Industry News

Ian Moore, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Fire Industry Association (FIA), would like to inform you that the long awaited update to The Building Regulations 2010, specifically Approved Document B (ADB): Fire safety, Volumes 1 and 2, is now available from the Government website. Building Regulations 2010 Update The changes highlighted in this amendment take effect on 26 November 2020 for use in England, until then the 2019 edition will continue to apply (within certain listed constrai...

Ian Moore, CEO of the FIA, would like to inform that the long awaited update to The Building Regulations 2010, specifically Approved Document. B (ADB): Fire safety, Volumes 1 and 2, is now available from the Government website. The changes highlighted in this amendment take effect on 26 November 2020 for use in England, until then the 2019 edition will continue to apply (within certain listed constraints). The changes focus on the fire safety provisions in blocks of flats for water-based extin...

There is a bombardment of information coming out regarding the coronavirus pandemic and the changes to the ‘new normal’ all are becoming accustomed to. BAFE has been keeping abreast of this information and hopes one finds news provided on the BAFE website useful. With coronavirus lockdown measures in place slowly beginning to ease BAFE strongly advises that fire safety measures are not overlooked or deferred further. Stephen Adams, Chief Executive – BAFE, has been discussing t...

On June 17, Marc Warren will complete a one-day, 150-mile bicycle ride through the Great Allegheny Passage to raise awareness about the importance of firefighter/EMS behavioral health. Inspired by his daughter, Ali Rothrock’s work for first responder mental health, Warren is hoping to raise US$ 2,500 to support the NVFC’s Share the Load program. As a lifelong athlete, Marc Warren is no stranger to physically grueling endeavors. But this time he is using his skills to raise money for...

On May 15, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 6800, the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, which would provide approximately US$ 3 trillion in assistance, to help the nation deal with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The bill includes a number of provisions to assist fire, EMS, and rescue departments, including: Provides US$ 500 million through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program, for the purchase of personal protective equipm...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) created a survey to better understand the experiences of volunteers and combination fire, EMS, and rescue departments in dealing with the outbreak of COVID-19 and related social distancing measures. Fire/EMS survey The NVFC asked individuals to take a few minutes to complete the COVID-19 Impact on Fire/EMS Survey and is also encouraging re-taking the survey periodically (no more than once per week), so that the company can track changes in the respons...

As of April 2020, there were 301,960 miles of natural gas transmission lines in the United States along with 17,414 miles of gathering and 1,328,271 miles of distribution lines. There is an additional 218,851 miles of liquid transport lines in service in the U.S. The footprint touches all 50 states and poses a response consideration for approximately 85 percent of the nation’s fire service. Natural gas incidents Most natural gas incidents involve either motor vehicle crashes where a serv...

SSAIB has announced publishing its policy statement for COVID-19 Remote Auditing. The policy covers BAFE, British Approvals for Fire Equipment schemes with SSAIB remote auditing procedures in place. A BAFE statement added that they will endeavor to publish information from all BAFE Licensed Certification Bodies as this is made available. Information from SSAIB: The following strategy has been implemented to allow continuation of certification services by the SSAIB, during the exceptional circu...

Now that businesses are starting to operate again, there are some key fire safety matters for organizations to consider, in order ensure employees can return safety back to work. The Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service (RBFRS), Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service (BFRS) and Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service (OFRS) are helping businesses return to work safely, in these extraordinary times. Adapting to new ways of working Businesses have had to adapt to new ways of working, over...

Ian Moore, CEO of the FIA, has been working closely with the Government’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) on behalf of the FIA members on a number of issues, more recently the work has focused mainly on the business issues created by COVID-19; such as working safely during COVID-19 in offices, construction industry recovery plans, key worker status, training while on furlough etc. He states “BEIS have posted a lot of valuable guidance for businesses...

Currently, in times of COVID-19 Coronavirus, the healthcare sector has maybe become the most vulnerable industry as it places the health systems of many countries to the test. The last thing hospitals want to be worried about now is their fire detection system. In the event of a fire alarm, some patients will need assistance to evacuate. For those in critical conditions or being in isolation due to a COVID-19 infection, evacuation can be extremely challenging or even impossible because of the u...

The Ontario government has taken additional steps to protect people and property during the wildland fire season, including an increase in base funding for emergency forest firefighting by $30.2 million, and ensuring safety measures are in place to protect Ontario's highly trained fire rangers from COVID-19. On May 16, 2020, Ontario is lifting the Restricted Fire Zone (RFZ) designation that was put in place last month across Ontario's fire region.  The province will continue to assess fore...

Rosenbauer America is donating 24,000 KN95 facemasks to first responders as a thank you for their dedication through the COVID-19 pandemic. The facemasks will be distributed to fire departments across the United States and Canada. “Our communities rely on first responders answering calls for service; we need to protect their health and safety,” said John Slawson, Chairman and CEO of Rosenbauer America. “COVID-19 is personal; the virus literally follows responders home, subseq...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) joined with other major national fire service organizations in asking Congress to provide full funding, $750 million each, for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs in FY 2021. The letter also asks Congress to waive local matching funds requirements under AFG and SAFER and to increase flexibility for using SAFER funds to retain personnel in FY 2020, FY 2021, and for any s...

First responders and emergency workers risk their lives and wellbeing on the COVID-19 front lines every day to care for families, friends, and communities. To support these everyday heroes and shoulder some of their to-do lists at home, Cub Cadet is partnering with TaskEasy to offer them free lawn mowing. Free lawn mowing service Cub Cadet, a manufacturer of lawn care equipment, and TaskEasy, an on-demand lawn care service serving more than 12,000 U.S. cities, are offering a free month of lawn...

To help support the firefighters, EMS providers, and medical workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic and provide protection and peace of mind to their families, Wiser Estate Plan is offering a Family Protection Plan free to front-line responders. This is a savings of up to $5,000 on the creation of a trust and healthcare/financial powers of attorney. This offer will save thousands of dollars in fees and help families avoid probate if something should happen to one of the front-line...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) created a survey to better understand the experiences of volunteer and combination fire, EMS, and rescue departments dealing with the outbreak of COVID-19 and related social distancing measures. NVFC asks that all take a few minutes to complete the survey here and that one re-takes the survey once a week so that NVFC can track changes over time. The more responses the survey receives the more robust and useful the data are, keeping NVFC informed about...

In the past two years, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has issued several new reports that lend more in-depth insight into the top causes of residential fires. This post summarizes the top causes of home fires and some of the interesting trends identified in these reports. Drop in number of residential fires The number of residential fires and fire deaths has dropped by about half over the past 40 years. However, the data also shows that while there were fewer fires and fire de...

Two inventors, from Roseto, Pa., wanted to create a safer way to escape a burning building, so they invented the All Body Brella. The patent pending invention provides added protection when escaping from a structural fire. In doing so, it could help to reduce injuries, burns and smoke inhalation. As a result, it could enhance safety and it provides added peace of mind. The invention features a protective and practical design that is convenient and easy to use so it is ideal for households and bu...

If there’s one thing that everyone has learned in the last few months, it is that the world can change at a moment’s notice. While there will certainly be more surprises to come in the future, a few things are certain, including population and climate change. How will humans change the way they build to tackle these challenges? and How can fire safety be maintained in the buildings of the future? These are some of the key questions. Ageing global population The world’s popul...

On Monday, May 4, 2020, a COVID-19 drive-thru testing site will open in the parking lot of the Walmart store located at 5991 Goldenrod Road, Orlando, FL, 32822. The site is made possible through a partnership with the City of Orlando, Walmart, Quest Diagnostics, and state agencies to expand testing to those who are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 and all health care providers and first responders in the Orlando community. We’re proud to partner with Walmart and Quest Diagnostics to be abl...

Life during and immediately after COVID-19 will change the way one lives, especially the work patterns. Marketers have historically done everything in their power to get people to read their stories, watch their videos and absorb their advertisements. The enemy is the lack of time in the working day. In the last 2 months, there has been a paradigm shift in what is now labeled as the ‘new normal’, as an unprecedented amount of people have had the majority of their work and/or social...

Throughout April and into the foreseeable future the FIA will continue providing its online CPD sessions across the breadth of the fire industry with '99% of delegates saying that the training meets their needs well to extremely well and 98% are satisfied or very satisfied with the CPD content. Hundreds of enthusiastic delegates took part in the FIA’s second industry-recognized online CPD day. The fire industry has adapted incredibly well to the impacts of COVID-19 and it has not hindered...

The Fire Safety Bill had a successful second reading in the House of Commons. The Minister of State (The Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP) discussed the tragic Grenfell fire and that the Government is resolute in its commitment to ensure that (events of this kind) are never repeated. “The Queen’s Speech committed the Government to bringing forward two Bills on fire and building safety. The first is this short, technical, Home Office-led Fire Safety Bill, which will amend the Regulat...

April 30th is the day the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) was supposed to host the 32nd Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner, an event to have been attended by 1,500 fire and emergency services leaders across the country to pay tribute to the dedication and commitment of our nation’s firefighters and emergency services personnel. Back in the latter part of 2019, CFSI considered different themes for the 2020 program and selected “Recognizing Our Nation&rsqu...

In the Fire Sector Federation’s latest newsletter (Spring 2020), they state, that the Federation has continued to work with the Home Office to address some of the implications arising from the proposed amendment of the Fire Safety Order. Most recently this has involved concerns on updating fire risk assessments to include the external walls of multi-occupied residential buildings. The Bill’s impact assessment suggests around 1.6 million buildings may be affected by this clarificatio...

Steve Hirsch, Chair of the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), has been named as an advisor to the Small Town America Civic Volunteer Award (STACVA) program. This new national award, scheduled to launch June 1, will honor extraordinary public service volunteers in small localities (under 5,000) nationwide and help shine a spotlight on a growing national problem: a decline in the availability of citizens to fill important public safety and service roles. Advisory team members will help desig...

First Responders Children’s Foundation is providing support to first responders, including volunteer firefighters and EMS providers, who are experiencing hardship as a result of COVID-19. The Foundation is a Regional Partner of the ‘One World: Together at Home’ concert and was also featured in the ‘Fox Presents iHeart Living Room Concert for America.’ Financial support programs To help first responder families who are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundat...

May 5 is #GivingTuesday, and National Volunteer Fire Council ask that people consider a donation to the NVFC’s Volunteer Firefighter Support Fund. This fund provides a stipend to help eligible volunteer firefighters and EMS providers who have been impacted by a large-scale disaster, home fire, or have suffered loss of wages due to COVID-19. The fund relies entirely on donations, and 100 percent of donations go to help responders in need.

EMS Week is May 17-23, and year 2020’s theme of “Ready Today - Preparing for Tomorrow” is especially meaningful as EMS providers are on the front lines of COVID-19 response while continuing to provide everyday lifesaving services to their communities. One can use this week to thank and celebrate the EMS providers as well as let the community know all they do.