Industry News

London Fire Brigade is launching its first ever kitchen fire safety campaign to reduce the number of kitchen fires New figures released today by London Fire Brigade show that London’s young professionals are setting fire to their kitchens in record numbers. Kitchen fires account for over 60 per cent of fires in people’s homes. In the last five years there were over 17,500 fires in London kitchens, causing over 2600 injuries and 24 deaths.Nearly one in three of...

National Preparedness Month is observed in the month of September The most comprehensive online source of disaster preparedness information is the ready government website.As the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency kick off National Preparedness Month, webmasters and bloggers are encouraged to consider placing Ready Campaign and National Preparedness Month widgets on their sites to help spread the word.

Honeywell First Responder Products will sponsor National Fallen Firefighters Foundation's new Vulnerability Tool Honeywell, First Responder Products (HFRP) announced that it will be the exclusive corporate sponsor for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation's new Vulnerability Tool. Honeywell, First Responder Products (HFRP), a division of Honeywell Life Safety (HLS), and the makers of Morning Pride and Ranger protective clothing for firefighters, announced today they wil...

The new Auto Injector cuts down the time for administering antidotes in case of organophosphorous poisioning Research found the use of auto-injectors shortens the response time for administering antidotes to organophosphorous poisoning. The Saint Louis University (SLU) study found that a single-needled, dual-chambered auto-injector containing both atropine and pralidoxime chloride—called Antidote Treatment Nerve Agent Auto-Injector (ATNAA)—can actually c...

The accreditation is the result of six years of rigorous training development and effective coordination Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation Fire Department became the first Native American fire department to earn accreditation by the CFAI. The Fire Department of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation has become the first Native American fire department to earn accreditation by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI). "We are very proud of the Yocha Dehe Fire Department (YDFD)...

"It is important to get it right at the front end, to ensure fire safety equipment is up to professional standards" MP Dr Vince Cable has discussed with the Fire Industry Association (FIA), a new business to his constituency, the importance of fire safety and addressed the delicate issue of ‘cowboy’ contractors and the potential hazards that they could instigate. During his visit to their Hampton office on August 27, Cable affirmed both his personal concern and tha...

Allied Speciality Vehicles will serve three industry segments including the fire and emergency sector The Allied Speciality Vehicles Inc. will be formed by American Industrial Partners (AIP) in the fourth quarter of this year. American Industrial Partners Capital Fund IV, L.P. ("AIP") is pleased to announce the formation of Allied Specialty Vehicles, Inc. ("ASV" or the "Company").  ASV, with revenue of approximately $1 billion, is a market leader in three...

FEMA has authorized the use of federal funds to overcome the slide creek fire hazard in Washington The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency authorized the use of federal funds to help Washington State fight the Slide Creek Fire burning in Stevens County. FEMA Regional Administrator Ken Murphy said the state’s request for federal fire management assistance was approved after it was confirmed that the fire was threatening 165 ho...

Craig Fugate promised to support the Gulf Coast, devastated by Hurricane Katrina five years ago The Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Craig Fugate, issued the following statement on the five year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. “Five years ago, Hurricane Katrina devastated communities all across the Gulf Coast. Like all Americans, my thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their lives, and those whose lives were changed by...

Smoke alarms are being deniedthe opportunity to save lives  London Fire Brigade’s statistics show that in 2009, 26 people died in fires where there was no working smoke alarm. Despite the new survey revealing that we blow £13.2 billion each year on personal grooming products like hair gels, pomade and perfume, hundreds of thousands of London households still don’t want to fork out for a smoke alarm that could save our lives. Smoke alarms costing as lit...

Craig Fugate toured Biloxi Lighthouse   one of the recently completed recovery projects Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate met with the state and local officials to tour Mississippi’s two recently completed recovery projects. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate met with state and local officials in Mississippi and toured two recently completed recovery projects, the Bay St. Louis Firehouse a...

NFPA offers an opportunity to be first to preview NEC 2011 edition at no cost The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is offering visitors to necplus an opportunity to be the first to preview the 2011 edition of the National Electrical Code (NEC) at no cost. Visitors selecting a one-day preview from NECplus will have first access to the 2011 edition of the NEC.  “The release of the 2011 edition of the NEC is high...

Electric vehicle safety training for first responder to deal with emergeny situation involving electric vehicle NFPA announced collaboration with Chevrolet and Onstar at IAFC’s FRI conference in Chicago as NFPA offers electric vehicle safety training for first responders. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) announced a joint effort with Chevrolet and OnStar as NFPA provides electric vehicle safety training for first responders to the scene of an accident. Th...

False fire alarm resulted in evacuating many pensioners from housing complex A false fire alarm resulted in dozens of pensioners being evacuated from a housing complex as firefighters were deployed to tackle the incident on August 24th it has been reported. Fire crews turned up at Moneyhill Court, in Field Way, Rickmansworth, at around 20:00 BST only to discover steam from a hot shower in one of the sheltered houses had triggered the alarm, reports the Watford Observer. The...

Fire safety in timber-framed tower blocks still a topic of debate The risk posed by timber-built towers has been highlighted by new statistics from the Department of Communities and Local Government, which show fires in such structures have a greater average spread than those in traditionally built houses. Recent tower block fires have ignited debate into the safety of flats which feature a central timber frame, an increasingly popular method of constructing social housing, r...

More than 300 of London home fires yearly are a result of faulty equipment or dodgy wiring Faulty electrical items, overloaded plug sockets and dodgy wiring cause hundreds of fires across London each year. That’s why firefighters are asking people to check for electrical fire risks in their homes this Bank Holiday. New figures from the London Fire Brigade show that there are over 600 fires involving electrical appliances in the capital’s homes each year. More th...

Portland's new building codes will make the installation of fire sprinklers in homes mandatory  Portland has approved building code changes emphasizing installation of fire sprinkler systems in all new homes, effective  September 15. The city of Portland, has approved building code changes that will require all new one- and two-family homes and town houses built in the city to be equipped with life-saving fire sprinkler systems. These new codes will take effect on S...

FEMA provides funds to reimburse non-profit organizations FEMA officials and GAR staff held meeting related to FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grants Program. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials and Puerto Rico Governor’s Authorized Representative (GAR) staff held an Applicants’ Briefing meeting related to FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grants Program (HMGP) for the 10 designated municipalities, state agencies and some private non-profit organizations. T...

PA program provides federal funds to reimburse a minimum of 75% of the costs to restore disaster damages FEMA’s PA program restores disaster-damaged infrastructure to pre-disaster conditions. Federal assistance may be available to help Nebraska communities rebuild infrastructure to higher, more disaster-resistant standards and state officials are encouraging local governments to take advantage of that funding. The assistance is part of the aid that becomes available fo...

FEMA funding available to reimburse 75 percent of the eligible firefighting costs under an approved grant The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has authorized the use of federal funds to help the state of California fight the post fire in Kern County. The authorization makes FEMA funding available to reimburse 75 percent of the eligible firefighting costs under an approved grant for managing, mitigating and controlling the fire...

The enhanced program is for emergency responders to make their job safer and easier USFA and the International Association of Fire Fighters developed best practices for Emergency Vehicle and Roadway Operations Safety The United States Fire Administration (USFA), in partnership with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), announced the release of Best Practices for Emergency Vehicle and Roadway Operations Safety, which highlights the results of a U.S. Department...

The new fire detection system of Surrey Hotel belongs to Fire Industry Association  A new fire detection and alarm system has been installed in the Ramada Farnham hotel in the south-east of England, which now features a safety solution from Hochiki, a member of the Fire Industry Association. The 96-bedroom Surrey hotel now boasts better protection in the form of more than 1,000 Hochiki devices from the firm's Enhanced System Protocol range. Building services consultancy...

Second deadliest fire for firefighters in U.S. history has 100th anniversary The Great Fire of 1910 ranks second on the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) list of deadliest incidents in the U.S. During the summer of 1910, forest fires burned an estimated 3 million acres in Idaho and Montana. The incident, known as The Great Fire of 1910, killed 78 firefighters on August 20 of that year and ranks second on the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA...

Home safety checks, installation of smoke alarms and the like are made easy with Sound the Alarm website The International Code Council (ICC) and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have announced the release of the Sound the Alarm website. Sound the Alarm is a community outreach and education program designed to reduce rural community fire hazards and other potential dangers in residential homes. The ICC received a Fire Prevention & Safety Grant to implem...

If the proposal is accepted, the county will face a major shortage of firefighters when need arises Cumbria firefighters will take longer to get to traffic accidents involving heavy goods vehicles, and at times will be unable to handle water rescues, if the Cumbria Fire Service carries out its plan to cut down the crewing of sophisticated rescue equipment.Cumbria FRS proposes to get rid of eight firefighter jobs, which will leave insufficient firefighters to crew the county&rs...

Fugate made the use of social media and mobile technology a priority in FEMA's outreach to the public Craig Fugate, Administrator of FEMA addressed the American Red Cross Emergency Social Data summit on the use of social media in emergency management. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate addressed the American Red Cross Emergency Social Data Summit on the growing use of social media in emergency management. Fugate discussed ways social media c...

The survey respondents expected quick response to an online appeal for help A new American Red Cross survey shows many web users would turn to social media to seek help for themselves or others during emergencies and they expect first responders to be listening. The online survey asked 1,058 adults about their use of social media sites in emergency situations. It found that if they needed help and couldn’t reach 9-1-1, one in five would try to contact responders through...

El Mirage Fire Department guarantees the City two responding units in the event of emergency, when fully operational El Mirage Firefighters claims layoffs directly impacts the safety of residents. After failing to apply for a tax reimbursement that could have provided the city of El Mirage with nearly $50,000, officials including City Manager, BJ Cornwall ignored calls for negotiation and elected to lay off five firefighters; El Mirage Firefighters claims layoffs directly imp...

FIA and Chief Fire Officer's Associationworking together on reducing false alarm False alarm reduction plans could put lives at risk. Controversial plans by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Services to cut automatic fire alarm call outs have raised concerns that they could end up putting lives at risk, it has been reported. In a bid to free up engines to fight genuine fires and help save money, operators will ask people to confirm themselves that there is actually a blaze before f...

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescure Service fined the China Wok £15,000  A reminder for businesses to makesure they follow the fire safety requirements by North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service. North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has issued a reminder for businesses to ensure they comply with fire safety requirements after a restaurant owner was slapped with a fine of £15,000 for not abiding by the rules. The breaches came to light after a fire started at...