Fire Safety Standards - News

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...

Ballyclare has revealed details of a major new tender win with the latest additions to its XENON range of multi-functional structural firefighting clothing. The contract, which covers PPE for some 3,200 firefighters, has been awarded by three fire and rescue services in the Yorkshire and Humberside region and includes new additions to the XENON range which have been developed to meet the specific demands of this customer. Provide bespoke solutions “With today’s firefighting and re...

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...

KME Fire Apparatus, a subsidiary of REV Group®, and a foremost manufacturer of fire apparatus is pleased to announce that San Bernardino County (California) Fire Department has recently taken delivery of a new KME Tractor-Drawn AerialCat™ (TDA) and a Commercial Water Tender joining more than 50 other KME units currently in service within San Bernardino County. The Tractor-Drawn AerialCat™ Features KME Severe Service™ cab Hendrickson STEERTEK™ front axle Cum...

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...

The Virginia Professional Fire Fighters Association (VPFF) endorsed Terry McAuliffe in his bid to return to the governor’s mansion, thanking him for his support for firefighters and paramedics and vowing to join him on the campaign trail. McAuliffe is running in a tight race for governor against Republican Glenn Youngkin to replace Governor Ralph Northam, whose term ends in 2022. Northam replaced McAuliffe after his first four-year term in 2018. “Thank you for all that you did for...

KME Fire Apparatus., a subsidiary of REV Group® and a foremost manufacturer of fire apparatus, announces that Campbell Supply Company is expanding its coverage area and will now represent KME Fire Apparatus in New Jersey and Delaware. “Having recently added the KME product line in Eastern Pennsylvania, we are pleased to have additional sales and service territory for the KME brand in both New Jersey and Delaware,” said Scott Campbell, President of Campbell Supply Company. About...

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Schneider Springs Fire burning in Yakima County, Washington. The state of Washington’s request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) was approved by FEMA Region 10 Acting Administrator Vincent Maykovich on Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021, at 6:25 p.m. PT. He determined that the Schneider Springs Fire threatened to cause such destruction as would constitute a...

Starting on July 13th, the Dixie Fire has already become the 2nd largest fire in California history and the largest active fire in the United States, covering more than 670,000 acres across Butte, Lassen, Plumas, and Tehama counties and displacing thousands of people. With nearly 6,000 fire personnel deployed – spanning federal, state, and local public safety agencies, including California Governor’s Office of Emergency Management, California Conservation Corps, El Dorado Hills Fire...

KME Fire Apparatus, a subsidiary of REV Group®, and a foremost manufacturer of fire apparatus is pleased to announce that Santa Barbara County (California) Fire Department has recently taken delivery of six new KME Custom Pumpers. The new trucks will join dozens of KME apparatus currently in service within the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. The custom pumpers are built on KME’s Severe Service™ (SSX™) cab which was engineered for heavy-duty use and exposed to high...

While they all hoped 2020 would see the end of lockdowns in Australia, 2021 has brought on new pandemic-driven challenges as the COVID-19 Delta variant continues to affect the majority of states across the nation. New South Wales and Victoria are experiencing some of the harshest lockdowns Australia has seen in an effort to ‘stop the spread’ of the highly contagious Delta variant. Impact on the local businesses These frequent and prolonged lockdowns are having a significant impact...

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has approved the first UK GDPR certification scheme criteria. Recently UKAS accredited Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS) has developed criteria for two schemes relating to age assurance and children’s online privacy. This is a great example of UKAS working with regulators to bring important improvements in safety and child protection in innovative emerging sectors.

At approximately 9:27 pm, on Thursday, 19th August 2021, Joint Fire Control received the first call to a fire at a privately owned commercial garage, located in Gwaun Cae-Gurwen, a village and community in the borough of Neath Port Talbot, in South West Wales and mobilized crews from Amman Valley, Pontardawe, Ammanford, Morriston, Tumble and Llanelli, in Wales, United Kingdom (UK), to the incident spot. Due to the contents within the single-story garage, which consisted of numerous vehicles, ti...

Climate change is a crisis the UK is unable to ignore. In recent years, the impact of construction on climate change has affected atmospheric temperatures, increased the risk of flooding, and caused the destruction of natural habitat areas through the consumption of resources, poor design, and land degradation. Currently, the housing crisis present in the UK urges the need for new build homes due to the increasing human population, with hundreds of new construction projects scattered across the...

“It doesn’t matter if you’re underway to heaven or hell, you’ll still have to change in Atlanta!” No other saying expresses better the function of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia’s capital city. The airport is geographically located, that allows 80 % of the US population reachable within two hours flying time, Atlanta is the most important transfer airport in the USA: 89 % of all flights to/from Atlanta are internal...

South Yorkshire’s firefighters have responded to less deliberate fires so far this summer than in recent years, according to figures released by the county’s fire service. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (SYFR) says it has attended 997 deliberate fire incidents across May, June, and July this year–a seven percent reduction compared to the 1,073 attended during the same period last year. Against the average for May, June, and July across the last three years–which...

Ferrara Fire Apparatus, Inc., a subsidiary of REV Group® and a manufacturer of custom-built, heavy-duty fire apparatus, announces the addition of Patriot Fire USA to its nationwide dealer network. Patriot Fire USA is now the Ferrara dealer for Maryland, serving customers throughout the state. About Patriot Fire USA Located in Grasonville, Maryland, Patriot Fire USA recently opened a new facility that will provide quality service from a highly experienced team. Additionally, the facil...

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has authorized the use of federal funds to assist the state of California in combating the Monument Fire burning in Trinity County. On August 17, 2021, the State of California submitted a request for a Fire Management Assistance Grant declaration for the Monument Fire burning in Trinity County.  At the time of the request, the fire was threatening 5,053 residential structures in and around Junction City, Weaverville, Hayfork, and Douglas City,...

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has authorized the use of federal funds to assist the state of California in combating the Caldor Fire burning in El Dorado County. On August 17, 2021, the State of California submitted a request for a Fire Management Assistance Grant declaration for the Caldor Fire burning in El Dorado County.  Fire threat At the time of approval, the Caldor Fire was threatening approximately 7,500 homes in and around Pollock Pines, Grizzly Flats, Camino, a...

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) authorized the use of the federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Twenty-Five Mile Fire burning in Chelan County, Washington. The state of Washington’s request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) was approved by FEMA Region 10 Acting Administrator Vince Maykovich on Monday, August 17, 2021, at 10:39 p.m. PT. He determined that the Twenty-Five Mile Fire threatened to cause such destruction as would constitute...

Cancer is a hidden killer amongst the force. In fact, firefighters have a 68% higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer than the general population! Why? It’s simple, exposure to cancer-causing particles is high. But, this hidden killer can be stopped in its tracks, with careful PPE inspection and maintenance. Here, Reece Buchner, Technical Sales Manager at FlamePro, a British specialist manufacturer of life-saving garments for firefighters, explains how to maintain and inspect the kit....

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is pleased to announce the winners of its 2021 Annual Fire Service Achievement Awards. NVFC’s awards recipients Theodore Schroll Jr. will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by ADT, Robert James will receive the Chief James P. Seavey Sr. Health and Wellness Leadership Award, co-sponsored by VFIS and Ward Diesel Filter Systems, Paige Davis will receive the Junior Firefighter of the Year Award, sponsored by California Casualty, and t...

Firefighters have begun responding to 999 calls from South Yorkshire’s newest fire station for the first time. The new two storey, three-bay Barnsley fire station was completed earlier this month and went operational on 17 August. The energy-efficient building on Broadway, Kingstone replaces the 60-year-old fire station on the same site which had reached the end of its operational life. Firefighters had been housed in a temporary facility off-site while the year-long construction of...

Women in Fire Safety is seeking nominations for its inaugural awards recognizing excellence in the fire safety industry. The Women in Fire Safety Awards honor the outstanding achievements and contributions of all women within the fire safety community. Founded by Chloe Vickery and Kate Blake, the awards strive to address the historical gender imbalance and champion a more progressive industry. More progressive industry They said: “We hope to encourage the next generation to see fire saf...