Fire Industry News for October 2023

As the retired head of Industrial Design for Blackline, it was a true honor to attend Red Dot’s Awards Gala last week in Essen, Germany. The Red Dot Awards are a globally recognized symbol of product design excellence, celebrating innovation and creativity across various industries. On behalf of Blackline, Barry Moore proudly accepted the award for innovative design for G6, a product that Blackline collaborated with Advanta Design on for many months.  Red Dot Awards To see Blacklin...

Blackline Safety announces the results of our first-ever Carbon Footprint report, commissioned to track both direct and indirect carbon emissions as part of the company’s journey towards becoming net zero. In line with our annual Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting, aim to achieve net zero emissions by 2030, emphasizing our commitment to reducing environmental impacts, community, and overall sustainability. Scopes of GHG Protocol emission  Blackline Safety Europe...

The German Navy is making advances in the digitalization of its core processes. For many years now, the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE has been providing scientific and technical support in this area. The Defense Technology Institute, based in Wachtberg, Germany, has focused its research on digitalization in defense and security. Now, in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) the Navy Command and Fraunhofer FKIE have agreed to further expand th...

The aim of the lokik project, whose name is a shortened form of the German for “local initial crisis management,” is to create an independent communication network and a flexible picture of the situations that arise in the acute phases of disasters. Scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing, and Ergonomics FKIE have been working to achieve this since the night in 2021 when Germany’s Ahr Valley experienced a devastating flood. In spring...

Teledyne FLIR, part of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated,  announced the first Boson+ thermal camera module with its factory-integrated, high-performance 14 mm to 75 mm continuous zoom (CZ) lens. With seamless optomechanical integration, the new Boson+ CZ 14-75 reduces development and operational risk and costs, all with an industry-first warranty that is not available when using multiple suppliers. The reliable Boson+ CZ 14-75 is ideal for unmanned aerial vehicles, perimeter surveillance...

Jay Weber, Senior Product Manager for Blackline Safety, recently visited HazMat2 to collaborate with their team of hazmat responders and gain insights into their experiences using its equipment in the field. Jay donned several hazmat ensembles and gloves to understand the difficulties of responders downrange in PPE.  complexities and difficulties “My recent visit to HazMat2 with Ben and his team gave me an entirely new understanding of the complexities and difficulties associated w...

In this short article, Quelfire looks at what passive fire protection is and what it covers, the use of the term ‘fire stopping’, and the introduction of the term ‘service penetration seal’.   passive fire protection The term passive fire protection refers to a set of systems and measures that are designed to limit the spread of fire, smoke, and the amount of damage caused by fire in a building. Passive fire protection systems are built into the structure of a bui...

The oil and gas industry is an essential sector that provides the energy the world needs and powers global economies. However, securing that energy can carry a high risk of occupational hazards. The fatality rate in oil and gas extraction has been seven times higher than the average for US workers (CDC) and has around 100 deaths per year and an additional 1,400 non-fatal incidents. But even those high numbers may be underreported (Energy News Network). Upstream and downstream Take a closer lo...

Italian healthcare company - Aboca S.p.A. produces food supplements and medical remedies from organically farmed plants and medicinal herbs. More than 150 workers are employed to cultivate the crops, working almost 1700 hectares of farmland across Umbria and Tuscany often out of sight and earshot for long periods.  personal monitoring solution Because the area suffers from poor cellular coverage, Aboca reached out to Blackline partner CSTA to find a lone worker personal monitoring soluti...

In the immediate aftermath of Grenfell, investigators found multiple examples of non-compliance in terms of best practice and workmanship. It was clear that a series of professional and institutional failings contributed to the fire. However, what also emerged was a worrying lack of clarity surrounding regulations and compliance processes. Hackitt Review findings The Hackitt Review, the main post-Grenfell fire safety inquiry, described roles and responsibilities for building safety as ‘...

Blackline Safety is pleased to announce it is one of 26 companies honored by Canadian Occupational Safety with the 2023 5-Star Safety Culture Award. This award shines a spotlight on organizations committed to ensuring the well-being of their employees and who deliver strong safety cultures time and time again through a diverse set of tools and workplace policies. leadership and teamwork Meaghan Whitney, Chief People Officer at Blackline Safety, says the award validates the efforts Blackline S...

In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, competency is defined as having a ‘possession of sufficient knowledge or skill’. Although this is true, at Quelfire, believe that there is more to competency than knowledge, skill, or experience. While can tangibly measure someone’s qualifications or skills, it is also about personal attributes and how to use them to apply the skills that make them competent. Often say that competency is knowing what do not know and being prepared to ask for...

It's a record: for the first time, a total of 14 teams will compete in the European Robotics Hackathon (EnRicH) from 12 to 16 June 2023-more than ever before. On the site of the nuclear power plant Zwentendorf near Vienna, which never went into operation, participants from Austria and Germany, but also from Poland, Finland and even Canada, will test the current state of their robotic systems. They all face the challenging scenarios developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Inform...

Firestopping service penetrations can be complex as there are many variables involved, from different types of walls and floors to different types of services and, of course, different fire ratings required. These factors make a difference in establishing what is the most suitable fire-stopping solution for the application in question. Therefore, to provide them with the most relevant fire-stopping tested detail, require as much specific information from them as possible. Firestopping ser...

Legislation for lone workers in Canada ensures employers adhere to specific safety measures to keep their employees working alone safe. Though provincial regulations may vary, a few common principles apply. This includes implementing an effective system of communication for the specific lone worker situation.  Canada’s cellular network According to data from WhistleOut, Canada’s cellular network provides coverage for less than 30% of the country. How can companies ensure the...

The Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn and Fraunhofer FKIE will host the world-renowned Digital Forensic Research Workshop in March. The conference will bring together experts from around the world to discuss current and emerging challenges in digital forensics. Broad thematic scope The Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn and the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing, and Ergonomics FKIE are proud to host the esteemed Di...

On January 17, 2023, at approximately 4:30 p.m. local time, a large fire broke out at a lithium battery storage warehouse in the Grand-Couronne industrial zone in Normandy. The fire produced a large, widespread cloud of smoke and multiple explosions, and spread quickly to an adjoining storage space that housed approximately 70,000 tires. cause of the fire Firefighters were able to bring the fire under control by 11:30 p.m. local time. However, during the night a new fire started at a third st...

The list of "CPWG Interoperability Heroes" recently included their names: Martin Lies and David Dahlberg, scientists from the "Communication Systems" department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE, have been honored with this exceptional distinction for their many years of involvement in several committees of Federated Mission Networking (FMN). The FMN initiative was founded in 2015 with the aim of improving interoperability betwee...

Glen Echo Fire Department was proud to have joined the Mohican Hills block party on October 22, along with Yellow Boomerang. Yellow Boomerang is a community-based charity that supports residents of Montgomery County and surrounding areas in need of necessities such as food, clothing, school supplies, and housewares. Conduit Road Fire Board member Gloria Levin handed out File of Life to the residents. File of Life is a small piece of paper that has all of the latest medical information, includi...

During the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, individual firefighters were praised for bravery; however, the London Fire Brigade, as an institution, was criticized for ‘serious shortcomings’ and ‘systemic’ failures in its handling of the Grenfell Tower fire. At Quelfire, they wholly believe in early engagement in firestopping and continuously promote that for fire safety to be a priority, all parties need to be involved and firestopping needs to be considered for buildings as early...

At the 2022 National Safety Council (NSC) Congress & Expo this September, Blackline Safety brought together two global brands at the forefront of environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance–L'Oreal and Repsol—to discuss the link between EHS and ESG and how it can influence the business strategy. Laynnea Myles, Assistant VP, EH&S, L’Oréal and Jenny Ward, S&E Systems Lead Supervisor, Repsol joined Blackline Safety’s Chief Growth Officer Sean S...

The Building Safety Act received Royal Assent on 28 April 2022, and with it comes important changes ‘that give residents and homeowners more rights, powers, and protections.’ Ultimately, this will make sure that buildings across the country are safe to occupy. The Act surpasses existing regulations to establish lasting change by outlining how residential and multi-occupancy buildings should be constructed and maintained. The Building Safety Regulator will be responsible for the...

Kevin Meyers, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Blackline Safety, had a big ask cross his desk: a large hardware and services renewal, valued at over $3 million, with a major energy, utility, transportation, and infrastructure provider in Canada. The purchase order called for almost 900 G7-connected wearable gas detectors, each with a multi-gas cartridge, to be shipped within the month. In an economic and manufacturing environment beset by a shortage of critical parts (talk to anyone who&rsq...

Shutdowns and turnarounds are a necessity for oil and gas refineries and petrochemical plants to conduct maintenance, repairs, refittings, and inspections—executing tasks that can’t take place on a regular basis when facilities are open for regular operations. Unplanned outages can be even more disruptive and costly. These projects have a significant impact on the operational budget of a refinery and require an increase of labor, third parties to be on-site, and lost revenue from ce...

Large-scale and prolonged power outages, waste piling up as waste disposal ceases to function, disruptions to water or gas supplies, and successful cyber attacks on critical infrastructures, especially the power grid, can have serious consequences.  Holistically conceived cyber security is necessary to prevent such scenarios. As part of the Fraunhofer Center for Digital Energy, Fraunhofer FKIE is working with partners to increase IT security and make the sector resilient to attacks....

The construction industry is consistently ranked as one of the most dangerous environments to work in around the world. OSHA reports that 1 in 5 deaths among U.S. workers occurs in the sector. And, according to the World Risk Poll, the second highest reported workplace injury rate globally (22%), was among those who worked in construction, manufacturing, or production. In this high-risk context, accurate, real-time monitoring of safety conditions can protect workers and equipment from damage en...

Everyone comes to expect personal tech like cell phones to advance with every update and, occasionally, for a breakthrough to occur. The addition of touchscreens in 1992 giving birth to the first 'smartphone' was one of them.  Safety technology is no different but gas detection for shutdowns and turnarounds hasn’t seen a significant breakthrough in a very long time. That has changed. single-gas detectors When it comes to single-gas detectors for short-term projects in the oil and g...

NewAge Foam Makers are designed to introduce expanded foam directly onto the surface of a flammable or combustible liquid for fire extinguishment and/or vapor suppression. Foam makers are suitable for floating roof tank applications. It increases the effectiveness of the foam blanket, resulting in more efficient operation and greater extinguishing capabilities. NewAge offers a complete range of UL-listed foam makers with compatible UL-listed foam pourers. NewAge foam makers include sizes fr...

As a safety or operations manager, part of the responsibility is to assess the available safety solutions to determine the best fit for the organization. Reviewing the various features and benefits can be challenging enough, but when it comes to the bottom line, evaluating the return on investment (ROI) of safety solutions can feel a bit uncomfortable. How to put a price on workers’ health and keep them safe? Absence of safety solution The human cost of not having the right safety solut...

In May 2022, GEFD observed National Stop the Bleed Month with a training course for its members. Paramedic Sgts. Rebekha Collins and Cannon Haworth offered video presentations and hands-on instruction to give Glen Echo’s first responders practice providing life-saving care. Volunteers took turns applying pressure, packing wounds, and administering pressure dressings and tourniquets to dummy props.