Fire Safety Standards - News

The National Fire Protect Association (NFPA) launched its 125th Anniversary Quiz Sweepstakes to test participants’ knowledge of the association, and to celebrate the collective work, energy, and commitment of the countless groups and individuals who have contributed to the association’s achievements over the past 125 years. In honor of NFPA’s birthday (the association was founded in November 1896), the quiz features 10 questions that address NFPA history, milestones, and resou...

UKAS is pleased to announce that Technical Manager, Kevin Belson, has taken the position of Chair of the Technical Committee for the International Accreditation Forum. As well as congratulating Kevin on his appointment, they would like to extend good wishes to JAS-ANZ’s General Manager of Accreditation, Steve Keeling, who precedes Kevin in this role. Along with UKAS’ Accreditation Director, Lorraine Turner, who currently chairs the Inspection Committee of the International Labo...

UK Fire Safety legislation requires that the responsible person must ensure that the premises and protective measures are subject to a suitable system of maintenance. Maintenance is essential for any equipment, but particularly for safety critical uses such as fire safety equipment.  Maintenance system should cover all fire safety equipment The maintenance system should cover all fire safety equipment, systems and facilities The maintenance system should cover all fire safety equipment,...

 Verint®, The Customer Engagement Company™ announced its November online events featuring trends in AI and digital-first engagement, personalization, and social messaging. AI at Your Service: How Contact Centers Can Make the Most of AI in a Digital-First World Nov. 2, 1 p.m. ET Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an increasingly important role in customer engagement enhancing the effectiveness of many customer service and contact center solutions, including intelligent virt...

MSA Safety Incorporated (MSA Safety), the globally renowned company in the development, manufacture and supply of sophisticated safety solutions that protect people and facility infrastructures, is exhibiting at the ADIPEC 2021 event, which is taking place from November 15 to November 18, 2021, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Hosted by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), ADIPEC is the world’s most influential meeting place where oil, gas, and energy companies and profess...

UKAS is pleased to publish the Annual Report for the financial year of 2020/2021.  In line with the new logo, symbols of accreditation and website, that were unveiled at the start of 2021, the Annual Report has also been updated to reflect the refreshed branding. Importance of accreditation The content of the report has also been expanded, containing a range of articles that highlight the importance of accreditation in its role of delivering confidence in the products and services t...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) has launched a new partnership with Anglian Water. The partnership will help the Service reach out to those most vulnerable in the community and support them with fire safety advice, as well as other areas to help keep them safe and continue to enjoy independence. From November 2021, both organizations will share in a secure and responsible way, selected data to ensure both can support the safety and wellbeing of the most vulnerable reside...

Congratulations go to the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue team who took part in the British Firefighter Challenge earlier this month at Moreton-in-Marsh. The British Firefighter Challenge is an annual sporting event which pushes firefighters to their limits, provides a day of entertainment for spectators, and raises funds for the Firefighters Charity. Very challenging event MAWWFRS came 3rd overall and Watch Manager Dom Norcross was presented with the silver medal for his age group categor...

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) released a new fact sheet highlighting some of the key takeaways in Fire in the United States Since 1980, Through the Lens of the NFPA Fire & Life Safety Ecosystem, a seminal research report that was released earlier this year. The new at-a-glance resource conveys key insights from the 63-page report so that fire and life safety professionals can quickly see the progress that has been made over the decades since the America Burning repo...

Happy First Responders Day! In 2021, Congress passed a bill designating Oct. 28 as a federal holiday to honor the sacrifice of firefighters, EMTs, and police officers around the country. The law declares that “during times of national crisis, first responders have consistently been a source of aid, hope, and comfort for all Americans.” GEFD thanks volunteers and all the tireless professionals in the community for the time and toil they dedicate to service.

While most U.S. emergency communications centers (ECCs) use a CAD system to dispatch 911 calls and facilitate records management, few CAD system components are uniform across vendors. This can create problems transferring emergency calls and associated data, such as caller location information. It can also create problems with the transfer of call information to first responders in the field via public safety broadband networks. These transfer functions are important capabilities for enhancing...

Halloween is just around the corner. Kids and adults alike are busy carving pumpkins, decorating their houses and preparing to wear their scariest outfits, on the spookiest night of the year. But, putting the trick or treating and fun aside, October 31 can also be one of the riskiest times of the year, particularly for burglary, criminal damage and violent crime. Spike in crimes during Halloween In recent years, major newspapers in London, Surrey, West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Devon, Ca...

The Community Safety Team at Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service are urging those with fuel burning appliances, fires, and stoves in the community to install working Carbon Monoxide (CO) detectors, following a lucky escape by a Milford Haven resident, after a Safe & Well Visit by the Fire and Rescue Service. Earlier in October 2021, On-Call Firefighters at the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, Neil Phillips and Huw Davies, who are currently assisting the Community Safety Te...

Rosenbauer is working vigorously on expanding the electric vehicle fleet for fire departments. After the RT tank firefighting vehicle and a logistics vehicle, the first L32A-XS aerial ladder is now also being electrified.   The top priority of the development engineers is to make the electric aerial ladder just as functional, powerful, and reliable as the proven standard aerial ladder and to ensure the same ease of operation, serviceability, and spare parts availability.   That's w...

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has released findings from its latest “Fire Loss in the U.S.” report, which shows that the total number of U.S. fires overall rose eight percent from 2019 to 2020. While some year-to-year fluctuation is normal, this increase reflects a far from typical year due to the pandemic. “In 2020, more people were working and studying at home, commuting far less, and spending more time socializing outside,” said Lorraine Carli, Vice...

With 20 exhibitors and 180 delegates, FIM Expo offered an excellent opportunity for networking and conversations with individuals from all sectors of the fire industry. This event's exhibitors were: Advanced - Emergency Lighting, Advanced, Aico, Apollo, C-Tech, Drax360, Eurotech Fire Sytems, FFE Group, Everlux, Fireco, Firepro, Global Fire Equipment, Hochiki, Honeywell Morely, Hyfire, Kentec, Nittan UK, Tio Fire Safety, Vimpex, Wagner. Meeting influential people In addition to this, it was fa...

Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) is at the center of a new initiative to support homeless people and rough sleepers to live safely in temporary accommodations before moving into permanent homes.  With government direction, charities have been working to provide people living on the streets with shelter in hotels and bed and breakfasts during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the fire service recognized the need to offer support and safety advice to those living in new and unfamiliar accommodat...

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service announced that the fire service has issued three top safety tricks, in order to help prevent unnecessary Halloween hazards during the festive period. Working with West Yorkshire Police and other partners, the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is campaigning for people to be mindful about keeping themselves and others safe, in the build up to Halloween, Sunday, October 31, 2021. Safety tips to prevent Halloween hazards The West Yorkshire Fire and Res...

Verint®, The Customer Engagement Company™ announced that Verint has been named a leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide General Purpose Conversational AI Platforms 2021 Vendor Assessment Report.  After a thorough evaluation of vendor strategies and capabilities, IDC positioned Verint in the Leaders category for delivering robust conversational artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. IDC MarketScape assessment The IDC MarketScape assesses the products, services, and compe...

Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, former Assistant to the General President for Technical Assistance and Information Resources (TAIR) and President and CEO of the International Public Safety Data Institute (IPSDI), is the new United States Fire Administrator. Dr. Moore-Merrell was appointed by President Joe Biden at the urging of the IAFF. She also had widespread support from other fire service organizations. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell swore Moore-Merrell in...

In addition to two of our own webinars, we’re also running a compliant testing session in partnership with Carrier and joining forces with Apollo as they run their latest ‘Service, Test and Maintenance’ webinar.  All these webinars are scheduled for November and are available to book now. Testing Single & Multi-sensor Detectors – in partnership with Carrier A session dedicated to customers of Carrier, providing detailed training on the testing of all de...

Bosch Building Technologies plans to acquire Protec Fire and Security Group Ltd., headquartered in Nelson, UK – one of the system integrators for security and fire detection technology with an innovative product portfolio. Corresponding agreements were signed by Bosch and Protec on October 22, 2021. Protec employs around 1,100 employees at its nine European locations in the UK and the Netherlands and generated sales of GBP 125 million (around 142 million Euro) in the fiscal year 2021 acco...

The IFSS Coalition has unveiled its new guidance document to address differing or non-existent fire safety requirements in countries across the world. A global coalition of over 80 fire safety leadership organizations on Monday, 11 October, 2023, launched a new Global Plan for a Decade of Action for Fire Safety 2022-2032, to ensure an internationally consistent approach to the safety and management of buildings, infrastructure and more with the aim of saving lives by reducing risk and preventin...

Emergency call handlers are celebrating a decade since the country’s first combined fire control launched. On October 25, 2011, the 999 call functions for Cambridgeshire and Suffolk fire and rescue services joined together to form the first collaboration of its kind. Today marks the tenth anniversary of the combined control room taking calls for both counties. fire service By joining forces, this collaboration has saved each ...

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service is supporting the National Fire Chiefs Council’s (NFCC) Student Fire Safety Week campaign. Running from October 25 to October 31, 2021, the campaign raises awareness on the risk of fire to students starting out on their journey into university life. Sion Slaymaker, the Head of Business Fire Safety for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said, “For many young adults, this is the time of year when they start a new chapter in their live...

Dräger has earned a place on the Emergency Response Equipment and Associated Services Framework agreement C00268, awarded by the NFCC Fire Commercial Transformation Program along with the contracting Authority West Midlands Fire Service. Thermal imaging camera equipment supplied by Dräger, a pioneer in the fields of safety and technology, will now be available to the National Fire Chiefs Council’s (NFCC) through its Emergency Response Equipment (ERE) framework, with the company...

As the world prepares for COP26, the time for action and concrete agreement to reduce carbon emissions and invest in the future. Government and industry have a crucial opportunity to agree on tangible commitments, that benefit future generations across the world. The role as part of the Built Environment and Construction Sector (which accounts for 38% of global carbon emissions) is vital. The Construction Leadership Council’s Construct Zero program is heading the industry’s drive to...

CIC has been welcomed by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) as its newest and twentieth Member, following a positive vote at the UKAS AGM, which took place on 19 October 2021. certification, and inspection UKAS is the government-appointed sole National Accreditation Body, whose role is to provide oversight of testing, certification, and inspection organizations across the full spectrum of economic activity. UKAS is a not-for-profit, non-profit-distributing independent company ope...

The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) has welcomed the Construction Industry Council (CIC) as its newest and twentieth Member, following a positive vote at the UKAS AGM. UKAS is the government-appointed sole National Accreditation Body, whose role is to provide oversight of testing, certification, and inspection organizations across the full spectrum of economic activity. Important link to the sectors UKAS is a not-for-profit, non-profit-distributing independent company operating un...

National Housing Federation research shows that one in ten new affordable homes to rent or buy in England can no longer be built because of the costs of fixing fire safety defects.   The NHF surveyed 106 housing associations, with 61 reporting that they have discovered dangerous materials on their buildings since the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017. This is despite those buildings having been signed off as meeting building requirements at the time they were built. Author's quote The NHF est...