Fire Protection - News

The revolutionary and progressive vehicle in existence in the fire service industry has left the concept stage and is taking big strides towards series production. Around five years ago, Rosenbauer started developing the first hybrid fire engine. This was due to be one of the highlights at the postponed world's fire service trade fair, Interschutz. Rosenbauer is now bringing the "Revolutionary Technology" out onto the stage and is entering the testing phase of the complete vehicle. CFT becomes...

Johnson Controls announces the launch of two new TYCO® pressure control valves for fire protection systems: the TYCO® Model RV-1A Pressure Relief Valve and the TYCO® Model PRV-1A Pressure Reducing Valve. The new valves offer simple, low-maintenance solutions for controlling and maintaining optimal water pressure within commercial fire protection systems. Maintains a relatively constant system pressure The TYCO® RV-1A Pressure Relief Valve automatically relieves excess pressure...

A personal protection system installed by Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS), in partnership with a local housing provider, prevented a significant house fire in the county in May 2020.  The misting unit is designed to suppress a fire to prevent it from spreading throughout a property, similar in principle to a sprinkler system. personal protective system The personal protective system (PPS) is a self-contained portable unit and works differently, as they also help keep proper...

Discussions with architects, developers and others, as well as main contractors when discussing areas of a sprinklered building frequency relate to areas where sprinkler protection can be omitted. One concern often raised with the British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association (BAFSA) is the possibility of injury or damage when sprinkler protection is installed in electrical utility rooms.  BS 5306 Part 0 standards The forthcoming iteration of BS 5306 Part 0 standards contains advice on the...

June 14 marked the third anniversary of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. As an organization, and as individuals, all have spent the last few days reflecting deeply on the Grenfell Tower disaster where 72 people tragically lost their lives and countless other lives changed forever. ‘The Bishop of Kensington, Graham Tomlin, said commemorating the fire has been "quite a challenge" because of coronavirus. Remembering Grenfell Yet thousands of people illuminated their rooms and houses green for G...

Beyond keeping the industry updated on the latest updates on the most important topics, the FIA is actively involved in these topics through its work with Government, councils and committees. The section aims to serve as a collection of the FIA’s involvement with a variety of topics and will be continuously updated moving forward with links to the relevant news story where available. This will allow one to see what FIA have done and are doing to improve the industry for the members. COVID...

Accela, a renowned provider of cloud-based solutions for government, announced the launch of its Civic Application for Fire Prevention. The solution helps fire departments increase their capacity and effectiveness and ensure they are equipped in the case of emergencies, especially amid an evolving environmental and public safety landscape. It consists of a complete system for managing permitting and inspection processes, including a mobile application available both online and offline to keep f...

Due to the current lockdown in place, there have been restrictions on access to the site, both office and customer premises.  The Certification Body however will be required to assess competence on-site but may issue temporary certification during this period. Interested parties can contact the Certification Body for their current position. Concession granted It is the BAFE position that if scheme requirements cannot be fully met due to the current lockdown issues relating to access to c...

MSA, the global front-runner in the development, manufacture, and supply of safety products that protect people and facility infrastructures, announced that Kenneth Krause, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer will participate in a webcasted conference call sponsored by Baird on Tuesday, June 16, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. ET.

The tragic Grenfell Tower fire incident occurred three years ago, on the 14th of June 2017. BAFE, the British Approvals for Fire Equipment has offered thoughts to the families and friends, at this time, who have lost loved ones and who have been affected in other ways by the saddening Grenfell Tower fire event. safeguarding lives in fire incidents BAFE have been working diligently to assist in making positive change to safeguard from any future loss of life and to dramatically improve building...

On April 29, National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) Chair Steve Hirsch asked President Donald Trump to exercise various legal authorities to assist emergency services organizations in dealing with challenges associated with COVID-19 and social distancing. Specifically, the NVFC is asking the President to: Exercise his authority under the Defense Protection Act (DPA) to encourage manufacturers to produce more personal protective equipment, like respirators, gloves, gowns, and face shields, to...

Titan are pleased to announce that they are offering a new range of luxury armored vehicles for use in corporate, government and private security sectors across Europe. Titan are now able to provide custom built armored cars including Range Rover, Mercedes Benz and Toyota Land Cruisers. The standard range offers full body armoring with B6 level protection, B6 overlaps to provide protection from bullets following linear and angular trajectories, upgraded suspension, wheel assemblies, slotted dis...

Scientists from the Institute for Fire and Disaster Protection in Heyrothsberge near Magdeburg have proven in a recent study that dangerous carbon monoxide (CO) penetrates through walls without any problems.  As the researchers report in detail in an article in the magazine of the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) (issue 2/2020), various building materials were examined. A clear passage of CO gas was detected. The concentrations detected were relevant from a to...

With recent developments in the approach out of lockdown, Fire and Rescue Services nationwide have been publishing useful advice and guidance for commercial/non-domestic buildings. A recent news item published by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) for example, announced a new fire safety leaflet “Returning to Work after COVID-19 Lockdowns” noting important fire safety measures that should continue to be followed to adhere to legislation. new safety measures BAFE has...

Brendan McGarrity, Head of Risk and Design at Evolution, the integrated fire and security systems business, has been admitted to the Register of Chartered Security Professionals. Becoming a Chartered Security Professional is a means of being recognized and continuing to represent the high standards and ongoing proficiency within the Security Industry. It is the gold standard of competency in security. Brendan says he is proud and honored to have been recognized by the Register as a CSyP: &ldqu...

At a meeting of its Council on 9 June 2020, Members of the Construction Industry Council (CIC) appointed Justin Sullivan as its new Deputy Chair commencing with immediate effect. Justin is expected to succeed Stephen Hodder MBE, the incumbent Chair, following CIC’s June 2021 Council meeting when Stephen will stand down from his two year term of office as Chair and resume the role of Deputy Chair for one last year, in accordance with CIC’s rules and byelaws. High-end residential sec...

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) has taken delivery of 32 new vehicles that will improve our emergency response and offer more flexibility in how the Service delivers fire prevention across the region. Toyota Hilux 4x4 vehicles The public will see the new Fire Service marked Toyota Hilux 4x4 vehicles out on the roads of West Yorkshire, as they are utilized to respond to emergencies alongside, not instead of, the usual fire engines we are all used to seeing. The new vehicles will...

The number of house fires in South Yorkshire is the lowest it has been for 10 years, the county’s fire service has revealed. Figures published by South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue on Wednesday 10 June, show that firefighters attended 472 accidental dwelling fires during the last financial year – 2019/20. 13% reduction That is a 13 percent reduction on the previous year – 2018/19 during which there were 542 such incidents, and is a 29 percent reduction on the 664 attended...

Reducing the spread of germs and bacteria has never been more essential. Holding open internal doors provides an easy and effective method of infection control within your workplace or business. The Agrippa door holder provides a hygienic and legally compliant solution to hold open internal fire doors, supporting infection control as well as building fire safety. Reducing door handle contact A study by the New England Medical Journal, which researched the survival of coronavirus on several su...

The FIA is offering an exclusive new member benefit service with the offer to have the CPD certified by the FIA. All are included in the cost of membership, so there is no additional cost. As part of the service, the FIA can host, market, and manage all bookings for any of the sessions which have been certified by the FIA CPD Certification Centre. The FIA will then issue CPD certificates on the user's behalf to the delegates (only if the CPD session is hosted by the FIA). Data on the attendees...

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) has taken delivery of 32 new vehicles that will improve their emergency response and offer more flexibility in how the service delivers fire prevention across the region. The public will see the new Toyota Hilux 4×4 vehicles out on the roads of West Yorkshire, as they are utilized to respond to emergencies alongside, not instead of, the usual fire engines that the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service uses. New vehicles for fire service Th...

ISSEE’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Gordon Storey announced that the organization was forced to close their training facilities with the staff working from home as advised by the UK Government. This also meant that the students attending the International Ammunition Technician’s course were also confined, in isolation, to their accommodation. With a determined combination of innovative thought, willingness, and attention to every safety concern of both staff and students, ISSEE h...

The FIA is offering an exclusive new member benefit service with the offer to have one’s CPD certified by the FIA. All included in the cost of one’s membership, so there is no additional cost. As part of the service, the FIA can host, market and manage all bookings for any of one’s sessions which have been certified by the FIA CPD Certification Center. The FIA will then issue CPD certificates on one’s behalf to the delegates (only if the CPD session is hosted by the...

Aico celebrates a significant milestone in 2020 with finishing 30 years of renowned market presence in Fire and Carbon Monoxide (CO) protection solutions. Incorporated in 1990 in Oswestry, Shropshire, United Kingdom, Aico has rapidly grown from strength to strength over its 30-year history, with the growth being marked by the move to a new, bespoke head office. New Oswestry head office The new 7-acre site came as a necessity as Aico’s growth and success has seen significant expansion to...

Whether the machine needs to endure frigid temperatures, or it must ward against operator fatigue after long shifts, no one knows a cab’s needs better than the operator. Because of that fact, every machine has specific needs for its cab in order to get the most from its operators. Be it whether that’s a simplified design, solely focused on safety, or a highly-complex set up with numerous amenities. The most efficient way for OEMs to get what they want from their machine is to work w...

Armstrong Fluid Technology has created a series of three webinars designed to help building owners, managers, engineers and contractors discover more effective and efficient solutions for their fire safety needs. Ranging from a live panel discussion with Fire Safety Experts to webinars exploring the benefits of a packaged fire safety approach and the cost saving variable speed fire pumps, the webinars are focused on enhancing building performance. The individual webinars are listed below: Arm...

The term false alarm is used widely throughout the industry to describe an unwanted activation of a fire alarm system. False alarms can be caused by: The build-up of dust on the detector Steam and other fumes activating the detector Burnt food e.g. burning toast Incorrect system testing procedures Unwanted Manual Call Point activations This poll is a snapshot of what those in the business consider to be most common. Manual Call Point related false alarms: User error (in...

AQUASYS delivers 40 wall hydrant systems with high-pressure water mist including 6 pump stations to a well-known R&D partner for the automotive industry. In case of fire they protect more than 100 component, engine, transmission, and roller testing systems in 8 buildings. The decision for the AQUASYS system was based on comparative tests where the suitability and efficiency of the system in direct competition with another existing system was tested and proven on the basis of a 1.5 MW refere...

Apollo spoke to those in the field about emergency call-outs, and the most common causes of them. The research, supported by over 130 engineers, led to similar conclusions as BRE. What are False Alarms, and how do they occur? The term false alarm is used widely throughout the industry to describe an unwanted activation of a fire alarm system. False alarms can be caused by: The build-up of dust on the detector Steam and other fumes activating the detector Burnt food e.g. burning toast In...

Intelagard is giving away up to $75,000 in fire suppression and decontamination equipment to first responders. Twelve Macaw® backpacks with three-piece nozzle sets will be awarded to fire departments, hazmat teams, hospitals, police departments, and municipalities. Dennis Smagac, president of Intelagard, stated, “As the global economy has been severely impacted by the coronavirus, we at Intelagard want to give back to those organizations that have been and continue to be crucial to th...