Fire Industry News for July 2020

During the FDIC team’s extensive outreach and conversations with the fire service, there was an overwhelming desire expressed by firefighters to come together in the fall to celebrate the unity of the fire service, learn, and support ongoing efforts in serving their communities and continue training. These requests are being answered with the launch of a new event, United Fire Conference, that will take place September 22-24, 2020, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN. The...

The NVFC welcomes new Advocate Member DripDrop ORS (oral rehydration solution), producer of electrolyte powder sticks that provide dehydration relief fast. Invented by a doctor to save lives while serving on a humanitarian aid trip, it is used by medical professionals, elite athletes, firefighters, and every day people who suffer from dehydration due to heat exhaustion, illness, travel, and more.

bp continues to support first responders, doctors, nurses, and medical workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic by offering a discount of up to 15 cents per gallon on every fill up at bp and Amoco stations for 60 days. Program sign-up is available through the company’s website and rewards can be used at the pump with the BPme app for no-contact payment. This offer is in addition to the more than $8 million in fuel discounts issued by bp since April 2020 to 650,000 responders and...

TRANSCAER and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) are hosting a series of free Ethanol Emergency Response webinars as well as a train-the-trainer webinar. These courses are being offered online due to the pandemic and current social distancing guidelines. Take advantage of this special opportunity to get this important training online. RFA has conducted nearly 300 in person ethanol safety seminars across the country.  Ethanol Emergency Response Webinar Due to current circumstances and...

Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) Emergency Services Training Institute, a Sustaining member of the National Volunteer Fire Council and provider in high-quality emergency response training and instruction, is offering free and low-cost online firefighting continuing education courses. With many firefighters looking for affordable online training opportunities during the pandemic, these courses are a great option to incorporate into department training. Emergency responders can...

In a typical year, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) encourages the public to only attend public fireworks displays put on by trained professionals, reflecting its’ long-standing position against consumer use of fireworks. However, with public fireworks events around the country being canceled in the year 2020, NFPA is vigorously discouraging individuals’ use of consumer fireworks, recognizing that the likelihood of such activities may increase in the absence of public...

WESCO International, Inc., a renowned provider of business-to-business (B2B) distribution, logistics services and supply chain solutions, announced it has completed its merger with Anixter International Inc., creating a premier, well known global B2B distribution and supply chain solutions company. Upon completion of the merger, Anixter became a wholly owned subsidiary of WESCO International. Anixter’s shares ceased trading prior to the market open on June 22, 2020, and each share of Anix...

Every year, thousands of farmers and commercial grain handlers risk their lives by entering grain bins to remove clumped or rotted grain. As rural communities have come to know all too well, an accident in a grain bin can quickly turn deadly. In just seconds, adults can sink to their waist in flowing grain, rendering them completely trapped without the proper rescue devices. These accidents result in dozens of lost lives each year, and deaths have spiked in 2019 and early 2020 due to the wet har...

On April 29, National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) Chair Steve Hirsch asked President Donald Trump to exercise various legal authorities to assist emergency services organizations in dealing with challenges associated with COVID-19 and social distancing. Specifically, the NVFC is asking the President to: Exercise his authority under the Defense Protection Act (DPA) to encourage manufacturers to produce more personal protective equipment, like respirators, gloves, gowns, and face shields, to...

Intelagard is giving away up to $75,000 in fire suppression and decontamination equipment to first responders. Twelve Macaw® backpacks with three-piece nozzle sets will be awarded to fire departments, hazmat teams, hospitals, police departments, and municipalities. Dennis Smagac, president of Intelagard, stated, “As the global economy has been severely impacted by the coronavirus, we at Intelagard want to give back to those organizations that have been and continue to be crucial to th...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) has announced hosting a webinar titled ‘Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Preservation and N95 Respirator Decontamination and Reuse’, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U. S. Fire Administration and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. PPE Preservation webinar The webinar will focus on the current research and best practices for preserving and decontaminating personal protective equipment and use of the Battelle Decon...

The NVFC recently hosted a Facebook Live discussion on creative fundraising ideas fire and EMS departments can consider to help bridge funding shortfalls caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent social distancing measures. If one has missed the live event, the recording can be watched on NVFC’s social media page.

The NVFC is running an ongoing survey to better understand the needs of volunteer and combination fire, EMS, and rescue departments dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures. Data collected helps inform the discussions with policymakers in Congress and federal agencies. NVFC asks volunteers to take the survey, and retake it each week so NVFC can track changes over time.    

NVFC chair Steve Hirsch sat down with Side Alpha podcast host Marc Bashoor in February to discuss volunteerism in the fire service, how to stem declining numbers, strategies for recruitment and retention efforts, and the future of the fire service. The podcast is now available for download. 

Anheuser-Busch and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have been named a 2020 Silver Halo Award winner in the Disaster Prevention/Relief category for the Emergency Drinking Water for Wildland Firefighters program. Keeping firefighters hydrated during long incidents or disasters such as wildfires is a critical need for fire departments, yet many volunteer departments struggle with limited budget and resources. To help departments meet this need, Anheuser-Busch teamed up with the NVFC in 2...

The National Fire Protection Association has announced the theme of Fire Prevention Week 2020 is “Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen.” Cooking is the major cause of home fires and home fire injuries in the U.S. NFPA urges to use the week of October 4-10 to educate one’s community on cooking hazards, the dangers of unattended cooking, and precautions one can take to prevent cooking-related fires.

Safety Stand Down is June 14-20, and departments are encouraged to suspend all non-emergency activities to focus on training relating to year 2020’s theme - protecting emergency responders at roadway incidents. Resources are available at the Safety Stand Down website, and webinar details would be posted soon. One can take the Safety Stand Down Quiz by June 17 for a chance to win one of 200 limited-edition challenge coins.

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), in partnership with the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FBHA) and the American Psychological Association (APA), has released a new directory of behavioral health professionals that are equipped and ready to help firefighters, EMS providers, dispatchers, and rescue workers. Emergency responders are at risk of many behavioral health concerns, including anxiety, depression, burnout, post-traumatic and acute stress, addiction, relationship challen...

Safety equipment manufacturer MSA Safety Incorporated announces plans to expand its Cranberry Township manufacturing footprint to support anticipated future growth and enable productivity improvements within the company’s gas detection product portfolio. The expansion, which includes a new 20,000-square-foot, single-story manufacturing facility adjacent to the company’s existing building in Cranberry Woods Office Park (north of Pittsburgh, Pa.), will be used exclusively for assembly...

Johnson Controls has announced the release of the new TYCO Model ESFR-34 Pendent Sprinkler (TY9286). The latest TYCO ESFR-34 sprinkler is an early suppression and fast response sprinkler that provides the tallest ceiling-only fire protection and narrowest aisle width currently available. TYCO ESFR-34 sprinkler The ESFR-34 sprinkler helps protect storage arrangements of 50 feet (15, 2 m) with a ceiling height up to 55 feet (16, 8 m) and aisle widths as narrow as six feet (1, 8 m). These sprink...

CivicCMS, part of the CivicPlus® platform of integrated technology for local governments, has announced a program to recognize small-town civic volunteers and volunteer organizations that are making a difference in their community. CivicCMS is launching the Small Town America Civic Volunteer Award program; local government representatives may nominate citizens or citizen organizations. The initiative will recognize 100 entries, helping to shine a spotlight on the growing need for local enga...

A custom-engineered gas extinguishant system from fire systems, Advanced, is now protecting thousands of culturally important collections at the Historical Archives of Belgrade. The Archives play an important role in Belgrade, preserving some of the city’s most important cultural and social assets, including 34,000 books and journals, documents, photographs, works of art and other artifacts spanning the 16th to the 20th centuries. Gas suppression system Advanced’s local partner in...

An Axis AX fire system from Advanced has been installed as part of large-scale renovations at one of Sri Lanka’s healthcare facilities. The 2-loop and 4-loop, UL-listed Axis AX fire panels, and more than 500 devices, were supplied, installed and commissioned at the Korea Sri Lanka Friendship Hospital by local Advanced partner Firetech (Pvt) Limited. Fire Safety at Healthcare Facility Located south of Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, The District of Matara was gravely affected by the...

Notifier is hosting online webinars during the months of June and July. During the months of June and July, NOTIFIER By Honeywell is hosting online webinars which one could join for free. One can find the links on the website to register. Monday 22nd June 10 am - Detector Selection and False Alarm prevention Wednesday 24th June 10 am- BS5839-1: 2017 - An overview of changes to the standard Tuesday 30th June 10 am - Agile Wireless Fire Detection and Alarm Thursday 2nd July 10 am - Fire Syst...

Panattoni Park Nottingham is a landmark development for the UK’s pioneer speculative developer, Panattoni, comprising of three separate units that span 55 acres of prime location in Eastwood, Nottingham. As the developer of logistics solutions across Europe, Panattoni is experienced in delivering efficient buildings that support each individual client in achieving optimum operational productivity throughout each stage of the supply chain. As part of this commitment, Hörmann UK is its...

Recycling Lives is a very special business. Ostensibly a recycling and waste management operation, they actually use this commercial element to support and sustain charity programs for offender rehabilitation, residential support and food redistribution. It’s a genuinely effective approach to social aid, and one that has earned four prestigious Queens Awards and numerous admirers, including Andy Moore, managing director of security and fire experts ADJ Fire & Security Limited. ADJ work...

Europe’s door provider, Hörmann UK, is celebrating a successful first half to 2019 for its industrial division, achieving record-breaking levels of orders through its Projects department. The first six months of the year have seen a healthy increase in business for the industrial division, with turnover up by 78% on last year (as of end of June). As part of this, trade sales are up by 43%, with sales of Sectional Insulated Doors up by 21%, whilst sales of high-speed doors are also up...

Gary Craig has been appointed as Sales Director at global fire protection company, Advanced, further strengthening its senior leadership team. A known figure in the fire industry, Gary has spent the past 35 years working in the fire safety sector and has held leadership positions at several major product manufacturers. In his new role at Advanced, Gary will be responsible for accelerating growth in both UK and international markets and will also focus on refining the customer experience. In pu...

The fire industry has experimented with touch screen technology for many years as ever sophisticated and human friendly solutions are sought to tackle fire situations which can be particularly problematic in cases involving large, complex sites and high-rise buildings. Advanced's Sales Manager for Southern Europe, Vladimir Zrnic, looks at some of the benefits to introducing touch screen technology. Protecting these buildings and often hundreds, if not thousands, of people from the danger and da...

LuxIntelligent from Advanced is an addressable, automatic emergency light test system. It shows all emergency lighting is compliant and functioning, with no engineer involvement required. It can be easily networked and retrofitted onto existing wiring and luminaires, keeping installation costs to a minimum. LuxIntelligent provides cloud monitoring and system management via mobile and web apps. Test data is stored securely in the cloud and the system delivers live details on status, faults, test...