Fire Industry News for November 2024

Effective from the 2nd of October 2023, ARA Building Services acquired Urban Building Solutions (UBS). This acquisition has helped ARA Building Services establish a national footprint within the insurance building industry. The acquisition has also helped ARA Building Services expand within the residential and commercial sectors. areas of service Urban Building Solutions works across the following areas of service: Residential Strata Make-safe & Restoration Large Loss & Commercia...

Whelen Engineering, a global pioneer in the emergency warning industry for over 70 years, has announced the release of an innovative web-based application designed to revolutionize the programming of emergency vehicle warning lights and sirens. Simulate™ allows users to effortlessly upload and verify vehicle configurations, eliminating the need for time-consuming physical testing and ensuring a seamless, error-free setup. ground-breaking platform This ground-breaking platform is set to...

In fire safety, where clarity and swift action are paramount, exit and emergency lighting emerges as a guiding beacon, pioneering occupants to safety during emergencies. Queensland, with its commitment to protection and preparedness, places immense importance on exit lighting. But who ensures the effectiveness of these luminous guides? Enter exit lighting certifiers - a crucial force behind these essential safety features' design, certification, and installation. This article delves into the si...

Fire, a relentless force of destruction, can strike unexpectedly, sparing none in its path. In the quest for protection and preparedness, a fire safety plan emerges as a vital shield against the unpredictability of flames. Why is a fire safety plan indispensable? This article explores the multifaceted significance of having a comprehensive fire safety plan in place. The Perilous Reality of Fires Fires are ruthless, with the potential to engulf homes, workplaces, and lives within moments Fire...

The Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Sophia is a heritage-listed church located in Paddington, NSW. Having been consecrated in 1927, the Cathedral has a storied history as one of the first Greek Orthodox Cathedrals in Australia. The Cathedral had been exposed to multiple elements since it’s construction. As a result, there was significant accumulated structural damage. Parts of the building were crumbling, and large cracks had appeared. ARA Building Services The front fa&cced...

Two recent acquisitions have made a very positive impact in the past year and will continue to have a positive impact in the future, on the ARA Group. The positive impact is both strategic and financial. In May 2022, the BM Doors Group (BM Doors) was acquired as an additional business in the Products Division. The financial year 2023 was the first full year of BM Doors, as part of the ARA Group. BM Doors designs, manufactures, and installs a bespoke range of security and fire doors. BM Doors...

ARA Fire have not always got it right, but each time they missed the mark, they learned from it, and they did better in the future. They are continuously getting better and better as a business and as an organization.  Fortunately, the current year's financial results demonstrate the continuous improvement they have achieved. Operating Results  2023 was the eighth consecutive year of record operating earnings. EBITDA increased from USD 50.5 million in 2022 to USD 67.2 million in 202...

On the 3rd of April 2023, ARA Fire acquired Sicada Fire & Safety (Sicada). This acquisition has helped ARA Fire establish a national footprint for the mobile fire suppression business. Sicada is located in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, South-eastern Queensland, and Central Queensland. Combining Sicada with Fire Suppression Services in Western Australia and Sheridan Fire Solutions in Queensland, two other companies recently acquired by ARA, provides ARA Fire with a strong national fo...

The Sydney Metro project is a large-scale public transport infrastructure project in Sydney, Australia. This project involves the construction of a new metro system comprising multiple lines and stations. The project is aimed at improving public transport connectivity and reducing traffic congestion in the city. ARA Electrical has been responsible for the installation of the platform screen doors for the Sydney Metro Southwest line, which is the first stage of the project to be completed. Pub...

Renee Webb is a proud Narrunga and Nukunu woman from Adelaide, South Australia. Renee attended an information session at a jobs expo in Adelaide. After hearing about what the ARA Group delivers, Renee decided to apply for a cleaning role within the ARA Property Services division. Renee spent four years successfully working with the ARA Property team in South Australia servicing some high-profile, prominent buildings, and customers in the city of Adelaide. Renee was looking to grow personally an...

The ARA Fire branch in Western Australia, in conjunction with ARA Indigenous Services, has secured the BHP Nickel West (BHP NiW) fire protection services contract for the BHP NiW mine sites and refineries in the Goldfields and Perth. fire protection services contract The fire protection services contract is for the inspection and testing of all the fire protection assets. These assets are the fire sprinkler systems, the fire alarm systems, the fire extinguishers and hose reels, and the passive...

Enhanced connectivity is essential to maximizing the efficiency of how a building operates, be it commercial or residential irrespective of its age. Sensors such as those that measure occupancy, energy, and water use and alert for maintenance depend on robust and reliable connectivity. Equally, at a time when many are struggling to attract people back to the office, removing barriers to attendance is important. That includes ensuring all employees can make and receive mobile phone calls whereve...

At LogiMAT 2023 event, taking place from April 25 to 27, 2023, in Stuttgart, the WAGNER Group GmbH will be showing its latest fire protection technologies for intralogistics in Hall 7 at Stand C15. To do so, it will focus on various fields of application that have special requirements for fire protection: compact container storage, deep-freeze storage, and - a highly topical issue - storage of lithium-ion batteries. need for fire protection Steffen Springer, Managing Director of WAGNER Group...

Electrical Test & Tag Services is a renownedelectrical testing and tag services provider in Australia. They provide professional electrical testing and tagging services to clients.  They offer a complete range of electrical test and tag services, including power quality testing, network management, load testing, transient voltage surge protection, fire alarm testing, and many more. electrical equipment Electrical test and tag is a service where they test the electrical equipment to e...

Fire extinguisher servicing equipment is a vital part of any fire protection system. Perth fire extinguishers need to be serviced regularly to prevent them from being damaged by water, dust, and other substances that could cause the fire extinguisher to malfunction. The first thing that needs to be done is to check the pressure of the fire extinguisher and make sure it's working properly. If there's no pressure in the cylinder, then they'll need to recharge it with CO2 or nitrogen gas before th...

The most important thing to remember when they are planning the employee's fire safety training is that it must be done right. This is a subject that cannot be ignored. They need to make sure that all employees know what they need to do in case of an emergency. In Australia, ensuring proper fire safety training for employees is crucial to meet the standards set by law and regulations. Companies must comply with the Australian Standard AS 3745-2010 for emergency procedures and evacuati...

In 2017, ARA Security was awarded a contract from the New South Wales (NSW) Road and Maritime Services (RMS) to upgrade the infrastructure protection through the installation of Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) systems on twelve remote bridges in NSW. The twelve bridges covered a wide area from Pheasants Nest southwest of Sydney to Ballina in the Northern Rivers region of NSW. The twelve sites were: Douglas Park Bridge Gladesville Bridge Harwood Bridge Hawkesbury & Peats Ferry Bridge...

After the five-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower disaster, the Fire Industry can take stock of improvements to increase fire safety in high-rise residential buildings. However, the feeling of positivity is not mutual for the disabled residents of tower blocks. Despite all Grenfell Tower survivors now being safely rehoused, thousands of disabled people across the UK still live in high-rise buildings similar to Grenfell, without proper evacuation support. Proper evacuation support So, are...

Smoke alarms, often referred to as smoke detectors, are a cornerstone of modern home and building safety. These unassuming devices play a pivotal role in safeguarding lives and property by detecting the presence of smoke, which can be an early indicator of a fire. In this comprehensive guide, FCF Fire & Electrical will delve into the significance of smoke alarms and explore two primary types: ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms. Understanding their differences and capabilities is cruc...

The Australia Mackay fire detection requirements mentioned in this article include - bifold doors should be installed in premises with a ceiling height of less than 3 meters, unless they are mechanical smoke detectors; the floors above these properties should have smoke detectors. The purpose of the fact sheet is to provide general guidance on the legislative requirements for fire detection systems in Australia. The information contained in the fact sheet should not be regarded as definitive, n...

In Australia, fire is never too far away. From the bushfires that ravage New South Wales (NSW) to the kitchen fires in Melbourne, the threat is there. For those who live in high-risk areas, the ability to fight a fire should not be overlooked or underrated. And while firefighters consider using a fire extinguisher as a last resort, they are sometimes the best bet in fighting a fire until help arrives. But, as important as it may be, many don't know much about fire extinguishers and what types o...

On the first of February this year, ARA Group Limited (ARA) acquired all the outstanding shares of OceanLink Marine Services Pty Ltd (OceanLink). This is a strategic acquisition for ARA. During the past year, ARA has built a formidable ocean and off-shore service business as a result of other strategic acquisitions.  In May 2021, ARA acquired Wiltrading STACE, based in Henderson, WA. Wiltrading STACE has a long history of service and inspection of life safety systems for the marine and off...

On the 1st of February, ARA Group NZ Limited (ARA), completed the acquisition of Sopersmac, one of the largest distributors of architectural door hardware in New Zealand. Sopersmac offers a full-service value proposition to their clients and in addition to the supply of architectural hardware, they also offer specification, project management, master keying and installation services for commercial, custodial, industrial and high-end residential properties. Door hardware industry Sopersmac pri...

1: Reliability Sprinkler systems have been proven in use for well over 100 years, during which time they have a 99% success rate worldwide. Systems over 100 years old are still in full working condition today. 2: Popularity More than 40 million sprinklers are fitted worldwide every year. 3: Unnecessary Deaths Thousands of people are killed every year in buildings without sprinkler systems worldwide. 4: Life Safety Record Sprinklers are approved for Life Safety purpose...

Leda Security has been a part of the ARA Group for over two years now and is an important product line within the ARA Manufacture Division. Offering products including bollards, gates, hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) products, turnstiles and commercial bicycle racks, the alignment between Leda Security and ARA Manufacture allows for significant manufacturing efficiencies around Australia and New Zealand. Physical security systems Leda Security systems have been installed on government projec...

On the 1st of October 2021, ARA Fire Protection Services (ARA Fire) purchased the Fire Suppression Services (FSS) business from Steve Howard. FSS designs, installs, and services vehicle suppression systems. Located in Perth, FSS principally services vehicles used in the mines in Western Australia. Founded 25 years ago by Steve Howard, FSS has a strong reputation in the vehicle suppression market in Western Australia. With the expertise of Steve Howard and FSS, ARA Fire is in a good position to...

Consistent with the various governments’ requests all around Australia and New Zealand, ARA has encouraged the employees to receive the COVID vaccination. The various state and federal governments have been telling them the best way out of the pandemic and to start living a normal life is to get all of them vaccinated. Many, if not all, of customers, are requiring them to be fully vaccinated to work on construction sites and visit their premises.  Vaccination lottery ARA has establ...

While they all hoped 2020 would see the end of lockdowns in Australia, 2021 has brought on new pandemic-driven challenges as the COVID-19 Delta variant continues to affect the majority of states across the nation. New South Wales and Victoria are experiencing some of the harshest lockdowns Australia has seen in an effort to ‘stop the spread’ of the highly contagious Delta variant. Impact on the local businesses These frequent and prolonged lockdowns are having a significant impact...

From April 1982 to the present day, Automatic has completed in excess of 50 individual projects on the Janssen Pharmaceutical site in Little Island, Cork. All Sprinkler Systems were designed, installed, tested, and commissioned to FM Global standards and subsequently maintained for Janssen. It is a relationship that bears testimony to the commitment of consistent delivery in partnership with Janssen and the respective Design Teams involved. They are very proud that over 80% of the work in the P...

Wiltrading STACE will expand the offerings of the ARA Fire, increasing ARA capabilities across Australia.  Effective as of the 1st of May 2021, Mr. Edward Federman, ARA Executive Chair and Managing Director, announced the acquisition of Wiltrading STACE, “I am pleased to announce the acquisition of Wiltrading STACE, a service provider for life safety systems with branches in Perth, Karratha, Darwin, Cairns and Sydney. Wiltrading STACE will become an important part of the ARA Fire and...