Fire and Rescue news

UL and NFPA are working together this season to remind consumers to think about savings and safety Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) are working together this season to remind consumers to think about savings and safety. Surveys from the National Retail Federation and Information Resources, Inc. suggest that uber-competitive bargain-hunting will dominate as this year's trend among families who have spent the...

The CSB investigative team plans to thoroughly examine the facility's fire safety practice CSB investigators continue to examine the events and circumstances surrounding the catastrophic tank explosion and fire. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has announced that it will be conducting a full investigation of the October 23, 2009 explosion and fire at Caribbean Petroleum Refining.  At 12:23 a.m. on October 23, a large vapor cloud ignited at the Caribbean Pet...

U.S. firefighters responded to roughly 1,300 home fires involving cooking equipment on Thanksgiving in 2007 The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is calling on cooks across the nation to consider fire safety whilst cooking, because Thanksgiving is the day with the greatest number of home fires in the USA. U.S. firefighters responded to roughly 1,300 home fires involving cooking equipment on Thanksgiving in 2007, roughly three times the daily average of cooking...

More accidental, fatal house fires occur in the winter months, than at any other time of the year As the temperature drops and people spend more time at home using heaters, candles and cooking hot food, serious house fires increase - that's the stark message from London's firefighters this winter. The London Fire Brigade has released new figures about accidental, fatal house fires, which show that fatalities in accidental dwelling fires are falling year on year. However, the...

Kent Fire and Rescue Service tackles dangerous driving by young people The campaign will be launched at Larkfield Fire Station on Tuesday, 24 November. The shocking image of a young girl in a body bag is set to adorn the backs of buses as Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) steps up its push to tackle dangerous driving by young people. "Reckless driving: cut it out before we have to cut you out!" is the warning from firefighters who are supporting this hard-hitting...

The solutions on show help security and safety professionals to keep abreast of the latest developments The event marked the 20th anniversary of Safety and Security Asia and was jointly held with "Homeland Security Asia 2009" and "Fire & Rescue Asia 2009". Conference and Exhibition Management Services (CEMS) in collaboration with Safety and Security Asia officially opened "Safety and Security Asia 2009" at Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Cent...

Prince George's County recorded no deaths in fires in any homes protected by home sprinklers Recent findings from a key study show the overwhelming effectiveness of mandatory home fire sprinklers in saving lives in municipalities with mandatory fire sprinkler codes for homes. Prince George's County, Md., the first county in the nation to require residential fire sprinklers in its building code, has reported that since 1992, when the code was first adopted, there...

The new NFPA report outlines the big losses caused by wildland fires The report appears in the latest issue of NFPA Journal®, the official magazine of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). For the fifth time in the past 10 years, the largest loss associated with fires and explosions occurred in wildlands, and for the second year in a row, it happened in Southern California, according to the newly released National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) report...

RHoK brings together disaster relief experts and software engineers to develop solutions to critical issues The event brings together top programmers to develop solutions to disaster relief challenges.FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate keynoted the inaugural ‘Random Hacks of Kindness, Disaster Relief Codejam' (RHoK) initiative. RHoK is sponsored by industry leaders such as Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo! in conjunction with NASA and the World Bank, and brings together d...

KFRS officers carried out late night inspections in licensed premises in Maidstone town centre Officers from Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) carried out late night inspections in licensed premises in Maidstone town centre on Saturday in response to public concerns of overcrowding. KFRS fire safety enforcement inspectors were out in force making sure that measures were in place to enable rapid and safe evacuation in case of a blaze. At this stage, inspectors are wor...

CSB Chairman John Bresland asked US jurisdictions to adopt the ASME Pressure Vessel Code CSB Chairman John Bresland released a new video safety message, asking jurisdictions across the country to adopt the ASME Pressure Vessel Code.  The message is aimed at reducing the number of accidents involving catastrophic pressure vessel failures in process industries.The safety message can be viewed on CSB.gov and on the CSB's safety message channel,...

Carl Barlow has won an award for long service at the London Fire Brigade A London Fire Brigade firefighter, who once starred in the famous 'boy on a bike' Hovis advert in the 1970s, has been presented with a long service award for serving Londoners for 30 years. Carl Barlow, 50, who now earns his crust as a Crew Manager at Islington Fire Station, said: "I've thoroughly enjoyed my career as a firefighter. I love the variety - you never know what's going to happen f...

All new one- and two- family dwellings in the US are to have residential fire sprinklers starting 2011   American homes are one step closer to being more fire-safe, following an October 28 vote at the International Code Council (ICC) hearings in Baltimore, Md. The vote reaffirmed national building codes making it mandatory for all new one- and two- family dwellings to have residential fire sprinklers starting in 2011. American homes are one step closer to b...

IFSEC India offers the ideal platform to network with over 9000 key fire and security professionals IFSEC India 2009 proved to be the most successful to date when 11,447 security professionals from all over the globe descended on Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India, between 29 - 31 October. Opened by the Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit, the show was jam-packed with more than 250 internationally renowned exhibitors and hours of unparalleled educationa...

A new Realistic Fire Training (RFT) unit for firefighters is to be officially opened next week A new state-of-the-art training facility for firefighters is to be officially opened next week (17 November) at Ashford Fire Station Crews using the Realistic Fire Training (RFT) unit, in Ashford, are exposed to the real conditions they face during a blaze, otherwise only experienced at genuine incidents. The new facility consists of a tower with a three-storey house attached, si...

FEMA Administrator W. Craig Fugate. FEMA/Bill Koplitz Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate yesterday addressed the National Voluntary Organisations Active in Disaster (National VOAD) Board of Directors Meeting. The gathering of national nonprofit organisations, that are dedicated to disaster preparedness, response, and recovery, took place at the Salvation Army headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. "FEMA's only one part of our nation's...

An estimated average of 3,800 fires occurs each year in university dwellings The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) United States Fire Administration (USFA) has issued a special report examining the causes and characteristics of fires in college and university residential buildings that include dormitories, fraternity, and sorority houses.  Thef report, University Housing Fires, was developed by the National Fire Data Center and is a part of the USFA's Topi...

Kent Fire and Rescue Service has issued an electric blanket safety warning after a house fire in Tonbridge Kent Fire and Rescue Service is issuing an electric blanket safety warning after a house fire in Tonbridge left an elderly couple needing to be temporarily re-housed. The fire broke out in an upstairs bedroom of their two-storey home in Brook Street in the early hours of Sunday morning as the couple slept. They awoke to a smouldering fire at the end of their...

  The firefighters arrived seemingly within seconds, and quickly got to work fighting the fire Wine bar owner praises firefighters for successfully tackling the blaze in his historical property Richard Davies, who owns Rumours Wine Bar, in The Square Birchington, discovered the fire on Friday evening (November 6) and immediately dialled 999. He said: "I was extremely pleased with the response of the firefighters - they arrived in what seemed seconds of me cal...

 Flood damage in Cedar Rapids, summer 2008. Photography bySusie Shapira/FEMA The team of inspectors found that the Cedar Rapids fire station has suffered so much flood damage that it would be easier to replace than to repair. The State of Iowa and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today that the City of Cedar Rapids will have the option to replace the Central Fire Station. The Central Fire Station was damaged during the historical flooding in...

KFRS advise comes after a spate of road traffic collisions in October across Kent  A series of crashes has prompted Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) to urge drivers and passengers to take care while driving. The message follows a dramatic rise in the number of road traffic collisions (RTCs) attended by firefighters across Kent. In October fire crews were sent to 112 incidents, compared with 76 in September - a rise of 47.4 per cent, resulting in three death...

116 Georgia cities, counties and other public organisations have applied to GEMA for public assistance In just over six weeks, more than $82 million have been channelled to survivors of the Georgia floods to help them on their way towards recovery. "While much has been done to help thousands of people, there are still those who have not registered for help," said Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) Director Charley English.  People and businesses in 17...

A+A saw 55,800 visitors in attendence, a new record in its history A+A 2009 finished with record 55,800 visitors attending Over the four days of which closed on November 6, 55,800 visitors (2007: 55,200) attended - a new record in the history of the event. Growing attendance was registered particularly from non-European countries such as those in South America. Almost one in four visitors were from abroad to view the 1,541 exhibitors from 62 nations. M...

EPA workers locating hazardous material moved by Ike in Texas The funds will go toward developing an all-hazard multi-jurisdictional mitigation plan The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released $437,325 in Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds to Cook County, Ill., for the development of an all-hazard multi-jurisdictional mitigation plan. This plan will identify and propose ways to reduce the risks of na...

USFA launched an effort to encourage everyone to install and maintain home smoke alarms and sprinklers The nationwide ‘Install. Inspect. Protect. Campaign' will emphasise how important smoke alarms are to the saving of lives. The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) has launched an effort to encourage everyone to install and maintain home smoke alarms and, if possible, sprinklers. More than 3,000 people die in home fires each year, and the majority of them have...

There was flash fire at the same refinery in January,  when a flammable vapour cloud ignited A six-member team from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is deploying to the scene of today's explosion and fire at the Silver Eagle Refinery in Woods Cross, Utah. According to local officials, the explosion in the diesel hydrotreater unit caused damage to homes in the surrounding area and was felt several miles away from the facility. The CSB is investigating a January 2009...

  Chief Fire Officer attempts world record - to go where no man has ever been before! The expedition's goal is to reach the Northern Pole of Inaccessibility, at the Arctic Pole.Chief Fire Officer for Devon and Somerset, Lee Howell is planning a trip of a different kind. He is raising money for The Fire Fighters Charity by embarking on a daring expedition to one of the most inaccessible places on earth, the Northern Pole of Inaccessibility - the Arctic Pole! Th...

Finalists from the competition pose with trainers from London Fire Brigade’s LIFE team Teenagers were all graduates of Brigade's local intervention programme Young Londoners who demonstrated their firefighting skills, fitness and commitment in a London Fire Brigade competition have had their achievements recognised. The ten youngsters who competed in the ‘London Life Challenge' received special awards from London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson at a presentation...

Ichor Systems, Inc. has acquired the operating assets of the systems integration business of Celerity, Inc AIP announced that its newly formed company Ichor Systems, Inc has acquired the operating assets of the systems integration business of Celerity, Inc. American Industrial Partners Capital Fund IV, L.P. ("AIP") announced that its newly formed company Ichor Systems, Inc. (“Ichor” or the “Company”) has acquired the operating assets of the systems int...

  Surrey Fire Services has gone live with FDM Software's eLink FDM eLink allows fire departments and the BCAS to work together seamlessly resulting in a higher standard of public safety.On October 1st, 2009, Surrey Fire Services went live with FDM Software's eLink, software that links BC Ambulance Service (BCAS) to FDM Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), used by the majority of Fire Dispatch Communication Centers in British Columbia. When someone calls 911 in BC, the call ge...