Public Education - News

Volunteer firefighters who are also National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) members have one final chance to enter and win a personalized MSA Safety Incorporated’s MSA Cairns XF1 Fire Helmet. This is the last of three helmets that will be given out in 2021. MSA Cairns XF1 Fire Helmet The jet-style design of the Cairns XF1 Fire Helmet reduces snag hazards, provides a personalized fit, and houses its own integrated light module. Plus, the soft goods are removable, washable, and replaceable,...

RESCUE Intellitech AB is excited to announce the launch of their new product, the DeconFilter Pro S. When the company first developed the Solo Rescue Decon Washer, its goal was to develop a decontamination solution that could help reduce firefighter’s exposure to carcinogens and other hazardous substances, in a quick, easy and safe way. RESCUE Intellitech AB ended up doing a great job and their machines have now been shipped throughout the world to countries on four different continents....

Granite Workwear puts the spotlight on the Welding & Foundry industry. One of the most dangerous industries to work in is where workers are constantly working with dangerous equipment and machinery. Welding gear needs to be incredibly flame retardant, so as to prevent any sparks igniting clothing. Another important attribute for welding and foundry gear to have is UV protection. The intensity of the light produced can induce sun burns and even blindness. As such, it is vital to make sure no...

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...

Armstrong Fluid Technology has unveiled its industry-renowned Design Envelope Fire Pump unit, along with Fire Pump Manager, a new and connected service for tracking pump performance. In addition to providing important new safety benefits, Armstrong’s new Design Envelope Fire Pump holds the distinction of being the first self-regulating, variable-speed fire pump, to meet NFPA-20 (2019 Edition), Section 4.8 standards. variable-speed fire pump This innovation allows simplification of the p...

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 Government has announced an extension to the date ending recognition of the CE Mark in Great Britain. CE Marked goods may continue to be placed on the GB market until 1st January 2023. This extension means that all product sectors have until 1st January 2023 to prepare to use the UKCA Mark, except Medical Devices. The UKCA Mark can be used and the Government is encouraging businesses to start using it as soon as possible, with it becoming mandatory for placing goods on the market...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Bosch Security Systems has announced the release of new Aviotec firmware version 7.81 that comprises AI algorithms, which can now detect fire and smoke in changing weather and light conditions. Aviotec firmware version 7.81 The AI algorithms have been developed further in the Aviotec firmware version 7.81, in order to ensure reliability for sheltered outdoor areas. The fire risk in these areas and nearby buildings can now be reduced with intelligent, fast and reliable detection. In the past,...

FirstNet® – the only nationwide network built with and for America’s first responders – is keeping public safety connected, unlike any other network. Here are 3 strategic ways: Expanding the FirstNet 5G footprint: As public safety’s communications partner, AT&T* has expanded 5G connectivity for first responders on FirstNet to further support public safety’s mission needs. Now, first responders in an additional 10 cities across the United States – Au...

FireEye, Inc., the intelligence-led security solutions company, has introduced FireEye XDR, a unified platform, designed to help security operations teams to strengthen threat detection, accelerate response capabilities and simplify investigations. FireEye XDR platform The FireEye XDR platform provides native security protections for endpoint, network, email, and the Cloud, with a focus on improving organizations’ capabilities, for controlling incidents from detection to response. FireE...

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...

FireQual, the specialist Awarding Body for the fire protection industry has qualifications that act as eligibility criteria for the FESS (Fire, Emergency and Security Systems) Systems Operative Card in Fire as part of the ECS Card Scheme. Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (ECS) The Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (ECS), administered by the Joint Industry Board for the Electrotechnical Industry, is a CSCS Partner Scheme covering the electrotechnical sector and includes more than 175,0...

WEROCK Technologies GmbH, innovative manufacturer of rugged tablets, notebooks and handhelds, presents the Rocktab U210, a powerful, ultra-compact, yet fully rugged tablet, which is designed specifically for the requirements of fire and rescue services. The new Ultra Series model comes with market-renowned features and is available to order now. Whether it's up-to-date information on the situation and location of an operation, map material, hydrant plans or retrieving rescue maps, the right com...

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...

When working for extended amounts of time in a cold store, it’s important to make sure that the workwear of the staff reflects the environment they work in, in order to help keep them safe and comfortable in carrying out their jobs. This article covers the ideal Cold Store workwear to ensure enhanced safety and comfort for the wearer in doing the work tasks. Headwear Starting off with headwear, it all comes down to the environment, for instance, if working in a place where there might b...

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...

MSA Safety Incorporated (MSA), DuPont Personal Protection (DuPont), and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) are helping volunteer fire departments obtain much-needed turnout gear, through MSA and DuPont’s Globe Gear Giveaway. Now in its tenth year, the program has provided over US$ 1 million worth of fire safety gear to assist volunteer fire departments in need. Globe Gear Giveaway In 2021, 13 fire departments will each receive four sets of turnout gear and four helmets, in order...