), BSI has examined how we can support the collective efforts to mitigate the risks to organizations, caused by this global health issue. After careful consideration, we have...