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Norfolk Fire & Rescue Service (NFRS) will be doing its bit to support colleagues in Ukraine, when a group of volunteer firefighters drive across Europe to donate crucial fire equipment to the war-torn region later this month. 15 NFRS firefighters have volunteered to drive five ex-service vehicles to Ukraine, to deliver equipment including ladders, generators, hydraulic rescue equipment, light portable pumps, and positive pressure ventilation fans. Fire and rescue appliances Five appliances donated in support of the humanitarian effort, which has been coordinated by the NFCC The five appliances will also be donated in support of the humanitarian effort, which has been coordinated by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC). The five Norfolk vehicles will be part of a UK convoy of 30 fire and rescue appliances carrying over 15,000 pieces of equipment, which will help to replace crucial resources lost during the ongoing war.  Fighting fires in Ukraine Ukrainian firefighters continue to operate in the war zone, saving lives and protect property. Since the start of the invasion three years ago, 100 firefighters have been killed, 411 Ukrainian fire stations have been destroyed and 1,700 fire vehicles lost.  Tom Diaper, NFRS Crew Manager and volunteer driver, said: “Being a firefighter can be testing and dangerous at the best of times, so the challenge of fighting fires in Ukraine at the moment is almost unimaginable." Effort to ensure the equipment The effort to ensure the equipment being donated is fit for purpose and ready for use Diaper added: “Naturally, we jumped at the opportunity to help, and it’s great that Norfolk has been proactive in offering our support. As firefighters, you’re only as good as the equipment at your disposal, so if this goes some way to helping our colleagues on the ground in Ukraine to do their jobs and to save lives, then the trip will have been worth it.” The effort to ensure the equipment being donated is fit for purpose and ready for use has been heavily supported by Delta Fire, who have offered invaluable assistance in servicing much of the kit free of charge. Delta Fire life-saving support Norfolk Chief Fire Officer, Ceri Sumner, said: “NFCC continues to do fantastic work to coordinate humanitarian support for our colleagues in Ukraine, who are risking their lives by working in unimaginably difficult circumstances." “I am hugely proud that Norfolk is playing its part in this life-saving support, and of the collective effort that has gone into making our role possible. Thank you to all of our drivers who have volunteered to make the trip, to everyone who has worked hard to ensure all the vehicles and equipment are in good working order, and to Delta Fire for their generosity in servicing the kit.” Top condition for the firefighters in Ukraine Jordon King, Delta Fire Business Development Manager, said: "It was an honor for the team at Delta Fire to be able to support such a vital cause. Servicing the donated equipment to ensure it is in top condition for the firefighters in Ukraine was a small but meaningful way for Delta Fire to contribute." "Firefighters everywhere rely on the best available tools to save lives, and we are proud to help make that possible for our friends in Ukraine during such difficult times." Norfolk County Council’s Homes For Ukraine Scheme The service has previous experience in aiding those impacted by the war in Ukraine The service has previous experience in aiding those impacted by the war in Ukraine. After the conflict first broke out in 2022, NFRS firefighters helped to prepare houses in support of Norfolk County Council’s Homes For Ukraine Scheme, which housed refugees fleeing the war. National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) Vice-Chair and Chair-Elect, Phil Garrigan, said: “The entire UK fire and rescue community stands with our colleagues in Ukraine, as they continue to put their lives on the line in the most challenging and dangerous conditions." Latest donation of fire engines and equipment Garrigan added: “This latest donation of fire engines and equipment will go some way to replace that lost to the full-scale war, providing critical support to firefighters who are working tirelessly to save lives and protect communities despite immense adversity." "We are incredibly proud to play a small but crucial role in ensuring that our colleagues have the resources they need to continue their vital work."

The largest UK fire and rescue service convoy is set to deliver more than 15,000 pieces of life-saving firefighting equipment to Ukrainian firefighters. Donated by UK fire and rescue services, working with FIRE AID, the eighth convoy - including 26 donated fire engines - will make its way across Europe next month (April). This eighth convoy adds to the 119 vehicles that have been donated, alongside 200,000 pieces of equipment since the invasion began. Full-scale invasion in 2022 The war in Ukraine has had a devastating impact on Ukrainian firefighters The war in Ukraine has had a devastating impact on Ukrainian firefighters. Latest figures from the State Emergency Services of Ukraine show that since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, 100 firefighters have been killed and a further 431 injured, whilst four are currently in captivity and one is missing. Meanwhile, 411 firehouses and 1,700 fire vehicles have been destroyed, and 95 firehouses are now in occupied territories. Despite these challenges, Ukrainian firefighters continue to operate in the war zone - not to engage in combat, but to save lives and protect property, often at great personal risk. Basic firefighting equipment In response, UK fire and rescue services (FRSs), in partnership with the UK Government, National Resilience, UK International Search and Rescue, FIRE AID, National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), and the Fire Industry Association (FIA), have come together to support their Ukrainian counterparts. English and Welsh FRSs have donated all the appliances and kit for the eighth convoy, which ranges from basic firefighting equipment such as hoses, PPE and road traffic collision equipment. Among the 30 vehicles being donated are 26 fire engines. Around 100 volunteers, drawn from FRSs and FIRE AID, will participate in the convoy. Latest donation of fire engines and equipment English and Welsh FRSs have donated all the appliances and kit for the eighth convoy National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) Vice-Chair and Chair-Elect, Phil Garrigan, said: “The entire UK fire and rescue community stands with our colleagues in Ukraine, as they continue to put their lives on the line in the most challenging and dangerous conditions."  “This latest donation of fire engines and equipment will go some way to replace that lost to the full-scale war, providing critical support to firefighters who are working tirelessly to save lives and protect communities despite immense adversity. We are incredibly proud to play a small but crucial role in ensuring that our colleagues have the resources they need to continue their vital work." Life-saving missions First Deputy Head of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, Vitalii Myroniuk, said: “The people and Government of the United Kingdom were among the first to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine at a time when the whole world was uncertain whether we would endure the onslaught." "Your support in the critical early days of Russia's invasion allowed us to replace outdated equipment with modern British technology, enabling us to carry out our life-saving missions more quickly and effectively in wartime conditions. We are immensely grateful for your solidarity and for understanding the challenges we face and the conditions in which we operate." Unimaginable challenges Myroniuk added: “Every Ukrainian rescuer works tirelessly to safeguard our statehood and our nation. And we are able to endure thanks to our British friends, who share our common values of freedom and the rule of law.” FIRE AID Chair, David O’Neill MBE, said: "We continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine; our fire family is committed to giving ongoing support and a lifeline in their time of need. This eighth convoy - the largest yet - is absolutely vital as the news about the conflict unfolds and changes daily. Recently we welcomed our frontline and political colleagues from Ukraine to the United Kingdom, the unimaginable challenges they face daily is devastating."  Unwavering support and assistance to firefighters O’Neill added: "FIRE AID and partners continue to work tirelessly to support Ukrainian firefighters. The statistics are staggering; more than 100 firefighters have lost their lives, with hundreds injured. Our work is far from done. We remain committed to Ukraine and will continue to offer our unwavering support and assistance to their firefighters risking their lives daily."  Fire Industry Association (FIA) Chief Executive Officer, Ian Moore OBE JP, said: "Firefighters in Ukraine continue to demonstrate extraordinary courage under the most challenging circumstances. Every day, they put their lives on the line to protect their communities, often with limited resources and in the face of immense danger." Life-saving equipment Moore added: “The FIA is honored to support this vital initiative, ensuring that life-saving equipment reaches those who need it most." "By working alongside our partners in the UK fire sector, we are not only providing essential tools but also reinforcing a message of solidarity. Our commitment to supporting our firefighting colleagues in Ukraine remains steadfast."

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) has launched its recruitment drive for wholetime firefighters, offering people the opportunity to make a difference to keeping Essex safe. recruitment window The recruitment window opened on Tuesday 21 January and will remain open until 21 February, with successful candidates set to begin their training in June 2025. This is a chance to play a crucial role in protecting communities, saving lives, and keeping people in Essex safe. Whether people are looking for a rewarding career in the fire service or seeking to make a positive difference in their community, ECFRS is calling on motivated applicants to apply. Application criteria No prior firefighting experience is necessary, as full training will be provided.  To apply, candidates must meet the following minimum criteria: be eligible to work in the UK . be 18 years old on 1 February 2025. have a full UK driving license (manual).   have a GCSE pass at grade C or 4 (or above), or have attained Functional Skills (Level 2) in Maths and English. meet the vision and hearing criteria. new firefighter squad Chief Fire Officer/Chief Executive Rick Hylton said, “We’re excited to start recruitment for another squad of wholetime firefighters this year." “Our firefighters are team members, teachers, communicators, community-minded, protectors and role models. Firefighting is a diverse and rewarding career on the front line, saving lives." emergency response “But the role isn’t just about tacking fires or rescuing people from danger. It’s about speaking to people, engaging with communities, visiting schools, and offering safety advice.” “This recruitment drive is an essential step in making sure that we have the skilled and committed people needed to respond to emergencies and make Essex a safe place to live, work and travel.”

During the Grenfell Tower fire incident in 2017, ineffective fire doors allowed smoke and toxic gases to spread through the building more quickly than should have been possible. Sir Martin Moore-Bick made this finding in the conclusion to Phase 1 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. It serves to highlight the importance that fire doors play in protecting life and property. Grenfell Inquiry findings The Grenfell Inquiry findings have impacted subsequent United Kingdom government guidance and proposed legislation. For example, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) insists that non-fire resisting doors should be replaced immediately with door sets that are third party certified as providing at least 30 minutes of fire resistance. The BWF works to increase ‘mass market’ awareness of the vital role that fire doors play in protecting life and property The British Woodworking Federation (BWF) works to increase ‘mass market’ awareness of the vital role that fire doors play in protecting life and property. The BWF sponsored Fire Door Safety Week (21-27 Sept. 2020) in partnership with the UK Home Office’s National Fire Safety Campaign, the National Fire Chiefs Council and London Fire Brigade. The observance is the brainchild of the British Woodworking Federation, supported by the BWF Fire Door Alliance. Importance of fire doors in protecting life and property While there are multiple types of fire doors available, certified timber fire doors were subjected to government fire tests in 2019 and were shown effective at meeting and exceeding the minimum burn time requirement of 30 minutes. Factors to ensure a fire door performs as intended include product manufacture, quality, installation and maintenance. Correctly specifying, maintaining and managing a fire door can mean the difference between life and death for building occupants in an emergency. Appointing ‘Responsible Person’ to inspect fire doors Everyone plays a role to ensure a fire door performs as intended, from the manufacturer to a building’s users. Building owners should appoint a ‘Responsible Person’ to check the performance of fire doors. Propping open a fire door keeps it from performing as intended in the event of a fire. Fire doors and other passive fire protection industries have common interests with other fire-related organizations. More education can help the whole building industry and every property owner to understand the importance of fire doors. Regular inspection of fire doors Owners should carry out checks at three-month intervals to ensure all fire doors are fitted with effective self-closing devices Sir Martin Moore-Bick also recommended that those who have responsibility for entrance doors to individual flats in high-rise building should be required by law to ensure such doors comply with current standards. Owners and managers of any residential building that contains separate dwellings should carry out an urgent inspection of all fire doors to ensure they comply with applicable standards. Owners and managers should also be required to carry out checks at three-month intervals to ensure all fire doors are fitted with effective self-closing devices that are in working order. Raising standard of fire doors via Third party certification Third party certification is the best way to raise the standard of fire doors and fire door sets across the board to ensure all fire doors in any building type meet safety standards. Also, inspections should be carried out by trained and registered professionals who identify any faults and highlight where doors do not meet standards. Doors in high-traffic areas should be checked more frequently as they are more susceptible to damage.

The fire industry has made it absolutely clear, led by authorized bodies including the BAFE Fire Safety Register, that the current pandemic does not remove the need to comply with any fire safety requirements under the Building Regulations. As we now look beyond the lockdown period, John Allam, Operations Director at Amthal Fire and Security reviews the raft of new proposals demonstrating the Government and industry’s commitment to compliant fire safety and new immediate demands placed on responsible persons. Multi-Occupancy residential buildings Whilst the second phase of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry has been put on hold until July at the earliest over coronavirus restrictions, the government has continued its quest to effect change and bring the Fire Safety Bill and Building Safety Bill into legislation. While the Building Safety Bill will ‘place new and enhanced regulatory regimes for building safety and construction products’, both bills aim to strengthen the ‘whole regulatory system’ for both building and fire safety. The Fire Safety Bill will apply to England and Wales, to amend the Fire Safety Order 2005 and seeks to clarify responsibility for reducing fire risk in multi-occupancy residential buildings. The details of the Fire Safety Bill, which has now had its second reading in the House of Commons, includes recommendations of regular inspections of lifts and sprinkler systems for buildings over 11m tall. Quarterly fire door inspections Building owners will now face ‘enforcement action’ from emergency services if they do not manage fire risk Significantly, it also introduces compulsory quarterly fire door inspections, which is a hugely significant development in its own right, to influence an industry where this is no specific legislation that requires fire doors to be checked. The Fire Safety Bill intends to ensure evacuation plans are reviewed, regularly updated and communicated to residents in a ‘form that they can be reasonably be expected to understand.’ And it highlights the importance of individual flat entrance doors, where the external walls of the building have unsafe cladding, comply with current standards. This will play a key part in increasing residents’ fire safety, whereby building owners will now face ‘enforcement action’ from emergency services if they do not manage fire risk in a building’s structure. Improving the fire safety of buildings In addition, the government is consulting with the National Fire Chiefs Council to begin testing evacuation alert systems for high-rise blocks of flats, which could support fire and rescue services’ operational response by alerting residents if they need to escape. The National Fire Chiefs Council to begin testing evacuation alert systems for high-rise blocks of flats The new program will be governed by a Building Safety Regulator (BSR) that will initially be led by Dame Judith Hackitt during the set up phase, who will be tasked with improving the fire safety of buildings. Launched by The RT Hon Robert Jenrick MP Secretary Of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, he cited the new program as taking, “Ambitious steps to further reform the building safety system with the biggest changes in a generation to ensure residents are safe in their homes.” He added: “This new regime will put residents’ safety at its heart, and follows the announcement of the unprecedented £1 billion fund for removing unsafe cladding from high-rise buildings in the budget.” Major regulatory decisions The BSR will be responsible for all major regulatory decisions made at key points during design, construction, occupation and refurbishment of buildings. And such decisions and obligations must be upheld and maintained throughout a development’s life. The new safety case regime will apply not only to new buildings, but also to buildings that are already in use" In Dame Judith’s own words: “When introduced by the new regulator, the new safety case regime will apply not only to new buildings, but also to buildings that are already in use and occupied. If those buildings were built to poor standards in the past, it will not be the case that you can simply say ‘well it complied with building regulations at the time’. The test will be different. The test will be ‘is this building safe to be occupied?’ and, if not, what are you going to do to improve it?’ … People will be asked to think about what they can do, what is reasonable and what is practicable to do in order to improve the safety of a given building.” Regulating the fire safety industry Both Hackitt and the Government want the BSR to be set up in shadow form before the Building Safety Bill becomes law. The plan is to put the bill before Parliament by the autumn, despite the challenges thrown by the Pandemic. The new legislation proposed by Government will undoubtedly ensure that buildings and those that live and work in them are maintained to be fire safe. In the words of BAFE CEO Stephen Adams: “The time is right to help better regulate the fire safety industry to change end user behavior and create a UK that's safer from the devastating effects of fire.” As BAFE further attests, as lockdown measures begin to be lifted, there will be a need for the competent maintenance of fire safety systems/provisions and fire risk assessment work. Fire doors and risk assessments Amthal is working closely with building owners and managers across the UK to deliver the benefits of safer environment This means for those who own or manage residential buildings, will soon be ‘held into account’ if they do not ensure fire safety in their buildings, and the requirements will impact further on costs and resource allocation, for investigating buildings and ensuring compliance. There is a definite sense to be proactive in acceptance of the new impending legislation. But the concern cited amongst building owners is the industry’s ability to undertake the volume of assessments required, given the lack of current lack of specific legislation on specific elements such as fire doors and risk assessments, together with the steep expectations for fire strategy and evacuation plans. Amthal is working closely with building owners and managers across the UK to deliver the benefits of safer environment within a holistic fire safety approach. Working in partnership, means taking the time to understand the implications of the Government’s Fire Safety Bill, alongside the implications of the Building Safety Bill and BSR program. This way, we can ensure responsible persons confidently achieve all operational requirements for the ultimate benefit of residents’ peace of mind.