Tall Building Fire Safety - News

Just after 1:00 pm in the afternoon, CFS were alerted to reports of a structure fire on Kangaroo Flat Road, Koorine, approximately 30 km north-west of Mount Gambier. Fire under control Upon arrival, CFS crews found a house fully engulfed in flames. Five CFS trucks, 1 Bulk Water Carrier and a Farm Fire Unit worked to bring the fire under control. The collaborative effort from crews, contained the fire, minimizing the damage in areas of the house. Thankfully there are no reported injuries, and...

For the first time since the 1970s, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is now recruiting to increase its firefighter headcount. This £1.5m investment is a direct result of the increase in the council tax precept last year. The service, like all public sector bodies, has experienced significant cuts to its budget since 2010, when austerity measures began. As a result, firefighter numbers have reduced over the last 12 years from 1,490 to 900. This was through not replacing firefighters...

At approximately 2:45 pm, CFS crews were alerted to a structure fire on Mulga Place, Fregon, in the state's APY Lands. Two CFS trucks from Fregon and Ernabella supported by SAPOL, arrived on the scene to find the duplex fully alight. Fortunately, there were no occupants home at the time. Damage is estimated at $400,000 with the cause yet to be determined. Fire Cause Investigators will attend to the scene in the morning.

Senior Associate Trainer for the FPA, and one of the longest-serving trainers at the company, Mike Floyd has been shortlisted for a Lifetime Achievement Award. Organized by the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) as part of its annual ASFP Awards, the incredible accolade is given to those individuals who have demonstrated ‘exceptional practice over a significant period.’ In particular, they will have made a lasting impact on people, organizations, or companies with a...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) course - Grant Writing for the Fire & Emergency Services educates fire and emergency services personnel on how to write a successful grant narrative in an effort to secure funding for their local fire/EMS department. new NVFC course Students will also be introduced to a variety of funding opportunities, including government and private grants. Interested individuals can take this course free for a limited time in the NVFC Virtual Classroom. This...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), International Association of Fire Chiefs’ Volunteer and Combination Officers Section (VCOS), and the International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI) joined together to release a new operational training guide for firefighters. The new operational training guide – ‘Training Volunteer Firefighters to Be Combat Ready’ is designed to help fire departments develop a training program that meets the needs of the community an...

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) has updated its general Online Introduction to Passive Fire Protection, which provides a basic overview of passive fire protection (PFP) and its role in the overall fire strategy of a building. Also, in addition a new version of the course, Online Introduction to Passive Fire Protection (Installation) has been developed with new content specifically designed to cover the particular needs of passive fire installers. Online Introduction to Pa...

A company and its former director have been ordered to pay more than £100,000 due to an insufficient fire risk assessment at a block of flats in Portsmouth. The Enforcement Support Team at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) first became aware of the inadequate fire safety checks at Forbes Court, in Hilsea, Portsmouth, in 2017. Fire risk assessment After being alerted to the issue, the property management company responsible for the three-storey block of flats r...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is excited to announce that it has received a US$ 125,000 grant from General Motors to help increase the safety of emergency personnel, as they respond to the more than 14,000 roadway incidents that occur in the U.S.A. (United States of America) each day. This is the second year that General Motors has awarded a grant to the NVFC to positively impact the safety of responders and the general public on the roadways. NVFC receives grant from General Moto...

Re-development, restoration, retrofit. No longer are these terms modestly viewed as construction buzzwords. Across the world, there’s an increasing appreciation and a budding culture that maintaining older buildings is the way forward for the planet and its people. Globally, cities are said to be responsible for 78% of the energy consumption, of which, buildings account for around a third of the total. And when users consider that up to 80% of the current buildings are expected to still b...

UL Solutions, a pioneer in applied safety science, in partnership with the FPA, opened a new fire resistance testing laboratory for building products and systems, doors and windows, fire stopping, joint systems, and related fire resistance products. Located at the FPA’s testing laboratory in Blockley, Gloucestershire, the facility features fire resistance test furnaces, funded by UL Solutions, that will benefit manufacturers from the UK, Europe, and worldwide who require independent fire...

Fire Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has published an Interim Final Rule in the Federal Register implementing the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Assistance Act on Nov. 14, 2022 and is now seeking public comment on this Interim Final Rule. The public comment period will run from Nov. 14, 2022, through Jan. 13, 2023, and comments can be submitted at Regulations.gov. The Federal Register Notice docket number is FEMA-2022-0037. Hermit’s Peak/Canyon Fire Assistance Act The Hermit&rs...

REV Group, Inc. (REVG), a globally renowned company that designs and manufactures specialty vehicles in the fire & emergency, commercial and recreation industries, has announced that Dan DesRochers has joined their executive leadership team as the President of REV Fire Group. Reporting to Rod Rushing, the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of REV Group, DesRochers will oversee the REV Fire Group brands - E-ONE®, Ferrara™, KME™, Spartan Emergency Response®, Smeal...

Glen Echo Fire Department was proud to have joined the Mohican Hills block party on October 22, along with Yellow Boomerang. Yellow Boomerang is a community-based charity that supports residents of Montgomery County and surrounding areas in need of necessities such as food, clothing, school supplies, and housewares. Conduit Road Fire Board member Gloria Levin handed out File of Life to the residents. File of Life is a small piece of paper that has all of the latest medical information, includi...

CFS crews from the Halidon and Galga brigades have responded to a hay shed fire at Copeville. 2 trucks attended the incident but unfortunately the shed was unable to be saved with losses estimated at $230,000. Separately and closely monitored Firefighters have now left the scene but remain on standby as the land owner continues extinguishing the fire. CFS encourages farmers to take care in storing and monitoring the moisture of hay this season. Just one damp bale is enough to ignite a haysta...

CFS brigades from the Heysen group are attending a structure fire at the butcher shop and adjoining residential property on Mawson Road Meadows. 6 trucks and approximately 20 firefighters have contained the fire to the ceiling, stopping it from spreading to the rest of the building and home.  Fortunately, the occupant was safely able to evacuate the property, with SA Ambulance Paramedics treating them for shock. Losses are estimated at $200,000 and fire causes investigators have been conta...

This past week has seen two serious fires impact high-rise buildings in New York and Dubai, highlighting the continued dangers of lithium-ion battery charging and cladding issues. On the morning of 5 November, a significant fire broke out at an apartment building in Manhattan after a charging e-bike battery malfunctioned. The spreading fire and smoke prevented people from escaping, meaning firefighters had to perform a daring rope rescue, as footage showed residents hanging out apartment window...

During a House of Commons debate on the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities, Michael Gove, agreed that the government should re-examine its stance on personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPs) for disabled people. At a second reading of the bill on 7 November 2022, Michael Gove noted that work still needed to be done on building safety overall, adding that the outstanding concern over PEEPs was a ‘difficult and sensitive que...

FirePro, in association with the Cyprus Organization for Standardization (CYS), has co-organized the meetings of ISO/TC 21 Committee, and its Subcommittees ISO/TC 21/SC3, ISO/TC 21/SC 5 and ISO/TC 21/SC 8. The event, sponsored by FirePro, took place from the 25th October to the 28th of October 2022, at Miramare beach hotel in Limassol, Cyprus, with Working Groups also taking place during that week. ISO/TC 21 Committee The ISO/TC 21, Equipment for Fire Protection and Firefighting Committee dev...

The announcement was made by Chief Financial Officer, Mike Scott, who spoke at Barratt Homes’ annual general meeting (AGM) on 17 October 2022. The developer is one of 49 firms that signed up to the building safety pledge set out by the Department for Leveling Up, Housing, and Communities earlier this year. Barratt Homes’ financial accounts The purpose of the pledge was to protect leaseholders from the costs of remediation of fire safety defects and hold the industry accountable. Th...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is now accepting nominations for its Annual Fire Service Achievement Awards. NVFC recognizes the contributions of a lifetime volunteer firefighter, a leader in health and wellness, an outstanding junior firefighter, or a successful junior firefighter program.  Nominations are due by 5 pm EST on January 20, 2023 for the following awards: Lifetime Achievement Award - Sponsored by Lincoln Financial Group This award recognizes a volunteer firef...

Firefighters and staff have been praised for keeping communities across Tyne and Wear safe this Bonfire Night. Senior officers at Tyne and Wear Fire & Rescue Service (TWFRS) have revealed the busy Bonfire weekend passed without serious incident. TWFRS saw a 1.1% decrease of total incidents from the 1st to the 6th November (Bonfire reporting period) across Tyne & Wear, when compared with the same time last year. Pockets of anti-social behavior, and calls about illegal bonfires, meant it...

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigations Board’s (CSB) safety video released on October 27, 2022 has reached one million views in just over a week, passing the one million mark on Friday, November 4, 2022. The video titled ‘Wake Up Call: Refinery Disaster in Philadelphia,’ details a fire, explosions, and toxic hydrofluoric acid (HF) release that occurred at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) refinery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, on June 21, 2019. CSB&rsq...

At 14h31 on Monday afternoon, 7 November 2022, the SACFS responded to a truck fire on Carawa Road, approximately 30 kilometers east of Smoky Bay, South Australia. Damage due to fire The SACFS firefighters found a prime mover and its trailer in flames when they arrived at the scene. The driver of the truck was unharmed by the fire. SACFS crews were able to save the second trailer, however, the prime mover and the first trailer, along with its contents of wheat, were destroyed by the fire. Adj...

The damage bill from the Struan Research Centre in the state’s South East on Saturday has been increased to $5 million, up from the initial reports of $2 million. In the early hours of Saturday morning at 12:24 am, approximately 30 CFS volunteer firefighters on seven trucks and two specialized HazMat response vehicles responded to the Struan Research Centre, 16 kilometres south of Naracoorte, in the state’s South East. Fire Cause Investigators On arrival, crews found the Struan Re...

Flames engulfed a former care home near Haywards Heath, West Sussex, on 5 November 2022, with crews from West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (WSFRS) sharing video footage of the blaze surrounding the derelict structure, which was in danger of collapse. Three fire crews and 10 fire appliances were dispatched when flames were spotted emerging from the former care home at 7 pm. At its height, 50 firefighters were in attendance alongside support officers. Multi-Agency response The service describ...

For the first time, coatings manufacturer - Hempel A/S participates in the UN climate summit COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Hempel joins the summit to support and push for accelerated decarbonization, especially in the maritime and renewable energy industries. Addressing climate crisis “The climate crisis is an urgent global challenge. Nobody can stand alone in this. I am proud that Hempel is at COP27 to take part in conversations about how we can accelerate moving the needle toward a...

 A.P.E Fire & Security is currently recruiting for highly talented Installation Engineers to join its team. Based in Bristol and across the South West, A.P.E Fire & Security design, install and maintain innovative fire and security systems for many establishments. The successful candidates will become a key part of the team, installing various high-quality security systems and devices. Immediate start required.

Safe Fleet appoints a new Managing Director for its UK businesses. Steve Powell joins Safe Fleet as Managing Director of Durite and Labcraft. Durite is the UK’s brand in vehicle safety, lighting, and electrical parts for commercial vehicle aftermarkets and manufacturers. Labcraft is the UK’s manufacturer of high-performance and energy-efficient LED lighting for the commercial vehicle and emergency services sectors. providing safety solutions Steve Powell will lead both businesses,...

At approximately 06:45 AM on Saturday morning, 5 November 2022, SACFS firefighters were alerted to a fire in a 10x15 meter shed on a commercial property outside of McLaren Flat, South Australia. Twenty SACFS firefighters responded to the incident on 7 fire trucks. The fire caused approximately $200,000 damage to the shed, as well as to a vehicle and a forklift. The cause of the fire is unknown and fire cause investigators will attend the scene on Saturday morning.