Apparatus and Equipment Accessories news

At the Kissimmee Fire Department in Florida, 105 paid operations personnel train regularly for garden apartment and taxpayer fire scenarios on The Fire Chief training model. Customized to handle the specific training demands of the department, the impressive structure was opened in 2019. “We chose this Fire Facilities structure as opposed to any other type of training unit because of the different options we had to choose from for the price,” says Battalion Chief Eric Gentry, a 22-y...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) partnered with DripDrop Hydration, PBC, an electrolyte rehydration company, for the fourth year to provide dehydration relief to volunteer firefighters. More than 2,700 cases (547,000 servings) of DripDrop’s electrolyte drink mix have been donated to 1,544 volunteer fire departments to help keep their firefighters at their best while serving their community. Dehydration is a serious concern for firefighters and can cause decreased performance as...

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Newell Road Fire burning in Klickitat County, Washington. The state of Washington’s request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) was approved by FEMA Region 10 Administrator Willie G. Nunn on Sunday, July 23, 2023, at 12:14 a.m. PT. He determined that the Newell Road Fire threatened to cause such destruction as would constitute a major disaster. This...

CIC is seeking three Specialist non-executive Directors to join its statutory Board. These are voluntary, non-executive (non-renumerated) roles and it is expected that the role will average eight hours per month. Meetings are generally held in Central London and are hybrid. Specialist directors would normally serve for three years and are eligible to be reappointed for one further term by mutual agreement. Leadership teams and workforce CIC is seeking specialist input in the following ar...

CABE’s Building Inspector Competence Assessment Scheme has been approved as an independent provider scheme by the Building Safety Regulator (BSR). CABE’s new process will enable Building Inspectors to evidence their skills, knowledge, and experience, and gain the necessary certification to allow them to apply to the BSR’s register of Building Inspectors. The Building Safety Act 2022 has made it a mandatory requirement for all building control inspectors undertaking restricted...

Following the expansion of its testing facilities with the addition of two fire resistance test furnaces, in collaboration with global safety science pioneer, UL Solutions, the FPA is now UKAS accredited to perform fire resistance testing. Reaching temperatures in excess of 1000°C, the large scale (4m wide x 3m high) vertical furnace and small scale (1.5 × 1.5m) vertical and horizontal furnace can test to a range of fire resistance standards for numerous product types including: BS...

TV Presenter, Katie Rushworth from ITV’s Love Your Garden, will be pioneering the celebrations on July 21, with the festivities kicking off at 12 noon. Until recently, the space at the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) station wasn't being used and was just covered in grass. But thanks to firefighters, it has been transformed into a thriving space full of produce. Carrots, onions, strawberries, radishes, cherries, and Brussels sprouts are all growing happily alongside a herb...

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is proud to announce that they have received the prestigious Gold Award from the Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) for their unwavering commitment to supporting the Armed Forces. This recognition is a testament to the dedication to ensuring those who have served, who continue to serve, and their families, are not disadvantaged in the workplace. Iain Morris is the SFRS Acting Director of Asset Management. SFRS Honored For Supportin...

The UK government is committed to achieving its legally binding target of net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. As net-zero policies are designed and implemented, and collaborative initiatives to achieve ambitious carbon emission targets are developed, credible standards and accredited conformity assessment will be key enablers of their robustness, effectiveness, and sustained impact. UN Sustainable Development Goals UKAS has an established track record in deploying accreditation t...

Johnson Controls, a provider of smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings, announced the launch of the FireClass FC-EAS Evacuation Alert System. The system is designed to provide fire and rescue service personnel with a simple and intuitive way to initiate an evacuation alert signal within high-rise structures.  This helps residential high-rise buildings in the UK comply with the recently mandated BS8629:2019 code of practice requiring the use of sounders or similar devices to alert reside...

In response to increased reports of fires caused by batteries and electricals containing batteries in the waste and recycling system. Material Focus is strengthening its work to help address this issue. A new public safety film ‘Stop Battery Fires’ created in partnership with the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), has been launched and is available for local authorities to share. Material Focus is also calling on local authorities to participate in the 2023 ‘Stop Battery Fi...

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is consulting on two options: the reinstatement of operations and closure of the station. The public and stakeholders can take part between Monday, 10 July, and Friday, 18 August, 2023. The South Lanarkshire-based station has not been operational for more than eight years due to incident data, building maintenance issues, recruitment challenges, and best-value considerations, with nearby fire stations providing cover at this time. The lease of the bui...

Accreditations and certifications are critical for maintaining compliance with fire door regulations. They represent the strict standards that must be followed for fire doors to offer proper protection, and mark the culmination of rigorous testing procedures. In the UK, certifications are provided by various organizations, including the government, industry associations and independent accrediting bodies. Ultimately, they show evidence that a fire door has been tested and approved to meet the r...

The project has been created by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) Forensic Services, as well as the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science at the University of Dundee and the Danish Police. The Joint Scottish Fire Investigation Training and Research Facility in Porthlethen opened on Wednesday, 5 July and will support forensic scene investigation techniques used by firefighters, police, and forensic services personnel. Implementation of...

FireScout and Mighty Fire Breaker will join forces to protect the 20-acre TERI Campus of Life. TERI, a San Diego-based nonprofit, has served people with developmental disabilities including autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and other diseases since 1980. Their Campus of Life is a decades-long vision of the founder, Cheryl Kilmer, to serve those people with developmental disabilities and be an integral part of the community, welcoming everyone to enjoy the recreation, fitness, dining, and en...

Hanoi is poised to become the focal point of the security and fire safety business as Secutech Vietnam returns to the city for the first time in seven years, from 19 July to 21 July 2023. The sold-out fair will welcome 350 exhibitors from across the globe, including Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Italy, Luxembourg, Malaysia, New Zealand, Poland, Sweden, Taiwan, the UAE, the UK, and the US, while Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Vietnam will be...

The future of a fire station in South Lanarkshire is under review as the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) prepares to launch a public consultation to gather views from the community. The SFRS will consider options for Leadhills Community Fire Station based on robust data, delivering community safety, value for money and feedback from the public and stakeholders. Views of the local community SFRS will gather the views of the local community on a way forward for the station The building...

Darley, a pioneering manufacturer and distributor for national heroes, is pleased to announce the newest addition to its team, Slade McLendon. Slade joins Darley as a recent top graduate from Auburn University, bringing with him a wealth of knowledge and a strong commitment to serving first responders. Hailing from a family with deep roots in the fire service industry, Slade has spent his formative years immersed in the world of life safety products. Coming from one of the longest-standing E-On...

Safety Technology International (STI) has donated protective covers to help a local community charity with false alarms at a time when they need it most. Wildgoose Rural Training is a charitable care farm in Hallow, just outside of Worcester, that supports adults and young people with a variety of learning disabilities. Starting in 2000 with just a handful of students, Wildgoose has grown into a 42-acre site with a thriving 6-acre farm where students from all backgrounds can learn horticulture,...

As part of its ever-intensifying focus on marine fire safety, VIKING has reached agreements to distribute Bridgehill’s fire blankets and the Rosenbauer Battery Extinguisher System (BEST) to maritime customers worldwide. The agreements are key outcomes of a project focusing on fire safety needs arising from the growing electric vehicle numbers moving by ship and more initiatives are to be added in the future. Fires due to EVs All cars carried by ship are classified as Dangerous Goods (DG...

Dräger, the pioneer in the fields of medical and safety technology, has launched the UCF FireCore, a hands-free thermal imaging camera that displays live-action imagery into the Dräger FPS 7000 full face mask. This launch further strengthens Dräger’s commitment to enhancing firefighter safety through robust technological innovation and development.  The UCF FireCore gives firefighters continuous vision in the low-visibility, high-risk, and unfamiliar environments where...

ALCHERA X’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Michael Plaksin, was recently interviewed by O.P. Almaraz for an episode of his All Things Wildfire podcast 'Safeguarding Lives and Communities: The Game-Changing AI Technology of ALCHERA X'. In the episode, Almaraz and Plaksin discuss how ALCHERA X, with its groundbreaking wildfire prevention AI technology FireScout, is participating in the prestigious Wildfire XPRIZE competition, ALCHERA X’s collaborative work with the Santa Clara...

Northwest Highland has been given a ‘very high’ warning, while all other areas of Scotland face an ‘extreme’ rating. An increased risk of wildfires begins today (Thursday, 15 June) and runs until Saturday, 17 June – however could be extended further as the warm weather continues. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) warns that many rural and remote communities are hugely impacted by wildfires, which can cause significant environmental and economic damage. R...

EN54-23 was published in the UK in 2010 and became mandatory on 1st January 2014, after which any Visual Alarm Device (VAD) newly installed and used as the primary means of warning as part of a fire alarm system must conform to it. Originally scheduled for 31st March 2013, a lack of product availability from manufacturers delayed its introduction. A key stimulus for its introduction is the Equalities Act 2010. High ambient noise Fire detection and alarm systems are intended to alert occupants...

The figure has been revealed as the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) gets ready to change the way it responds to unwanted fire alarm signals. From 1 July, 2023, an alarm activation will require those with fire safety responsibility, known as dutyholders, to investigate the cause of an alarm and only call 999 once a fire has been confirmed. This approach is already embedded across several other UK fire and rescue services, who require a confirmed fire before they send fire appliances. Cu...

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) has published three new Advisory Notes and updated another. The documents cover a range of topics related to fire-stopping, penetration seals, and smoke seals. new Advisory Notes Advisory Note (AN) 13 covers the testing of partial penetrations, for example, socket boxes, which are installed into drywall systems. Firestopping products are made to help maintain the performance of a wall where such electrical boxes have been added. A CEN stan...

The figure has been revealed as the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) gets ready to change the way it responds to unwanted fire alarm signals.  From 1 July, 2023 an alarm activation will require those with fire safety responsibility, known as dutyholders, to investigate the cause of an alarm and only call 999 once a fire has been confirmed. This approach is already embedded across several other UK fire and rescue services, which require a confirmed fire before they send fire applianc...

From 1 July, 2023 an alarm activation will require those with fire safety responsibility, known as duty holders, to investigate the cause of an alarm and only call 999 once a fire has been confirmed. This approach is already embedded across several other UK fire and rescue services, which require a confirmed fire before they send fire appliances.   The change in response will affect all premises and businesses that do not provide sleeping accommodation. Hospitals, care homes, hotels, stude...

Mighty Fire Breaker is pleased to announce that its Independent Advisory Board has been joined by Several Retired Fire Officials: Southern California Fire Chief Jeff Bowman, San Bernardino Fire Chief/Marshall Peter Brierty, and Northern California Fire Chief/Marshal Jim Thomson.  These decorated, Retired Fire Officials see the need to add new, second lines of defense in wildfire defense, and MFB's DIY wildfire defense systems to all homes in wildfire regions as well as endorsing the use of...

Six years on from the Grenfell Tower fire and there is still so much to be said. It is hard to believe just how many things went wrong. Not only on the night of the fire, but the decades before, and the time that followed. The misconduct in practice and errors of judgment from all parties turned what should have been a ‘normal flat fire’ into one of the deadliest modern-day residential fires this country has seen. After closely following the Grenfell Tower public inquiry, one theme...