Mergers & Acquisitions - News

‘Project EDWARD – Every Day Without a Road Death’ campaign is running until September 17, 2021 and is backed by the UK government, the emergency services, highway authorities and road safety organizations. The long-term objective of the Project EDWARD’ campaign, which includes a number of UK-wide awareness-raising events, is a road traffic system that is free from death and serious injury. Key role in the fight against road deaths With its range of road safety and host...

The Fire Standards Board for England has released a new Fire Standard to help fire and rescue services address capacity and skills when it comes to inspecting fire safety in non-residential buildings. The announcement at the National Fire Chiefs Council conference in Warwick comes after an extensive consultation process. eighth Fire Standard This is the eighth Fire Standard to be published and it is an overarching standard for Fire Protection with further standards relating to more specific a...

The Welsh Government has published new guidance on water mist systems aimed at local authority building control and installers to assist compliance with building regulations. Automatic water mist systems for domestic and residential premises was published on 27 August. This new guidance sets out how installers of water mist systems can satisfy the requirements of Regulation 37a of the Building Regulations 2010. Automatic fire suppression is mandatory in new residential premises in Wales....

Coatings manufacturer - Hempel has completed the acquisition of Farrow & Ball, a luxury decorative paint and wallpaper company with an annual turnover of over EUR 100 million. Hempel acquires Farrow & Ball from a fund managed by the Private Equity Group of Ares Management Corporation, after having met all conditions and requirements. luxury, decorative paint, and wallpaper company “Today is an exciting day as we happily welcome the iconic, luxury, decorative paint an...

Verint Systems (Verint), the globally renowned customer engagement company, has announced the completion of the previously announced transaction to acquire Conversocial, a renowned company in conversational customer experience services, delivered over messaging channels. Conversocial acquisition On August 10, 2020, Verint issued a release, ‘Verint Expands its Cloud Platform Capabilities to Help Brands Accelerate Digital-First Customer Engagement’, stating its intent to acquire the...

Loudoun County has established a voluntary database that provides emergency responders with important health information, in compliance with Virginia’s Marcus-David Peters Act, which was signed into law in December 2020. Virginia’s Marcus-David Peters Act The law aims to provide behavioral health responses, when an individual is experiencing a crisis, related to mental health, substance abuse or developmental disability, in the US state of Virginia. The bill requires that by July 1...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service has welcomed nine new on-call firefighters to stations across the county. The group completed their phase one, 10 week training course this month and now have the core skills required to operate safely as a firefighter with their new stations. The on-call firefighters will now respond to a wide range of emergencies in their communities, which could include anything from rescuing people trapped in cars following a collision, to responding to a local house f...

PlanRadar has announced a new partnership with IFC Group (International Fire Consultants), one of the United Kingdom’s renowned fire safety consultancies. From the end of August 2021, IFC Group will use PlanRadar in the field to manage inspections, fire risk assessments and audits, across their projects globally. The company supports its clients at every stage of their projects, from design to delivery and maintenance, and on projects of all sizes and levels of complexity. PlanRadar &nda...

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...

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...

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...

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...

A draft of PAS 8673 is available for public comment and contains competence requirements for the new role of Building Safety Manager. This PAS is based on the recommendations and core competence criteria set out in BSI Flex 8670. It supports the introduction of the Building Safety Manager that is contained in the Building Safety Bill currently going through Parliament. PAS 8673 The BSI has facilitated the development of PAS 8673 and it is sponsored by MHCLG. Brian Atkin is cited as the techni...

The value of the contract currently published on Contracts Finder is between £9 and 12 million over five years. The council is looking to install new fire sprinkler systems (and associated works) in 30 of its two and three-storey supported housing blocks as well as 102 blocks of general needs residential accommodation. The closing date for suppliers to respond is 10 September 2021. Retrofit sprinkler systems This comes after the council worked with Hampshire and Isle of W...

Firefighters in Wisbech are urging residents and visitors to think before they park, to help tackle the ongoing problem of inconsiderate parking in and around the town.  Drivers are urged to take care when parking their vehicles so they do not prevent fire engines from attending potentially life-threatening emergencies. Causes of delayed response  There are some areas around Wisbech that are notorious for motorists parking down both sides of a narrow street and there have been times...

APE Fire & Security states that businesses can employ security guards to patrol the premises, outside of business hours, in order to keep the premises secure. While many organizations and companies may see this as the perfect security solution, there are alternative options out there, to cater to varying needs. The benefits of Manned Security Visual deterrent Criminals are most often opportunists. When they see sites without visible security, they are more likely to take the risk and...

Gentoo is investing over £32 million over four years in internal refurbishment works across its housing stock for 60,000 residents. In an early notification published on Contracts Finder last month, Gentoo set out details of its intentions. The contract is divided into three lots with lot 3 focused on high-rise buildings and the installation of sprinkler systems and fire alarms. The value of lot 3 alone is £7 million and will be awarded on a framework basis for up to six providers...

After spending a large amount of the year 2020 and first half of 2021 confined in homes, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is safe to say that there are lots of people who are excited to get back out into the world. As lockdown restrictions are easing and things begin to open again, it is important that everyone knows how to keep their homes safe, in the return to normality. APE Fire & Security have put together a quick list of things that residents can do to secure their homes: Do not l...

Verint Systems (Verint), the globally renowned customer engagement company, has announced the expansion of the digital-first capabilities of its cloud platform through the acquisition of Conversocial. With this expansion, Verint’s market-renowned conversational AI provides brands the ability to orchestrate customer journeys with a connected experience across their channels of choice. Robust support for digital customer engagement The acquisition will expand Verint’s robust support...

FEMA has approved $34,488,250 for the State of Oregon to defray the costs of debris removal throughout Douglas, Jackson, Lane, Lincoln and Marion counties from 2020’s devastating wildfires under FEMA’s Public Assistance Program (PA). FEMA funds will reimburse the Oregon Department of Transportation for the collection, removal and disposal of debris from destroyed structures throughout Douglas, Jackson, Lane, Lincoln and Marion counties following the September 2020 wildfires. Do...

Automatic has installed a number of Sprinkler Systems into Glanbia Manufacturing Facilities around the country, both in green field new build projects and in existing buildings. In Belview, for Glanbia Ingredients, they designed, installed and commissioned an NFPA Fire Protection System for the new green field Dairy Facility. The works also included water supplies (Sprinkler, Tank and Fire Pumps) along with underground Hydrants and Fire Main. There was also a Gas Suppression system installed....

The newly created not-for-profit organization, the Building Safety Alliance will deliver a publicly accessible register of certified Building Safety Managers in a move that will increase confidence in the competence of these new duty holders prescribed in the Building Safety Bill. Emerging from the working group activity of the Competence Steering Group, the Building Safety Alliance marks a significant step forward for establishing the role of a Building Safety Manager in higher risk buildings....

Derby Crown Court sentenced Thirunavukkaradu Kuladaisamy to suspended prison time, as well as a large fine and court costs for fire safety breaches, after a fire in a converted house two years ago. Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service attended a fire at 1057 London Road, Derby on the night of 23 November 2019. According to local newspaper reports at the time, the police and fire service officers remained at the scene of the fire all night investigating the blaze. Fire safety regulations Respond...

The new training year 2021 has begun and with it three new trainees have joined G-TEC. The company warmly welcomes - Anna Katharina Bücking, Lara Steindecker and Tim Henrichs, who will complete their training as Technical System Planners. While Lara Steindecker and Tim Henrichs started their training in Siegen, they are also pleased to have won the first trainee for their Hamburg location. G-TEC wishes all trainees every success and fun with many interesting projects. G-TEC announces star...

Daimler Truck AG and U.S.-based global power front-runner and engine manufacturer Cummins Inc. announced in February that they would enter into a global strategic partnership for medium-duty engines. The details of the agreement have been established and the framework agreement has been signed by both companies.  Under the strategic partnership, Cummins will invest in the further development of the medium-duty engine platform and its global production and delivery starting in the...

Howe & Howe Inc., a subsidiary of Textron Systems Corporation, a Textron Inc. company, unveiled its latest innovations for the firefighting community – its next-generation Thermite EV2, an all-electric firefighting robot, as well as its new, handheld controller. The Thermite EV2 is an all-electric firefighting robot operated by a software-driven controller to effectively target fires with a modular design, including a multi-position nozzle and additional attachments. Thermite EV2 Ho...

BAFE Fire Safety Register has teamed up with building services membership scheme operator, NAPIT to offer a new competency scheme for organizations involved with Grade D fire alarm systems.  Two years in the making, the new scheme will assess the competency of organizations that provide design, installation, commissioning and maintenance services for BS 5839-6 Grade D fire detection and fire alarm systems in domestic premises. BAFE and NAPIT partner on new Competency Scheme This new comp...