Fire and Rescue news

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...

ALCHERA X’s AI technology FireScout revolutionizes the fight against wildfires and curbs greenhouse gases. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a groundbreaking technology, promising tremendous advancements across various sectors. However, it can also spark concerns and fear. Artificial Intelligence While some are concerned with the possibility of job displacement or a fictional Skynet taking over the world, AI technology also offers many advantages. Big data analysis, video sur...

Firefighter brothers completed an incredible feat at the weekend when they climbed 69,000 steps to raise more than £3,000 for The Grenfell Foundation and The Firefighters Charity.  Mike and Kev Sutcliffe took on the challenge of climbing Bridgewater Place Tower in Leeds 72 times to symbolize each life lost at the devastating Grenfell Tower fire in 2017. Kev, 43, is a firefighter with West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) while Mike, 41, is a Watch Manager with North Yorkshir...

Honeywell Gent recently marked its 150th year, an anniversary that showcases the company’s legacy and highlights its bright future as an innovator in electrical equipment and fire alarm systems. Honeywell Gent John Thomas Gent started the company in Leicester in 1872. Known as one of the first producers of electric clocks, which it manufactured for more than a century, Gent shifted its focus in the late 20th century to become a major provider of fire and life safety systems to...

Chubb, one of the renowned providers of fire safety and security solutions, has announced the successful integration of ownership and operational responsibilities of Vipond Fire Protection Ltd to Chubb Fire and Security Ltd in the UK. Like Chubb, Vipond is part of the APi Group, and this merger enhances Chubb’s capabilities in fire protection, detection, and suppression and solidifies its commitment to providing comprehensive life safety and fire protection services across the UK. Author...

A firefighting water safety expert has issued an urgent plea to water sport enthusiasts to prioritize their safety over selfies in summer. Piotr Gudan is an on-call firefighter with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, responding to emergencies via a pager system in his hometown of Blairgowrie. water-based emergencies The dad-of-one splits his time between responding to emergencies and running his own water sports business. Piotr, who has been a qualified water sports instructor fo...

The official awards of publications Fire Safety Matters and Security Matters, the "FSM Awards," took place yesterday evening at the Coventry Building Society Arena. Established to promote innovation and the highest standards of excellence, NSI approved companies were well-represented among the finalists and winners. NSI congratulates all the winners and finalists among whom 10 NSI approved companies were shortlisted as finalists with 28 nominations between them, of whom six took home the top pr...

Throughout the development of Testifire XTR2 they have held regular meetings and focus groups with industry professionals, and now, as the product draws closer to launch, they are increasing efforts to gain feedback from a wide group of users around the world. This has involved testing with service managers, fire engineers, and detector manufacturers. As part of this process, FireSense one of the distribution partners in the Netherlands identified Hefas Brandbeveiliging as a company that would...

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...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) has partnered with DripDrop Hydration, PBC, an electrolyte rehydration company, for the fourth year to provide dehydration relief to volunteer firefighters. In 2023, a total of 2,500 boxes (500,000 servings) of DripDrop’s electrolyte drink mix will be given away to 1,250 volunteer fire departments. Each department will receive two 100-count cases. Wildfire season and summer weather put firefighters at risk of dehydration and heat-related injuries...

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...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service and its Fire Authority councilors have been left surprised and concerned after being given notice that Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service is withdrawing from its highly successful Combined Control collaboration at the end of 2024. The Combined Control operates from Cambridgeshire’s headquarters in Huntingdon and was the first merger of fire control centers in the country. With 12 years of successful joint working, it has saved the public purse £ 1...

Edwards, a pioneer in fire alarm, mass notification, and hazard warning systems, has announced the launch of Edwards ConnectedSafety+, a new SaaS life-cycle solution that optimizes the management of commercial fire installations. This next-generation system includes predictive maintenance insights, real-time event notifications, intelligent reporting, and a multi-site dashboard that enables managers to view all locations at once remotely or on-site. Edwards is a part of Carrier Global Corporat...

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...

Firefighters across the North of Scotland responded to more than 6,600 unwanted fire alarm signals last year - the equivalent of around 18 a day. 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 (UFAS).  fire safety responsibility From 1 July 2023, an alarm activation will require those with fire safety responsibility, known as duty holders, to investigate the cause of...

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...

Albert Ziegler GmbH has manufactured a total of six HLF 10 vehicles for the State Fire Brigade School in Bruchsal, Germany. On May 31st, 2023, the first 3 vehicles were accepted and handed over. The other three vehicles were taken over on June 13th, 2023. Together, with the recently delivered RW, the State Fire Brigade School in Baden-Württemberg now has 7 new ZIEGLER vehicles in use for basic and advanced training. New ZIEGLER vehicles for State Fire Brigade School The design and the op...

Strengthening its work in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), wireless solutions provider, Ramtech, has reported ongoing success in collaboration with Liberty Fire and Safety, its exclusive distribution partner in GCC countries. This follows the successful installing of its Wireless Fire and Evacuation System (WES), as part of a $2.5 billion mixed-use development in Dubai. EN54-25 compliant WES solution The EN54-25 compliant WES solution has been specified within several projects at the eig...

Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation company, announced the Anderson County Fire Department in South Carolina has placed an order for 19 custom fire apparatus, including 18 Pierce Saber® pumpers and one Enforcer™ 100’ Heavy-Duty Aerial Platform. This significant order marks the largest fleet purchase in the county’s history and is the latest representation of the department’s commitment to providing quality resources to support its emergency personnel....

Safe Fleet: Fire, EMS, and Industrial (FRC, FoamPro, Elkhart Brass, ROM) is excited to announce the addition of David Hawkins as the Regional Sales Manager - Industrial. In his new role, David Hawkins will be responsible for business development in the United States of America (USA), except for the states of New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana & Mississippi. Extensive industry experience David Hawkins has a Bachelor’s degree in Management from Belhaven University and brings over 24 years o...

The original inventor of Automist, an electronic water mist fire suppression system that is installed in homes across the UK and the US, has launched a new training suite to demonstrate the competency of its installers. Each year, Automist Authorized Reseller Installers (ARIs) are required to undertake a rigorous audit as part of its policy of continual improvement and commitment to providing excellent service through its network of more than 30 installers. In addition, each individual installe...

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) appointed a new Chair and Vice Chair at its 2023 Annual General Meeting at Hatfield House, Hertfordshire on the 7 June. Clive Miles of CLM Fireproofing became the Chair, taking over from Chris Miles who stood down following the completion of his two-year term. Sharon McClure of Avesta Scotland was proud to be elected as the ASFP’s first female Vice Chair. Clive's experience Having founded CLM 30 years ago, Clive brings extensive expe...

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...

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a new safety video on its investigation into the April 2018 explosion and fire at the Husky Superior Refinery in Superior, Wisconsin. The incident injured 36 workers, caused roughly $550 million in damage to the facility, and released 39,000 pounds of flammable hydrocarbon vapor into the air. Over 2,500 residents of the City of Superior were evacuated from their homes, and the City of Duluth, Minnesota, issued a shelter-in-p...

A father whose ex-wife died from a heart attack at the age of just 43 is campaigning for every business to provide a defibrillator. David Lund, who is the Fire Systems Training Manager at Chubb Fire & Security UK&I, is petitioning the government to make it law that businesses giving members of the public access to their premises must supply, maintain and make available automated external defibrillators (AEDs). making life-saving equipment available Chubb is backing David’s petit...

Firefighters have been praised after battling a blaze at a Grade II listed building as dramatic drone footage is released showing the scale of the devastating damage. Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) confirmed on Thursday (June 8) that their Fire Control received a call about a fire at Henderson Old Hall on Etherstone Avenue in Newcastle, United Kingdom (UK) at 2.15 pm. Aerial Ladder Platforms (ALPs) Emergency services have said that they have not received reports that anyone is...