Fire Industry News for June 2024

One of UKAS’ current Strategic Priorities is to develop a secure, online and free-to-use database of certifications that have been issued by the accredited Certification Bodies. This database will present information on each organization holding accredited certification from a UKAS-accredited Certification Body, including details of the organization, scope and the awarding Certification Body.  As such, the database will allow organizations, public bodies and Government agencies that...

In the upcoming weeks, further restrictions regarding COVID safety may be reduced or completely removed following assessments by Governments across the nation. This poses important steps for fire safety service providers/contractors, including reviewing their own COVID-19 safety policies in the interest of employee and client safety.  BAFE would like to offer the following guidance considering the removal or reduction of restrictions: Continue to exercise a risk-based approach prior to...

With the travel and social contact restrictions imposed around the world as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, accreditation and conformity assessment bodies turned to technology in order to continue their work remotely. Remote Audit/Assessment Survey A survey is now being run jointly by IAF, ILAC and ISO to better understand the views of the conformity assessment community and those that rely on the results of conformity assessment, on the use of remote techniques for audit/assessment/ev...

On Monday 5th July 2021, the Building Safety Bill was published. In their press release, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, Lord Stephen Greenhalgh, and The Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP state this “will create lasting generational change and set out a clear pathway for the future on how residential buildings should be constructed and maintained.” Building Safety Regulator The newly established Building Safety Regulator “will oversee the new regime and w...

BAFE Registered Company, Bryland Fire Protection, designed and installed fire detection and gaseous fire suppression systems to safeguard the 10MW data center. Bryland announced their completion of a 2-year multi-million-pound project designing and installing fire protection systems for a new 10MW data center. gaseous suppression system In news from Bryland, Graham Turner, Managing Director - Bryland Fire Protection, explained "As this client specializes in providing telecommunications, prote...

BAFE are proud to announce that Chris Auger, Director of Schemes, has accepted an invitation from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to be a member of the Interim Industry Competence Committee (IICC). The committee has been established to act in an advisory position, which will support the HSE’s Building Safety Regulator (BSR). The committee will aid in developing new regulatory measures regarding life safety within the new and current built environment. Chris Auger joins Interim Indu...

The Home Office on Monday (07/06/2021) has published an update regarding guidance covering fire safety in purpose-build blocks of flats. The Home Office states that “This document is a guide to ensuring adequate fire safety in purpose-built blocks of flats, regardless of age. Practical advice is offered on how to assess the risk from fire and how to manage fire safety in such buildings. The document also includes case studies based on the commonly found issues in blocks of flats, with sug...

The UK Government has launched on 8 June 2021 a new consultation on Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (‘PEEPs’) in high-rise residential buildings, which seeks views on implementing the relevant Grenfell Inquiry’s recommendations. The consultation will be open for a period of six weeks, from 8th June to 19th July 2021. Raise awareness of the new consultation Alongside the consultation, the Home Office are also holding workshops They would like to encourage everyone to res...

On 27/05/2021, the Department for Education opened their consultation on Building Bulletin 100 (BB100). This document is described by the Department as “Non-statutory guidance on fire safety for schools. The guidance covers designing a school building so that pupils and staff will have early warning if a fire breaks out and can evacuate quickly and safely. BB100 advises how to minimize the spread of fire and how to ensure the building structure is adequately resistant to fire. It also inc...

As the World continues to move towards more and more battered powered consumer goods, from electric vehicles to scooters and hoverboards for fun, it is important to be aware of the dangers posed by batteries in the event of a fire. batteries catching fire Most people are aware that batteries catching fire can cause an explosion risk Most people are aware that batteries catching fire can cause an explosion risk, but not everyone is aware of the ferocity and...

The following announcement was made by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy at 17.00 on Saturday 27th March 2021: "The Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy has decided that the Green Home Grant Voucher scheme will cease taking new applications from 5 pm on 31st March. We will refocus efforts and funding on an alternative approach to maximize the delivery of home retrofits and benefits to consumers and businesses." Green Homes Grant voucher...

UKAS would like to draw customers' and stakeholders’ attention to the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) Call for Evidence on the UK Product Safety Framework which was published on 11 March. The Call for Evidence forms part of OPSS’ Review of the UK’s Product Safety framework. product safety framework Specifically, the Review wants to ensure that the product safety framework can adapt to new technologies and business models, and offer the opportunity to regulate...

UKAS is pleased to announce that it is joining forces with the ‘Building a Safer Future Charter’ by becoming a Corporate Supporter. The Charter was set up in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy when 72 people lost their lives in Britain’s worst residential fire since the end of WW2. The aim of the Charter is for organizations across the built-environment sector to commit to ensuring that buildings are safe for those living and working in them and to protect life by putting...

The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) and the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) have strengthened our cooperation arrangement, marking a new chapter in SCC and UKAS’s history of collaboration. The renewed agreement signals a refocus on Canada-UK relations within the context of accreditation and conformity assessments, which can play a key role in facilitating trade between Canada and the UK. Partnership with UKAS “Accreditation is a critical driver of economic prosperity...

As the UK finally cut its regulatory ties with the EU on 1st January 2021, this was marked by the introduction of new national regulations to ensure the continuation of the UK’s Quality Infrastructure. In particular, the regulation that governed accreditation within the European Union was amended by the Product Safety and Metrology, etc. (Amendment, etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/696) (as amended), which, together with the existing  Accreditation Regulations 2009 (S...

UKAS was pleased to contribute to CQI’s recent report ‘The Future of Work’, which explores the realities of “digital transformation” in the workplace. When considering the age of digitalization (often referred to as the 4th Industrial Revolution) ‘The Future of Work’ report considers the key drivers for change that were identified by CQI’s Research Advisory Panel.  These include: Big data and analytics Augmented reality Artificial i...

Trinity is part of the Trinity Property Group who manage more than 110,000 homes across the different brands within the group. Trinity is one of the largest residential property management companies in England and Wales. Working with renowned housebuilders across the country, Trinity provides residential management services nationally. Part of their property portfolio is a large East London estate. The site consists of 651 homes set within a genuine community, supported by a new lib...

The Mick George Group has grown to become one of the leading suppliers to the construction industry in the heart of East Anglia and East Midlands. Operating with a single tipper truck in 1978, the company’s commercial fleet size has now grown to more than 400 HGV vehicles. They specialize in Bulk Excavation & Earthmoving Services, Demolition and Asbestos Removal, a wide range of Skip Hire and Waste Management Services, and Aggregate & Concrete Supply, as well as their...

There are over 1200 NHS hospitals across the UK, spread across 223 NHS trusts, ranging in age and complexity. Very few of them are single stand-alone buildings, instead the sites usually represent complicated infrastructure networks, that have grown and developed over a few decades. This in turn increases the complexity of the fire detection system across the whole site. fire detection challenges The challenges in managing fire detection systems in such structures can be associated with: C...

The fire safety market in the UK is a peculiar one. While the trade at large is among the most advanced in the world in terms of the firefighting solutions on offer, the biggest challenge for the customers is that this trade is a scattered one. There is no brand in the genre that offers a holistic fire safety range, ranging from extinguishers to suppression systems and everything in between, and a customer if left to deal with multiple suppliers for their fire safety requirements. Complete spe...

The United Kingdom is one of the most economically developed and technologically advanced nations in the world. The world has seen some state-of-the-art technologies emerging from the UK. Being a consumer in a mature market, such as the UK has its own privileges; customers here have some of the best choices of products and services at their disposal. The same is true for the fire trade. However, there are some areas which, if addressed can take the customer satisfaction levels to unprecedented...

In this article, Apollo explores how a Fire Detection & Alarm system is a more reliable and cost-effective method of early detection compared to a Waking Watch. Grenfell Tower tragedy The Grenfell Tower tragedy has highlighted multiple issues with fire safety in High-rise residential blocks, with one of them being combustible cladding. When combustible materials are present in the cladding, it is no longer safe for the occupants to follow the “Stay Put” policy, which reli...

Three HURST Jaws of Life leaders have earned promotions at HURST Jaws of Life and within IDEX Fire & Safety, a business unit of IDEX, the legendary rescue tool brand’s parent company: Bruce Johnston has been promoted to Director of Marketing, IDEX North American Fire & Safety; Mike Canon has been named Director of Rescue Sales, IDEX Fire & Safety Commercial; and Jeff Jasmin has taken the post of Acting Site Leader – HURST. The new roles build on the transition of IDEX Fi...

XPander is Apollo’s hybrid wireless range. It offers a comprehensive solution to many problems that present themselves when installing a fire detection system. It is quick to install and requires minimal cabling. Often being 75% quicker to install in comparison to a wired system! XPander applications XPander has many applications, and its versatility is key to deciding on which type of system fits best for a building. Ideal applications: Time-sensitive Projects. Minimizing Disrupt...

The term false alarm is used widely throughout the industry to describe an unwanted activation of a fire alarm system. False alarms can be caused by: The build-up of dust on the detector Steam and other fumes activating the detector Burnt food e.g. burning toast Incorrect system testing procedures Unwanted Manual Call Point activations This poll is a snapshot of what those in the business consider to be most common. Manual Call Point related false alarms: User error (in...

Since its launch in 2018, the Apollo Test Set has helped to save time on thousands of sites by aiding Engineers in fault finding and loop management. The Research and Development Team has designed some exciting new features for the Loop Tester and the firmware update will be available on the website with a few simple clicks from 18th August. What are the new features? The two new main features of this update are: Drift Management Soft Addressing Drift Management Drift management assi...

With coronavirus lockdown measures in place slowly beginning to ease, BAFE strongly advises that fire safety measures are not overlooked or deferred further. There is a bombardment of information coming out regarding the coronavirus pandemic and the changes to the ‘new normal’ we are becoming accustomed to. BAFE has been keeping abreast of this information and hopes they have found the news provided on the BAFE website useful. Fire safety measures BAFE strongly advises that fire s...

HURST Jaws of Life®, a global manufacturer of rescue tools, has earned The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA®) 1936 2020 compliant status for HURST’s two highest-performing product lines, eDRAULIC® Watertight Extrication Tools (EWXT) and eDRAULIC 2.0 (E2) battery-powered tools. The third-party test results also include HURST earning high ratings in the NFPA’s new F bar testing for cutter performance against the design and metal types of the ultra-high-strength steel...

HURST Jaws of Life® is raising the bar in industry performance for battery-powered combination tools, introducing the SC 758E2 with improved ratings, wider spreads and larger cutter openings. “We’re continually improving the power and performance of HURST Jaws of Life rescue tools to help first responders as they encounter increasingly demanding scenarios during extrications,’” said Bruce Johnston, director of marketing and product management. Powerful battery-power...

Zeta Alarms Ltd takes this opportunity to welcome Apex Fire Systems Pte Ltd as their newest global premier partner based in Singapore. Apex has recently helped expand the Zeta brand across the Far East by taking part in exhibitions in Phnom Penh, Vietnam and Yangon to name a few.