Fire Industry News for June 2023

It is essential that volunteer fire departments are prepared to respond to hazardous materials incidents. According to the National Fire Protection Association, fire departments responded to over 433,000 hazardous materials calls in 2021. CHEMTREC HELP award The number of hazmat incidents occurring annually continues to increase, based on 10-year incident summary data from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which underscores the need for firefighters to be trained and...

Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation company, announced the City of San Diego Fire-Rescue Department has placed an order for 18 custom fire apparatus, including 17 Pierce fire trucks and one Frontline Communications mobile command vehicle. The new fire and emergency vehicles represent the first order in a $52 million fleet replacement initiative for the City of San Diego Fire-Rescue Department to support sustainability and fleet operation and mechanics standardization initiatives....

Allegion UK, a pioneering manufacturer of door hardware solutions, is pleased to announce the launch of its newly designed, user-focussed website - www.allegion.co.uk. Purpose built to offer the ultimate customer-friendly experience, and packed with a comprehensive collection of useful resources, Allegion’s new website will act as a central hub for its extensive family of brands sold in the UK and across the globe. Allegion UK’s full portfolio of brands The new website boasts an i...

A date that cannot be missed in the calendars of fire protection professionals is the renowned VdS-FireSafety Cologne, which will take place on the 6th and 7th of December, 2023.  International trade fair Due to the growing success of the event, the large, international trade fair will be held for the first time in the larger exhibition hall 10.1, which will accommodate even more exhibitors and live demonstrations than before.  In addition, trade show visitors will benefit from a va...

Over the past few months, one of the fire and security industry’s major talent solutions providers, Zitko Group, has made waves with remarkable achievements.  The company's dedication to innovation and technological prowess has earned them a finalist position for the 'Best use of Technology' category at the prestigious BSIA awards. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on 21st June 2023. Client experience Furthermore, their commitment to providing an exceptional client...

Euralarm, the renowned association representing the European fire safety and security industry, concluded its highly anticipated General Assembly and Section Meetings on May 9th and 10th in Frankfurt, Germany. Euralarm plays a pivotal role in fostering collaboration and driving advancements in the sector. With its mission to ensure safety for all, it brings together industry professionals, national associations, and experts from various sectors to discuss emerging trends, address challenges, an...

ImageTrend, LLC. has been selected by Pinellas County Safety & Emergency Services to provide integrated EMS and fire data management solutions for its 18 Fire Rescue Departments and Sunstar EMS. The county is currently working toward a full implementation with a scheduled go-live this Fall. ImageTrend Elite™ Rescue Once live, ImageTrend Elite™ Rescue will enable Pinellas County first responders to efficiently collect, manage and report data related to the approximately 250,0...

At approximately 3:30 pm this afternoon, CFS crews responded to reports of a structure fire on Katarapko Crescent near Winkie in the Riverland. Upon arrival, CFS crews found a house fully engulfed in flames. Three CFS trucks and a CFS Bulk Water Carrier were supported by three MFS trucks and an MFS Bulk Water Carrier from Renmark and Berri. Crews were unable to save the house, however, they worked to stop the fire from spreading to a nearby shed and into the surrounding scrub. SA Police were o...

At 01h27PM on Saturday afternoon, 5 November 2022, SACFS crews were alerted to a warehouse fire at a winery in Chandlers Hill near Clarendon, South Australia. The SACFS responded with 35 firefighters in nine fire appliances to fight a fire in a 3,000-square-meter warehouse on the winery. The fire caused in excess of $2 million in damage to the warehouse and its contents. The cause of the fire is unknown and fire-cause investigators have been requested to attend the scene. The SACFS was su...

BAFE and NAPIT are pleased to announce the first ever Third-Party Certification and BAFE Registration to the DS301 competency scheme, which has been achieved by CS Electrics based in County Durham. This competency scheme covers design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance works performed on Grade D domestic fire detection and fire alarm systems. The importance of domestic fire safety was highlighted in 2017 with the tragic Grenfell Tower fire, but this does not only apply to high-rise r...

Governments across the United Kingdom (UK) have been increasing their efforts in recent years to improve electrical safety standards in dwellings. The significance of inspecting and testing electrical installations in homes is clear, given that taking England alone, there were 12,851 accidental electrical fires in 2021/22. Regulations have been introduced UK wide, with Scotland introducing legislation for mandatory electrical safety checks in the Private Rented Sector in 2015, England following...

The CFS is encouraging South Australians to include their whole family in bushfire preparations for the upcoming season, to empower young people and ensure they understand what to do in an emergency. During the 'Bushfire Ready Week' from 1-7 October the South Australian community should start taking responsibility for their own safety by preparing their properties and enrolling in CFS-run events and workshops that will assist in preparing them mentally and physically. How to Write a Bushfire S...

25 CFS volunteers on six trucks, supported by SA Ambulance Service and SA Police personnel, are responding to a truck fire 18 kilometers east of Truro on the Sturt Highway. Crews were called to the incident just before 4 o’clock this morning, where they found a B-double fully involved in fire. damage caused The truck, transporting paper waste was destroyed, with the damage bill estimated to be around $300,000. It’s expected CFS crews will be on the scene for some time, extinguish...

Port Pirie residents may notice an increase in aircraft activity in the coming week as the SA Country Fire Service (CFS) conducts a range of aviation exercises as part of its annual preparations for the bushfire season. The CFS, along with contractors from Aerotech and Helifarm, will be conducting the exercises out of the Port Pirie Aerodrome from Sunday, 25 September to Friday, 30 September between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm. Residents within the Port Pirie and surrounding areas should not be alarmed...

Four CFS trucks and a bulk water carrier, supported by MFS crews, responded to a truck fire on the city-bound side of the South Eastern Freeway at 8:55 in the morning. The truck which was transporting scaffolding, has been extinguished by firefighters, with the fire contained to the truck. Damage incurred Specialist HazMat-trained CFS volunteers are on the scene helping to clean up and contain any diesel and oil, which dropped from the truck during the fire. No one has been injured. Traffic...

At approximately 16:30 in the afternoon on Friday, 2 September 2022, SACFS personnel were alerted to a truck fire on the Port Wakefield Highway, approximately 25km south of Port Wakefield, South Australia. The SACFS dispatched 9 fire trucks to respond to the vehicle fire. Upon arrival, the fire crews found a cement powder distribution truck ablaze on the side of the highway.  Damage caused The crews worked to contain the fire and to ensure that there were no hazardous materials contained...

At 9:25 a.m. on August 4, 2022, Big Bear Fire Department was dispatched to a call of a fall victim on the Castle Rock Trail in Big Bear Lake. With limited access in rugged terrain, personnel from Big Bear Lake Station 281 utilized its heavy duty off-road Polaris Ranger 6x6 to access the start of a 1.5 mile hike to reach the location of the victim. Local area hospital The patient was treated at the scene for moderate injuries, transferred to a backboard for stabilization, and loaded on a one...

In response to an industry push to bridge the skills gap for electric vehicle chargepoint (EVCP) installations and assist in meeting the Government's net-zero ambitions, NAPIT Training has launched a new EVCP course, Level 3 Award in the Design and Installation of Domestic and Small Commercial Electric Vehicle Charging Installations (City & Guilds 2921-31). The new qualification has been introduced following the UK’s aim to become net-zero by 2050. The transport sector is one of the b...

Shortly after 6:30 a.m. on June 29, 2022, Big Bear Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire in the 400 block of Jeffries Road in Big Bear Lake. Upon arrival, fire crews discovered a shed at the residence was well involved in the fire, with flames spreading to nearby Pine trees. Fire personnel quickly contained the fire, which was extinguished within approximately six minutes. Crews remained on scene for mop up efforts to ensure no reignition would occur. Reported structure fire...

The government has published its response to the consultation on the use of cladding in buildings over 11m in England. Combustible materials Combustible materials have been banned for use in external facades of buildings higher than 18m since 2018, following extensive lobbying in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire. In early 2020, the government suggested also banning the use of such materials for buildings above 11m in height, and ran a consultation on this in May 2020, the response to...

Marion Body Works, a renowned national manufacturer of commercial truck bodies, fire & emergency apparatus, custom cabs, custom engineered vehicles, and defense bodies, announces plans for expansion. This milestone marks an exciting new chapter in the company’s 117-year history of family ownership. As of May 1, Marion Body Works has acquired additional manufacturing space located in Shawano, Wisconsin, USA, just 22 miles east of their main headquarters. New additional manufacturing s...

“We’re delighted to be returning to FIREX International this year and we relish the opportunity it presents to connect with our members, customers, and the wider fire safety sector,” said Jonathan O’Neill OBE, Managing Director of the Fire Protection Association (FPA). He adds, “FIREX will see the launch of several new and exciting FPA services including our Material Identification Laboratory, for identifying building insulation material; two fire resistance test f...

The FPA’s Assembly Point podcast continues its second series, examining resilience, building regulations, and insurance challenges.  role of resilience For the third episode of this second series of Assembly Point, Dr. Jim Glockling, the FPA’s Technical Director and Director of RISCAuthority is joined by Tom Roche, Senior Consultant at FM Global, and Mike Rooney, Chief Executive Officer at Resilience First, to explore resilience and whether it will ever be fully embedded if no...

The Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Fire Safety Research Institute courses are focused on coordinated ventilation and suppression tactics for structure fires. Course focus  Each course focuses on a unique occupancy type, covering: The science of fire dynamics. The findings from the experiments in the Study of Coordinated Fire Attack Utilizing Acquired Structures (Coordinated Fire Attack Study), a UL research study supported by an Assistance to Firefighters Grant. Tactical consideratio...

A number of vulnerable people were left at serious risk of fire at a hostel for vulnerable people with a huge number of safety failings, resulting in a Liverpool landlord being hit with a bill of almost £25,000 for exposing vulnerable and homeless tenants to serious fire risks in the House of Multiple Occupation (HMO). £20,000 fine Step One (NW) Limited was issued a £20,000 fine by Liverpool Magistrates Court on Thursday, 17 March, for failure to comply with the Management of...

A science museum located in Bristol city center, in Bristol, United Kingdom (UK) was evacuated, after its roof caught fire. Avon Fire and Rescue Service were called to We The Curious in Millennium Square, Bristol, at about 14:00 on Saturday 9 April. All visitors to the museum were evacuated safely from the building. joint investigation Around 35 firefighters in five fire engines responded to the call and extinguished the fire. A joint investigation between Avon F&RS and the police is bein...

Hempel has had its emissions reduction targets approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).  The targets covering greenhouse gas emissions from Hempel’s operations (scopes 1 and 2) are consistent with reductions required to keep warming to 1.5°C, what the latest climate science has told us is needed to prevent the most damaging effects of climate change.  Emission goals Hempel’s target for the emissions from its value chain (scope 3) meets the SBTi’...

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) are changing how they respond to automatic fire alarms (AFA) in non-sleeping risk premises during the day. From 1 April 2022, LFRS are changing the way they respond to calls from automatic systems and from persons who have not investigated the source of a sounding fire alarm in non-sleeping risk buildings, between the hours of 8 am and 7 pm, seven days a week.  Automatic fire alarms (AFAs) Automatic fire alarms (AFAs) provide early warning in the...

The Fire Protection Association (FPA) announces the departure of its long-standing Technical and RISCAuthority Director, Dr. Jim Glockling, who has decided to step down from his position for lifestyle reasons. Dr. Jim Glockling will remain with the company until the end of June. positive influence Commenting on the news, the FPA’s Managing Director, Jonathan O’Neill OBE said, “Having worked with Jim for more than 20 years, I have seen firsthand the positive influence he has...

The clubhouse at Beaverbrook Golf Club in Leatherhead, Surrey, United Kingdom (UK) was destroyed by a catastrophic fire on the evening of Monday, 7 March, fortunately causing no injuries. Firefighters were called to the scene at 10 pm, with eight fire engines in attendance. The fire was found to have caused damage to 'the entirety of the building and its basement'. Surrey Fire and Rescue Service have not yet revealed a cause of the fire at this point, and while an investigation has been launch...