Industry News

The scenario began when one of two bell-ringers carrying out maintenance on the bells slipped from the bell frame and had to be rescued from the church tower in Chevening last week. Fire safety training drill Fortunately, the mock drama was part of a joint training exercise involving Kent Fire and Rescue Service and Kent Police. The mock drama was part of a joint training exercise involving Kent Fire and Rescue Service and Kent Police The woman was trapped under a bell. A second bell-ringer...

The Wildfire Mitigation Awards are sponsored by the NASF, the IAFC, the NFPA, and the USFS The Wildfire Mitigation Awards committee has announced the 2018 Wildfire Mitigation Award winners. Established in 2014, the awards are the highest commendation for innovation and leadership displayed by individuals and organisations committed to wildfire mitigation. The Wildfire Mitigation Awards are sponsored by the National Association of State Foresters (NASF), the International...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest nearly $32 million to mitigate wildfire risk, improve water quality and restore healthy forest ecosystems in 24 states and Puerto Rico. Since 2014, USDA has invested $176 million in 56 Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership Projects, which focus on areas where public forests and grasslands intersect with privately-owned lands. "Through Joint Chiefs, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) works with agricultural...

Between 2011 and 2015, portable and stationary space heaters accounted for more than two of every five U.S. home heating fires and five out of six home heating fire deaths Keeping sufficiently warm during the winter months can prove challenging, particularly when frigid temperatures persist, as they have recently for much of the country. While portable space heaters can help generate heat, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is reminding the public that they do p...

Preparedness Day gives people of all ages a chance to plan and participate in a risk reduction or wildfire preparedness activity that makes their community a safer place to live Every year, brush, grass and forest fires burn across the U.S., and more people are living where wildfires are a real risk. It’s not a matter of if it will happen, but when will a community experience a wildfire threat. To help address this wildfire challenge, the National Fire Protection Asso...

PACCAR annually recognizes its top-performing suppliers in its Supplier Performance Management (SPM) program. This honor is given to suppliers that reach the SPM Master, Leader, and Achiever status. The SPM program evaluates a supplier’s performance in the areas of product development, operations support, and business alignment with PACCAR objectives. Collaborate to innovate PACCAR has given 126 supplier awards since the launch of the SPM program in 2014 Through the SPM program, suppli...

This winter has been crazy — the cold days, frost and blizzards are never-ending, the roads are paved with salt, and it doesn’t seem to be improving any time soon. The layers of clothing are increasing and people still don’t seem to be feeling any warmer when darting from door to car. At the end of a long day, there’s nothing better than coming in out of the cold, cuddling up next to a nice, cosy space heater, and finally warming up. Space heaters are popular devices for...

Fire and Rescue Services: Leadership and Management Perspectives is intended to be read with one eye to the future as well as the past A highly anticipated book charting the modern history of the Fire Service from 1997 to 2015 has been published, authored by Peter Murphy and Kirsten Greenhalgh from Nottingham Trent University and the University of Nottingham. Past and future of Fire Service The book, Fire and Rescue Services: Leadership and Management Perspectives highlight...

Knowing the right fire safety tips will help one lower the risk of accidentally starting a fire Fire prevention may be something that many people don’t think about on a daily basis; however, most people are not aware of the real dangers fire poses, and why there are different measures they should take in order to ensure their own and their family's safety. Kitchen and fire facts By being aware of the little things, you can avoid being part of the scary statistics. To g...

The new sensor nodes are at the heart of the new firefighting approach and have been tested in real-life fires A new digital system which can detect and monitor large scale fires will revolutionise how firefighters approach forest fires. It is set to drastically reduce environmental and property damage and protect human lives. Advanced Forest Fire Fighting project The University of Westminster is a partner in the Advanced Forest Fire Fighting (AF3) project involving 20 insti...

The service has led to an extra 45,000 business addresses being avilable to the Fire Servies for emergency response The Network Fire Services Partnership, a collaborative partnership between Devon & Somerset, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Dorset & Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Services, has increased the safety of business in their region by integrating business details supplied by Aligned Assets and 118 Information. With integral 118 Information data embedded into the g...

The campaign managed to reach more than 500 local residents with information on fire door safety A local fire door safety campaign to inspire hope and raise awareness of fire safety in Southend-on-Sea following the tragic death of a mum-to-be, is one of three initiatives to receive awards this month from the British Woodworking Federation (BWF). Rutendo Chitiga and Terry Brown from the Balmoral Estate Tenants Association in Southend-on-Sea organised a week long fire safety ca...

2017 has sadly provided a litany of high profile fire-related disasters and brought the need and awareness for better fire safety to the forefront of everyone’s mind. Fire doors are critical Fire Door Safety Week (September 25 – October 1), is a timely opportunity to bring to light the critically important role of fire doors in building fire safety and to remind responsible individuals of the legal requirements and to give tips and guidelines to reinforce this c...

The Fire Brigades Union has expressed safety concerns about crewing TRVs with fewer than 4  Due to long standing safety concerns of The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) about crewing TRVs with fewer than 4 firefighters, and more recently concerns having been raised by local MPs on behalf of their constituents, the Fire Authority’s new Chairman, Councillor Andrew Backhouse, has asked officers to produce a report to increase crewing of TRVs at Malton, Tadcaster, Northallerto...

The event paid tribute to the firefighters who served at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 Northeast Wisconsin and its surrounding communities turned out in large numbers earlier today to participate in and support the fifth annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at historic Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. A total of 2,169 area residents, firefighters, and local businesses came together to pay tribute to all of the firefighters who served, and to those who sacrifi...

The BWF has also carried out FOI research which suggests worrying problems in other London tower blocks Less than a year since fire door safety campaigners turned a spotlight on high rise tower blocks, the country wakes to news of the devastating inferno at Grenfell Tower, West London. Endemic fire safety problem Hannah Mansell, chair of the Passive Fire Protection Forum, trustee of the Children’s Burns Trust and spokesperson for the BWF’s Fire Door Safety W...

The Education Day aims to promote the role of fire doors in fire safety Midland Building Products Ltd (MBP) and Fire & Acoustic Seals Ltd are hosting a customer ‘Education Day’ on 20th September to promote the very important role of fire doors in fire safety. The day will put fire doors firmly ‘in focus’, and guest speakers will be delivering a series of CPD-Accredited workshops on topics such as fire and smoke seals; installation and inspecti...

Laidlaw are passionate about the fact that selecting the correct fire door hardware can save lives Fire doors are a crucial part of the passive fire protection of every commercial, public and multiple occupancy building. They save lives and property. Fire safety information and education on this topic is so important and this is why Laidlaw endorses Fire Door Safety Week this September, raising awareness of the critical role of the fire door. With over 3 million new fire door...

The events will cover fire-related topics like risk assessment, safety arrangements, general precautions, staff training, maintenance and testing North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service will be offering businesses safety messages as part of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) UK Business Safety Week 2017. The week runs from 11th - 17th September and aims to make sure businesses and their staff have the information they need to prevent, protect and respond to fire incident...

Councils will continue to do whatever it takes to ensure residents are all safe in their homes Responding to the results of the latest fire safety tests on systems of cladding and insulation and an independent review of building regulations, Lord Porter, Chairman of the Local Government Association, said: “Of the high-rise blocks affected by these latest fire safety tests, nine are owned by Salford Council which continues to work hard to remove and replace the cladding...

The Fire Authority’s proposed model of governance would deliver greater collaboration with a range of partners, including the police The Fire Authority Chair, Councilors Backhouse, has issued the following statement, setting out the Fire Authority’s position: The Fire Authority considers that the PCC has not set out an evidenced case for an irreversible transfer of governance from the Fire Authority to the PCC. Instead we believe it would be better if the PCC were...

History demonstrates a link between a public inquiry's impact and its terms of reference A University of Leicester expert in security and disaster management has welcomed the Government’s announcement of a public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire, arguing that history has shown that public-spirited officials can be successful in holding those responsible to account. Making case for ‘wide-ranging’ investigation Dr. Simon Bennett, Director of the Civil Saf...

Emergency and rescue vehicles of virtually every type will be on display throughout the indoor and outdoor exhibition areas Vehicles and vehicle equipment for the Emergency Services and allied organisations will be prominent among the displays of more than 400 organisations exhibiting at The Emergency Services Show, taking place at the NEC, Birmingham on 20 and 21 September. The UK’s biggest emergency services event, the show is the perfect place to research the latest p...

Councils are contacting residents living in tower blocks and working with fire services to establish what action needs to be taken "This is clearly an unsettling time for communities whose cladding samples have already come back as combustible or who are awaiting test results. We have been assured that tests on cladding samples are being processed so results should be back quickly.” Evacuation concern "Councils are contacting residents living in tower blocks whose...

Recent reports that detail the origin of the deadly Grenfell Tower fire in London suggest that an automatic fire sprinkler system could have prevented the tragedy. According to the London police, the fire that killed at least 79 individuals on June 14th started in a refrigerator within a 4th story apartment, then spread to the building’s combustible exterior cladding. If an automatic fire sprinkler system had been installed in the building, it would have been expected to intervene and pre...

Honeywell TITAN SCBA facilitates easier and faster rescue of downed firefighters Honeywell has announced that its flagship Honeywell TITAN firefighter breathing equipment has been improved with a louder alarm to make it easier to find downed firefighters. Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) As part of their standard turnout gear, firefighters wear an air cylinder with a respirator and facepiece known as self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). This equipment includes...

The fire alarm and detection system had not been tested, serviced, and maintained as it should have On the 4th September 2016, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to a report of a fire at flats on Fulford Road in York. During the incident, which had been caused by an electrical fault near to the fuse board, fire officers found that the fire alarm and detection system provided for the two flats and communal hallway was not working. Further investigation found th...

The collaborative project to enhance European public safety showcases innovative information technology At the Civil Protection Center in Palmanova, Italy, the research project EPISECC1, funded by the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme FP7, demonstrated innovative information technology to enable interoperability between public safety agencies. The electronic information exchange between these stakeholders will aide them in response to large disasters, such...

The fire detection system upgrade saw over 680 SOTERIA devices installed across the four buildings Apollo Fire Detectors announced the installation of its innovative SOTERIA range of detectors at The University of Hertfordshire, a modern education establishment based in Hatfield which is home to over 25,000 staff and students. Advanced fire detection The university’s ‘2020 Estates Vision’ is a detailed plan which sets out an ongoing maintenance and improvem...

The aerial platform offers a 50-mph wind rating, a five-inch waterway, and a wide and roomy platform basket Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation company, has placed two Pierce Velocity pumpers and a Pierce 100-foot aerial platform into service with the Redmond Fire Department located in Redmond, Washington. Following the department’s ‘push in’ ceremony, Redmond Fire Department’s fleet is 100% Pierce apparatus. Fire suppression and emergenc...