Industry News

THE FIRE safety arrangements in the undersea Channel Tunnel, which links England and France, have come under the spotlight following a 16-hour blaze on a freight train. Fire and rescue services were alerted to the incident at 3pm on 11 September when a train carrying heavy goods vehicles caught fire as it passed through the 31-mile north tunnel. The train had set off from Folkestone in Kent and was about seven miles from Calais when the fire occurred. According to reports, 32 people evacuated...

Kent Fire and Rescue Service’s (KFRS) Chief Fire Officer has been recognised in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours. Chief Fire Officer Charlie Hendry, who is currently on secondment as President of the Chief Fire Officers’ Association (CFOA), has been appointed as a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for services to Local Government. This award recognises the incredible amount of work Charlie has undertaken nationally advising on Fire and Rescue Service matters and for hi...

Firefighters who tackled two fatal blazes in Kent last night have been praised for their professionalism. At both incidents - in Longfield and Herne Bay - firefighters rescued casualties from the burning buildings before administering life support first aid. Kent Fire and Rescue Service's Assistant Director of Community Safety, Steve Griffiths said: "Their extensive training was fully evident last night and although we are sadly reflecting on two deaths this morning, the crews worked really har...

Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) is issuing some simple tips to keep you and your home safe from fire following a high number of accidental fires involving unattended cooking over the festive period. Over a third of all accidental fires KFRS attends occur in the kitchen, and in the last ten days, fire crews were called to 12 kitchen fires across the county, half of which occurred during Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Head of Community Safety Stuart Skilton said: "Fortunately no one was injur...

Application procedures have been announced for the 2009 Harvard program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government. The program is once again sponsored through a partnership between the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the International Fire Service Training Association/Fire Protection Publications (IFSTA/FPP), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Department of Homeland Security - United States Fire Administration (USFA). Each organization will fund...

New York City fitness expert Natasha Linton and The 911 National Fitness Challenge continue their mission to help children with disabilities. NYC EMS, law enforcement and firefighters will compete as teams to lose fat and gain muscle. In this win-win situation thousands will be raised for children's hospitals, plus NYC 911 responders will shed unwanted pounds with the help of Natasha Linton. Proceeds from registration will benefit the Shriner's Children's Hospitals, which provide free medical c...

The need for emergency responders to access information in a timely manner is critical. When seconds count, being able to find what is important can make significant differences in how an incident concludes. The Open Fire Academy, International, in its effort to ensure information is available in times of crisis, has made available its training materials from web-enabled mobile devices. All of its courses, student materials, and information can now be accessed from any web-enabled cell ph...

Colin Todd to the members as the new Chairman of the Fire Risk Assessment Council, conducting an interview with Colin to identify some of the issues behind the formation of the Council and looking ahead to the areas that it would be addressing going forward. In setting the scene, Colin focused on the market being unsure about fire risk assessment and indeed on what responsibilities are now faced under the Fire Safety Order, the legislation which has placed such an emphasis on risk assessment -...

The 2008 AGM and annual lunch of the Fire Industry Association (FIA) proved to be a 'must attend' event for anybody involved in the fire protection industry, with some 300 members and their guests at a brand new venue for the association, the Brewery in London. In his lunch address at the event on 11 November, FIA Chairman Martin Harvey pointed out a number of highlights for the Association since the last AGM. He spoke of the introduction of the new Chief Fire Officer's Association (CFOA) Polic...

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) today announced the appointment of Scott Sutherland as executive editor of the NFPA Journal. He has over 20 years of journalism experience, including staff writing, and editing and management positions and freelance contributions to print and online publications. Sutherland will oversee all editorial activities for NFPA's official magazine. In addition to extensive freelance work, Sutherland's most recent positions include director of th...

Firefighters risk their lives each day as part of their job, but new research suggests they're at higher cancer risk, too. In particular, researchers found that firefighters are more likely to develop testicular cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, prostate cancer and multiple myeloma compared with the general population. Firefighters need to take precautions when fighting fires, the experts said - especially if they have removed their protective gear and breathing apparatus.That's because firefigh...

The Institution of Fire Engineers is celebrating recognition by the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual) as an approved awarding body. This places the IFE shoulder to shoulder with other awarding bodies such as City & Guilds and Edexcel. Wide-ranging approval has been conferred for the development of general and vocationally related qualifications for the fire sector at levels 1, 2 and 3 and also higher level awards at level 4. This significant milestone strength...

While there is no credible intelligence to generate alarm, several factors of current interest warrant renewed vigilance and readiness within the American fire service over the coming months. These include the upcoming November election process and presidential administration transition, the uncertain economic outlook and the traditional holiday period. Worldwide attention on such events may lead some to conclude that we are entering a period of increased vulnerability for our nation. Therefore...

While the number of women- and minority-owned small businesses continues to grow nationwide, other groups of small business owners quickly catching up are law enforcement officers and firefighters. In response to this rapid growth of public servant-owned businesses, Cops and Firefighters in Business has become the fastest growing network of law enforcement officers and firefighters who own their own business.Founded in 2000 by retired Miami Beach police officer Dean Adler, CFB Network provides a...

This event has raised over $5 million for burn victims, orphans, Katrina relief and other causes since it started seven years ago. OSEC had supplied power after both World Trade Center terror attacks, first to the Towers themselves and second to the surrounding areas and was proud to be a part of this event.The annual run/walk followed the path Firefighter Stephen Siller took on 9/11. Heroic Firefighter Stephen Siller, father of five, raced on foot with 75 pounds of gear strapped to his back thr...

Earlier this year, the Model Codes Committee of the National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) began work on a code enforcement training and support program to help state and local code enforcement agencies improve the quality and effectiveness of their service. With the unanimous support of the NASFM Directors, the program has been designed with these elements: Topics may be suggested by code officials or any interested party, but are then selected by the NASFM Model Codes Committe...

A new piece of research by the Fire Industry Association (FIA) has calculated the value of the total UK fire protection industry at just under £3 billion.The research document, entitled ‘Survey of the UK Active and Passive Fire Protection Market 2007 to 2009', was produced in conjunction with the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) and provides an invaluable insight into both the active and passive sectors of the industry.The £2,965 million value for 2006 represen...

The owner of a national fire protection and hood cleaning company stated recently that he hopes the deaths of two firefighters in a Boston restaurant fire will bring to light an issue that he has been trying to educate firefighters on for years. That issue is the importance of routine restaurant hood cleaning, as well as routinely cleaning ducts and fans in commercial kitchens, said Massoud Farazandeh, general manager of Nationwide Fire Protection Corp., an affiliate of American Professional Se...

Two Norwich airport firefighters are set to meet the Queen at a Buckingham Palace garden party on Friday (July 11) to celebrate the Territorial Army's centenary. Deputy watch commander Jonny Feaks (42) is taking his boss Ron Goose to the celebration in recognition of the support for his TA activities. Jonny was chosen as one of hundreds of TA troops to attend the event, and invited fire service manager Ron to say thanks for his efforts in sorting cover for a tour of duty and an annual, two-week...

Streamlight winners score fastest times at World Challenge XVI in Las Vegas Streamlight, Inc., a leading manufacturer of professional lighting equipment for the fire industry, announced the winners of the Streamlight "Top 10" in the Firefighter Combat Challenge, a yearly national fitness competition which culminated in World Challenge XVI November 4-8 in Las Vegas, NV. Designed to encourage firefighter fitness and demonstrate the profession's rigors to the public, the Challenge each year attra...

It is with regret that the Office of Fire Prevention and Control announced the death in the line of duty of volunteer Firefighter Michael D. Sowich, age 50, of the New Hartford Fire Department on March 2, 2007. Sowich was a longtime former member and training officer of Sherrill-Kenwood Fire Department. Additionally, he served as a state fire instructor with the Office of Fire Prevention and Control, a fire instructor with Oneida County, fire inspector with the city of Sherrill, and an OSHA work...

Word of changes in the NFPA #1901 Standard on Automotive Fire Apparatus (2003 edition) and the corresponding recommendations noted in Annex A and Annex D are starting to filter into fire departments throughout the United States. The initial laughter from those that read it is often replaced with a sense of being totally overwhelmed.  With the ultimate goal being the safety and well-being of the firefighter, this standard will have far-reaching effects on apparatus design and how we, as fir...

What is hot, sexy and green all over? The South Florida Firefighters Calendar announced today that it is going green. AC Graphics, the first triple certified green printer in the state of Florida, has partnered with the calendar to print the 2009 edition on paper derived from sustainable forests that doesn't harm the environment."We are excited that AC Graphics is allowing us to make this possible. The South Florida Firefighters Calendar is about giving back to the community," said calendar crea...

Clarke Auction Gallery have announced a unique auction to benefit the volunteer firefighters of Mt Vernon New York. The city's volunteer firefighters have a proud history that goes back to mid-nineteenth century. To their great credit, much of this history has been preserved by the volunteers for the past 150 years. However, ongoing storage and budget challenges have caused the firemen to consign the collection to Clarke Auction for this sale.Highlights of the firefighting collection include: a...

The National Holistic Institute (NHI) is offering firefighters one free, 50-minute massage therapy appointment at any of its five California campuses during the month of July. "Firefighters are working long and stressful hours battling the hundreds of wildfires raging throughout California," explained Tim Veitzer, co-owner of NHI. "Massage therapy has been proven to relieve stress, relax muscles, increase joint mobility, lower blood pressure and boost productivity." NHI was the first accredite...

Finding a unique and exciting birthday party idea can be a difficult task. These days pool parties and bounce houses are mainstream party choices. But what if you could have a real, big, red fire truck arrive with lights and sirens? What if all the girls and boys could pretend to be real firefighters for the day and squirt water from a real fire hose? What if the birthday girl or boy got to go for a ride in a real fire truck? Sound like the ingredients to a good birthday party?Old Cracker Fire C...

This summer, the Essex Fire Engine Co. No. 1 will celebrate its 175th anniversary. As part of this momentous occasion, area fire departments will gather on Sunday, June 1, for the 2nd Annual Old Saybrook Firefighters Competition and Family Fun Day. As part of the celebration, this year's event is being held behind the Essex Fire Headquarters. The daylong event, which is free and open to the public, has been designed to test firefighters skill levels through drilling, training and competition. T...

The Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Society's (LAFDHS) 2008 Fallen Firefighters Celebrity Golf Tournament will take place March 24, 2008 at Porter Valley Country Club in Northridge.... only a few foursomes remain available. Funds raised will benefit the Society, help launch educational outreach programs for elementary school children, and finalize the Fallen Firefighters' Memorial in Hollywood."Let's make this year's tournament the event that allows us to complete our Fallen Firefighters'...

Every year, the IAFC honors members of the fire and emergency service with a number of different awards, recognizing outstanding efforts in arenas such as fire-prevention practices, hazmat response, and firefighter health and safety, among others.  The IAFC is now seeking nominations for the awards listed below.  For nomination forms and more information about each award, go to www.iafc.org/awards. International Hazardous Materials Response Teams Conference Awards - The IAFC's Hazmat...

Two Fire Fighters from Royal Oak Michigan, Dan Phillips and Cary Thompson, have launched a national campaign of Fire Safety education. Fire departments nationwide are failing at teaching escape planning. Only 23% of households practice a fire escape plan. Dan and Cary are using a system called "Escape and Wait" which makes escape planning as easy to remember as Stop Drop and Roll. The "Escape and Wait" system uses a catchy song and reflective signs to help children remember their job during a...