Fire Insurance - News

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...

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...

Verint Systems (Verint), the globally renowned customer engagement company, has announced that it has been recognized as a market share leader in DMG Consulting LLC’s latest Contact Center Workforce Optimization Market Share Report.  According to the report, Verint’s five-year compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2016 and 2020 for sales of contact center WFO solutions is strong, particularly given the amount of revenue Verint earned in this sector. Verint moved into fir...

In the upcoming weeks, further restrictions regarding COVID safety may be reduced or completely removed following assessments by Governments across the nation. This poses important steps for fire safety service providers/contractors, including reviewing their own COVID-19 safety policies in the interest of employee and client safety.  BAFE would like to offer the following guidance considering the removal or reduction of restrictions: Continue to exercise a risk-based approach prior to...

The kids are due back at school which means the long haul of home-schooling is over. Although many people may be still working from home which means their children will not need to unlock or lock the house by themselves, some kids will. It might be the kids have just got their own house key or they might be used to staying at home alone after school. Either way, it is worth reminding kids about basic home security so everyone can feel and keep safe. Here are 3 tips to help kids to keep home se...

On Monday 5th July 2021, the Building Safety Bill was published. In their press release, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, Lord Stephen Greenhalgh, and The Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP state this “will create lasting generational change and set out a clear pathway for the future on how residential buildings should be constructed and maintained.” Building Safety Regulator The newly established Building Safety Regulator “will oversee the new regime and w...

The Construction Leadership Council welcomed the introduction of the Building Safety Bill to Parliament yesterday by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Alongside the introduction of the Building Safety Bill, some draft statutory instruments on scope, duty holders, and competence; as well as transitional provisions have been published.  new regulatory regime The Bill will define the scope of the new regulatory regime and includes: Establishing the new Bu...

Drones equipped with microphone arrays will help rescue workers in disaster areas to find and rescue survivors more quickly. They will detect cries for help and signals from buried victims from the air and simultaneously pinpoint their location. Macarena Varela, a scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE, is developing this technology to help victims in situations where every second counts. Equipped with Latest technology Varela descr...

The recently launched Kingford Stretch High-Vis Trousers from Leo Workwear comes with many benefits and features, included in these fantastic workwear trousers. This article covers the new high-vis trousers from Leo Workwear and looks at why they’re the highly regarded as the new king of high visibility workwear trousers. Made from Recycled polyester One of the main benefits of investing in a pair of Kingford Stretch High-Vis Trousers is the fact that these trousers are made from Reprev...

In December of 2020, the Osage Beach Fire Protection District board of directors approved the proposal to purchase a new fire boat. This new purchase would replace the oldest boat in their fleet, Marine 11. The boat, purchased from Lake Assault Boats is a 31-foot Mono Hull with twin Mercury 300 Horsepower outboard engines. The boat will come equipped with a 5 Kilowatt Generator and 1500 Gallons per minute fire pump. It will also be outfitted with multiple electronics that will be utilized to as...

LEADER (Grupo Leader), alongside its fire safety equipment distributor, SOMATICO, organized a day of technical tests for a wide range of the company’s firefighting equipment, on the 29th of June, 2021, on its premises in Octeville sur Mer, France. Technical tests day The program day included general presentation of the various ranges of firefighting equipment and BIOEX foam concentrates, including ‘Positive Pressure Ventilators’ workshop - presentation and tests that featured...

Innovative plans to increase the number of fire engines and create specialist fire stations across Merseyside, United Kingdom have been unanimously approved. The plans contained within Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service’s (MFRS) Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) 2021-24, represent a continued optimism for the fire service, after a lengthy period of cuts, which has resulted in the loss of fire stations, fire engines and firefighters. Integrated Risk Management Plan Bold plans put...

Fireworks can be beautiful, but they can be unpredictable and deadly. Numerous fires every year result from the use of personal fireworks. The possession, use or sale of any type of personal fireworks, including 'safe and sane' fireworks, is against the law in any part of the Big Bear Valley. “The use of illegal fireworks places the entire community, as well as our first responders at risk,” stated Big Bear Fire Marshal, Mike Maltby. Enforcing state and local fireworks laws With t...

Manufacturer of towers and flanges for the wind sector, GRI Renewable Industries and supplier of coating solutions, Hempel are teaming up in a strategic partnership to cooperate around innovative solutions to increase efficiency in processes and equipment for surface protection of wind turbines. The new strategic partnership is a further strengthening of a long-term cooperation between the two companies as they expand the scope to include research & development on potential innovative produ...

The second phase of the Modifiable Underwater Mothership (MUM) project has now been initiated, following the handing down of a funding decision by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. In the presence of all six partner organizations, Norbert Brackmann, the German government's coordinator for the maritime industry, presented the funding notification at the thyssenkrupp Marine Systems shipyard in Kiel. Alexander Nies of the Fraunhofer FKIE Cyber Analysis & Defense Depa...

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) has expanded its team, as part of a structural reorganization, which aims to provide improved member, technical and training services, while further raising the profile of the Association throughout the construction supply chain. The ASFP has enlarged its technical and marketing teams, in order to support and augment its rapid growth and further develop the services it offers. New Regulatory and Technical Officer appointed Ex-Chief Executi...

Most types of professionally installed security systems can be monitored, and they can all bring different benefits. The idea of the monitoring on the alarm is that when it is triggered, whether an intruder or fire alarm system, it immediately notifies a monitoring center. This means there is always someone watching over users' home, whether users are home or not. Whether users have an existing monitored alarm or would like to upgrade their current system to monitored, in this article, APE disc...

When discussing fire alarm systems in business premises, it is always centered around the safety of workers in the building. Of course, the safety of everyone, customers, or staff, is extremely important but what effects can fire have on a business’s site? When a fire strikes commercial property the effects can be devastating. This can cause considerable issues to a business, including immense issues to the running of the business. Fire Risk Assessments Checking with users' insurance co...

A residential structure fire was reported on Wabash Lane in Sugarloaf at approximately 9:10 p.m., on Thursday, June 24, 2021. Upon arrival, fire crews observed a two-story gambrel build single-family home well involved. Due to the fire intensity, fire crews were unable to enter the home, which required a defensive fire attack. Crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire within 30 minutes. Well involved structure Despite quick efforts from fire personnel and close proximity of the structu...

Chris Auger, Director of Schemes, joins Interim Industry Competence Committee (IICC). BAFE is proud to announce that Chris Auger, Director of Schemes, has accepted an invitation from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to be a member of the Interim Industry Competence Committee (IICC). The committee has been established to act in an advisory position which will support the HSE’s Building Safety Regulator (BSR). The committee will aid in developing new regulatory measures regarding l...

A Cambridgeshire company was fined £26,800 for failing to manage the fire risk from storing vast quantities of waste wood well beyond its license, after a prosecution brought by the Environment Agency. East Anglian Resources Ltd had already pleaded guilty at a hearing of Peterborough Magistrate’s Court to breaching its environmental permit. East Anglian Resources Ltd fined by Environment Agency The company had a Fire Prevention Plan in place, but persistently failed to comply with...

In anticipation of the upcoming Fire White Paper, the Fire Minister launched a new website called 'Fire England', where the government is now hosting 'trusted, transparent, and consistent' information about fire.    Previous Fire Ministers have trailed the creation of a fire-focused website for England, but it has not materialized until now. Unusually, this new website is located at www.fireengland.uk and not part of the standard gov.uk domain. Fire Kills campaign Fir...

Big Bear Fire Department received a report of an aircraft down in a residential area at the corner of Meadow Lane and Nana Avenue in Big Bear City. Upon arrival at the scene, a single-engine plane was found to have crashed into a vacant lot. Fire crews observed a fire to the aircraft, nearby fence, and outbuilding that sustained minor damage. The pilot and passenger were pulled to safety by nearby bystanders. Bear Valley Electric crews Help restore power The victims sustained moderate to seri...

The digital ingredient brand Twiceme Technology has joined forces with the Italian multisports brand Dainese to increase safety within the mountain bike segment. The Italian brand leaves no stone unturned in order to figure out how technology and innovation can be used to create the safest helmets out there while placing a large focus on usability. This mission compelled them to create the lightest full-face helmet ever made weighing in at a mere 570g even though it is filled to the br...

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) is partnering with technology firm - NBS to help architects and designers specify passive fire protection products and systems when looking at building safety design. In a win-win approach, those using the NBS cloud-based platform can now have access to appropriate high-quality guidance and technical content, helping them to produce accurate and structured specifications.  Providing product information It will also assist ASFP member...

Working with industry experts, the FPA has published a concise guide for sprinkler owners and specialist sprinkler maintenance contractors to inspect, test and maintain sprinkler systems to meet the required standards. Sprinkler system service and maintenance: guidance, records and checklists is supported and funded by RISCAuthority and is endorsed by the British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association (BAFSA). Maintaining sprinkler systems The guide is freely available to download here and cont...

Under the leadership of IAFF Financial Corporation (IAFF-FC) Chief Executive Officer Ed Kelly and the Board of Directors, Kurt Becker has been appointed Chief Operating Officer of the IAFF-FC. A wholly-owned subsidiary of the IAFF, the IAFF-FC provides financial services and investment and insurance products to members and their families. Becker, a 22-year veteran firefighter and affiliate leader with the Professional Fire Fighters of Eastern Missouri, began his new role on June 1 and immediate...

More residents than ever to benefit from sprinklers in their homes as Nottingham City Council funds fire safety improvements in their housing stock. Following the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, Nottingham City Council agreed to an £8.5 million fire safety enhancement program. Nottingham City Homes manage the Council’s housing stock and have overseen fire safety works in low-rise and high-rise blocks across the city. Nottingham City Homes The program of works has led to sprinklers be...