COVID-19 - News

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy offer guidance. The Business Intelligence and Readiness Directorate, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) will be hosting a webinar 05/05/2020 to advise on the coronavirus financial support schemes available. The webinar will cover: Eligibility for small business grants Applying for a loan Tax Claiming for wages through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme  

April 30th is the day the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) was supposed to host the 32nd Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner, an event to have been attended by 1,500 fire and emergency services leaders across the country to pay tribute to the dedication and commitment of our nation’s firefighters and emergency services personnel. Back in the latter part of 2019, CFSI considered different themes for the 2020 program and selected “Recognizing Our Nation&rsqu...

In the first three months of 2020, Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA (Dräger) has announced reporting an extraordinary increase in order intake, as well as a rise in net sales. Earnings were up significantly year on year. Order intake saw a sharp rise, increasing by 116.7 percent (net of currency effects) in the first three months. High order intake At EUR 1,392.7 million, order intake was up 115.1 percent year on year in nominal terms (3 months 2019: EUR 647.6 million). Orders increased...

Fire Chief Michael Patterson and Police Chief Michael Kent are pleased to announce that the Burlington Police and Fire Departments will be among several first responder agencies throughout the region paying a special visit to Lahey Hospital & Medical Center of Burlington, on May 4, 2020, to show their appreciation to the hospital’s employees. tribute to frontline medical staff The Burlington Police and Fire Departments, which are organizing the event, will be among several neighborin...

A Cottenham based firefighter rallies his local community to donate face masks to a hospice charity. Crew Commander Roger Pake raised more than £2,000 to cover the cost of 700 N95 masks for staff at Arthur Rank Hospice in Cambridge. Roger said, “I saw the plea from the charity on Facebook and felt I could help. I know people that have family members looked after by the hospice, plus my wife works there so I am fully aware of the great work they do. This is why I was very keen to do...

Property fires across South Yorkshire look to have dropped by almost a quarter during lockdown, according to the county’s fire service. 23% reduction The reduction, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue says, is pleasing with firefighters expecting a slight increase due to large amounts of people spending more time at home. Latest figures show that crews attended 157 primary fire incidents across Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster, and Barnsley, between 23 March and 23 April. This, when compar...

Global safety equipment manufacturer MSA Safety Incorporated reported results for the first quarter of 2020. Quarterly Highlights Revenue was $341 million, increasing 5 percent from a year ago on a reported basis and 7 percent on a constant currency basis. GAAP operating income was $59 million or 17.2 percent of sales, compared to $32 million or 9.9 percent of sales in the same period a year ago. Adjusted operating income was $64 million or 18.7 percent of sales, compared to $58 million or...

The Clark County Fire Department (CCFD) is temporarily taking up to 12 suppression units out of rotation since they are experiencing a significant reduction in calls for service, particularly in the Las Vegas Strip resort area. Clark County Fire Chief John Steinbeck said the factors considered for the temporary shutdown include call volume, fire response, patient transporting, and additional in-station or surrounding resources. This is a very fluid situation. A unit that makes sense to temporar...

The campaign highlights how everyone at the company must continue to take an uncompromising approach to health and safety as Knauf Insulation adjusts to a new working environment shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic. Knauf Insulation’s CEO Jean-Claude Carlin, said: “Knauf Insulation must always be ‘As Safe As Home’ and this new campaign underlines everything that we have learnt from the COVID crisis.” Well-Being of colleagues “Safety has always been our first pr...

First Responders Children’s Foundation is providing support to first responders, including volunteer firefighters and EMS providers, who are experiencing hardship as a result of COVID-19. The Foundation is a Regional Partner of the ‘One World: Together at Home’ concert and was also featured in the ‘Fox Presents iHeart Living Room Concert for America.’ Financial support programs To help first responder families who are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundat...

May 5 is #GivingTuesday, and National Volunteer Fire Council ask that people consider a donation to the NVFC’s Volunteer Firefighter Support Fund. This fund provides a stipend to help eligible volunteer firefighters and EMS providers who have been impacted by a large-scale disaster, home fire, or have suffered loss of wages due to COVID-19. The fund relies entirely on donations, and 100 percent of donations go to help responders in need.

EMS Week is May 17-23, and year 2020’s theme of “Ready Today - Preparing for Tomorrow” is especially meaningful as EMS providers are on the front lines of COVID-19 response while continuing to provide everyday lifesaving services to their communities. One can use this week to thank and celebrate the EMS providers as well as let the community know all they do. 

A Peterborough-based fire station has donated more than £1,000 to a local hospice. Staff at Dogsthorpe Fire Station raised the money through their sports and social club. After seeing a social media post from Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice highlighting the need for support, White Watch agreed with the rest of the station to arrange a donation. Donations  Firefighter Matthew Johnson from White Watch presented the donation of £1,250 to the hospice. Matthew Johnson said, “...

Coopers Fire have continued to closely monitor developments of the Coronavirus pandemic as well as UK Government announcements and as of Monday 20th, April 2020 have re-opened the company’s factory and are continuing to manufacture fire and smoke curtains. By returning back to manufacturing, the company can continue to provide life-saving equipment for buildings, including hospitals, all over the world. Like many other manufacturers, the company recently received a letter from the right h...

In a story in the Irish Times, the use of technology using satellites and drones is being used to detect and deter wildfire starters. Conditions for the spread of fires in uplands areas, which break out annually in March and April are said to be “perfect” for forest fires after a long dry spell. Winds could also cause fires to spread faster. Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed warned that satellite imagery was being “carefully monitored” to detect when farmers or...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) created a survey to better understand the experiences of volunteer and combination fire, EMS, and rescue departments dealing with the outbreak of COVID-19 and related social distancing measures. NVFC asks that all take a few minutes to complete the survey, and that to re-take the survey each week so that NVFC can track changes over time. Based on survey and other feedback from NVFC members, answer choices related to responder mental health, morale, fun...

The NVFC created a survey to better understand the experiences of volunteer and combination fire, EMS, and rescue departments dealing with the outbreak of COVID-19 and related social distancing measures. NVFC encourages all to take the survey weekly so they can track changing needs and challenges. First Responders Children The First Responders Children’s Foundation is providing financial support to first responder families who are enduring financial hardship due to the coronavirus outbr...

Firefighters are helping two young girls to spread a little positivity across their community by flying their homemade flag. Crews at Tunbridge Wells Fire Station were presented with the colorful rainbow flag by sisters Kitti, 12, and Iris, 10. The duo, with the help of their dad Rupert, came up with the ‘together apart’ message, with the use of three linked rainbows.  Purpose Rupert said, “We created a flag to encourage social distancing and to celebrate how we can all...

Production has started again at a Norfolk factory making vital fire safety equipment for ambulances, hospitals, police, the Ministry of Defence, and the rail network across the UK. A skeleton staff of 12 workers has been drafted to Britannia Fire at Ashwellthorpe after a three-week covid-19 shutdown to meet the demand for extinguishers and fire suppression systems from the MOD, NHS, fire and rescue services, and Network Rail. extinguishers and fire systems Staff at the UK’s only composi...

This is a reminder that on April 23, 2020, CIC will be holding the third in its Age of Coronavirus series of webinars. This webinar is entitled Construction’s Recovery from the Age of Coronavirus and it is to be held on Thursday, 23 April at 2 p.m. (lasting for approximately one hour). The two speakers will be Peter Kubik/Brian Johnson from UHY Hacker Young on the financial aspects of recovery and turnaround – what is available for businesses etc. – and then Alasdair Reisner...

Following a rigorous review process, Rave Panic Button is now FirstNet® Listed and accessible via the FirstNet App Catalog. The Rave Panic Button mobile app, provided by Rave Mobile Safety, instantly communicates emergencies to 9-1-1, on-site personnel and first responders for faster, more effective emergency response. Through the app, public safety officials receive critical emergency data for situational awareness, allowing them to arrive on scene armed with the information needed to resp...

Halma releases an update regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Full Year Results announcement and AGM. Halma continue to expect the group’s adjusted profit before tax for the year ended 31 March 2020 to be in a range of £265 million to £270 million, in line with the guidance given in the group’s scheduled Trading Update on 19 March 2020. Halma expects revenues to be approximately £1,330 million and year-end net debt (excluding the impact of IFRS16) to be a...

Firefighters in Suffolk are joining forces with blue light colleagues at the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) to help provide life-saving frontline care during the coronavirus pandemic. Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service has volunteered and trained about 30 firefighters to work alongside paramedics to respond to 999 calls over the coming weeks. The firefighters are already blue light trained and will drive frontline emergency NHS ambulances, in turn freeing up paramedics to care for patie...

National Drowning Prevention Week has started, which will see Avon Fire and Rescue Service (AF&RS) focus on helping people stay safe around water in line with the Government’s guidance and restrictions that remain in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The dedicated week of action runs from April 20 to April 26 and is led by the National Fire Chiefs’ Council (NFCC) and supported by fire and rescue services all over the UK. During the week messages will be shared on AF&R...

Chief executive Alex Carmichael is keen to reiterate that SSAIB is fully operational and continues to provide certification for over 1,800 registered firms and new firms looking to join during the current COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Due to the restrictions imposed by the Government - relating to travel and social distancing – the UKAS-accredited certification body for the fire and security industries has embraced new technology to provide remote audits for certification, surveillance...

Infographics fire and rescue clients adapt to undertaking expanded duties as part of the Coronavirus response, Infographics has extended an invitation to seek support with new ways of managing, monitoring, and reporting on COVID-19-related tasks and absence. Infographics responded quickly to a number of client assistance requests and are offering complimentary client advice and assistance with the following areas: Managing resources, working code configuration, and dynamic views for COVID-19...

Chief executive Alex Carmichael is keen to reiterate that SSAIB is fully operational and continues to provide certification for over 1,800 registered firms and new firms looking to join during the current COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Due to the restrictions imposed by Government - relating to travel and social distancing – the UKAS-accredited certification body for the fire and security industries has embraced new technology to provide remote audits for certification, surveillance and r...

Due to the escalating coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), Messe Frankfurt New Era Business Media Ltd and ABEC Exhibitions and Conferences P Ltd, have decided that Secutech India will not take place in 2020. The decision is the result of travel restrictions and strict social distancing guidelines currently in place across India, and a lack of availability at the fair’s venue – the Bombay Exhibition Centre – during an appropriate time later this year. The fair will take place at th...

To help meet demand for hand sanitizer during the COVID-19 pandemic, two Honeywell chemical manufacturing plants are producing hand sanitizer. Behind-the-scenes, those facilities had to be reconfigured to be able to make the hand sanitizer. “We leveraged remote working tools to accelerate cross-functional decision making from the regulators to Honeywell down to the operating business,” said Omar Viking, general manager, who has been in the specialty chemical industry for more than...

The current global spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has prompted Protectowire FireSystems to inform all of the company’s customers that there may be interruptions in their supply chain going forward as this crisis develops. The company has been monitoring their suppliers and working closely with them to ensure that any shortage or failure to supply is kept to an absolute minimum. possibility of greater fluctuations However, the Coronavirus situation is changing daily and there is alw...