COVID-19 - Case Studies

An outpatient diagnostic and rehabilitation unit at an Isle of Wight hospital has been deemed unfit for purpose due to fire safety failings. The Laidlaw unit at St Mary’s Hospital, Newport was found to have disconnected alarms in the roof space of the ward and ‘inadequately sized and positioned’ fire exits, as detailed in a report produced for the Isle of Wight NHS Trust. Fire safety failings This will mean that safe evacuation will be compromised, as there will be minimal w...

MSA Safety Incorporated (MSA) has announced that it has been awarded a US$ 9 million contract from the London Fire Brigade to supply firefighters with MSA’s new M1 Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) and telemetry technology. The contract was formally awarded in early July, 2022, with the equipment deliveries expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2022. Multi-phase SCBA training and deployment process The announcement also represents the beginning of a multi-phase SCBA train...

On Wednesday, May 4th, 2022, the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department (AFRD) announces partnership with RightSite Health for a new pilot program, in order to decrease transport calls for non-life-threatening emergency medical services (EMS), at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. New pilot program for ATL The program will help provide patients with medical guidance and transport in urgent-but-non-emergency situations, in order to navigate away from the e...

Masimo announced that University Hospitals (UH) of Cleveland is using Masimo Patient SafetyNet™, remote monitoring, and supplemental alarm system, to combat nurse burnout by improving workflows and reducing workloads. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to strain healthcare infrastructure around the world, hospitals are dealing with higher than usual rates of nurse turnover. Patient SafetyNet offers a technological approach to supporting nursing workflows, as both UH’s experience and...

Fitting a new life safety system to any public space can be a complex job, but when undertaking this task in a hospital, during a pandemic, the complexity increases tenfold. When Pyrotec Fire and Security were chosen as the contractors to update an existing fire detection system at Wycombe General Hospital, there was only one life safety device manufacturer that would fit the job – Hochiki. Based in High Wycombe in the heart of Buckinghamshire, Wycombe Hospital provides urgent treatment a...

Chubb recently installed a hybrid fire solution, comprised of a combination of hardwire and wireless fire systems, in Glenapp Castle, a 21-bedroom, luxury five-star hotel in Ayrshire, Scotland. The solution meets the historic Scotland preservation agency’s stringent requirements. Chubb is a part of Carrier Global Corporation, the foremost global provider of healthy, safe, sustainable, and intelligent building and cold chain solutions. Challenge The owners sought to convert the castl...

2020 saw the United Kingdom hit with a worldwide pandemic of a respiratory disease called COVID-19. It saw thousands of people hospitalized and cause a severe strain on the country’s NHS services. The UK government decided to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and assist the under-pressure NHS, by building seven new temporary hospitals, located around the United Kingdom. The seven hospitals were to re-purpose existing, multi-function public buildings, such as London’s ExCel, Birmingham&rs...

A section of new perimeter fencing has been installed in order to enhance security at the United Kingdom’s largest airport – Heathrow Airport in London. The new hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) fence at Heathrow Airport will provide protection against the potential event of a vehicle-borne attack or threat. Renowned UK-based safety barrier supplier, Hardstaff Barriers, worked alongside partner - Fernden Fencing, to install the steel ZoneGuard PLUS HVM system, a combined crash-tested...

FlamePro, a renowned British manufacturing specialist of life safety garments and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for firefighters, has been awarded a £4 million contract by Capita, to provide its firefighting PPE for the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MOD), across the next decade. Firefighting PPE tender The competitive tender, part of Capita’s contract with the MOD, saw four different PPE providers bid for the contract, with FlamePro being appointed to provide its full ensem...

Northwick Park Hospital is a major NHS hospital situated in Harrow, North West London, managed by the London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust. Steam leakage from undercrofts The lifts within the hospital are connected to the fire alarm. As a fire safety precaution, a fire event will send a signal to the lifts to travel to ground level. This will also happen when a false fire event triggers the alarm. A series of six sub-terranean undercrofts are used for service distribution, includ...

A fault-tolerant network of fire alarm control panels from Advanced has been selected to protect the 3Ts Redevelopment program at the Royal Sussex County Hospital. 36 four-loop MxPro 5 fire panels, 46 repeater panels, and two custom-built AdSpecials panels from UK-manufacturer, Advanced, are to be installed at Brighton’s 3Ts hospital redevelopment as part of phase one of the program. Phase one involves the construction of a 13-storey building with two basement levels, located on the main...

Rave Mobile Safety (Rave), the critical communication and collaboration platform that customers count on when it matters the most has announced Morris County, in New Jersey and Blair County, in Pennsylvania, are among the latest counties to leverage the company’s Vaccine Distribution Solution to identify and communicate with vulnerable populations, deliver tailored guidance and logistical information, and conduct ongoing check-ins to ensure the success of vaccine rollout. Vaccine Distribu...

Uni-Guard Fire Protection specializes in supplying, installing, and servicing fire alarms, fire extinguishers, and emergency lights across the UK. At the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, Uni-Guard was commissioned to replace an existing fire alarm system for a COVID overflow hospital. Warehouse refurbishment   A local industrial warehouse and office building in Hampshire was undergoing refurbishment for use by the NHS as a potential COVID overflow hospital. The building required a new fir...

Vimpex has supplied Agrippa wireless acoustic fire door holders to hold open fire doors at the HQ of one of England’s largest housing associations to provide an easy and effective method of infection control, while not impacting on fire safety. A COVID-secure risk assessment identified the need to reduce the touching of fire door locks and door handles at the organization’s administration offices by staff and visitors. “Reducing the spread of germs and bacteria has never been...

Swedish Sea Rescue Society (SSRS) in Sweden have enhanced their existing Sepura critical communications solution by upgrading to include Over the Air Programming, saving the team time and reducing costs while improving their programming capability. Sepura SC Series radio terminals Supported by Sepura’s Swedish partner, Northcomm Technologies (Northcomm), the rescue organization has been able to implement powerful changes to its programming capability by programming radios wirelessly, wit...

Apollo has been conducting thorough market research into healthcare buildings to gain a better understanding of the specific difficulties facing a fire detection system. In this article, Apollo explores its findings. There are over 1200 NHS hospitals across the UK, spread across 223 NHS trusts, ranging in age and complexity. Very few of them are single stand-alone buildings, instead, the sites usually represent complicated infrastructure networks that have grown and developed over a few decades...

Another project completed for The Office Group (TOG). Commfire has just completed the supply and commissioning of a new fire alarm system which also includes the PAVA system (Public Address and Voice Alarm). Fire alarm system This project usual challenges of a tight program of works, plus the added challenge of COVID-19 restrictions such as social distancing which is difficult on building sites. The fire alarm system has been designed to meet with the requirements of BS5839-1:2017 with phased...

As Australia takes careful steps to re-open its borders and economy, public safety personnel have continued to serve on the frontline throughout the nation’s lockdown owing to the global COVID-19 pandemic spread. This year has delivered extraordinary challenges for Australia’s public safety agencies, from managing safety and physical distancing in the field, to maintaining interoperable communication across state borders, during the intense pressure of natural disasters, as well as...

Cadiz Fire Brigade in Spain has recently taken delivery of new, state-of-the-art fire kit supplied by Bristol Uniforms, a globally renowned designer and manufacturer of protective clothing for emergency services across the globe. The contract was secured through Bristol’s international distributor, El Corte Ingles, who fought off stiff competition to secure the four-year contract. Ergonomic XFlex design Cadiz has ordered 780 sets of Bristol’s lightweight, ergonomic XFlex design (c...

Bryx, a globally renowned provider of first responder technology products, will be installing its Bryx Station alerting system just 25 miles west of Orlando, Florida, at Groveland Fire Department. Fire Alert device installation  Bryx’s installation will follow Groveland Fire Department’s move into its new headquarters in the brand new public safety building in early 2021. The Bryx Station system is also being installed at the nearby Station 94, with an anticipated third instal...

APE Fire & Security prides themselves on keeping up to date with current trends in the industry and innovative technology. Most recently COVID-19 has completely turned everyone’s lives upside down. This really motivated them to want to contribute to helping keep people safe and feel confident about going out again. Working with Hikvision, provided them with advanced thermal CCTV systems, they can now install systems to accurately detect elevated body temperatures, even in crowds with...

Animal disease outbreaks namely African Swine Fever (Virus from pigs), Ebola Virus Disease (Virus from fruit bats, chimpanzees, monkeys and gorillas), Avian Influenza (Virus from ducks, geese and swans), and H1N1 Influenza (a combination of viruses from pigs, birds and humans) brought devastated pandemic threats and became global challenges recently. The prevention, control, and eradication of diseases are agricultural concerns for biosafety and biosecurity to safeguard primary public-health pro...

A huge new Amazon fulfillment center on the outskirts of Bristol has installed Vimpex Smart+Guard tough polycarbonate hinged protective  covers to protect the building’s alarm call points from accidental or malicious activation, which could trigger costly building evacuations resulting in lost production and missed logistical connections. Life and fire protection system Amazon’s new 500,000 sq. feet fulfillment center at Severn Beach is designed to ensure that more people in t...

Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany, after Berlin, and home to approximately 1.8 million inhabitants, with its metropolitan region home to over five million. More than one million incoming calls must be handled by the control centers of fire services and police. The control room renewal project (in German Projekt ERneuerung LEitstellen - PERLE) will provide the two emergency services with a modern technical control room solution, in order to meet the organizations current and future re...

Malta International Airport (MIA) has resumed commercial operations as of 1st July, 2020, post the disruption in flight operations caused due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. Thermal imaging cameras at MIA Naturally, the society will undergo a revolutionary change in the way everyone lives and travels, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Preventive measures have been implemented to lessen the risk of COVID-19 virus spread with temperature screening becoming an important part of daily lives a...

XPander is Apollo’s hybrid wireless range. It offers a comprehensive solution to many problems that present themselves when installing a fire detection system. It is quick to install and requires minimal cabling. In comparison to a wired system is often 75% quicker to install. XPander has many applications, its versatility key to deciding on which type of system fits best for a building. Ideal applications: Time-sensitive Projects Minimizing Disruption to Building Operations Temporar...

A devastating fire raged through a warehouse in Lancashire, United Kingdom, requiring eight fire engines and an aerial platform to tackle the blaze, at its height. Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the fire, which took place on April 1, 2020, completely destroyed the warehouse, located at the Pincroft factory site. The facility is used to store fabrics for Chorley-based manufacturer, Carrington Textiles, which manufactures much-needed fabrics for NHS and healthcare workwear. Carring...

Nittan Europe, a UK-based renowned manufacturer of conventional and addressable fire detection products and systems, is proud to have its Evolution analog addressable fire detectors installed into the NHS Nightingale Hospital Bristol. NHS Nightingale Hospital Bristol Built in less than three weeks at the University of West of England Frenchay campus, NHS Nightingale Hospital Bristol has the capacity to provide up to 300 intensive care beds for coronavirus patients, if local services need them....

In order to fulfill their diverse tasks, fire departments need more and more equipment and devices that cannot be accommodated in conventional firefighting vehicles. With the equipment vehicle for hazardous material, the fire department now has a vehicle at its disposal which on the one hand has a large volume in the equipment compartment and on the other hand offers a system rack for firefighting equipment. Up to six roll containers can be loaded. The UP 4, which was also newly delivered, is a...

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...