Software news

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service to deploy new FireWatch app to support greater mobile working, increase digitalization and enhance agility. Infographics announced that Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) is one of the first UK FRS to adopt the new cross platform FireWatch app - with other Services expected to follow suit in the near future. The FireWatch app provides a modern and intuitive user experience, available from anywhere at any time. Suitable for iPhone and Android...

The world of the fire service is heavily related to tangible and tangible things. In this context, people like to think of personal protective equipment, portable pumps, pumps, rescue equipment or emergency vehicles, a dream on 4 wheels with flashing lights and a tone horn, so to speak. Intangible things like software (unfortunately) do not yet have a high priority in the fire service. Digitization In the current discussion about digitization, however, the use of information technology is gett...

In 2020, Rosenbauer will be present at the Retter Messe in Wels, Austria's renowned trade fair for emergency services organizations, from October 29 to 31, 2020. Attendees can witness groundbreaking technologies and experience the innovations first-hand. Aerial rescue vehicles Rosenbauer will be presenting its key products and selected new products from the fields of vehicles, fire-fighting technology, equipment and digital solutions. Two Rosenbauer aerial rescue vehicles will be stationed on...

Getac, a globally renowned rugged mobile computing manufacturer, has come to the aid of the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team (CBMRT) with the donation of powerful rugged mobile devices, along with accompanying accessories from its partners.  The new solutions replace the CBMRT’s original IT equipment, which was lost during a devastating fire at its base of operations in Merthyr Tydfil, and provide a significant technology upgrade in the process. Rugged mobile devices The Centra...

Carrier Corporation has announced that the Advisor Advanced (ATSx500A Series) security systems with the UltraSync cloud security solution have attained the 3 Shields CNPP NFA2P electronic security certification for a complete system. It is considered to be the highest level of certification that can be accorded to any system. NFA2P standard certification The NFA2P standard certification includes a certification of robustness to cyber-attacks. Advisor Advanced is a security product manufactured...

Motorola Solutions has announced that Bedfordshire Fire & Rescue Service is the first fire service in the United Kingdom to utilize the combined Motorola Solutions cloud-based control room solution, CommandCentral CRS, the data storage solution, CommandCentral Vault, as well as the integrated CAD solution, delivered by Motorola Solutions. CommandCentral Vault By upgrading its operations into one platform, the new solution helps the fire and rescue service in Bedfordshire to manage their en...

Alarming findings are published in the 'Home Router Security Report 2020' by the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE. Of the 127 home routers tested by seven major manufacturers, nearly all were found to have security flaws, some of them very severe.  security flaws The problems range from missing security updates to easily decrypted, hard-coded passwords and known vulnerabilities that should have been patched long ago. A team led by Peter...

Purchasing, production, logistics, distribution, and markets form a network spread over continents and nations, the details of which are difficult for companies to keep track of. However, such an overview with a focus on one's own company contributes to the company's success in many ways. FIFI project The project, 'Fraud Information-Fusion Intelligence' by Fraunhofer FKIE adapts proven approaches, procedures, and tools used by security authorities to the requirements of companies, develops t...

Firefighters Support Alliance has launched an initiative to help voters understand the local economic impact fire departments have on their communities, and how crucial federal grant programs like AFG and SAFER are to emergency preparedness. One of the most exciting tools to be launched as part of this initiative is an interactive map that tracks and breaks down data related to the economic impact of firefighters. Firefighters Support Alliance is the direct grassroots public policy & politi...

G4S India offers a comprehensive range of solutions under the work assurance program in the post COVID-19 lockdown era. This year so far has been quite unprecedented for people, businesses, economy and the government. Safety and care for all lives has taken a center-stage and a preventive approach is the most sought-after behavioral change. Everything that was done prior to COVID-19 is being questioned from a safety stand point and simple things that were routine have become important now, for...

Concentrations of hazardous substances in the ambient air at the workplace should not exceed specified limit values. Monitoring these sometimes very low values is a demanding task. The focus of the Dräger X-Act 7000, in combination with the Dräger MicroTubes for different gases and vapors, is to measure carcinogenic and toxic substances in the lower ppb range. The range of gases to be measured is being constantly expanded. The measurement-sensitive system of the X-Act 7000 is based on...

Accela, a renowned provider of cloud-based solutions for government, announced the launch of its Civic Application for Fire Prevention. The solution helps fire departments increase their capacity and effectiveness and ensure they are equipped in the case of emergencies, especially amid an evolving environmental and public safety landscape. It consists of a complete system for managing permitting and inspection processes, including a mobile application available both online and offline to keep f...

With recent developments in the approach out of lockdown, Fire and Rescue Services nationwide have been publishing useful advice and guidance for commercial/non-domestic buildings. A recent news item published by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) for example, announced a new fire safety leaflet “Returning to Work after COVID-19 Lockdowns” noting important fire safety measures that should continue to be followed to adhere to legislation. new safety measures BAFE has...

The FIA is offering an exclusive new member benefit service with the offer to have the CPD certified by the FIA. All are included in the cost of membership, so there is no additional cost. As part of the service, the FIA can host, market, and manage all bookings for any of the sessions which have been certified by the FIA CPD Certification Centre. The FIA will then issue CPD certificates on the user's behalf to the delegates (only if the CPD session is hosted by the FIA). Data on the attendees...

Kentec Electronics, a globally renowned manufacturer of life-critical control systems, has added BACnet (Building Automation and Control Network) protocol support to its Vizulinx alarm management solution, to facilitate smart, coordinated and efficient responses to fire incidents. Smart Building functionality Supporting Smart Building functionality, the protocol provides integration between Kentec fire systems and other BACnet protocol systems. Kentec fire alarm systems send real time status m...

When a company invests time, money, and energy into creating a company’s working-alone policy and procedures, it'll want to leverage them to successfully achieve its safety-related aims.  Following are several tips and strategies for optimal creation and implementation of this policy. Create the Right Policy  Templates can be quite helpful when creating policies and procedures, but the company will need to ensure that the result is laser-targeted to its specific situations.&nb...

AES Distributed Energy (AES DE), a division of The AES Corporation, was selected by Hawaiian Electric Companies to develop and operate two new utility-scale solar + storage facilities on O'ahu, Hawai'i. Combined, these two projects are expected to generate a total of 137,000 MWh of locally produced, reliable renewable energy, serving upwards of 23,000 homes. The projects represent AES' continued commitment in helping the State of Hawai'i and its people achieve their 100% renewable energy goals...

The fire industry has experimented with touch screen technology for many years as ever sophisticated and human friendly solutions are sought to tackle fire situations which can be particularly problematic in cases involving large, complex sites and high-rise buildings. Advanced's Sales Manager for Southern Europe, Vladimir Zrnic, looks at some of the benefits to introducing touch screen technology. Protecting these buildings and often hundreds, if not thousands, of people from the danger and da...

Drones are increasingly becoming valuable helpers in averting danger.  “Whether for exploring confusing deployment sites, forest fires or searching for missing people – the range of possibilities is becoming ever larger,” emphasized the President of the Expert Network for Protection, Rescue and Security (vfdb), Dirk Aschenbrenner in Dortmund.  rules for unmanned aircraft The German Rescue Robotics Center (DRZ) is currently working with the vfdb on a comprehensive s...

In an open letter to the federal government, the state governments, and several members of the Bundestag, the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) suggested a digitalization pact for hazard prevention. The Corona crisis, which Germany has managed well so far thanks to the efforts of everyone involved, still shows clearly that there are significant gaps, when it comes to digitalization. economic stimulus package “Too many processes are still carried out analogou...

SSAIB has announced publishing its policy statement for COVID-19 Remote Auditing. The policy covers BAFE, British Approvals for Fire Equipment schemes with SSAIB remote auditing procedures in place. A BAFE statement added that they will endeavor to publish information from all BAFE Licensed Certification Bodies as this is made available. Information from SSAIB: The following strategy has been implemented to allow continuation of certification services by the SSAIB, during the exceptional circu...

Emergency Reporting® (ER), the pioneer in secure, cloud-based reporting and records management software (RMS) for fire and EMS agencies announces the launch of its services in Canada, with the unveiling of a locally-based data center and a new website for Canadian users. The Canadian ER site is hosted in the Microsoft Azure datacenters, using Azure Canada Central in Toronto as the main environment, with a backup located at Azure Canada East in Quebec City. ER currently serves hundreds of f...

With the support of the Scottish Government, the Supplier Development Program has launched a survey on the effects of Supplier Relief. short survey Suppliers in Scotland, especially small, medium, and micro-sized businesses, can fill in a short survey to share their experience of supplier relief with public sector buyers during the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) crisis so far. Responses will be collated into a report which will be shared with the Scottish Government and local authorities throughout S...

Motorola Solutions announced the addition of three cloud-based offerings to its CommandCentral software suite: CommandCentral 9-1-1 Smart Transcription, CommandCentral 9-1-1 Citizen Input and PremierOne®️ Cloud CAD. These offerings provide emergency call handlers and the computer-aided dispatch (CAD) operators who dispatch 9-1-1 calls to police, fire and emergency medical services with the ability to streamline workflows and improve the monitoring and integrity of information in a secure go...

The Site Operating Procedures have been updated to incorporate a number of technical changes as a result of the recently published Government guidance on Working Safely during Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Construction and other Outdoor Work. Version 4 inclusions The changes in Site Operating Procedures – Version 4 are minimal and include: Removal of the requirement for face-to-face contact to be kept to 15 minutes or less. The section on PPE links to the latest Government guidance...

On episode 3 of the Fire Safety Matters (FSM) Podcast recurring guest Warren Spencer, Managing Director - Blackhurst Budd Solicitors, answered questions from BAFE regarding his thoughts on Third-Party Certification and Government fire safety guidance. Mark Sennett, Chief Executive Officer - of Western Business Media, asked, “The question we've had come in from BAFE is they would like to hear your thoughts on Third-Party Certification as a statutory defense. Can you give us an insight...

In the frame of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), Airbus and Fraunhofer FKIE have created an independent panel of experts on the responsible use of new technologies to define and propose ethical as well as international legal 'guard rails' for Europe’s largest defense project. The expert panel, which was first initiated in Germany in 2019, currently includes stakeholders such as the German Ministry of Defence, the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, foundations, univers...

New fire extinguisher inspection software functionality embedded in the BirdDog Mobile Inspection System offers powerful capabilities to streamline & simplify the inspection & tracking of fire extinguishers and other portable devices. Asurio, Inc., a Colorado technology company that offers the BirdDog Mobile Inspection & Data Collection System, introduced Extinguisher Tracker – powerful, new fire extinguisher inspection software functionality embedded in the BirdDog Mobile Insp...

FIREX International is proud to announce the free Digital Week content series on 18-22 May 2020. This five-day digital gathering delivers interactive and curated webinars, video interviews, technical reviews, and live Q&A sessions to keep you connected with your fire safety colleagues. The program will address major industry issues including COVID–19 and the fire sector, sourcing PPE, post-Grenfell regulatory updates, and third-party certification. It’s users' chance to hear the...

Perimeter Solutions, globally renowned company in fire safety chemical solutions, has announced that it has completed the acquisition of Colorado-based LaderaTech, a biomaterials company with commercial technology in wildfire prevention and the delivery of agriculture chemicals. The acquisition includes LaderaTech's FORTIFY Fire Retardant technology and rights to associated intellectual property. FORTIFY Fire Retardant technology The addition of FORTIFY technology, which is used in ground-bas...