Industry News

LFB’s latest figures show chip pans still cause a significant number of fires in homes across the capital The London Fire Brigade has issued new statistics which show that chip pans still cause hundreds of fires across London each year.Many people think of chip pans as being from a bygone era but London Fire Brigade’s latest figures show they still cause a significant number of fires in homes across the capital.The Brigade used National Chip Week (21st-27th Februar...

Carbon monoxide-Awareness is run completely by unpaid volunteers who aim to make a difference Carbon monoxide (CO)-Awareness is run completely by unpaid volunteers who aim to make a difference. Lynn Griffiths, President/Founder of Carbon monoxide-Awareness - a registered charity and founder of the national Carbon monoxide Awareness Week tells the Fire Industry Association (FIA) her story. She and her children were poisoned by carbon monoxide (CO) for over a decade, now knowin...

EMS award programme launhed by CFSI and MedicAlert will boost the morale of the professionals from the industry The Excellence in Fire Service-Based EMS Awards Programme recognised fire departments that have implemented best practices in EMS. The Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) and the MedicAlert Foundation have announced the establishment of a new awards programme to recognise fire departments from across the country for outstanding achievements in EMS services....

The service will commemorate EMS personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow men EMS Personnel who have died in the line of duty will be remembered at the National EMS Memorial Service in Colorado. The National EMS Memorial Service has released the names of those who will be honoured at the 2011 National EMS Memorial Service, which will be held on June 25 in Colorado Springs, CO. The service will honour 43 EMS providers from 18 states who died in the line of du...

Cap Wiz resource tool will make communication easier between first responders and senators Last year the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) subscribed to Cap Wiz, a grassroots advocacy outreach tool that enhances the ability to influence members of Congress by making it easier for members and supporters to communicate with their Representatives and Senators. Using Cap Wiz, the NVFC can post draft letters to elected officials and federal agencies on a special section of ou...

The program helps build greater awareness around challenges faced by volunteer firefighters The Power Those Who Protect Us program will provide volunteer fire departments with batteries to power life-saving equipment. The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and Duracell have partnered to launch the Power Those Who Protect Us battery donation program. Through the program, Duracell is donating over 10 million batteries to volunteer fire departments to help power life-sav...

Navistar, Inc. and WIT presented the inaugural “Influential Woman of the Year” award to Rochelle Gorman Rochelle Gorman, Chief Executive Officer, CalArk International has been named “Influential Woman of the Year”.Navistar, Inc. and the Women In Trucking Association (WIT) presented the inaugural “Influential Woman of the Year” award to Rochelle Gorman, chief executive officer, CalArk International, at a ceremony during this week’s...

NextAlarm offers a variety of burglary and fire protection products for homes and small businesses  NextAlarm offers a variety of burglary and fire protection products for homes and small businesses. Under the agreement, Hughes will offer all of NextAlarm's products and services to subscribers of its HughesNet service. NextAlarm Monitoring Services, Inc. announced a distribution agreement with Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes), the global leader in broadband sate...

Hoeganaes Corporation site which has witnessed flash fires since January is undergoing an investigation by CSB CSB investigations look into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in regulations, industry standards, and safety management systems. The CSB is deploying a team to the site of a flash fire at the Hoeganaes Corporation in Gallatin, Tennessee. The incident occurred during maintenance on a burner...

LFB has warned schools in the UK which have not installed sprinklers on their premises for fire safety Sprinklers can significantly reduce the cost of repairing damage caused by a fire. Almost two thirds of new or refurbished schools planned for the capital have not been built with potentially life saving sprinklers installed, the London Fire Brigade is warning. This is despite Government guidelines introduced three years ago recommending they should be fitted. Sprinklers stop...

United Technologies has been the top sponsor of the conference since its inception in 2005 Sandy Diehl, United Technologies Vice President for Integrated Building Solutions, said developers, urban planners and government officials have only begun to achieve the environmental and economic benefits.In a keynote address at a leading green building event, a top United Technologies Corp. executive said, "The world must think beyond individual buildings in order to realise the great...

LFB is using Twitter to draw attention to the amount of time spent by firefighters on unnecessary call-outs London Fire Brigade is to use social networking website Twitter to highlight the amount of time its firefighters spend at call-outs to people who are stuck in lifts. On April 1, the Brigade will be tweeting every time it is called to help someone stuck in a lift. Last year, the Brigade attended nearly 10,000 lift call-outs but of these, just 67 were medical em...

100th anniversary of the deadly fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City U.S. Department of Labor announced mobile website that features audio tour and background of historic event of Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the deadly fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a new website and audio tour optimised for smartphones documenting that milestone in labor'...

Sprinklers in all new homes mandatory in Wales A backbench legislation introduced in 2007 by Ann Jones helps make fire suppression systems – Sprinkler a must in all new homes in Wales.On 16th February 2011, Welsh Assembly Members voted to make Wales the first country in the world to make fire suppression systems (sprinklers) mandatory in all new homes. I first introduced this backbench legislation in 2007 and have worked collaboratively with the Fire & Rescue Service...

NFPA's new appointees will increase the number of jurisdictions requiring home fire sprinklers The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has appointed Dennis M. Mathisen of Roseville, Calif. and Timothy P. Travers of Whitman, Mass to increase the number of jurisdictions requiring home fire sprinklers. Travers will cover the Northeast region, while Mathisen will cover the Western region. "Fire sprinklers save lives and NFPA is working hard to se...

The fire safety guidelines were published by NASHiCS in collaboration with CFOA New fire safety guidance measures for residential care homes have been published by two safety organisations. The guidelines were released by the National Association for Safety and Health in Care Services (NASHiCS) in collaboration with the Chief Fire Officers' Association (CFOA) and are aimed at supplementing the current guide published by the Department for Communities and Local Government. Da...

Brigade's flagship youth scheme gets funded 1 million GBP  The award winning Local Intervention Fire Education (LIFE) scheme recently celebrated its 500th course. The programme, which sees young people taking part in fire brigade related activities, was originally set up in Tower Hamlets in 2002 to reduce anti-social behaviour directed at fire crews. Since it began, nearly 5,000 young Londoners have benefited from the scheme and there are now nine LIFE centres across...

ATF's NRT investigates fire and explosive incidents with advanced techniques and equipments Since its inception in 1978, the NRT has responded to more than 700 incidents, and has partnered with federal, state and local investigators in meeting the challenges faced at significant arson and explosives incidents. The National Response Team (NRT) from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) along with agents from the ATF Baltimore Field Division were activat...

London Fire Brigade issues advice for smokers to prevent smoking-related fires In London, 14 people lost their lives in house fires caused by smoking materials and 121 people were injured in 2010. Since 2006, there have been 64 fatalities and around 700 injuries.One in three deaths that occur in accidental house fires is caused by cigarettes or other smoking materials such as matches and cigars, says London Fire Brigade.The warning is a stark reminder to people of the dangers...

Hello Alert Inc. installed Panasonic video surveillance cameras in 50 fire stations of the state of New York Panasonic video surveillance cameras installed throughout the state of New York to provide surveillance of various municipal buildings, jails and approximately 50 fire houses in multiple jurisdictions on Long Island.Hello Alert Inc., a Babylon, New York security systems dealer, has installed thousands of Panasonic video surveillance cameras throughout the state of...

FEMA and other federal organisations have collaborated to develop measures against tsunami like situations Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate briefed President Obama on the Department's ongoing coordination activities with potentially affected states and territories. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its federal partners are closely monitoring the effects of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that...

Fire inspectors found a number of contraventions related to violations of fire safety laws in the shop In these tough economic times, it is important that companies do not take their eye off the ball, when it comes to making their business safe from fire. Greggs, the bakers, have been fined £50,000 and ordered to pay £20,326 in costs after pleading guilty to serious breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the "RRO"). London Fire Brigade prosecu...

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue told news providers about the smoke alarm which was without batteries Two residents in the first-floor property where the fire started were treated by paramedics for smoke inhalation. A fire in an Oxfordshire block of flats was discovered by sheer "good fortune" after it was revealed that batteries had been removed from the fire alarm. The fire at the building in Didcot, Oxford, was reported on Monday (December 13th) morning, reports BBC News. Tw...

Building fires can be avoided if proper measures are taken during the construction phase Councillor Coleman moved an assembly motion in January 2010 for the London Assembly to set up scrutiny investigation into issues around fire safety in buildings. Responding to the London Assembly report on fire safety in residential buildings, Chairman and Leader of London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority Cllr Brian Coleman said: "The recommendations reinforce changes we ha...

Draeger's UCF cameras can pinpoint the exact locatino of any thermal areas Firefighters no longer have to conduct a risk assessment before taking a thermal imaging camera into a potentially explosive environment.As part of its ongoing commitment to improving fire fighter safety and operational performance, Draeger Safety has developed the UCF range of thermal imaging cameras. For the first time, firefighters no longer have to conduct a risk assessment before taking a thermal i...

NVFC developed the Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program to provide first responders with resources and tools The NVFC has also partnered with Pfizer to help first responders quit smoking through the Put It Out campaign. It's American Heart Month, a time to focus on your health and take steps to make sure you stay heart-healthy all year long. Heart disease is consistently the number one killer in America, and emergency medical personnel are often called on to respond to cardiov...

NEC Handbook serves as a complete resource for complying with the latest 2011 NEC changes and updates National Electrical Code Handbook is the authoritative source for providing expert explanations to augment the understanding of the NEC. The 2011 edition of the NEC Handbook is now integrated with the 2011 NEC on necplus, National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) online subscription to the NEC, enhancing the online tool. NFPA's National Electrical Code Handbook is the au...

Proper use of elevators by firefighters and occupants is a must for proper and timely rescue of people Buildings are becoming taller and the floor areas are becoming larger, driving the number of occupants that may need to evacuate during an emergency to easily be several thousand. Since the September 11 terrorist attacks, researchers, first responders, code organizations and the elevator industry have been working together to establish the best methods to integrate elevator...

It is important for the residential as well as the commercial buildings to have a fire escape staircase Ninety-nine per cent of residential blocks do not have a secondary means of escape. Around 99 per cent of residential blocks of flats have no secondary fire escape, says the head of a residential development company. Roger Southam, managing director of Chainbow, told Investors Chronicle that, because the regulations for residential blocks are not as stringent as those...

U.S Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano emphasized on collaboration to fight against disasters The MOC between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and New Zealand's Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management establishes a framework for information sharing and emergency management cooperation. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and New Zealand Ambassador to the United States Mike Moore today signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (M...