Firefighter Health and Safety - News

Users are all only too familiar with the “Hands, Face, Space” mantra intended to help control the spread and risk of Covid-19. Obviously, this means it has never been more important to ensure that surfaces are kept clean. This includes items such as Nittan fire alarm control panels, which have controls and touch screens used by engineers and end-users when operating them. But as with all electronic equipment, the materials used to clean them need to be chosen very carefully. Tech...

Over 70 colleagues from the fire sector gathered at the Oriental Club in Stratford Place, London to celebrate the FPA's platinum jubilee. Guests included current and former government ministers, and staff from the NFCC, IFE, and the London Fire Brigade, among many others. More than merely a victory lap or a gathering of old friends, the event was also a poignant reminder of what can be achieved within the sector with a collective and unified voice, and a singular message.  FPA C...

MSA, DuPont, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) are helping volunteer fire departments obtain much-needed gear through MSA’s and DuPont’s Globe Gear Giveaway. Now in its tenth year, the program has provided over $1 million worth of gear to assist volunteer fire departments in need. In 2021, 13 departments will each receive four sets of turnout gear and four helmets to help enhance the safety of their firefighters. The first 500 applicants also received a one-year ...

The adoption and implementation of hazard-resistant building codes is the most effective community mitigation measure against hazard risk. According to FEMA's Building Code Save Study, 65% of counties, cities, and towns across the United States of America (USA) currently have not adopted modern building codes. Getting community ready FEMA's new Building Science Resource Library, launched in October 2021, contains materials focused on creating disaster-resistant communities, including detailed...

Globally renowned Japanese life safety solutions provider, Hochiki, has launched in the Danish market, with its most powerful and sophisticated fire control and indication system yet, L@titude. Following Part 13 certification, which then paved the way for DBI approval, this market renowned system uses an interface that is available in multiple languages, simple to use and understand. L@titude life safety system The new L@titude life safety system combines the very latest hardware and software...

MSA, DuPont, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) are helping volunteer fire departments obtain much-needed gear through MSA’s and DuPont’s Globe Gear Giveaway. In its tenth year, the program has provided over $1 million worth of gear to assist volunteer fire departments in need. In 2021, 13 departments will each receive four sets of turnout gear and four helmets to help enhance the safety of their firefighters. The first 500 applicants also received a one-year NVFC m...

On October 27, the House of Representatives passed the Protecting America’s First Responders Act (S. 1511). Then on November 4, the Senate voted unanimously to agree to the House version of the bill. S. 1511 now goes to President Biden to be signed into law. “I’d like to thank Senator Grassley and Representative Pascrell, along with the many bipartisan cosponsors of the Protecting America’s First Responders Act, for their leadership in introducing and getting Congress...

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection has announced the shortlist for its 2021 Passive Fire Protection Awards, with the winners due to be announced on 26 November at the Association’s Awards Lunch at the Edwardian Hotel in Manchester. The awards will be presented by broadcaster, naturalist, and marine biologist Monty Hall. The 2021 event will see awards presented in six categories, each recognizing excellence within the passive fire protection industry, at a company and...

The Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF), the research affiliate of NFPA, has received four direct grants that will advance safety in a variety of areas. The FPRF will also serve in an advisory service capacity for several other grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency Assistance to Firefighters Grants (FEMA AFG), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and National Science Foundation (NSF). This support for FPRF projects in 2022 coordinates with the Foundatio...

The November 15 - 21, 2021 week is all about celebrating the heroes of road safety and Hardstaff Barriers is proud to be taking part in the celebrations. The Road Safety Week runs from November 15 to November 21, 2021 and is celebrating the work of people across the United Kingdom, who play a key role to make the roads a safer place for everyone. Road Safety Week Hardstaff Barriers value every single member of their hard-working team, who work around the clock to supply, manage and install th...

Six fire engines and 2,000 sets of personal protective equipment (PPE) have started their journey across Europe to Ukraine.  The de-commissioned fire engines have been donated to Fire Aid by Kent Fire Rescue Service (KFRS), together with a vast array of equipment, including PPE donated by fire and rescue services from across the country. KFRS Supports Fire Aid Mission In Ukraine KFRS Station Manager, Mike Pitney, said: “Last year, hundreds of Ukrainian firefighters worked for weeks...

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection has announced the shortlist for its 2021 Passive Fire Protection Awards, with the winners due to be announced on 26 November at the Association’s Awards Lunch at the Edwardian Hotel in Manchester. The awards will be presented by broadcaster, naturalist, and marine biologist Monty Hall. The 2021 event will see awards presented in eight Award categories, each recognizing excellence within the passive fire protection industry, at company and ind...

As a direct result of the findings of the Hackitt Report and subsequent government focus on the recommendations for the wider fire safety environment, FIREX International, the UK’s fire industry tradeshow, has taken the decision to fully commit to supporting and promoting third-party approvals, independent accreditation, and competency for construction products and services. This will mean all exhibiting companies with relevant fire protection or prevention systems and materials will need...

Heather Stefanson was sworn in as Manitoba’s new premier following a hotly contested and very close election. Her election as the province’s first female premier was, in no small part, due to the work of IAFF members. The IAFF has long said to elected leaders that they don’t have liberal or conservative issues, they have firefighter issues. Voting campaign In the final vote tally, Stefanson won by 363 votes; the margin of victory was decided by the work of the Manitoba Profe...

UK Building Regulations regularly update the importance of fire safety compliance for building structures and require all buildings to have adequate fire protection measures in place, in order to protect both property and lives. Regular fire risk assessments Regular fire risk assessments and monitoring of the quality of buildings ensure that no corner of a building remains unprotected. Most types of buildings are well-equipped with fire extinguishers, alarms and other fire safety measures, so...

Shortly before 2.30 pm, the Computer Aided Dispatch and telephony systems experienced a failure. The national contingency plan was enacted and 999 calls were rerouted to neighboring ambulance services while the fault was traced and fixed. The systems are up and running. East of England Ambulance Services also liaised with other blue-light services to ensure they were aware and could contact by other means. They would like to thank the staff who have worked incredibly hard to support patients an...

Events such as the Grenfell Tower disaster have had a profound impact on the way the construction industry reviews its building standards. Matt Ryan, the UK Country Manager at PlanRadar, explains how digital tools are providing the next step in fire safety inspection and compliance. The revelations uncovered by the ongoing Grenfell Inquiry show that, worryingly, UK housing is still falling short of the mark, when it comes to fire safety protocols. Recently, the London Fire Commissioner called f...

As Americans prepare for much-anticipated travel in the coming months, the safety of transportation and roadways is a concern for most travelers, according to a new survey facilitated by 3M. Nearly half—or 47 percent—of U.S. respondents plan to travel for a vacation or trip, within the next six months, and more than 3 out of 4 plan to travel by car. At the same time, 53 percent are concerned about the safety of transportation and roadways, when traveling outside their community. 3M...

Culminating nearly three years of work by the IAFF and congressional advocates, Congress passed legislation significantly expanding and improving Public Safety Officer Benefits (PSOB) for firefighters who die or are disabled in the line of duty (PAFRA; S 1511). President Biden is expected to sign the bill into law in the coming days. “Supporting the families of our fallen brothers and sisters is the most important thing we can do and we will never shy away from this fight,” says Gen...

Every single task at the industrial site, or for that matter, anywhere else is done with hands. One small mistake of not paying attention to hand protection could lead to a lifetime regret. Every industry takes basic safety precautions for its workers. But sometimes, the workforce needs more than just the basics. Protective gloves are an essential part of the personal protective kit. The type of gloves may differ depending on the type of industry you are operating, but not wearing any gloves sh...

MSA Safety Incorporated (MSA Safety), the globally renowned company in the development, manufacture and supply of safety products that protect people and facility infrastructures, has announced that Nish Vartanian, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Kenneth Krause, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer will present virtually at Baird’s Global Industrial Conference - 2021 on Tuesday, November 9, 2021 from 10:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. E.T. Global Industri...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and CHEMTREC are excited to announce that in honor of CHEMTREC’s 50th anniversary, five NVFC members have been awarded US$ 10,000 for their volunteer fire departments, through the 2021 CHEMTREC HELP (Hazmat Emergencies Local Preparedness) Awards. Funding is provided to strengthen the fire department's hazardous materials incident response capabilities and increase local readiness for hazmat events. 2021 CHEMTREC HELP Awards winners: Gilsum Fi...

Pierce Manufacturing, an Oshkosh Corporation company, has announced the groundbreaking of a 90,000 square foot expansion, to the company’s 360,000 square foot main facility, located at 2600 American Drive, in Appleton, Wisconsin, USA. Additional production space An additional 60,000 square feet of production space will also be added to Pierce Manufacturing’s Neenah, Wisconsin facility. Along with facility expansions, recruitment efforts have begun for the hiring of more than 200 jo...

NTEA – The Association for the Work Truck Industry recently recognized Marion Body Works once again for completing a rigorous qualification process, demonstrating successful implementation of defined business standards and conformity to applicable government regulations. Reapplication to the MVP member status is conducted every three years and Marion Body Works is honored to have once again proven our commitment to excellence for another term. Achieving MVP status validates the efforts to...

Notices were recently posted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the National Personal Protective Technology Library (NPPTL) concerning the safety and quality of 2 types of personal protective equipment (PPE) used frequently by emergency medical services personnel: medical gloves and N95 particulate filtering facepiece respirators. Medical gloves notice Medical gloves notice is issued by the FDA on Oct. 29, 2021. Thi...

The public is being urged to enjoy Bonfire Night safely on Friday, 5th November, 2021. Every year, the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) is called to people who have injuries related to bonfires or fireworks, the majority of which could have been avoided. EEAST strongly advises that people attend a professionally organized firework display, but, if they are planning on organizing their own event, here are the top tips: Keep fireworks in a closed box and use them one a...

NTEA – The Association for the Work Truck Industry has recently recognized Marion Body Works once again for completing a rigorous qualification process, demonstrating successful implementation of defined business standards and conformity to applicable government regulations. Re-application to the MVP member status is conducted every three years and Marion Body Works is honored to have once again proven their commitment to excellence for another term. MVP member status for Marion Body Wor...

The growth and development of the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) continue apace; having recently gone through a rebranding initiative one of the final steps was to install new signage at the Association’s registered office. In 2020, the ASFP moved its secretariat and management services to be under the provision of the British Coatings Federation (BCF) at their Coventry-based facility, Spectra House. This move has seen the ASFP’s professionalism and resources grow...

In the field of firefighting boots, survey results showed that maximum protection with excellent day-to-day comfort is important. Ease-of-use and a cool design were also among the key points.   The project team, made up of designers, shoe technicians, engineers, sole specialists, and emergency response organizations, set themselves the task of developing the perfect firefighting boot. Fastener Process One of the first tasks, and also quite the most challenging, was the fastener...

Congratulations to Chief Garland Goracke from Meadow Grove (NE) Volunteer Fire & Rescue for winning a personalized MSA Cairns® XF1 Fire Helmet. Goracke is the third and final winner to receive a helmet from MSA in 2021 through the MSA Cairns® XF1 Fire Helmet Giveaway in partnership with the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC). Innovative and up-to-date equipment can help improve responder health and safety. That’s why MSA and the NVFC teamed up in 2021 to provide a Cairns...