Fire Protection news

Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service (MFRS) is celebrating after being commended by Ofsted Inspectors for producing some of the best and most highly skilled firefighters in the country.  The education watchdog visited MFRS’ Training & Development Academy (TDA) in June as part of a monitoring visit. In a report published this week, inspectors said the Service had made “significant progress” in all areas, the highest judgment a provider can receive. Firefighter apprent...

High-rise buildings on an inspection list are not inherently unsafe say fire officers, as they report good progress in their mission to visit every high-rise residential block in South Yorkshire. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (SYFR) has published the list of high-rise residential buildings forming part of its ‘Building Risk Review’ project.  The list includes buildings identified by the central government plus extra buildings identified by the SYFR- which made the deci...

A natural part of business is allocating and reallocating investments and resources into various areas. And, often, each department is asked to achieve more with less, pioneering to difficult decisions in order to achieve business goals. One key area where there can’t be any compromise is protecting workers from accidents, injuries, and illnesses while they’re on the job. When creating a safety plan for lone workers, companies often need to broaden their definition of what a lone wo...

While installing a fire alarm system in the building, the question, however, is which approach should one take? Should one go with the simple conventional fire alarm system? Or the more intelligent addressable fire alarm system? In this article, Protec discusses the pros and cons of both types of systems in the hope of assisting with the best method for one and their project. Conventional Fire Alarm System Let’s start with the simplest of the two systems. A conventional fire alarm system...

Most buildings have at least one detector which is hard to access. Now, with a greater focus on 100% testing, more of these detectors are being tested with our Scorpion solution. In recent months there has been a significant rise in enquiries from both installers and facilities managers looking at ways to test hard-to-access detectors. As a result, installations of Scorpion have been confirmed in; the UK, Germany, Sweden, and the Middle East and, with more in the pipeline, it appears the challe...

In focus contains contributions from the four existing Police Fire and Crime Commissioners and two PCC candidates looking to take on fire. Since the PCC elections in May this year, the number of Conservative PCCs has expanded to 30 and they are now far in the majority across England. Prior to the May elections, the Home Office published the first part of a review into PCCs and made it clear they wanted to expand the model across the country. The much-trailed Fire White Paper will cont...

UL is investing in the installation of fire-resistance test furnaces at the FPA’s test laboratory. As part of the collaboration, tests for fire resistance, which form the basis of UK Regulations and support third-party product certification, will be processed quickly and effectively.  Negotiations and construction planning for the new laboratory facility have commenced, with the new lab due to open in early 2022. Author's quote FPA Managing Director, Jonathan O’Neill OBE said...

NevadaNano, a pioneer in gas detection sensor technology, announced that Gastronics, Inc, a U.S.-based gas detection manufacturer known for being a pioneer in wireless gas detection, has incorporated NevadaNano’s Molecular Property Spectrometer™ (MPS™) technology into its wired and wireless product offering. Wired & Wireless Solutions “Gastronics, a company that is known for its vision in problem-solving solutions, recognized the unique capabilities and value our MP...

After 16 months of nearly constant companionship, many pet parents are preparing to leave their pets at home while they transition back to the workplace. In support of Kidde's annual Pet Fire Safety Month in July, Kidde and celebrity pet trainer Sara Carson (as seen on America's Got Talent) are providing DIY tips to help pet owners train their four-legged families to respond positively to the sound of smoke alarms. Kidde is a part of Carrier Global Corporation, the foremost global pro...

The UK’s national fire safety organization, the Fire Protection Association (FPA), is further developing its collaboration with UL, a global pioneer in safety science, to support fire testing in the UK by expanding testing and laboratory capacities at the FPA’s test laboratory in Blockley, Gloucestershire. UL is investing in the installation of fire-resistance test furnaces at the FPA’s test laboratory. As part of the collaboration, tests for fire resistance, which form the ba...

The UK’s national fire safety organization, the Fire Protection Association (FPA), is further developing its collaboration with UL, a global leader in safety science, to support fire testing in the UK by expanding testing and laboratory capacities at the FPA’s test laboratory in Blockley, Gloucestershire. UL is investing in the installation of fire-resistance test furnaces at the FPA’s test laboratory. As part of the collaboration, tests for fire resistance, which form the bas...

The FPA has published a technical questionnaire developed by RISCAuthority to be completed at the design stage of building planning. The questionnaire is designed to elicit technical information around quality assurance where Modular Building methods have been used, to assist insurers with understanding the building design and construction system. The key challenges addressed are the insurance perils of fire and water exposure. Technical Checklist for England Modules are large and heavy compo...

With the South African Weather Service (SAWS) warning about sub-polar weather conditions affecting most parts of the country this week, many families will turn to gas heaters to keep warm. ASP Fire CEO Michael van Niekerk gives us his ‘top tips’ on what to do when users switch the appliance on for the first time after long storage, as well as some of the safety factors to be on the lookout for. When connecting a gas appliance to the gas cylinder, always ensure that the con...

The U.S. Navy has taken delivery of the next generation landing craft, Ship to Shore Connector (SSC), Land Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) 102. These amphibious ships are constructed at Textron Systems in Los Angeles. Several Stat-X® condensed aerosol fire suppression systems are protecting select compartments on this vessel. The SSC-LCAC is a class of air-cushion vehicles (hovercraft) used as landing craft by the United States Navy’s Assault Craft Units and the Japan Maritime Self-Def...

Evolution, the integrated fire and security systems business, has bolstered its design capabilities within its Risk & Design team with the appointment of two new CAD Technicians. Alexandra Craciunas, joins the team with more than six years of experience working on various projects across all stages of the design process within the MEP sector. Alexandra’s immediate focus will be on developing her skills and capabilities within the High Security sector, producing detailed architectural...

Following its inaugural sponsorship of South Eastern Regional College’s (SERC) Fire Engineering Apprentice of the Year award in 2020, Nittan Europe is pleased to announce its continued support of the award across five years. As part of the sponsorship, Nittan has supplied a trophy and a prize, plus donated over 80 fire alarm products for students to train on. This year’s Fire Engineering Apprentice of the Year was Megan Davidson, who was presented with the trophy alongside 2020&rs...

The 3-day event, running from 7th-9th September, looks set to feature a record number of exhibitors and will be supported by a comprehensive CPD seminar program providing insight and thought from government officials, lawyers, and foremost industry professionals. The stand, 4/M1, will feature all the latest solutions from the Solo and Testifire ranges with members of the sales and marketing team on hand to answers questions and provide full product demonstrations.  They will have copies of...

Bullard has announced kicking off the Bullard Emergency Responder Series Webinar 2021, the virtual knowledge and experience sharing session, which will feature key industrial experts. The webinar aims to provide the latest information on emerging technologies and upcoming cutting-edge products from the market-renowned manufacturers for a safer future. Bullard Webinar The Bullard Emergency Responder Series Webinar 2021: ‘Beyond the Smoke: Using Gas Detectors and Thermal Cameras to Save L...

Managing wildland fires is more important than ever because, over the last few decades, the wildland fire management environment has profoundly changed: longer fire seasons, bigger fires and more acres burned on average each year, more extreme fire behavior. The combination of heat and drought caused critical low solid moisture content and led to high fire danger. Fight Forest Fires With ECOPOL F Concentrate Due to its long experience in efficient and fluorine-free foam development, BIOEX lau...

One of UKAS’ current Strategic Priorities is to develop a secure, online and free-to-use database of certifications that have been issued by the accredited Certification Bodies. This database will present information on each organization holding accredited certification from a UKAS-accredited Certification Body, including details of the organization, scope and the awarding Certification Body.  As such, the database will allow organizations, public bodies and Government agencies that...

While other industries are struggling to survive, let alone grow, demand for security services continues at a pace. Given this relatively healthy state of affairs, the fact that the industry has a skills shortage is, on the face of it, baffling. However, scratch the surface and the reasons for the current situation become apparent. Time For Action The hard truth is that when a young person is choosing a career, the security industry isn’t usually on their list, which makes attracting the...

Permanently moored as a museum ship on the River Thames in London, the decommissioned Royal Navy warship, HMS Belfast is owned and operated by Imperial War Museum (IWM). As part of ongoing fire system upgrade works taking place across the Museum’s estate, an eight-loop and a two-loop MxPro 5 fire panel, along with a TouchControl touchscreen remote control terminal and repeater, have been installed across six of the battleship’s nine decks, as well as in its on-shore visitor pavilion...

Paul Gibson, International Sales Manager for MSA Bristol, a pioneer of cutting-edge firefighter protection, talks to Matt Campbell, Emergency Services Principal at Rio Tinto in Australia, about the role of Emergency Responders in the mining industry and their specific PPE requirements. In an industry such as mining, health and safety is absolutely paramount. By the nature of the job, workers tend to deal with heavy machinery, often in hostile conditions, and frequently operate in remote areas w...

In the upcoming weeks, further restrictions regarding COVID safety may be reduced or completely removed following assessments by Governments across the nation. This poses important steps for fire safety service providers/contractors, including reviewing their own COVID-19 safety policies in the interest of employee and client safety.  BAFE would like to offer the following guidance considering the removal or reduction of restrictions: Continue to exercise a risk-based approach prior to...

With the travel and social contact restrictions imposed around the world as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, accreditation and conformity assessment bodies turned to technology in order to continue their work remotely. Remote Audit/Assessment Survey A survey is now being run jointly by IAF, ILAC and ISO to better understand the views of the conformity assessment community and those that rely on the results of conformity assessment, on the use of remote techniques for audit/assessment/ev...

In the upcoming weeks, further restrictions regarding COVID safety may be reduced or completely removed following assessments by Governments across the nation. This poses important steps for fire safety service providers/contractors, including reviewing their own COVID-19 safety policies in the interest of employee and client safety.  BAFE would like to offer the following guidance considering the removal or reduction of restrictions: Continue to exercise a risk-based approach prior to...

In the coming weeks, further restrictions regarding COVID safety may be reduced or completely removed following assessments by governments across the nation. This poses important steps for fire safety service providers/contractors, including reviewing COVID safety policies in the interest of employee and client safety. Tips to follow BAFE would like to offer the following guidance considering the removal or reduction of restrictions: Continue to exercise a risk-based approach before visiti...

UKAS has welcomed the introduction of the Building Safety Bill in Parliament this week and in particular the role that accreditation is expected to play in ensuring the competence of certain key duty-holder roles. In an accompanying Factsheet to the Bill, the government has said: “The industry should continue to develop sector-specific competence frameworks which can be used to assess the competence of individuals. Organizations wishing to assess individuals against these frameworks...

On Monday 5th July 2021, the Building Safety Bill was published. In their press release, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, Lord Stephen Greenhalgh, and The Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP state this “will create lasting generational change and set out a clear pathway for the future on how residential buildings should be constructed and maintained.” Building Safety Regulator The newly established Building Safety Regulator “will oversee the new regime and w...

A massive fire service recruitment drive aims to boost its work enforcing safety laws. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue has (Wednesday 7 July) launched a major new campaign calling on people to consider a role within its business fire safety team. The team is responsible for everything from inspecting businesses and licensing fireworks retailers to checking high-rise buildings – work which has increased significantly following the Grenfell Tower disaster. fire safety officers Area...