Software news

Boyce is an experienced emergency manager both at state and local level Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate has applauded President Obama's appointment of Don R. Boyce as FEMA Regional Administrator for Region I, which encompasses Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.  "Regional Administrators are crucial to our ability to respond effectively to emergencies based on the needs of the communities we s...

The annual preparedness grants will go towards preparation for meeting disasters and emergencies The critical infrastructure and preparedness grants announced include specific steps undertaken by DHS to improve the ability of grant applicants to maximize funding and also incorporate inputs. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano announced the fiscal year 2010 Preparedness Grants for nine federal programs including critical infrastructure-related gran...

Regulatory Reform Order was discussed at Community Link with London's business community London Fire Brigade will outline how important it is for businesses to understand the law and their role in fire safety. Forging stronger community links and explaining important fire safety legislation were top of the agenda when London Fire Brigade hosted a reception for an organisation that represents Islington's minority business community on Friday 23 April. The event, called Commun...

Setcom Corporation has launhced an events and conferences calendar for the fire industry By providing a comprehensive calendar of events, Setcom makes it easy for fire rescue and safety professionals to find and choose events happening close to them.   Setcom Corporation (www.Setcomcorp.com), an industry leader in wireless communications equipment and accessories for public safety vehicles, including fire apparatus and police motorcycles, has rel...

AFG funds boost up equipments, facilities, training materials and resources AFG would provide a huge sum of $390 million to fire departments and non affiliated emergency medical service organizations. The Department of Homeland Security opened the 2010 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) application period on Monday April 26, 2010. Nationally AFG awards will provide fire departments and non affiliated emergency medical service organizations with approximately $390 million...

Residential properties suffer major losses due to fire accidents involving grills and barbeques Grills, hibachis, and barbecues in residential properties continue to carry a high fire accident risk. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) United States Fire Administration (USFA) issued a special report today examining the characteristics of grill fires on residential properties. The report, Grill Fires on Residential Properties (PDF, 663 Kb), was...

Online assistance from FEMA has increased the number of flood survivor applications FEMA’s robust online and social media efforts have been very effective in educating flood survivors about disaster assistance. Registering online for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is becoming a popular method for New Jersey flooding survivors who have access to the Internet. As of April 28, 7,523 flood survivors in the 12 designated New Jersey counties re...

Tackling emergency situations will get a boost with OnSite ERT™ tracking technology and command software Thanks to Assistance for Firefighters Grant, starting early Spring of 2010, the Bath VFD will begin utilising ERT Systems' OnSite ERT™ on the scene of emergencies. It’s a problem all too familiar for volunteer fire departments: knowing which personnel have arrived on-scene and the location of the responders throughout the incident. If something happe...

iVENCS provides 3D visualisation of critical and disaster situations ASL's iVENCS is a sensor and event fusion environment in which voice, data and video can be filtered, analysed and directed from across the full spectrum of subsystems. iVENCS will be displayed at IFSEC 2010. ASL Safety & Security at Hall 5 Stand D85 will be unveiling iVENCS, the first in a new generation of 3D-based situation management and integrated control platforms. iVENCS is an infrastructure-scale...

Bulk foam units will ward off emergency fire situations across London The highly specialised vehicles introduced in London Fire Brigade enable firefighters to tackle emergencies like aircraft crashes, chemical spills or fires on large industrial sites with large amounts of foam.   Three bulk foam unit appliances go on the run in London this week backed by new training and staffing capabilities dramatically improving London's ability to fight major fires or spil...

Transformer pumper features improved handling and maneuverability The Transformer frees up more than 130 cubic feet of pass-through compartment space for mounting equipment, storing equipment and other departmental needs. The Transformer was dislayed at FDIC 2010.  Crimson Fire, Inc. introduced a new pumper designed to meet fire departments' dual needs to respond to emergencies and fight fires at the fire-rescue industry's biggest trade show. Crimson Fire, a subsid...

A total of 30 apprenticeships will be created for fire system and security engineers  A total of 30 apprenticeships are being made available across Chubb's fire, security, and integrated technologies businesses. Chubb is expanding its award-winning engineering apprenticeship scheme to include apprenticeships for fire systems engineers, as well as security engineers, for the first time in the company's history. Chubb is part of UTC Fire & Security, a unit...

  FDM's integrated software to help in Computer Aided Dispatch and Record Management FDM's scalable, integrated solution along with their experience in buil ding interfaces to other software applications helped procure the deal. After a detailed procurement process, the Burlington Fire Department, Burlington, Ontario decided that FDM's fully integrated Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) and Records Management System (RMS) was the best solution to meet their needs. I...

The new green building code is meant for traditional and high performance buildings The International Code Council (ICC) recently unveiled the IGCC Public Version 1.0 at its Washington, D.C., world headquarters office with participants from the fire safety community in attendance. In an answer to the public demand for more energy-efficient and renewable technologies in schools, hospitals, and worksites of all types, the International Green Construction Code (IGCC) is...

The programme will analyse policy options and examine the responsibilities of leadership The fellowship programme for fire service leaders is a joint effort between the USFA, IFSTA, IAFC, NFPA, and Harvard. Kelvin J. Cochran, Administrator of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), announced that six senior fire officials have been selected for fellowships to attend the Harvard University's Senior Executives in State and Local Governm...

Earth Day will bring issues like energy saving, greenhouse emissions and recycling on the global front Environmentally beneficial steps can save your department money in the long-run by lowering energy costs and reducing waste. April 22 marks the 40th anniversary of the Earth Day, and first responders can do their part to promote a healthy, sustainable environment by taking simple steps to "go green" in your department. The following Earth-friendly chang...

The FIA seminar was attended by people from across the fire service industry The seminar was given by Martin Duggan, General Manager of the FIA, and was well attended by representatives from many different sectors of the fire protection industry. Despite risk assessment being the fundamental platform on which fire safety measures are based under the Fire Safety Order, to date there has been no definition as to what constitutes a ‘suitable and sufficient' fire risk...

Campus Fire Safety Education is of utmost importance in today's educational infrastructure Over the course of Hill Day, groups of advocates met with dozens of House and Senate offices to promote several pieces of legislation that are vitally important to campus fire safety. On March 23, National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) staff participated in Campus Fire Safety Hill Day, along with a number of individuals and representatives of other fire service organizations. Over the...

Catherine Levin brings a wealth of fire-policy experience to the London Fire Brigade London Fire Brigade has appointed a new Deputy Head of Community Fire Safety. Catherine Levin joined the Brigade in March and reports directly to the Brigade's head of Community Fire Safety, Assistant Commissioner, Andy Hickmott.Prior to joining the brigade, Catherine worked as a civil servant for ten years and has five years experience working in fire policy at the Department of...

Fire Safety Regulatory Reform has created major positive changes in fire safety The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order came into force in October 2006 and replaced over 70 separate pieces of fire safety legislation. London Fire Brigade is warning London's business and premises owners that by not paying attention to fire safety laws, they are not only putting lives at risk but could also face heavy fines. The Brigade has revealed that last year in London the co...

CommandSim's software training products help emergency responders hone their skills Adobe Systems Incorporated recognizes CommandSim platform for its ‘enormous value' in training emergency responders. CommandSim, producers of simulation technology for virtual emergency responder training that yields real results, is proud to announce it was selected recently as the winner of the prestigious Adobe MAX award in the ‘Public Sector' category. With CommandSim,...

FLAME-SIM Mobile Center has made training more accessible for firefighters The easy to use FLAME-SIM Rugged Mobile Center is giving fire departments across the U.S. and Canada the opportunity to decrease costs while increasing training time and experience. FLAME-SIM is proving to be a valuable investment for Red Deer Emergency Services in Alberta, Canada. Red Deer Emergency Services (RDES) is a full time department that has 5 stations and 140 suppression members. In September...

London Fire Brigade's MTE scheme will break one-point entry into fire services London Fire Brigade is launching a ground breaking management recruitment campaign designed to tap in top talent from other industries. The Multi-Tier Entry (MTE) scheme aims to attract high-capability people from different backgrounds to bring in expertise, as well as new leadership and management styles. Chairman of London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority Brian Coleman AM FRSA said: "This...

FLAME-SIM will exhibit its simulation products at FDIC 2010 in April  FLAME-SIM, the fire service industry's premier training simulation software, will be attending and exhibiting at FDIC this year from April 19th to April 24th. This is the fourth year FLAME-SIM will have a strong presence at FDIC and the FLAME-SIM team is more excited than ever before to showcase the cutting edge simulation software at Booth #1206 at Indianapolis Convention Center. In additio...

Among the products on display at PROTECT 2010 will be Sony's video surveillance system Sony's video security system which leads the way for hybrid surveillance solutions will be on exhibit during the international conference and exhibit, Protect 2010: Doing Business Amidst New Threats, from April 15 to 16, 2010, at the New World Hotel. Sony Corp, of Japan has developed a digitised or IP-based video surveillance system that enables users to protect and safeguard their a...

Wheat Ridge Fire Department has developed a virtual fireground environment using FLAME-SIM The Wheat Ridge Fire Department has developed a virtual fireground environment using FLAME-SIM software. The intent of this training is to develop the cognitive and pragmatic decision making process of their members, thus preventing injuries, fatalities, or the significant loss of property while operating under stressful, emergent, and hostile conditions. The Wheat Ridge Fire Department...

  London's first new additional fire station was officially opened by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson The new station has state-of-the-art all weather training facilities.London's first new additional fire station for over a decade was officially opened by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, Thursday 11 February. Harold Hill fire station on Ashton Road in Romford will improve attendance times of firefighters responding to emergencies in the north east area of Havering...

St. Albert Fire Department will use OnSite ERT™ to determine crew status during emergencies The technology will replace previous, less reliable techniques to determine crew status during fire-related emergencies.It's a scene all too familiar for firefighters: Emergency responders enter a burning building, but before the flames are put out, the roof collapses and they dash out. The commander on scene is suddenly left wondering if any crew members are still inside. What...

FLAME-SIM is looking forward to more successes in 2010 FLAME-SIM rolls into the New Year following its most successful month ever and foresees similar successes in 2010.  The latest in training simulation software has been bringing fire departments across the US and Canada virtual training with real results. From Florida and Texas up to Colorado and Canada, fire departments have been reaping the benefits of FLAME-SIM and seeing improvements in communication and decision...

The cluster of municipalities within the Nancy region in France has chosen Sepura TETRA radios The cluster of municipalities within the Nancy region in France - Communauté Urbaine du Grand Nancy (CUGN) - has chosen Sepura TETRA radios for its public service organisations. The radios will operate on a digital infrastructure deployed by SYSOCO, Sepura's distributor in France. Grand Nancy joins the growing community of French municipalities - over ten to date - which hav...