HazMat Protection Accessories news

Local fire and rescue services were called to the scene on Bolton Road on Monday 6 June, where two cars were found on fire in the car park. West Yorkshire Fire Authority condemned the John Green Building on the night of the fire after discovering a swathe of fire safety defects, resulting in the property being evacuated of residents who were placed in temporary accommodation by Bradford Council. They cannot return to their homes until the landlord of the high-rise addresses the discovered fire...

The first severe forest fires of this summer in some southern countries, but also in Germany, are a clear indication of the explosive development in vegetation fires, according to the vegetation fire expert in the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb), Dr. Ulrich Cimolino. Just recently - as several times in previous years - the Spanish tourist stronghold Costa del Sol was affected. There, more than 3000 people, including many tourists, had to be brought to safety. the...

Leading Britain’s Conversation (LBC) has reportedly seen an email from representatives at Arsenal which says that the vital works can start "after the football season." To date, the permissions to start work and put up scaffolding still has yet to be signed off by the football club. Arsenal received funding from the government for remediation works on 1 and 3 Queensland Road in December 2021, two years after a survey found the blocks have missing fire breaks, and unsafe insulation th...

The government has published its response to the consultation on the use of cladding in buildings over 11 m in England. Combustible materials have been banned for use in external facades of buildings higher than 18m since 2018, following extensive lobbying in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.  In early 2020, the government suggested also banning the use of such materials for buildings above 11 m in height, and ran a consultation on this in May 2020, the response to which has just b...

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) is in serious need of funding to tackle the building safety crisis, according to Commissioner Andy Roe. A total of 1,100 of London’s buildings above 11 meters are currently listed by the LFB as having serious fire safety issues. While this represents a slight drop from 1,174 in March, the capital has had more than 1,000 unsafe buildings for almost a year, and the real number of unsafe buildings could be much higher. City Hall Plenary meeting At a City Hall...

The Big Bear Fire Authority Board approved a balanced budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year at their June 2, 2020 Board meeting. The approved budget entails significant changes compared to last year’s budget. Since the Community Facilities District (CFD) tax measure was unsuccessful on the March 2020 ballot, some very difficult but necessary budget decisions have been made. Author's quote Fire Chief Jeff Willis stated, “Honestly, I am disappointed that this critical tax measure tha...

The small fire, which started in a room at the back of the school, was contained and prevented from spreading by a sprinkler system, however, two people were taken to hospital with minor burns. Derbyshire’s Chief Fire Officer, Gavin Tomlinson, said Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service are calling for a change in legislation that would ensure more schools have sprinklers. Author's quote Gavin said: “Nationally, through the Fire Chiefs Council, and locally across Derby and Derbys...

CHEMTREC and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) are teaming up for the fourth year to provide volunteer fire departments with the CHEMTREC HELP (Hazmat Emergencies Local Preparedness) Award to enhance their hazardous materials response capabilities and improve responder safety. CHEMTREC HELP Award The 2022 application period is now open until September 1, 2022. Two U.S. volunteer fire departments will each receive US$ 10,000, through the CHEMTREC HELP Award in 2022. Fire departments m...

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Authority (SYFRA) has appointed a new Assistant Chief Fire Officer. Andy Strelczenie was appointed following a selection process, which included a written application, operational assessment and three interviews – including a final one with members of the Fire Authority’s appointments committee. Andy has worked within the fire and rescue service for 26 years, originally at Hereford and Worcester Fire & Rescue Service before transferring to South...

The episode begins with Jonathan O’Neill OBE, FPA Managing Director, speaking with Chris Miles, Regional Business Director at UL, to explore how international testing practices could benefit the UK’s own building safety. Their discussion starts with a look at the Building Safety Act receiving royal assent, and whether a clearer, more transparent, and more effective specification and testing regime for construction products was being achieved. Chris casts doubt over whether this has...

Possibly the most common question asked. The simple answer is quite probably, yes. Every property (excluding a single occupancy domestic home) from an HMO to a block of flats, care home, nursery, school, community center, warehouse, hotel the list goes on MUST by law, have a “regular” fire risk assessment completed.  Fire risk assessment Under the “Regulatory Reform (fire safety) Order 2005” it is law that "The responsible person must make a suitable and sufficient...

Zitko is delighted to welcome Eagle Eye Networks, the world’s major smart video surveillance company, to the Zitko Talent program. It gives trainees insider access to Eagle Eye Networks' renowned product training and technology workshops, covering key digital concepts, such as CCTV systems integration and networking, video analytics and AI, and the deployment of cloud/VSaaS solutions. From the conversations with employers, they know this is good news. Many have large numbers of experience...

The government is facing criticism from across the fire safety sector, as well as from campaign groups and bereaved relatives of the Grenfell Tower residents, having previously promised to implement the inquiry’s recommendations in full.  The Home Office published a consultation document that outlined its reasoning, stating that they believe it is not "proportionate" to follow the recommendations and will continue to place its faith in "stay put" advice in most buildings. PEEPs in h...

Personal protective equipment, a well-enforced protection program, and safeguards are the essential building blocks for the safety of workers in the field. If only one of these aspects is lacking it could spell disaster for the workers that these things are in place to protect. Luckily they have seen some amazing improvements to PPE in these last years. Though they still have quite a bit to go, they wanted to expose them to some of the tech that has them excited and that they think will have, o...

Thank Hedy Lamarr for Wi-Fi, Marie Curie for radioactivity, Evelyn Boyd Granville for successful space missions, Rosalind Franklin for the double helix structure of DNA, and Ruby Hirose for vaccines against polio. Those are a few examples of fearless women in science who changed the world with their research and innovation. The world benefits when more women and gender-diverse people find inspiration in careers in science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics.  Sponsorship of Ope...

The unique set of stressors encountered on the job by first responders can create mental health challenges for them and their families. To address this reality, first responders must learn how to take care of their mental health and they need a support network tailored to their individual requirements. 3 agencies' programs 3 agencies' programs have recently been updated with new resources to help first responders take care of their mental health and support the mental health of their families...

David Riella, joint owner of the Deganwy Hotel pleaded guilty to three offenses under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and has been ordered to pay £8,567 in fines and costs. He was also ordered to pay £4,537 in costs and a victim surcharge of £190 when he appeared before Bodmin Magistrates’ Court on April 26. The failures in the fire safety standards were identified by officers of Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service following a fire at the property in June 20...

The club has been told it can only reopen once it addresses serious fire safety concerns. They were forced to close following a joint operation by Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service and Warwickshire Police. On inspection of the premises, the fire service found there was insufficient fire-resistant separation between the commercial premises on the ground floor and the means of escape from the upper floor residential accommodation. Inspectors also noted the absence of a working fire alarm when...

Mental Health Awareness Week is an annual event hosted by the Mental Health Foundation which presents an opportunity for the whole of the UK to focus on achieving good mental health. This year’s theme is tackling loneliness and understanding the links between loneliness and poor mental health. The aim of the week is to highlight the importance of having open conversations in communities and workplaces to build meaningful connections with friends, family, and colleagues. Society is changin...

Staff from Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service’s (NFRS) Fire Safety Team carried out a routine fire service audit on premises known as the China Cook, in Waterloo Road. Following the visit, a Prohibition Notice was served on November 26, 2021, preventing the use of upper floors for sleeping. It was issued as sleeping materials including beds and bedding were discovered on the first floor. Breach of a Prohibition Notice A follow-up visit on 10 December 2021, revealed a breach of the N...

Volatile organic compound (VOC) gases are a wide range of naturally occurring and synthetic chemicals found in everyday life. Many VOCs are harmless, but others can dramatically affect worker health and the environment. The United Nations estimates that, globally, one worker dies every 15-30 seconds from toxic exposure at work. Those numbers are alarming and demonstrate why businesses must take air quality monitoring seriously to ensure worker health and safety. Where VOCs found VOCs can also...

As we reported last week, The Bill received royal assent on 28 April after months of debate and amendments, and has passed into law as the Building Safety Act 2022. The 252-page Bill is intended to “create lasting generational change” to the way high-risk and residential buildings are constructed and maintained. Passing of the Building Safety Act Jonathan O’Neill OBE, Managing Director of the FPA, commented: “Of course we welcome the passing of the Building Safety...

People often get confused about flame-resistant clothing being fireproof. Well, they are, however, they are not exactly fireproof, the fabrics used to make the fire-resistant garments have the ability to self-extinguish the fire. First things first, let them begin with what is the difference between flame retardant vs fire resistant clothing? FR has two distinct meanings as it relates to protective clothing, and they’re far from interchangeable. FR can be: Flame Retardant: A chemical t...

When people store and charge their mobility devices inside their homes, garages, or businesses, there is the potential for battery fires to lead to structure fires. Just one example is a recent apartment fire in New York City that resulted in injuries to 12 citizens and a Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) firefighter. Best practice tips Motivated by the surge of fires started by batteries in mobility devices, the FDNY has created best practice tips for firefighters confronted by...

The fire department of a southern U.S. city was trialing Blackline Safety technology when a dangerous fuel spill put the devices to the test. Firefighters were called to a local station where 32 gallons (120 liters) of gasoline had spilled out and was flowing rapidly onto the ground. As firefighters—equipped with G7 personal gas detectors—arrived on the scene, their G7s started sending high gas alerts to the fire department lieutenant, over five miles away. Using the Blackline Live...

A Yorkshire property company has been fined £20,000 for failing to carry out safety and fire safety improvement works on a property in Kirkburn, Driffield after ignoring requests to do so by housing officers. GAP Properties (Yorkshire) Ltd, which is based in Doncaster, was represented at Beverley Magistrates Court by director George Plant, who pleaded guilty on its behalf to two counts of failing to comply with improvement notices served under the Housing Act 2004. East Riding of Yorkshi...

The Fire Investigation Fire Standard focuses on ensuring fire and rescue services (FRS) deliver effective, efficient, and valid fire investigations into the origin, cause, and development of fire. One of the desired outcomes of the Fire Investigation Fire Standard is that services will have a competent and resilient capability to undertake fire investigations, adhering to relevant legislation, guidance, and codes of practice. The Fire Investigation Fire Standard also makes reference to the ISO...

NIST released the WUI Structure/Parcel/Community Fire Hazard Mitigation Methodology (HMM) PDF to provide guidance for homeowners and communities to protect themselves from wildfires. Integrating the latest post-fire field observations and fire science research, this report defines dozens of clear, measurable, and cost-effective protective actions homeowners can take to defend their homes. Wildfires can spread through a community very quickly, especially one with dense housing. Often, the progr...

On the first of February this year, ARA Group Limited (ARA) acquired all the outstanding shares of OceanLink Marine Services Pty Ltd (OceanLink). This is a strategic acquisition for ARA. During the past year, ARA has built a formidable ocean and off-shore service business as a result of other strategic acquisitions.  In May 2021, ARA acquired Wiltrading STACE, based in Henderson, WA. Wiltrading STACE has a long history of service and inspection of life safety systems for the marine and off...

The nature of most businesses demands fieldwork and switching to a more suitable software can help them cater to the evolving industry demands. Specifically, in the automation and industry 4.0 era, most field service organizations have turned to field service software to manage their fieldwork processes and bridge the communications gap amongst field technicians, personnel, back office, etc. So, if the business involves fieldwork, they must consider the ways field service companies can benefit...