Fire Safety Policies - News

BBC’s Newsnight devoted an entire program to the building safety crisis but could find no government or developer representative prepared to go on air. As Parliament returns next week to continue its examination of the Building Safety Bill, this program was a timely reminder of how many people are financially and physically trapped by fire safety defects in their homes. biggest public policy Introducing the program, Newsnight presenter, Emilly Maitlis said, “For many the wake-up c...

Granite Workwear has announced the return of its Fristads workwear for craftsmen. The globally renowned PPE (personal protective equipment) and uniforms manufacture has introduced the new 4-Way Stretch Craftsman Trousers. Designed with outstanding stretch and durability, these Craftsman Trousers deliver in terms of quality and above all else, in terms of functionality. 4-Way Stretch Craftsman Trousers This new range of 4-Way Stretch Craftsman Trousers has many features, including enhanced vis...

The House Armed Services Committee voted to include a provision allowing federal firefighters to swap shifts in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The Federal Firefighters Flexibility and Fairness Act, HR 2059, was introduced in the House by Representatives by John Sarbanes (D-MD) in 2020. Through cooperative, bipartisan efforts, Representative Donald Norcross (D-NJ), with assistance from Representatives Rob Wittman (R-VA) and Mike Turner (R-OH), worked to include t...

The Welsh Government has published new guidance on water mist systems aimed at local authority building control and installers to assist compliance with building regulations. Automatic water mist systems for domestic and residential premises was published on 27 August. This new guidance sets out how installers of water mist systems can satisfy the requirements of Regulation 37a of the Building Regulations 2010. Automatic fire suppression is mandatory in new residential premises in Wales....

Coatings manufacturer - Hempel has completed the acquisition of Farrow & Ball, a luxury decorative paint and wallpaper company with an annual turnover of over EUR 100 million. Hempel acquires Farrow & Ball from a fund managed by the Private Equity Group of Ares Management Corporation, after having met all conditions and requirements. luxury, decorative paint, and wallpaper company “Today is an exciting day as we happily welcome the iconic, luxury, decorative paint an...

Verint Systems (Verint), the globally renowned customer engagement company, has announced the completion of the previously announced transaction to acquire Conversocial, a renowned company in conversational customer experience services, delivered over messaging channels. Conversocial acquisition On August 10, 2020, Verint issued a release, ‘Verint Expands its Cloud Platform Capabilities to Help Brands Accelerate Digital-First Customer Engagement’, stating its intent to acquire the...

“The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenging time for all of us. It has and continues to be very stressful on and off the job for our members and their families. We have now lost 49 members to COVID-19 – eight since August 3.” “Our union continues to encourage and strongly recommend that all members be vaccinated to prevent the spread of disease. The reality is, the vaccines work and our union can collectively fight COVID-19 and its variants. Please watch my video encou...

Volunteer firefighters who are also National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) members have one final chance to enter and win a personalized MSA Safety Incorporated’s MSA Cairns XF1 Fire Helmet. This is the last of three helmets that will be given out in 2021. MSA Cairns XF1 Fire Helmet The jet-style design of the Cairns XF1 Fire Helmet reduces snag hazards, provides a personalized fit, and houses its own integrated light module. Plus, the soft goods are removable, washable, and replaceable,...

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service is once again calling for people in Askern, Rossington, Stocksbridge, Dearne, Birley, and Cudworth to join their on-call firefighting teams. Despite two hugely successful recruitment campaigns in the last year, there are still some spaces at each of the above stations that the service would like to fill. On-call firefighters play a vital role in crewing fire stations right across the county. Trained to the same high standards as full-time firefighters,...

VIKING Life-saving Equipment is maintaining momentum in its development of the most complete range of safety solutions to cover the risks facing wind turbine service technicians, by introducing an easily accessible and self-contained evacuation kit located in the tower. Tower evacuation kit Following a collaborative design project, VIKING has launched a tower evacuation kit that fits snugly into what is currently an unused space between the platform handrails and the tower’s outer wall....

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) is reminding residents, as part of a month-long Fire Kills campaign, to put it out, right out if they smoke. Fires caused by smoking products kill more people than fires caused by any other item, but there are simple steps that residents can take to reduce the chances of smoking leading to a fire, including not smoking while tired, using a proper and secure ashtray, and stubbing out cigarettes properly. All of these steps can greatly reduce the ri...

RESCUE Intellitech AB is excited to announce the launch of their new product, the DeconFilter Pro S. When the company first developed the Solo Rescue Decon Washer, its goal was to develop a decontamination solution that could help reduce firefighter’s exposure to carcinogens and other hazardous substances, in a quick, easy and safe way. RESCUE Intellitech AB ended up doing a great job and their machines have now been shipped throughout the world to countries on four different continents....

Global HSE is supporting Fire Door Safety Week. A campaign was created to engage and educate building owners and building users on the importance of a fully compliant and functioning fire door. This article will help give a better understanding of what is a fire door, the components that make one up, and how to maintain and inspect them. What is a fire door? Fire doors are a legal requirement in almost all commercial buildings and residential properties including blocks of flats, sheltered ac...

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) is launching a new magazine to update its members and the wider fire, design, and construction sectors with news of ASFP activities, and to report and comment on issues affecting the passive fire protection industry. Ignite The new magazine, Ignite, will be produced three times each year. With the first edition scheduled for publication in November/December, it will also be distributed at the Association’s Awards Lunch on the 26th of...

Granite Workwear puts the spotlight on the Welding & Foundry industry. One of the most dangerous industries to work in is where workers are constantly working with dangerous equipment and machinery. Welding gear needs to be incredibly flame retardant, so as to prevent any sparks igniting clothing. Another important attribute for welding and foundry gear to have is UV protection. The intensity of the light produced can induce sun burns and even blindness. As such, it is vital to make sure no...

Loudoun County has established a voluntary database that provides emergency responders with important health information, in compliance with Virginia’s Marcus-David Peters Act, which was signed into law in December 2020. Virginia’s Marcus-David Peters Act The law aims to provide behavioral health responses, when an individual is experiencing a crisis, related to mental health, substance abuse or developmental disability, in the US state of Virginia. The bill requires that by July 1...

Armstrong Fluid Technology has unveiled its industry-renowned Design Envelope Fire Pump unit, along with Fire Pump Manager, a new and connected service for tracking pump performance. In addition to providing important new safety benefits, Armstrong’s new Design Envelope Fire Pump holds the distinction of being the first self-regulating, variable-speed fire pump, to meet NFPA-20 (2019 Edition), Section 4.8 standards. variable-speed fire pump This innovation allows simplification of the p...

Zeta Alarms Ltd is pleased to announce that their latest EX-Pro extinguishing panel now boasts 3rd-party certification to EN 12094-1 and EN54 parts 2&4 from BSI. This modern extinguishing panel includes a LCD display showing the event history along with adjustable flood times and countdown of extinguishing sequence. The panel has 5 on board outputs with the facility to add a further 3 or 8 using an optional PCB, which can be mounted within the panel enclosure.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service has welcomed nine new on-call firefighters to stations across the county. The group completed their phase one, 10 week training course this month and now have the core skills required to operate safely as a firefighter with their new stations. The on-call firefighters will now respond to a wide range of emergencies in their communities, which could include anything from rescuing people trapped in cars following a collision, to responding to a local house f...

PlanRadar has announced a new partnership with IFC Group (International Fire Consultants), one of the United Kingdom’s renowned fire safety consultancies. From the end of August 2021, IFC Group will use PlanRadar in the field to manage inspections, fire risk assessments and audits, across their projects globally. The company supports its clients at every stage of their projects, from design to delivery and maintenance, and on projects of all sizes and levels of complexity. PlanRadar &nda...

The Government has announced an extension to the date ending recognition of the CE Mark in Great Britain. CE Marked goods may continue to be placed on the GB market until 1st January 2023. This extension means that all product sectors have until 1st January 2023 to prepare to use the UKCA Mark, except Medical Devices. The UKCA Mark can be used and the Government is encouraging businesses to start using it as soon as possible, with it becoming mandatory for placing goods on the market...

South Yorkshire’s fire service is up for a major national award celebrating its work with diverse communities. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service has been shortlisted in the ‘diverse company’ category at this year’s National Diversity Awards. The service has been shortlisted for its work to train and empower staff, promote inclusive recruitment processes and involve diverse communities in its work. The nomination pitches SYFR up against seven other organizati...

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection has published three new Advisory Notes offering guidance on the fire protection of structural steel. 2021 version Addressing specific concerns identified by the industry, the ASFP's Advisory Note 19 sets out its position on the use of critical steel temperatures above 650°C. In an update to the previous edition from July 2020, the 2021 version notes: 'It is vital to ensure that the appropriate limiting temperature is used in the spe...

Steve Emery shares his thoughts on what conservation professionals should put into fire strategies for historic buildings. In the latest edition of the Built Environment Journal published by RICS, the issue of fire safety in historic buildings is explored by the University of Oxford’s fire officer. Fire risk assessment He takes the view of the conservation professional and how they need to look at historic buildings through a fire safety lens to avoid the experience of high-profile fire...

BSI Group (BSI), in its role as the UK National Standards Body, has published a new set of requirements for the implementation of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) in development projects, including individual house-builds, large-scale developments and estate management. The loss of biodiversity as a result of human activity is having increasingly severe impacts. As a result, governments, businesses and organizations of all types are acting, not only to protect biodiversity, but to ensure it thrives....

For the second year, DripDrop Hydration (DripDrop ORS), a renowned rehydration therapy company, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), the global association representing the volunteer fire, EMS (Emergency Medical Services), and rescue services, have teamed up to provide dehydration relief to volunteer firefighters. Oral rehydration solution (ORS) DripDrop is providing 200,000 sticks of their oral rehydration solution (ORS) to volunteer fire departments across the U.S. The donation co...

HURST Jaws of Life has been nominated for the NC Chamber’s Coolest Thing Made in N” competition, a contest that allows the public to both nominate and vote for their favorite North Carolina-manufactured product. “We’re proud to call Shelby, North Carolina, home, and we’re honored to have HURST Jaws of Life recognized as one of the ‘coolest things’ made in North Carolina,” said Britt Hawkins, Manager, Marketing Services, for the rescue tool whose n...

The Scottish Government has launched a new campaign to raise awareness of new fire safety laws that mean all homes must have interlinked smoke alarms from February 2022. The Building and Fire Safety Ministerial Working Group was established after the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 to review Scotland’s existing building and fire safety regulatory frameworks. Their work has resulted in several changes in Scotland including this new approach to smoke alarms. New regulations New regulations un...

Fire and rescue services across the UK worked with partners to respond to the impact of COVID-19. Making a difference provides a series of short case studies to show the range of activities that services did over the last 18 months; it recognizes that the pandemic is not over and services continue to help communities in many different ways.  Phil Garrigan is the NFCC lead for the COVID-19 response. He said: “The pandemic was unlike anything else we have...

Safety reporting body - CROSS-UK published a report earlier this month highlighting the fire risks from poorly maintained green walls, as changes to fire safety law mean that the external walls will become part of fire risk assessments.  Green walls have been a popular way of making urban areas more attractive, contribute to biodiversity and help mitigate the impacts of climate change. Close-down procedures This new report from CROSS-UK discusses how building close-down procedures that...