Building Fire Safety - News

The National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) partners, BSI, National Physical Laboratory (NPL), and UKAS with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have published the Standards for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, an action plan to unlock the value of standards for innovation. Joint Action Plan This joint Action Plan is intended to enable the NQI’s activities across standards, measurement, and accreditation to support innovation and technological change for the fourth...

A Sheppey homeowner is helping Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) share life-saving safety advice after a vanity mirror sparked a fire in the bedroom of his home. The blaze developed in the occupant’s bedroom in Belgrave Road on Sheppey, on a sunny afternoon on Friday 16 July, and is believed to have started after sunlight reflected from a vanity mirror onto some bedding. The heat from the mirror's reflection caught the bed alight, which then spread throughout the room within a matter o...

A Knowsley tower block played host to a major training exercise when the Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service (MFRS) led an exercise to test their response, in the case of a major high-rise fire incident. MFRS’ fire safety training exercise Around 80 emergency service staff, eight fire engines, two support vehicles, and an aerial platform ladder vehicle descended on the unoccupied Gaywood Green, on Broad Lane, in Kirkby, United Kingdom, on Thursday, July 22, 2021, as part of the fire saf...

Its speed, unparalleled firefighting performance, off-road capability, and crew safety: the PANTHER's capabilities make it the perfect airfield firefighting vehicle. But it is precise because of these capabilities that PCK-Raffinerie GmbH uses the PANTHER for another, no less demanding purpose.Almost all the fuel requirements in the Berlin and Brandenburg region are met by the PCK refinery in Schwedt an der Oder. About 1,200 employees work here, and 2,000 more in other companies located on the...

The Building Safety Bill is the direct result of recommendations made in the Grenfell inquiry and the Hackitt Review. The framework set out in the draft Bill will impact the entire construction supply chain. safety regime with implications ‘Higher risk’ buildings include all multi-occupancy residential buildings over 18 meters high The provisions target ‘higher risk’ buildings, but the bill will introduce a stricter safety regime with implications for all buildings. &...

Verint Systems (Verint), the globally renowned customer engagement company, has that it has won an AI Breakthrough Award for excellence and innovation in Artificial Intelligence (AI). Verint Intelligent Virtual Assistant Professional (IVA Pro) Package is the winner of the ‘Best Virtual Agent Solution’ award. Earning its fourth consecutive AI Breakthrough Award, the company previously won ‘Best AI-based Solution for Customer Service’ award in 2020, ‘Best Chatbot Sol...

Arlington County, VA Local 2800 is formally requesting that Arlington County Manager, Mark Schwartz allow Local 2800 to be recognized as the exclusive bargaining unit for the county’s fire and EMS personnel. “This is an historic time for Arlington,” said Arlington County, VA Local 2800 President, Brian Lynch, adding “Until the new collective bargaining law was passed, Virginia firefighters were denied a seat at the table, on critical safety issues for firefighters and th...

As a response to the Grenfell tragedy, Envirograf has manufactured fire-resistant panels for the purpose of constructing eco-homes and flats. As part of a large-scale fire test, Envirograf constructed an eco-house made of these prefabricated panels to demonstrate its fire resistance and integrity. The panels are manufactured with MDF board, insulation slabs, and mastic adhesive to create a fireproof panel, suitable for use in walls or ceilings. The panels have been fire-tested, as well as airbo...

The demands on today’s fire systems have never been greater, but not all panels are created equal, which can make choosing the right solution a challenge. Many fire panels are relied upon to alert people to real and potential emergencies, control evacuation procedures, and reduce the number of false alarms. They are also required to control the release of suppressants, operate smoke control systems, manage the closure and release of fire doors, link to graphical control systems, and int...

Sutphen Corporation, the largest family-owned fire apparatus manufacturer in the nation, announces the launch of the Sutphen tractor drawn aerial. Adding to Sutphen’s expansive family of aerials, the 131-year-old, family-owned business offers its renown mid-mount design, its leading rear-mount design and, now, its new tractor drawn aerial design. “Sutphen is proud to introduce our new TDA into our product mix, allowing us to welcome more fire departments into the Sutphen family,&...

Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) is urging smokers to light up outside to reduce the risk of fire in homes across the county. Despite the number of people smoking in the UK falling, Kent is seeing a continuous trend in the number of property fires linked to smoking – with fire crews tackling the equivalent of one smoking-related fire every single week. 'Smoke Outside, Feel Safer Inside' campaign Most often these types of fires start when smokers light up and then fall asleep or get d...

When TFT introduced the Extend-A-Gun telescoping waterway series, it revolutionized the way monitors could be utilized on fire apparatus. Extend-A-Guns allow deck mounted monitors to easily raise from a stowed position to operate above apparatus obstructions like cab roofs, lighting, hose reels, or generators. The manual and RC version of Extend-A-Gun can be found on fire trucks around the globe. TFT is adding to the series with the new Extend-A-Gun VP. The VP’s deploy and stow operations...

Houston, TX Local 341 (Houston Fire Department) President, Marty Lancton is back on the job, after an independent arbitrator ruled the city had violated his rights and had no cause or authority to indefinitely suspend him in January. Houston Fire's President re-instated The independent arbitrator went even further and ordered the immediate reinstatement to his special assignment, working full time as the Local 341 President and ruled he must be welcomed back with full back pay and benefits. &...

UKAS is delighted to announce that Lorraine Turner, UKAS Accreditation Director, has been appointed as a Member of the newly formed Interim Industry Competence Committee (IICC). The formation of the IICC coincides with the recent announcement of the Building Safety Bill in Parliament by Robert Jenrick MP, Secretary of State for Housing. The Bill outlines a program of actions aimed at preventing a recurrence of the problems that contributed to the Grenfell Tower fire. Foremost amongst these meas...

Anglia Fire Protection is looking at electrical fires and how to reduce the risk of them occurring in homes. One of the most common causes of fire in the home is electrical goods. From white goods to faulty chargers, electrical items are the number 4 risk of fire in the home. Here are some top tips to help reduce that risk. Anglia Fire Protection offers key pointers on how to avoid electrical fires at homes: Residents should make sure that all electrical appliances have a British or Europea...

Online supermarket - Ocado has suffered another robot fire at one of its fulfilment centers, impacting deliveries across south east England. The fire on 16 July was caused by three robots colliding on the grid that controls the fulfilment of shopping orders at the technology firm. Fifteen fire engines The fulfilment centre processes over 150,000 orders a week for the joint venture between Ocado and Marks and Spencer. More than 1,000 robots move around the grid, collecting food from crates and...

As much as Hollywood makes out how dangerous working on an oil rig can be, it’s surprisingly true. Major Hollywood films, such as Deepwater Horizon, tell the events of the dangers that can happen while working on oil rigs, which are situated in the middle of the ocean. Furthermore, without the correct training provided or the workwear, many oil rig workers’ lives can be at risk, when carrying out their tasks. In this article, Granite Workwear looks at the type of workwear that is re...

Euralarm’s Services Section reports an important step forward for service providers and end-users of remote services: the very positive vote on the EN 50710, Requirements for the provision of secure remote services for fire safety systems and security systems. The successful vote is the icing on the cake of the section’s efforts to guarantee more certainty for a future in which remote services play an increasingly important role. Jon Könz, Chair of Euralarm’s Services Sec...

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) has refreshed its branding to promote a cleaner and more simple design and to improve readability and consistency, as well as offering a more modern and versatile logo. New logo features  While maintaining the ASFP’s iconic flames motif, the new logo features the flames emerging from the ASFP name. The font has also been updated to improve legibility and ensure readers quickly gain a clear understanding of the logo with a single...

Taking place at Birmingham’s NEC on 7-9 September, the eagerly-awaited show will feature free CPD-accredited educational seminars, 120+ exhibitors, and the fire industry’s latest products, technology, and solutions. CAST Detectors & ENVISION C-TEC be showcasing CAST, its revolutionary new own-protocol fire alarm, and detection system, ENVISION, its futuristic new IoT Cloud-based fire alarm remote access, service and site management software package, and Hush, its innovative new...

Merseyside Fire & Rescue Authority (MFRA), part of the Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service (MFRS), has begun a 12-week consultation on proposed changes, to emergency response cover in Aintree and Croxteth, following initial approval to create a new superstation and training center. The consultation will run from 15th July to 7th October 2021. Integrated Risk Management Plan The plans were outlined in a recent consultation on the innovative Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) for 2021-2...

The new PP-250 can be used as a stand-alone paging amplifier or to add 250-Watts of power to existing paging systems. “The PP-250 amp is an economical paging solution both financially and for its small footprint. A lot of power is packed into that small chassis,” said Paul Speltz, Senior Engineer, Viking Electronics. Paging amplifier The PP-250 is a rack-mounted paging amplifier that provides 250 Watts of paging power. The unit is compatible with both 25V and 70V paging speakers....

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...

Johnson Controls, the globally renowned company for smart, healthy and sustainable building solutions, has launched the Johnson Controls Community College Partnership Program. As part of the program, Johnson Controls will give US$ 15 million, over the next five years, to support academic scholarships at non-profit community colleges. community college Program Starting in the 2021‒2022 academic year, Johnson Controls’ program will endow a total of US$ 1 million to ten community colleges a...

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 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...

Ministers have approved a new apprenticeship scheme for fire engineers but without an end-point assessment body in place, universities won’t be able to offer it in the autumn. This new qualification route for fire engineers comes at a time when demand for this expertise is on the rise. Planning Gateway 1 requires a Fire Statement to be produced. When this first stage of the ‘golden thread’ for buildings comes into force on 1 August, fire engineers will be needed to help comple...