Industry News

London Fire Brigade promotes fire safety for children London Fire Brigade launches new child fire safety campaign Firefighters are urging Londoners to keep their community safe and sound by teaching children about the importance of fire safety. London Fire Brigade’s Assistant Commissioner for Community Safety Andy Barrett said, “Parents and carers can become fire safety champions by protecting their children from fire just by talking to them about what to d...

President Obama has approved new rules on the use of SAFER grants In an economic crisis, changes will allow fire departments to use SAFER grants to retain fire fighters President Obama today approved new rules that govern how fire departments can use funding from the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program, an important change during an economic crisis that is responsible for widespread layoffs of fire fighters throughout the country. The ne...

London Fire Brigade launches its new fire safety campaign: 'Keep Your Community Safe and Sound.' London Fire Brigade's new fire safety campaign has got underway with a celebrity launch Actor Cliff Parisi, who plays ‘Minty' in EastEnders, joined London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson and the Vice Chair of London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, Cllr Liaquat Ali to launch the ‘Keep Your Community Safe &Sound' campaign. The new campaign is encouraging all...

More than 1,200 US businesses and organizations have joined the 2009 National Preparedness Month Coalition Over 1,200 US businesses and organizations have supported the 2009 NPM Coalition The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced on June 19 that more than 1,200 national, regional, tribal, state and local businesses and organizations, including the National Volunteer Fire Council, have pledged their support and joined the 2009 National Preparedness Month (NPM)...

FEMA is hosting a roundtable to highlight President Obama's United We Serve campaign Roundtable highlights need for volunteer service in US communities Today, the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency kicked off the President's summer of service by holding a roundtable with volunteer and career first responders, including firefighters, members of FEMA's Fire Corps and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). Today's event highlight...

Brian Newstead (left) is congratulated by London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson Retirement of LFB firefighter after over 50 years of public service In 1958 Britain's first motorway was opened, Elvis joined the army and Manchester United lost a generation of talented players in the Munich Air disaster. It was also the year that Brian Newstead joined the fire service and he is now retiring after over half a century of dedicated service to the public. Brian, who lives in Wemble...

Janet Napolitano and Craig Fugate announce the new FEMA grants New grants will improve US readiness for disasters US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano have announced nearly $1.8 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) preparedness grants designed to help states, urban areas, tribal governments and non-profit agencies improve their readiness by enhancing protection, prevention, response and recovery capabilities for all disas...

USFA is recruiting students to attend pilot classes for a new fire protection course New NFA fire protection course pilot classes announced The United States Fire Administration (USFA), Department of Homeland Security, is recruiting students and instructor candidates to attend pilot classes for its new six-day on-campus course Hot Topics in Fire Protection. The pilot will be offered October 18 to 23, 2009 at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland. St...

Les Bowman has been awarded the Queen's Fire Service Medal Prestigious medal awarded to 23-year career firefighter Les Bowman has been awarded the Queen's Fire Service Medal in the Queen's Birthday Honours list, in recognition of his service to Londoners during a 23 year career with the London Fire Brigade. Les, currently a Station Manager at Kingsland Fire Station in East London, joined the Brigade in 1986 as a firefighter at Dagenham Fire Station, where he stayed fo...

Nick Collins, Assistant Commissioner of the LFB, has been awarded the Queen's Fire Service Medal LFB Assistant Commissioner awarded medal for dedication to the service London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner Nick Collins has been awarded the Queen's Fire Service Medal (QFSM) in the Queen's Birthday Honours list, in recognition of his dedication to the fire and rescue service. AC Collins joined the Brigade in 1978 and rose through the ranks to become Assistant Commission...

Damage to buildings from wildfire is increasing throughout the US "Safer from the Start" addresses development in wildfire-prone areas of the US Wildfires that damage homes and businesses are increasing in severity throughout the country, as growth patterns put more homes and neighborhoods in areas naturally prone to fire. While the national Firewise Communities® program has long advocated action in existing communities to minimize fire hazards to homes, its new public...

KFRS is warning of the need for rural fire safety throughout the summer UK fire and rescue service warns of rural fire hazards throughout hot summer With a hot summer predicted, Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) is urging people to protect the countryside by being extra careful not to start or cause fires through carelessness. A few days of warm weather can dry out vegetation and grass verges, so crop fields and woodland can easily catch light if people are...

Designed to foster cooperative andcollaborative labor-managementrelationships Labor-management relationships needed to deal with difficulties of the current economic situation Strong labor-management relationships are critical in order to effectively address the financial and operational difficulties most fire departments are facing in the current economic environment. The IAFC/IAFF Labor-Management Initiative, a joint program of the IAFC and the International Associatio...

Two London landlords have been punished for breaching fire safety regulations Case highlights need for responsible fire safety in UK premises Two Haringey landlords have been sentenced to six months imprisonment and ordered to pay £5000 costs each for breaching fire safety regulations, after a successful prosecution by London Fire Brigade. The prosecution followed a fire at a house converted into bedsits, on Hampden Road, N8, on 31 March 2007. Sentencing of the buil...

CSB has released a video detailing the need for chemical emergency preparedness New video is based on findings from a decade of CSB accident investigations The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) today released a new safety video showing the need for emergency response agencies, companies, and communities to work closely together to prepare for the kinds of tragic chemical accidents the CSB has investigated over the past decade. The new video, entitled "Emergency Preparedness:...

Fire Corps advises homeowners to test their smoke alarms as part of Home Safety Month June is Home Safety Month, providing a perfect opportunity for Fire Corps teams to reach out to the public and work to reduce instances of unintentional home injury in the U.S. The campaign's theme this year is "Hands on Home Safety," which asks the public to take some simple, hands-on steps to create a safer home environment from the five leading causes of home injury - falls, poison...

The IAFF has thanked the Obama administration for supporting Providence firefighters The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) today thanked the Obama administration for honoring the picket line planned for the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Annual Meeting next week in Providence, Rhode Island. "We appreciate the Obama administration's support of fire fighters. This is another example of the administration's unqualified support for workers and organized labor,"...

Firefighters protest against Governor Ritter's veto of Colorado Senate Bill 180 Colorado fire fighters frustrated by Ritter's veto Colorado Governor Bill Ritter has vetoed a bill that would have allowed fire fighters to unionize without local government approval. Senate Bill 180, which passed the state legislature in May, would have given fire fighters' unions with a minimum of 50 employees equal negotiating status with management in decisions on pay, benefits and workin...

CSU has partnered with the NVFC to offer scholarships to NVFC members Online course format makes learning achievable even for those with busy schedules Have you been wanting to get your Bachelor's or Associate's Degree but felt the economic climate and demands on your time made it impossible? Or were you hoping to attend college in the fall but faced concerns about financing your higher education? The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and Columbia Southern University (...

MPs have started a debate on the need for fire sprinklers in UK schools Questions of compulsory fire sprinkler protection for UK schools debated by MPs There was a debate on the question of fires in schools in Westminster Hall on 19 May, with much of the discussion taken up by members praising the value of sprinklers, and the need for sprinklers to be included in all new and refurbished schools. Ian McCartney, MP for Makerfield, initiated the debate, asserting that: "Ove...

Shell's serious breaches of fire safety regulations included blocked fire exits Shell International Ltd. was fined £300,000 and ordered to pay £45,000 in costs after pleading guilty to serious breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the "RRO"). The fine is the largest imposed under the RRO. The London Fire Brigade prosecuted Shell following two small fires in the space of three weeks at the Shell Centre on York Road, SE1 7NA. The first fire w...

Manjit Singh, one of the UK's first Asian firefighters, is retiring from the LFB One of the first Asian firefighters in the country is hanging up his helmet after 27 years of service to Londoners. Watch Manager Manjit Singh joined the London Fire Brigade in 1982 and has enjoyed every minute of it. He said: "I really have loved my job and when I joined it was seen as a landmark for an Asian to be a firefighter. I would like to see a lot more Asian firefighters coming throu...

The DHS has announced the release of grant guidance for fire station funding Key grant guidance released This morning, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the release of grant guidance for $210 million in fire station construction funding that was appropriated in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law earlier this year. The fire station construction grant funding will be administered by the Federal Emerg...

The demonstration included a comparison of a room with sprinklers and one without Demonstration in Plymouth, MA follows recent deaths of four area residents in house fires After house fires killed four area residents in just the past three months, the Plymouth, Mass. Fire Department and national fire safety experts vividly showed the life-saving difference home fire sprinkler systems can make.   Plymouth fire officials joined the Massachusetts State Fire Marsh...

A new study has established safe physical working standards for Australia's volunteer firefighters Investigation into safe working standards for Australian firefighters published As Australian recovers from its worst ever fire season, a new study establishes for the first time the safe physical work standards that should be applied for the nation's 220,000 volunteer firefighters. The study by Deakin University PhD student Matt Phillips at the Bushfire Cooperative Rese...

CAL FIRE is urging safety over Memorial Day weekend Recent wildfires and water related deaths act as reminder of the dangers As Memorial Day approaches, millions of Californians will plan outdoor activities to enjoy the great spring weather that is forecast. Even with the expected good weather, CAL FIRE officials are stressing the importance for everyone to be extra safe due to hidden dangers that many don't think about when recreating outdoors. In just the past few weeks...

The IAFF has released a statement on the need for improved airport fire fighting standards IAFF comments on need for improved airport fire resources International Association of Fire Fighters General President Harold A. Schaitberger today released this statement on passage of H.R. 915 by the U.S. House of Representatives. With passage of the FAA Reauthorization, the Federal Aviation Administration will be required to update current aircraft rescue and fire fighting standard...

Craig Fugate, the new FEMA Administrator, being sworn in by DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano Following a ceremony today in which U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano swore in Craig Fugate as Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator, the two participated in a video teleconference briefing with governors and emergency management officials representing more than a dozen hurricane-prone states to discuss hurricane preparedness effor...

London Fire Brigade has joint-hosted a conference on juvenile firesetting London Fire Brigade and the Cognitive Centre Foundation (CCF) have co-hosted a conference on juvenile firesetting, attended by experts from all over the world. The two-day event entitled ‘Working with Juvenile Firesetters - Risks, Rights and Resources' gave professionals the opportunity to discuss how best to work with children and adolescents with identified firesetting behaviour. Dr David Kol...

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano has cited firefighter input as a reason to reduce funding for AFG program Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano cited input from firefighters as a major reason that the President's budget request proposes reducing funding for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program from $565 million to $170 million. The President is also asking Congress to increase funding for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Re...