Fire Industry News for October 2022

Although glass is a 97% recyclable material, end-of-life glass used in construction has often ended up in landfill rather than being recycled.  As the industry takes a more environmentally conscious approach, recycling and repurposing materials have become a major objective. Optima will look at what the industry is doing to utilize glass waste and why it is so important.   What is a circular economy?  The dwindling of non-renewable resources is nothing new, humans hav...

Plans for a new training facility and fire station in Huntingdon are one step closer, following approval from Huntingdonshire District Council’s Planning Committee. This significant project involves building a modern, fit-for-purpose training center and new community fire station at St John’s Park, north of Huntingdon. Upgraded training facility The training facilities will provide effective, reliable, and realistic training for all operational firefighters, and will provide much-n...

The East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST), in collaboration with NHS Mid Essex Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), has launched a specialist vehicle offering patients urgent care support in their own homes. The EEAST service has the additional benefit of helping people to avoid unnecessary trips to the hospital. early intervention vehicle The mid-Essex early intervention vehicle will be staffed exclusively by advanced paramedics specializing in urgent care.  They will respond...

The pioneer of the UK’s largest fire protection trade association has chosen the ‘Best of British’ manufacturing for new fire extinguishers throughout his fire equipment factory.  Derek Gotts, the Chair of the Fire Industry Association, has fitted Britannia Fire’s game-changing composite P50 across his Cambridgeshire factory that makes and supplies equipment for fire and rescue services. Seamless The Supply Plus Managing Director, who also sits on several British...

The new TFT RADIUS is an easy to install, deck mounted monitor that elevates above the top mounted equipment to get the stream where it counts. The above deck mounting is ideal for apparatus where below deck extension tubes do not fit. The RADIUS elevates by simply pulling the quick release knob and lifting until it’s in the locked position. The monitor also includes the ability to flow while in the stowed position. Raising the bar The RADIUS raises the bar in this category of monitors...

A mental health response car that is a joint initiative involving Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust and the East of England Ambulance Service is live across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, in the UK. The ambulance response car will be crewed by a paramedic and a specialist mental health practitioner and will respond to 999 calls where there is a mental health concern. Following funding from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group, it will operat...

Vaccination sites around the county are being supported by Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service staff pitching in to help with getting residents immunized against COVID-19. Staff from across all areas of the Service, from emergency call handlers and support staff to fire officers and both on-call and wholetime firefighters, have all been giving help at vaccination sites. Staff response  Group Commander Wayne Swales, the Officer coordinating the support project, said, “The respons...

Despite 2020 bringing unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service has continued to deliver vital services to the residents of Cambridgeshire. While maintaining an effective emergency response, staff have been delivering safety advice and supporting the health sector in the battle against COVID-19. Challenges  Even before the COVID-19 pandemic fully began in March, Storms Ciara and Dennis hit the county with high winds reaching between 50...

Fire has been the consistent enemy for a long time. History has proved time and again how fires can cause massive destruction. Ironically, the biggest of fires have struck in the most developed and technologically advanced nations. Automatic fire sprinkler system Let’s look at some of the world’s most historic fires: Firecrackers are a dangerous source of fire, more so because they are uncontrollable. Even in an advanced city like Rhode Islands in the United States of America, the...

Smoke is a by-product of fire. It is a dangerous mix of unburnt gases and solid particles. Smoke is formed due to the incomplete combustion of the material. During complete combustion, everything is burned, producing just water and carbon dioxide as the by-products. During incomplete combustion the fuel is not burnt completely leaving behind a lot of residue; smoke being one of them. Smoke is a collection of these tiny unburned particles. Each particle is too small to be seen with the naked eye...

The profession of life-saving is complex and dangerous. Oddly, some often need to remind themselves of this. Many are not only hazmat professionals, but also EMTs, paramedics, firefighters, company commanders, law enforcement officers, EH&S specialists, lab safety specialists, risk managers, confined-space technicians, USAR technicians, WMD specialists, apparatus operators, grief counselors, supervisors, parents, spouses, and the list goes on. And, it is expected to be proficient in most of...

Emergency call handlers will be the focus of a Twitter takeover this week as Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service celebrates International Control Room Week. Blue Watch will be on duty from 8 am until 5 pm on Wednesday (October 21) and posting tweets throughout the shift on the Service’s @cambsfrs Twitter account. Potentially life-Saving advice Area Commander Simon Newton, in charge of the Service’s emergency response, said: “Our Emergency call handlers are a vital part of...

EEAST is joining their blue light colleagues in the police, fire and rescue service, and wider NHS to celebrate the National Emergency Services Day 2020. This annual event takes place to thank the heroic men and women who work or volunteer in the NHS and emergency services while promoting the wide range of career opportunities that are available. national Emergency Services Day The National Emergency Services Day event begins at 9 am on the ninth day of the ninth month with two minutes’...

East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) and Her Majesty’s Coastguard are trialing an initiative that aims to improve response times to search and rescue missions on the northeast Suffolk coast. One of HM Coastguard’s six response vehicles in Suffolk has been based at Saxmundham Ambulance Station since the summer and the new location is expected to significantly cut response times to incidents on the coast. This co-location will also improve joint working between HM Coastgua...

Two Norfolk paramedics from the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) went above and beyond the call of duty by tackling a fire in a top-floor flat before evacuating the building. Doug Bishop and Jonathan Poole were the first emergency service at the flats on Hunstanton High Street, shortly after 2pm on Thursday 9th July, 2020 and found the couple who had reported the fire at the bottom of the four-storey building. Hearing the fire was still ablaze and residents in neighboring flats were st...

A fire caused by a charging electrical appliance has sparked a safety reminder from Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service. On Monday afternoon crews from Dogsthorpe, Whittlesey and Yaxley attended a fire in Fletton, Peterborough. They arrived to find a fire in a first-floor bedroom of a two-story house, which they were able to extinguish wearing breathing apparatus and using a hose reel. The property was evacuated before the crews arrived, but a casualty did require treatment for smoke inhalat...

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) releases the final set of fire and rescue service inspection scores, confirming that Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is one of the best in the country. The Inspectorate has spent the last 18 months assessing all fire and rescue services and has done so in three tranches. Cambridgeshire was one of the first to be visited and last December received its rating of ‘Good’ in each of the three...

Halloween and Bonfire Night can be plenty of fun for all of the family to enjoy, but with lots of potential hazards, it’s really important to keep the user and their family safe. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is encouraging people to enjoy the autumn festivities safely by following some simple safety advice. Organized fireworks display Group Commander Paul Clarke, the Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Head of Community Fire Safety, said: “We wish everyone a h...

DAB Fire Engineering are proud to introduce their Direct Automatic Fire Suppression Systems. DAB's Direct Automatic Fire Suppression Systems utilize high-grade flexible detection tubing to detect rapidly the fire and release the extinguishing agent through the tubing, directly from the burst hole. Direct Automatic Fire Suppression Systems The system is pneumatically operated and requires no power source to activate, offering continuous fire protection. It offers immediate fire detection and d...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) has issued safety advice about the use of incense sticks after they were involved in two separate house fires. Crews attended a house fire in Keyston in Huntingdonshire on the morning of April 30, while less than an hour later crews were called to a similar fire in Soham. Spreading aromatic scents A fire service spokesman said: “These fires were both started by incense sticks that had been left unattended. Lighting incense is a common and po...

A significant number of deliberate fires across the county during April has sparked concern for fire officers. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service’s firefighters responded to 91 fires that were started deliberately last month, an increase of 34 from the previous month and 48 more than last year. These incidents were spread across various locations, with some specific areas showing considerable activity. Nine separate fires In Huntingdonshire, 19 deliberate fires were reported, with t...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is supporting the National Fire Chiefs Council's (NFCC) Be Water Aware campaign. The week-long campaign runs from April 29 - May 5 2019 and is a national campaign which aims to highlight the risk of accidental drowning. Half of the accidental drownings happened in 2017 when people didn't even intend to go in the water. Activities such as running, walking, fishing and cycling near water can put the users at risk of drowning. In 2017: 255 people accident...

With record calls, a very busy summer, new life-saving equipment, and a good inspection result, 2018 was a demanding and memorable year for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS). Crews from stations up and down the county were kept busy attending more than 7,000 incidents, including fires, rescues, and road traffic collisions, as well as supporting other services in neighboring counties. Hot and dry weather conditions The Combined Fire Control, which also serves residents and mobilize...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is working with the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) as part of a national campaign encouraging people to become on-call firefighters. The ‘Need More’ awareness week runs from January (7) and aims to highlight opportunities available in the fire service, while busting myths about what it takes to be a firefighter. Promoting fire safety The campaign is supported by a national website which encourages people to get in touch with their local...

A Cambridgeshire fire officer has been awarded an MBE by Her Majesty The Queen in the New Year’s Honors list. Station Commander Farsh Raoufi has been recognized for services to the community, especially in relation to equality and inclusion, both in his role with Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) and as a volunteer. Serving the community stems Farsh said: “I am truly humbled to be given such a prestigious award and I would like to thank Her Majesty The Queen for this h...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service has come out with the joint best scores from 14 other fire and rescue services in the first round of new Government commissioned inspections. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has spent the last nine months analyzing data and documents and visiting the Service to assess it in three core areas - effectiveness, efficiency, and how well it looks after its people. Best possible service The Inspectorate...

Cambridgeshire Fire & Rescue Service would like to ensure everyone has a safe and happy Christmas this year, and ask that users read their 10 top tips for keeping them, their family, pets, and guests safe this festive season: Make sure users have a working smoke alarm which is correctly fitted and works. And NEVER take the batteries out to power presents! Ensure that everyone in the home knows what to do in a fire - in the event of fire users should get out, stay out and call 999. Kitch...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service has welcomed a group of 21 new recruits to join stations around the county. The new faces will soon be seen riding in fire engines as they begin their operational careers with the Service in the coming weeks. This follows them completing an intensive 11-week training course in Cardiff, delivered by South Wales Fire and Rescue Service. Road traffic collisions The course put the new recruits through their paces, learning how to deal with an array of emerge...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service has teamed up with Whittlesey Rotary Club to fund smoke alarms for vulnerable adults living in Whittlesey and surrounding areas. Station Commander for CFRS, Brett Mills commented: “We are delighted to work in partnership with the Whittlesey Rotary Club, and are really grateful for their support in helping to keep Cambridgeshire residents safe in the community.” Importance of smoke alarms “With a shared goal to reach out and help those w...

Britannia is pleased to announce that it is a member of Composites UK. This trade body’s aim is to support the industry in composite production.  Their P50 fire extinguisher range is an innovative composite product that negates the need for annual service contracts.