Fire Safety Risk Assessment - News

BSI, the business improvement company announced the acquisition of Q-Audit, a JAS-ANZ accredited healthcare auditing body based in Sydney, Australia, and Auckland, New Zealand. The deal will see Q-Audit become part of BSI’s assurance business and will operate under the BSI brand. healthcare services certification expansion The acquisition of Q-Audit strengthens BSI’s expansion of its healthcare services certification business in both the Australian and New Zealand market, supporti...

Two family pets sparked catastrophes when they unknowingly turned on hobs with their paws adding to the list of kitchen blazes tackled by Kent firefighters in January. In Sittingbourne, on 28 January, Moss the border collie jumped up at a cooker to reach his owner’s leftovers and turned on three gas rings, two of which ignited and set fire to a cushioned tray left on top of the hob.  Since, Kent Fire and Rescue Service had previously visited the property to carry out a Safe and Well...

For the third consecutive year, Rapidrop Global Ltd has been ranked in the Cambridgeshire Limited Top 100 Companies. This year it has jumped an impressive 9 places, from position 84 to 75, and hope to continue climbing up the list over the coming years. Cambridgeshire Limited is part of an annual series of business analyses by the county initiated by Grant Thornton, which provides an in-depth financial analysis of the county’s 100 privately-owned companies based on turnover. Well-positio...

The Fire Protection Association’s (FPA) Building a Safer Future Seminar, held on Monday, January 27th, 2020 in London (sponsored by BAFE), played out the on-going discussion of competency within both the combined construction and fire safety industries. Chair of the event and Managing Director of the FPA, Jonathan O’Neill OBE, opened the seminar affirming his continued “whole-hearted” support for Third Party Certification, stating “I have been banging the drum for...

Avon Fire & Rescue Service (AF&RS) and Avon and Somerset Police (ASP) are aiming to make Thornbury a better place to live and work by taking part in Makaton training. The two Services spent Monday evening (27/01) learning Makaton, a basic form of sign language that uses facial expressions and symbols, in the hope of making Thornbury more welcoming. Everyone involved recognises that being able to communicate is one of the most important skills in life, and even more so when it comes to e...

More than 3,100 false fire alarms were maliciously activated across England in 2018/19 disrupting schools and businesses, placing unnecessary strain on the emergency services, and reducing the confidence the general public has in fire alarms. The latest Home Office figures reveal that there were a total of 3,139 false fire alarms caused by the “malicious activation of (a) fire call point/alarm” in England during 2018/19. This demonstrates an increase of 111 on the previous...

Erickson Incorporated, an operator, maintainer, and manufacturer of utility aircraft, and Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company, and manufacturer and developer of rotorcraft and autonomy solutions have signed a development agreement aimed at tackling the future of firefighting in the 21st century. Erickson will work to develop the next generation of pilot optional nighttime firefighting solutions, integrating Sikorsky’s MATRIX™ Technology into a digitally enabled fire management syste...

Angus Fire is attending the Foam Summit hosted by JOIFF and held at the Edwardian Radisson Hotel at Heathrow Airport, London, on February 10th 2020. ‘Fire Fighting Foam – WHERE ARE WE NOW & WHERE ARE WE GOING’. Speakers from around the world – Scientists – End Users – Industry Specialists, Industrial Fire Fighters and Fire Fighting Foam Manufacturers are offering their perspective on Fire Fighting Foam addressing the question. David Plant from Angus Fire...

Bristol Fire Engineering Industries LLC (Bristol Fire Engineering), the United Arab Emirates-based commercial vehicle body manufacturer, including ambulances and mobile clinics, has been recognized as a ‘VanPartner’ by Mercedes-Benz. The VanPartner status has been awarded to Bristol Fire Engineering, after the company successfully completed an extensive review process of conversion solutions made on a Mercedes-Benz van chassis. VanPartner status for Bristol Fire Engineering The ev...

Infographics is excited to announce the release of the new FireWatch phone app for iOS and Android smartphones, supporting the drive towards increased mobile and flexible working in Fire & Rescue. The company has stated that the FireWatch phone app will be part of a webinar taking place on February 18, 2020. FireWatch phone app The FireWatch phone app for iOS and Android devices provides: Location aware capabilities with ‘roaming’ availability cover at any location. Automa...

AVK International is pleased to announce the company is launching new gate valves with PE ends in four new sizes, with outside pipe diameters of 450, 500, 560 and 630 mm. gate valves with PE ends The four new sizes are available with black/blue standard pipes in PN10 and PN16. AVK International’s range of gate valves with PE ends offers unique benefits, such as: The valve/pipe connection has no bolts and is stronger than the PE pipe itself. Possibility to obtain pipe approval that co...

Sascha Pomp has always been passionate about the fire service and the work it does. Having served as a crew chief and equipment maintenance officer in Halstenbek, Schleswig-Holstein, he has a thorough understanding of what is involved – including the problems. And one of the main problem areas he encountered was equipment management, a task which back then, in the 1980s, was still intensely manual, involving logbooks, file cards and various other paper records. So he rolled up his sleeves...

A cooking oil fire in the kitchen of Flat 41 of the 12 storey residential block of 71 flats owned by Birmingham city Council was extinguished by a single sprinkler head actuation within five minutes, probably nearer 40 seconds. This is BS 2951 installation with a pump in the 2nd floor tank room. Apart from some smoke and water damage, minimal damage was caused. Without the sprinkler this could have caused more serious damage to persons and/or property.

Bryx, a global provider of first responder technology, has announced a partnership with Linxup, a fleet and asset tracking solutions provider. This partnership allows Bryx customers to link apparatus accounts with Linxup trackers and view the accurate locations of their apparatus through Bryx software applications. Linxup integration with Bryx system With Linxup’s seamless integration into the Bryx system, first responders will benefit from the improvement in location accuracy without ha...

The Viking Corporation, a global provider of fire protection and life safety systems, has enhanced the cULus listing for its 5.6 (80) K-factor quick response COIN sprinkler. The new listing allows the VK950 upright sprinkler to protect combustible concealed spaces without the use of draft curtains in most applications, making it an ideal replacement for competitive sprinklers that have more stringent and expensive draft curtain requirements. The new VK950 UL Listing applies when sprinkler spaci...

Following increased reports of unwanted alarms caused by e-cigarette vaping and the lack of clear information in the market place, The Fire Industry Association has now published Fact File 85, covering their use and possible effects on Fire Alarm Systems. This is free to download from the FIA website. ‘dual optical’ detectors In the recent case of The Frog & Frigate, in Southampton, where vaping is allowed, smoke detectors false alarms, caused by vaping were becoming a consider...

Like they say – The best way to tackle a big problem is to unpack it and piece it down to small isolated issues.  Resolving the small, building block issues would have a compounding effect and the big problem would be gone like a breeze. The approach to fire suppression has evolved in quite a similar manner. In good old times when the concept of fire suppression meant commissioning of water-based sprinkler systems that worked on the principle of total flooding, the effectiven...

Streamlight Inc., the globally renowned provider of high-performance lighting and weapon light/laser sighting devices, has announced the release of the low-profile TLR RM 1 and TLR RM 2 tactical lighting systems for long guns. Packaged as a system, each rail mounted light features independently operating push-button and remote pressure switches. The kit provides everything users need to mount to long guns. Also available in light-only models, the TLR RM 1 delivers 500 lumens and the TLR RM 2 de...

Streamlight, Inc., the globally renowned provider of high-performance lighting and weapon light/laser sighting devices, has announced the launch of the TLR-1 HL Dual Remote Kit. The new kit, with included TLR-1 HL light, allows for the individual or simultaneous activation of the light and an external aiming device. TLR Dual Remote Switch Accessory With direct mounting to all MIL-STD-1913 (Picatinny) rails, the Dual Remote Pressure Switch permits momentary or constant activation. The company a...

Streamlight Inc., the globally renowned provider of high-performance lighting and weapon light/laser sighting devices, has announced the release of the TLR-9 rail mounted tactical light, designed for use with full frame handguns. TLR-9 rail mounted tactical light Featuring a slim, compact design, the new light offers ergonomic rear switches with either a low or high position to match users’ shooting styles, while providing 1,000 lumens for a variety of tactical and home defense uses. "T...

Streamlight® Inc., a provider of high-performance lighting and weapon light/laser sighting devices, has increased the lumen output of its TL-Racker®, an all-in-one shotgun forend light designed to fit on Mossberg 500®/590® and Remington® Model 870™ pump-action shotguns, to 1,000 lumens. The company also introduced two additional models of the light, including one for the Mossberg 590® Shockwave and a Less Lethal Orange model for Remington® Model 870™ and 8...

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on Jan 20, 2020 launched a consultation seeking views on ‘how to assess and prioritize fire safety risks and how to better understand the complexity of building risk’ to ensure that an appropriate level of safety is achieved in existing buildings. Assessing fire safety of buildings MHCLG (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) stated that they are commissioning research to develop an evidence base on fire saf...

Roadway operations bring great risks to emergency responders. The Emergency Responder Safety Institute (ERSI) reports that 44 responders were struck and killed while working on roadway incidents in 2019, and seven have been struck and killed in the first two weeks of 2020. To prevent future tragedies and enhance the safety of firefighters, EMS providers, and other responders, the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) has joined with national fire service organizations in issuing a survival mes...

ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions UK & Ireland continues to lead the market by ensuring its range of door closers do not compromise fire safety regulations. At the end of 2017, several UKAS Accredited authorities withdrew certification for almost all door closers used on uninsulated metal fire doors. With around eight out of 10 metal fire doors specified and sold in the UK being non-insulated, this left many security fire doorsets deemed non-compliant. Uninsulated metal fire doors A number of...

Dräger will be the title sponsor of Canada’s Inaugural Mine Rescue Competition. Hosted by the University of British Columbia (UBC) with support from the University of Alberta and Laurentian University, the competition will be held from February 21 – 22, 2020 and will have five, high-spirited and competitive challenges for mine engineering students from around the world to test their skills. “Safety and preparedness is crucial to the mining industry and we encourage profes...

Without doubt, the most critical moments in any rescue - and the most physically demanding - include when a casualty on a stretcher has to be lifted, lowered, loaded or unloaded. For around 100 years, Cologne-based Stollenwerk has been offering a wide range of transportation and storage solutions for use by the emergency services. User ergonomics in stretcher system Besides addressing the safety of patients, however, the latest generation of products is also increasingly factoring in user erg...

Big Bear Elks Lodge held its annual Firefighters’ Appreciation Dinner on Wednesday, January 15, 2020. Big Bear Fire Department and retirees were invited to join this celebration where the Elks Lodge recognized the Department’s Firefighter of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Elks Lodge representative Mike Anderson recognized both firefighters with plaques commemorating their achievements. Jon Bidwell and John Stein Engineer/Paramedic Jon Bidwell earned the Firefighter of the Year h...

Building security has faced a revolution in the last 10 years or so. Technological advancements have allowed for innovations and complex security solutions to be designed and developed, enabling building owners to vastly increase the level of protection on their property. in-trend security solutions It’s important users stay at the forefront of the security industry and keep up with the most recent security practices, technologies, and insights to ensure the safety of their premises is n...

Insurance statistics reveal that the most likely cause of claims in commercial buildings, retail premises, hotels and apartment blocks is water damage. UK insurers confirm that water leakage is now the costliest and most common claim made by commercial customers with a total loss in the UK alone approaching 800 million. The financial sector is particularly vulnerable to such potential losses with Data Center outages costing an average £12,000 per minute, hourly losses on the Stock Exchang...

Aico has launched the SmartLINK Gateway, the Ei1000G. This is a first in asset management and compliance, providing full visibility and remote whole system monitoring of Aico Fire and Carbon Monoxide alarm systems. Aico, an Ei Company, is pioneering the way in home life safety with new technologies and offering high quality alarms, developed and manufactured in Ireland. All Aico alarms meet UK standards and offer a variety of sensor types to guarantee protection for every home, the cornerstone...