Fire Industry News for November 2021

A successful prosecution was brought by Royal Berkshire Fire Authority against a business owner following several serious fire safety breaches. The then business owner - Mr. Sharhan Safie of Paya Restaurant, London Street in Reading, pleaded guilty to nine charges all relating to breaches of the Fire Safety Order at Reading Magistrates Court on 8 November 2019. Nature of breaches Mr. Safie failed to undertake a fire risk assessment and to take adequate fire safety arrangements Following a fi...

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) is urging residents to take care when using emollient creams. The warning comes after research from the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), Anglia Ruskin University, and De Montfort University, which confirmed that both paraffin and non-paraffin emollients can act as accelerants when absorbed into clothing and exposed to naked flames or other heat sources. Risk due to emollient absorption Emollients are not flammable in themselves, but the risk...

The Armed Forces Veterans’ Hub was launched in Royal Berkshire on 7 November, following receipt of the Gold Award in the Ministry of Defence’s Employer Recognition Scheme in 2020. This affirms the Fire Authority and Service’s ongoing commitment to the Armed Forces community. The Armed Forces Veterans’ Hub launch event was hosted virtually by the Fire Authority, coordinated jointly between the Service and MP James Sunderland. It coincided with Remembrance Sunday and has b...

The work of Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) has again been recognized in the Queen’s New Year Honours list. Chief Fire Officer Trevor Ferguson has been awarded the Queen’s Fire Service Medal for Distinguished Service (QFSM) for services to the fire and rescue sector. This award follows a recent successful inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Service, where Her Majesty’s Inspector Matt Parr concluded, “Our firs...

Envirograf® hosts regular CPD training at the office based in Dover, Kent to provide knowledge as well as practical installation and use of passive fire products. Envirograf covers the basics across all of the 200+ products, including videos of products in action and case studies. The in-house fire specialist will also demonstrate how the products work when attacked with flames. For more information on the CPD training, contact Envirograf online or by telephone to make a booking.

In relation to the Government’s latest announcement regarding coronavirus, Envirograf will be continuing business as usual. Any customer inquiries or orders by phone or online will be processed accordingly with delivery times scheduled as normal. Envirograf has taken appropriate measures on-site to ensure the safety of the staff and visitors. Sanitizer is available throughout the building, with a temperature checker in reception, including guide markings on the grounds to allow for a...

Contractors working on the build of Theale Community Fire Station have made good progress during recent months, with the new station starting to take shape. The installation of the steel superstructure took place at the end of September 2020, following extensive work to prepare the station’s foundations. Plans to build Theale Community Fire Station got underway in January 2020. It is the latest in a series of investments by the Fire Authority, following the refurbishment of the Hungerford...

Passive fire protection systems are built into all construction parts of a building such as the walls, floors, ceilings, and doors, etc. The purpose of passive fire protection systems is not to extinguish a fire but instead to help contain a fire to its origin. The way this is done is by compartmentalizing the building, so if a fire starts in one room or section of the building it doesn’t spread to other parts of the building. If the fire wasn’t compartmentalized then the structure...

The UK Home Office released a detailed analysis on the latest UK Fire Statistics. The documents call attention to the numerous dangers of fires within dwellings and other properties. These dangers included misuse of appliances, cooking appliances, accidental and malicious fires, and smokers’ materials. The document also covered fire-rescue response times and fire fatalities recorded during the course of April 2018 to March 2019. The documents serve as a reminder to property owners, occupi...

As part of the continuous innovation and development of products, Envirograf® was invited to test their Firoblok® intumescent sleeves at the Oldbury Fire Station alongside construction and fire safety professionals. The Firoblok® intumescent sleeve wrapped around the flue pipes measuring 100mm and 107mm, and finally placed within a block cavity. Filled with kindling, the on-site firemen safely ignited the cavity using blowtorches. Within minutes, the outer layer...

During the 1970s, Fike produced several reverse-acting RKB rupture discs to protect the steam turbines of a power generation facility in Canada. After decades of reliable use, the client discovered that the knife-blade technologies of yesteryear had challenges of maintaining weld integrity between the blade and holder as well as the developing of cracks in the knife blades over time. Product development team “In this customer’s case, the cost to maintain the knife blades and the t...

Spartan Emergency Response, a subsidiary of REV Group and a globally renowned manufacturer of fire apparatus, announced the launch of its newest model, the Ladder Tower NXT 110’ Rear Mount Aerial. NXT 110’ Rear Mount Aerial Designed with more flexibility for enhanced performance and safety, the NXT 110’ Rear Mount Aerial ladder eliminates the traditional pump house through a unique configuration, which allows for a shorter wheelbase and overall length, to provide greater mane...

In relation to the fires in the last 6 months including the recent blaze in south east London that was attended by London Fire Brigade. Envirograf would like to remind people about the dangers of naked flames and embers left on balconies from using a BBQ. Especially, during the outbreak of COVID-19, as many people have been have been staying at home which has led to an increase of people spending more time on their balconies. Providing fire protection As the users can see a simple fire caused...

Now that businesses are starting to operate again, there are some key fire safety matters for organizations to consider, in order ensure employees can return safety back to work. The Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service (RBFRS), Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service (BFRS) and Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service (OFRS) are helping businesses return to work safely, in these extraordinary times. Adapting to new ways of working Businesses have had to adapt to new ways of working, over...

The Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service (RBFRS) is supporting the National Fire Chiefs Council’s (NFCC) week-long sprinkler campaign, taking place from 18-24 May, 2020. Sprinklers are widely recognized as the most effective method of fighting the early stages of a fire, can save lives and reduce damage to property. RBFRS’ Area Manager for Prevention and Protection, Doug Buchanan, said “Although times are challenging at the moment, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we w...

Fike had excellent presence from their team members at Intersec Expo 2020 – the world’s premier trade fair for Security, Safety & Fire Protection. Fike reps met with prospects, customers and more to discuss the importance of industrial safety protection with fire detection and suppression, passive and active explosion protection equipment and services, and pressure relief solutions.

Experts have frequently warned of a ‘cry wolf’ attitude towards fire alarms in the UAE, and with one out of three GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) residents who ignore fire alarms coming from the UAE, is the country suffering from alarm fatigue? Every false fire alarm is costly and disruptive; an avoidable amount of money is wasted and unnecessary strain is placed on emergency services as a result of false fire alarm call-outs. A false alarm causes inconvenient evacuations; affecting...

Forever committed to improving shipboard safety, maritime classification society DNV GL has developed the new notation F(M-P), which guides increased prevention of fires in machinery spaces. This new classification identifies possible machine room hazard areas, including oil leakage and ignition, and recommends solutions offered by Fike Corporation to prevent oil mist-related fires and explosions. Dangers of Oil Mist One of the most common sources of marine engine room fires, oil mist is caus...

From engineering solutions to help solve the BP Oil Spill to protecting a museum’s irreplaceable artifacts from fire, Fike’s industrial safety solutions can vary greatly. But what’s consistent in its wide array of capabilities is the personable customer service for which Fike is known. Customer experience   Building an allegiance of happy, loyal customers comes from the relationship they experience through every touchpoint within an organization. And while cus...

Just an hour of unexpected downtime can equal millions in lost revenues to processing and manufacturing facilities. To protect against this unplanned downtime, predictive maintenance is essential, especially for facilities that handle combustible dust. That’s why, Fike Corporation launched Fike Field Service powered by VLR – a new software designed to minimize costly emergency maintenance of Fike customers’ explosion protection devices. Origins of Fike’s Field Service...

A false fire alarm can prove a costly exercise for bars; an evacuation means unhappy customers, wasted drinks, and potential fines amounting to a significant loss in revenue. Malicious activations of manual call points hit a record high during 2018/19 contributing to the £1 billion lost every year in the UK due to false alarms, with each incident costing businesses an estimated average of £2.4k. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 dictates a ‘re...

After a fantastic show in 2018, STI will once again be exhibiting at FIREX International hosted at the ExCeL, London in June. Joined by 18,000 fire prevention and protection professionals, STI will be showcasing some exciting product updates. Exhibiting at last year’s show, Steve Hunt, STI Managing Director, said, “FIREX gives the industry and certainly STI an opportunity to showcase its products, both current and new.” Networking “In addition, it’s a great place...

Established in 1975, Melvin Weaver & Sons has provided crop protection products for the agriculture industry for over 40 years. The company’s steady growth throughout these years generated the need for additional space at their Lancaster, PA-based facility. In summer 2014, Melvin Weaver began planning the construction of a 16,800-square-foot addition to its warehouse. Having a long-time relationship with Kint Fire Protection, Melvin Weaver turned to Kint to explore fire suppression sy...

Envirograf is delighted to announce that they will be in Birmingham at the NEC for The Fire Safety Event from the 9th – 11th April. Please feel free to come and visit them to ask any questions that may concern the user and they will be more than happy to assist the user in finding the right solution.

More than 14,000 false fire alarms were accidentally triggered across England in 2017/18 – disrupting schools and businesses, placing unnecessary strain on emergency services, and reducing the confidence the general public has in fire alarms. The latest Home Office figures reveal that; there were a total of 14,366 false fire alarms caused by a person ‘accidentally or carelessly’ activating a manual call point in England for the period September 2017 to September 2018...

Members of the fire protection team at Fike Corporation recently discussed the past, present and future of applying water mist within certain industries and applications. Jason Jones – Global Product Manager, Fire Suppression Brad Stillwell – Director of Special Projects Derek Wickersham – Business Development Manager, Water Mist Amos Leap – Product Manager, Fire Suppression Water sprinkler droplet What is water mist and how is it used in fire protection? JJ &n...

It is not unheard of to see fire extinguishers being used as temporary doorstops, especially in conjunction with exit door misuse – but they are also prone to theft and when discharged unnecessarily can cause harm to the environment. Providing a solution for this common issue, STI created a series of products to help keep in line with emergency exit door and fire extinguisher regulations.   Exit Stopper® door alarm The Exit Stopper® door alarm is a unique and...

A major chemical company in the UK had been running a large spray drying process for many years. They thought the explosion risk had been mitigated by installing suppression systems on the main dryer and cyclone and flameless venting on the filter. These had activated over 30 times, for real explosions, and the system had so far done its job. However, the frequency of activations increased and eventually an explosion in the main filter lead to damage in the plant, despite the protection system....

Built within a dolomite rock mine reinforced with 7-foot bolts shot into the ceiling, and located in an area considered quite low in seismic activity, the Mountain Data Center is ideal for record storage and IT service offerings. Tier IV data center The facility boasts the latest in high-tech security and archive storage, is managed by IT professionals and even preserves air quality by restricting trucks inside and using only electric equipment. This acute attention to detail has earned The Mo...

On September 24th, 2004 BRS-Intron, a computer company based in Visby, Sweden, averted what could have been a major disaster. Because it is a full-service company, specializing in complete product solutions, servicing, and financing, BRS-Intron’s business is heavily dependent on the continuous operation of its business systems. For this reason, it chose Fike Corporation’s FM-200® (HFC-227ea) clean agent fire suppression system for the protection of its computer equipment. T...