Industry News

FEMA is happy to see ServiceMaster training its employees on earthquake mitigation and preparedness The QuakeSmart campaign was developed by FEMA around the premise that no community can fully recover from a damaging earthquake until its businesses are back up and running. As part of its ongoing efforts to partner with the private sector to strengthen disaster readiness and prepare for all hazards, including earthquakes, this week the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FE...

Damaged belongings after severe flooding FEMA with the help of AIC and NIC provides few tips for the care of water-damaged belongings and heirlooms. The losses that come with disasters are usually measured in dollars. But often the losses that matter the most are the cherished items closest to individuals and families. What do you do about those invaluable possessions that have been damaged in a flood? Restoration experts say family valuables and heirlooms can sometimes be s...

SBA provides multilingual operators who can address questions and concerns over the phone Illinois flood victims can now avail help from SBA in any language. Illinois residents with damage from the summer floods July 19-Aug. 7 can get disaster help in any language. “With any language from Arabic to Vietnamese, someone can get on the phone and walk you through the entire process, from telling us about your damages to completing the necessary forms,” said Federal...

Firefighters should get safe from the deadly effects of influenza virus by getting properly immunized Influenza is a serious respiratory illness that is easily spread and can lead to severe complications, even death, for you or someone with whom you come in contact. In an effort to educate all Minneapolis/St. Paul area residents about the importance of annual seasonal influenza vaccination, the American Lung Association of Minnesota is kicking off the 2010-2011 Faces of Infl...

Public alert and warning systems help in overcoming the possiblities of loss of life during disasters and catastrophes The new digital message format being adopted by FEMA is the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) v1.2 Standard. The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today announced the adoption of a new digital message format for the Integrated Public Alert and...

'Fire Safety in Sleeping Accommodation' will help hotel industry take required measures   The free seminar the last in a series presented throughout 2010 is entitled 'Fire Safety in Sleeping Accommodation' and will take place at Blackpool Football Club on Tuesday 30 November. The Fire Industry Association (FIA) and the British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association (BAFSA) have joined forces to present a seminar aimed at raising awareness of fire safety in owners of hotels...

Reese-Colston Energy Training - a onestop shop for safety professionals Reese Energy Consulting, Inc and Colston Safety and Training, Inc have merged together and formed Reese-Colston Energy Training, LLC to provide high-end private and public energy and safety training.Three of the nation's leading energy and safety experts have combined forces to create Reese-Colston Energy Training (RCT), a knowledge-based provider of high-end private and public energy and safety...

New EMS study shows lot of changes related to fire emergencyresponder crew size Study of EMS and public safety by IAFF and NIST shows that size and design of first responder crew and ALS crew affect the fire department’s ability to react on calls for emergency medical service. A new study issued by a broad coalition in the scientific, fire fighting, EMS and public-safety communities shows that the size and configuration of an EMS first responder crew and an advanc...

Crews from Southall, Heathrow,Hillingdon and Heston fire stationsbattled the blaze for two and a half hrs A fire on an industrial estate on Dominion Road in Southall, London, has been attended by four fire engines and around 20 firefighters from the London Fire Brigade.Property worth thousands of pounds was destroyed as the external fascia of two industrial units was partly damaged by the inferno, which also badly razed a lorry and a three-tonne pile of waste wood on Septe...

Meadowcrift Mill drowned in fire was attended by four fire crew from Rcohdale, Bury, and Heywood. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service recently battled the fire at a mill in Rochdale. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service recently tackled an inferno at a mill in Rochdale, underscoring the importance of having regular fire risk assessments in commercial premises.The incident at Meadowcrift Mill in the Bamford area, which involved the roof void of the single storey i...

9/11 Health and Compensation Act, was approved by a vote of 268-160 “World Trade Center responders know they are finally one step closer to receiving the care and benefits they need and deserve.” said IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. Legislation to establish health treatment and monitoring programs for World Trade Center responders was overwhelmingly approved by a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House of Representatives. H.R. 847, the James Zadroga 9/1...

FEMA, with all members of ASG and SBA ,launched recovery efforts within days of the devastating tsunami The Department of Homeland Security's FEMA offered their warm condolences to the victims and shared optimism for the coming future of the people of American Samoa. One year ago a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck American Samoa and caused extensive damage and loss of life. The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has worked...

Public Access Defibrillator is intended to provide the best possible support from sudden cardiac arrest The rescue was part of the Lingohocken Fire Company's paramedic assistance program, designed to respond to emergency cardiac arrest calls in the 26 square miles in and around Wycombe. The Lingohocken Fire Company has been responsible for various fire safety work. While helping to save the life of a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) victim is all part of the job for Lingohocken F...

Association for perioperative Registered Nurses has updated its Fire Safety Tool Kit for better results In AORN's updated Fire Safety Tool Kit, a detailed Fire Risk Assessment Checklist has been created in a format that enables individuals to tailor the checklist for use in their own facilities. October is National Fire Prevention Month, a time when perioperative professionals review policies on fire safety, educate staff, conduct mock fire drills and overall, ramp up awarene...

Horace Small provides quality unifoms for law eforcement and first reponder units across the industry The Horace Small brand was founded in 1937. The company first sold uniforms to the military during World War II. VF Imagewear recently relaunched Horace Small, a brand with a history of more than 70 years. Horace Small, formerly known as The Force, provides quality uniforms for law enforcement and first responders. The Horace Small brand was founded in 1937. The company firs...

False fire alarms have been highlighted by the evacuation of guests from the venue hosting the Ryder Cup FIA has been working with Chief Fire Officers' Association on minimising false fire alarm to avoid unwanted fire signals. The importance of minimising false fire alarms has been highlighted by the evacuation of guests from the venue hosting the Ryder Cup in South Wales.A full evacuation took place at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport on September 27th after the alarm went...

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has supported the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act to a big extent The Act provides long-term, comprehensive health care and compensation for thousands of first responders. Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke on the House floor this afternoon in support of H.R. 847, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which provides long-term, comprehensive health care and compensation for thousands of first responders and others exposed to the toxin...

Sprinkler prevented spread of fire and saved Coral Island fromdevastation The Coral Island one of the major tourist attractions of Blackpool was saved by sprinklers. A blaze at one of Blackpool's major attractions was brought under control by sprinklers, a fire service spokesman said. Fire broke out at a florist's shop in the Coral Island leisure complex on the Promenade in the early hours. The sprinkler system also activated an alarm, which brought fire crews promptly to t...

London Fire Brigade is trying to curb fires spawned from rubbish piles Between August 2009 and August 2010 there were 8,438 rubbish fires in London. The Chairman of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) today warned that the introduction of alternate weekly rubbish collections to London could cause more fires and divert the attention of the firefighters away from other life saving work. Local authorities will experience a financial squeeze in the coming we...

Severe summer storm that damagedfive New Mexico counties FEMA and DHSEM helps to make five New Mexico counties that faced severe damages from summer storms and flooding eligible for federal funding for repairs.  Damages from severe storms and flooding left their mark on five New Mexico counties hit earlier this summer, making them eligible to receive federal funding for repairs, according to officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the New Mexico...

Disaster recovery also helping rare species Whooping cranes While FEMA’s primary goal is to support storm damaged communities recovery, the whooping cranes’ migratory path is now an environmental consideration for FEMA.This past winter, several winter storms knocked down thousands of power poles, taking out miles of line and jeopardizing the safety of thousands of North Dakotans who were left without power in frigid weather. As efforts were made to restore power an...

All fire detection and alarm equipment needs to be regularly tested to ensure it is fully functional - Becky Reid A regular check of fire safety equipment helps to maintain the safe environment of the premises.Commercial premises owners and the responsible person in such places may want to ensure they regularly test their fire detection and alarm systems in order to avoid the fate of one hotel manager.Plume of Feathers hotel manager Michael Martin was hauled before magistrates...

The Western Europe decontamination market revenue will be on a rise in years to come Western European decontamination equipment market is part of the medical devices growth partnership services programme. Product innovation will be the key to success in the highly competitive and mature Western European decontamination equipment market. New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (medicaldevices.frost.com), Western European Decontamination Equipment Market, finds that the market...

A firefighter demonstrates to kids all about 'being safe against fire' Firefighters lack in proper communications equipment and other safety gadgets which might help them in times of accidents while they are on the job. The safety of firefighters is being risked by communications equipment supplied to fire stations by contractor EADS, according to the secretary of state for communities and local government Eric Pickles, it has been reported. Mr Pickles told the House of Comm...

Investigators concluded that the fire started in the basement of the building housing the Little Sheep Day Care ATF National Response Team has completed the on-scene investigation of the downtown Delaware fire. The National Response Team (NRT) from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), ATF Columbus Field Division, Ohio Division of State Fire Marshal, and Delaware Fire and Police Department investigators have completed the on-scene investigation in...

DRC will guide individuals through the disaster assistance application process and provide essential information too  DisasterRecovery Center (DRC) in Grant County operated by WEM and FEMA will help the storm and flood affected local residents.A Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) will open in Grant County. Residents who were affected by severe storms, tornadoes and flooding July 20-24 will be able to meet, face-to-face, with disaster recovery specialists. The D...

CSB recommendations are intended to minimize the danger of natural gas blows occuring at power plants U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) Member Mark Griffon called on the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) to adopt new CSB recommendations regarding natural gas. The recommendation was one of 18 urgent recommendations issued in June 2010 following a CSB investigation into a powerful natural gas explosion that killed six workers and injured dozens of others at the Kle...

The owners of The Ventuers Hotelhave been fined over £27,000  Awan Investments Ltd and Malik Mohammed Bashir were found guilty of serious breaches of fire safety legislation following a prosecution brought by the London Fire Brigade. A company that owned a Paddington hotel has been ordered to pay over £27,000 in fines and costs after being found guilty of serious breaches of fire safety legislation following a prosecution brought by the London Fire Brigade. T...

Senior fire officer John Das Gupta ofShropshire Fire and Rescue Service  Court ordered hotel manager to pay £5,355 fines in the first court case brought by Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service after the failure of fire alarms. Magistrates have ordered a hotel manager to pay fines and costs totalling £5,355 in the first court case of its kind brought by Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service after the fire alarm failed to go off in the premises. Nine...

Fire safety inspectors often visit places to check whether fire safety order 2005 is properly adhered or not  Risk assessment and fire safety arrangements must be kept under review by the responsible person adhering to Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. A landlord has been ordered to pay over £16,000 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to serious breaches of fire safety legislation following a prosecution brought by the London Fire Brigade. Jagjit Si...