Firefighter Health and Safety - News

Behind every great firefighter is a department and behind every great department is Firehouse Expo, the trade show and expo for the fire industry, offering all the behind-the-scenes tools, training, equipment and exposure to the ideas and inspiration firefighters need to be bright and brave in the business. Amkus recommends not to miss the event that everyone is talking about. Firehouse Expo, the fire-service event in North America, is bigger than ever. 2020’s event includes 32 hands-on t...

At the sound of the gun, six lifeguards (four men and two women) jump into the water with red rescue buoys in their hands. As the life guards swim toward the six struggling victims 25 yards away, their rescue buoys trail along behind them. As contact is made with the drowning victims, the lifeguards talk to them and then tow them back to safety toward the shallow end of the swimming pool. While all this is going on, the bleachers, stands, and pool deck are filled with excited and cheering spect...

The Standard of Care in Lifeguarding law requires lifeguards to act or behave toward other individuals in a certain, definable way, and, under given circumstances, the lifeguard has a duty to act or refrain from acting. Generally speaking, the lifeguard must be concerned about the safety and welfare of other individuals when his or her behavior or activities have the potential for causing others injury or harm. The manner in which a lifeguard is expected to act or behave is referred to as the &l...

Because of the major health concerns today, there is a major reluctance among emergency service personnel to perform direct mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing on an unknown victim. When confronted with a resuscitation emergency, response personnel do not always have the luxury of using a resuscitation unit, which would be carried on a fire engine or in a police car. Even if the equipment is available, they can’t always wait to obtain the equipment before resuscitation efforts are begun. The...

With changes to pool operations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are also recommended changes to how lifeguards respond to medical emergencies. Based on current recommendations, Lifesaving Resources Inc. has outlined Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for swimming pools, waterparks and other aquatic venues to follow for lifeguard training. Importance of effective lifeguard training Lifesaving Resources believes that preparing the staff with the new COVID-19 restrictions in mind i...

Responding to Cardiac Arrest calls during the Coronavirus pandemic has required First Responders to modify protocols to reduce risk to responding personnel while providing lifesaving care to patients. Throughout this COVID-19 pandemic, Lifesaving Resources will continue to update best practice protocols for EMS, Fire, Law Enforcement, Lifeguards and other responding personnel. As scientists and medical teams continue to research the COVID-19 Coronavirus, new information is frequently released r...

Milipol Qatar 2020, the Middle East’s international event for Homeland Security and Civil Defense which returns to Doha this October, will feature a powerful three-day seminar program in which decision makers and security experts will outline major strategies for a safer post-COVID-19 world amongst other main foresights. The program will run alongside the 13th Milipol Qatar at the Doha International Exhibition and Convention Center from October 26-28. biometrics, Cybersecurity And C...

Fireco has released its newest innovation, Germgard, a smart sanitizer combined with digital signage. Germgard has been designed to promote awareness of the importance of hand sanitization to all building users. With the outbreak of COVID-19, good hygiene practice has become more important than ever before. Fireco has already helped many customers improve their infection control with their hold-open devices, which can reduce the need to touch door handles. However, they wanted to help their cus...

East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) and Her Majesty’s Coastguard are trialing an initiative that aims to improve response times to search and rescue missions on the northeast Suffolk coast. One of HM Coastguard’s six response vehicles in Suffolk has been based at Saxmundham Ambulance Station since the summer and the new location is expected to significantly cut response times to incidents on the coast. This co-location will also improve joint working between HM Coastgua...

At the start of April this year, BAFE published information for SP101 Registered Companies regarding coronavirus and the multiple factors related to fire extinguisher technician requirements.  BAFE earlier this month resumed technician assessments and BS 5306 Exam invigilation (where safe to do so). SP101 Scheme Now that COVID-19 restrictions are beginning to ease, BAFE would like to announce that refresher, asbestos awareness, and health and safety training will now resume under normal...

ImageTrend, Inc. announced the release of the second annual Health of Our Emergency Responders: A CrewCare Report. This new report is comprised of anonymous aggregate first responder data collected throughout 2019 from the CrewCare Mobile App. This app currently provides insight into stress and mental well-being support to over 5,000 first responders and healthcare workers. The goal of this report is to provide insight into life stressors and associated factors related to careers, physical heal...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) will be taking part in #KnowExactlyWhere week with emergency services, local authorities and organisations around the United Kingdom (UK), in order to raise awareness about the free what3words app - and how it can be used to save precious time, resources and lives in an emergency. what3words has divided the world into a grid of 3m x 3m squares. It has given each square a unique combination of three words - a what3words address. ///ports.rests.stint,...

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FSRI) released a report detailing a deflagration incident at a 2.16 MWh lithium-ion battery energy storage system (ESS) facility in Surprise, Arizona. The report provides a detailed technical account of the explosion and fire service response, along with recommendations on how to improve codes, standards, and emergency response training to better protect first responders, maintenance personnel and nearby communities. "The ability to study lithium-ion ba...

Bristol Uniforms’ new stock styles for structural PPE are proving popular with fire and rescue services around the world, with orders received from Malaysia to Germany to Saudi Arabia, and many customers already putting their new kit through its paces. Bristol uniform stock styles Launched at the end of last year, the three stock styles (XFlex, Ergotech Action CEN and Ergotech Action NFPA) are particularly suited to international customers since they adhere to a variety of international...

Spartan Emergency Response, a subsidiary of REV Group and a globally renowned manufacturer of fire apparatus, announced the launch of its newest model, the Ladder Tower NXT 110’ Rear Mount Aerial. NXT 110’ Rear Mount Aerial Designed with more flexibility for enhanced performance and safety, the NXT 110’ Rear Mount Aerial ladder eliminates the traditional pump house through a unique configuration, which allows for a shorter wheelbase and overall length, to provide greater mane...

Because of new social distancing standards brought about by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many workers are increasingly operating physically further apart from one another. At times, this may be due to a workforce that’s been reduced in numbers due to affected team members or it may be because employees are working different shifts to accommodate for new work standards. The underlying reason for these changes is the highly contagious nature of the coronavirus disease.  This pandemi...

The 12th annual ImageTrend Connect Conference – Connect 2020 came to a close on Friday, July 24, 2020, after a week of education, idea sharing and networking with peers, all while taking place in a hybrid setting. Connect 2020 event brought administrators and users of ImageTrend solutions together from 41 US states from the comfort and safety of their own homes. Connect 2020 conference event Highlights of the Connect 2020 event included the release of ImageTrend Aware, a free mobile app...

While many of the larger reel models have featured riveted construction for years, Hannay announces that they have now replaced bolted construction on a smaller (trapezoidal frame style) hose and cable reels with riveted construction as well. This change is universal for all hose reel and cable reel models using this style of frame. Specifically, the new small frame design uses 12 self-piercing (zero-clearance) rivets per assembly, resulting in an extraordinarily strong, durable reel that elimi...

East of England Ambulance service hit all national standards for June and significantly reduced long-waits for less serious call-outs, according to latest performance figures. The latest figures showed that, in addition to meeting all national standards last month, the service had also: Cut waits of over an hour for category 2 patients by 90 percent Had no waits of over an hour for category 3 or category 4 patients Seen no increases in patient harm during this stage of the COVID 19 pande...

6 part webinar series on firefighter cancer risk reduction. Join the VCOS and NVFC for a 6 part webinar series, where one will explore some of the most important information one needs to know when it comes to firefighter cancer risk reduction. The webinar will also discuss the importance of early detection and what to do when a firefighter has cancer. February 18: Exposure DocumentationExplore and learn about apps available for documentation that one can implement in one’s department. Th...

Continuing its transition from component supplier to provider of integrated solutions, focused on solving complex problems, IDEX Fire & Safety is tapping into its vast cadre of talent, to name new roles and responsibilities that will guide the company in its strategic growth. The new promotions and role expansions recognize 11 company leaders and industry experts. Integrated solutions provider “We continually strive to provide end users and our channel partners with integrated solut...

The multi-year agreement will see the launch of the Fire and Security Matters Awards, which take place at the Ricoh Arena in 2022 with entries for the event set to open in the year 2022. The event aims to recognize excellence and innovation in the fire and security sectors and will be supported by the industries’ publications Fire Safety Matters and Security Matters. Fire Safety Matters will also publish an essential annual guide to the UK’s fire safety sector in...

Following a decision of its Board, Euralarm has welcomed its newest member, Vanderbilt. The company will join the Security Section of Euralarm. The Security Section represents the intrusion, access and video sector and is key stakeholder in organizations such as CertAlarm, CEN-CENELEC, IEC and the European Commission. Euralarm’s Security Section Together with a diverse number of stakeholders in Europe, the Security Section collaborates on finding solutions to meet present and future chal...

MSA Safety Incorporated, DuPont, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have teamed up again to help volunteer fire departments obtain much-needed gear through MSA’s and DuPont’s Globe Gear Giveaway. 2020 Globe Gear Giveaway This annual program began in 2012 and has provided 507 sets of turnout gear to 108 departments to date. In 2020, another 13 departments will each receive four new sets of turnout gear and four new helmets to help enhance the safety of their firefighters...

Professional competence recommendations set out in Dame Judith Hackitt’s Building a Safer Future report are set to be fulfilled by BSI with a new standards program. BSI, in its role as the UK National Standards Body, announced a new National Standards program to raise professional competence in the built environment sector. The standards aim to tackle the competence challenges identified in the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, Building a Safer Future,...

Two Norfolk paramedics from the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) went above and beyond the call of duty by tackling a fire in a top-floor flat before evacuating the building. Doug Bishop and Jonathan Poole were the first emergency service at the flats on Hunstanton High Street, shortly after 2pm on Thursday 9th July, 2020 and found the couple who had reported the fire at the bottom of the four-storey building. Hearing the fire was still ablaze and residents in neighboring flats were st...

Due to the continuously evolving circumstances surrounding COVID-19, the IAEM-USA Annual Conference, scheduled to be held in November in Long Beach, California, will be produced as a virtual event. IAEM members offered input for this decision by the survey. Further, IAEM-USA Board carefully analyzed the current state and projections for the coronavirus pandemic. Barriers to attend the event “This was a difficult decision, but one that made sense given current events,” stated IAEM-...

With the Grenfell Tower fire exposing serious flaws ‘across the whole system of building and managing high-rise homes’. Resultantly, the government asked Dame Judith Hackitt to ‘carry out an independent review of building regulations and fire safety to understand the causes of the fire’. The report found that ‘the whole system needed major reform and that residents’ safety needed to be a greater priority through the entire life cycle of a building – fro...

ImageTrend, Inc. is excited to announce the availability of Aware, a free mobile app, which is designed to connect ImageTrend solutions in a single platform, for users to manage their professional and personal lives. Aware mobile app This easy-to-use app allows users to access information from multiple ImageTrend products, such as ImageTrend Elite, ImageTrend License Management and soon ImageTrend Slate, in one integrated solution, even when working with multiple agencies. Users can view all...

Emergency Reporting (ER), the global company in secure, cloud-based reporting and records management software (RMS) for Fire and EMS agencies and First Arriving, a renowned company in providing technology and marketing services for fire, EMS, and law enforcement agencies has announced a premier partnership, to give first responders access to improved reporting and records management capabilities. This expanded partnership allows users to display key Emergency Reporting features and data, as wel...