Wildfires - News
The issue of protecting heritage structures and other buildings containing priceless artefacts or documents from fire risk came into stark focus in mid-April. A blaze originating at Table Mountain eventually swept onto the upper campus of the University of Cape Town (UCT). It caused extensive damage to the African Studies Library reading room, known previously as the JW Jagger Library. Built-in the 1930s, it is home to many international research collections, with an estimated 85 000 items in t...
Globally renowned fire and life-safety systems manufacturer, C-TEC, is exhibiting at The Fire Safety Event 2021. Hosted at Birmingham’s NEC, from September 7 - 9, 2021, the eagerly-awaited event will feature free CPD-accredited educational seminars, 120+ exhibitors and the fire industry’s latest products, technology and solutions. C-TEC’s fire alarm systems C-TEC will be showcasing CAST, its revolutionary new own-protocol fire alarm and detection system, ENVISION, its futuri...
In its latest resolution action, the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association (Metro Chiefs) unanimously approved support of Outthink Wildfire™, an initiative of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) aimed at eliminating the destruction of communities by wildfire in 30 years. The resolution emphasizes the fact that the U.S. has witnessed a steady increase in frequency and intensity of wildfires, a trend that experts predict will continue. The number of homes lost in wildfires...
FEMA authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Richard Spring Fire burning in Rosebud County, Mont. FEMA Acting Regional Administrator Tammy Littrell approved the state’s request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) after receiving the request this afternoon and determining that the fire threatened such destruction that it would constitute a major disaster. Fire threat At the time of the request, the Richard Spring Fire was threa...
Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack has responded to the UN’s latest major report on climate change, which was published recently. He said that “Firefighters here and across the world are on the front line of the climate crisis. We see the effects of climate change every time we fight wildfires and save people from floods, and we will fight as hard as we can for politicians to wake up and take notice. As a humanitarian service, we cannot stand by and watch this happen.&...
Hundreds of IAFF members continue to fight a Northern California wildfire, the second-largest wildfire in state history. Known as the Dixie fire, it has burned more than 482,000 acres and more than 800 structures. Only the August Complex Fire of August 2020, which consumed more than 1 million acres, was bigger. Four CAL FIRE Local 2881 members, who are part of the department’s 18-person Butte unit, were injured when a large tree burned and fell on them. All four were transported to the ho...
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...
Wildland firefighters are exposed to many of the same naturally occurring respiratory hazards as structural firefighters. They are also exposed to many of the same man-made respiratory hazards, especially when fighting fires in or near the wildland-urban interface. However, unlike structural firefighters, wildland firefighters are unable to use the current standard respirator systems. They are heavy and bulky, taking up valuable carrying capacity needed for the tools and supplies required for w...
With more people planning to spend time outdoors over the coming weeks, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) is urging residents to take some simple steps, in order to reduce the risk of a wildfire breaking out. Wildfire awareness campaign A week-long wildfire awareness campaign (running 26 July – 1 August) is taking place, following a period of warm and dry weather, and with more people expected to be outside, enjoying the countryside, due to COVID-19 restrictions easing and...
Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) is urging festival-goers to be aware of some important safety advice before attending Reading Festival this bank holiday weekend. David Grayson, Watch Based Station Manager, said, “While we want you to have a great time and enjoy the festival this weekend, we also want to remind you of some vital safety advice that could make all the difference to your festival experience.” “Remember, a fire can destroy a tent in under 60 second...
Continuing consultations between VIKING Life-Saving Equipment and its growing offshore client base has brought a new lifejacket to the oil & gas and wind energy markets whose form is as innovative as the range of new details to overcome longstanding safety challenges facing offshore crews and maintenance personnel. The VIKING YouSafe™ Vanguard inflatable lifejacket has been developed after the leading supplier asked designers to return to first principles and deliver a versatile, high...
Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation company, has announced that it will showcase a broad selection of the latest in fire apparatus design and innovation with 12 fire trucks to be on display during the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) on August 5 – 7, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Attendees can find Pierce’s display located in the north end zone of Lucas Oil Stadium (booth #8807).“Over the last year and a half, our team continued in a pivotal role to...
Wildland fires are perceived as increasing risk in the UK, having been added to the National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies in 2012. High risk and difficult to manage, wildland fires create a set of very particular circumstances, meaning that firefighters need flexible kits that will help them do their job whilst tackling these incidents. Nathan Bricknell, general manager at FlamePro explains the advantages of a specialist wildland fire turnout kit and what other situations can it be used f...
FEMA authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Poverty Flats Fire burning in Big Horn County and Crow Agency in Montana. FEMA Acting Regional Administrator Tammy Littrell approved the state’s request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) after receiving the request earlier today and determining that the fire threatened such destruction that it would constitute a major disaster. Fire Threat At the time of the request, the Poverty Flats...
VIKING Life-Saving Equipment launches fully certified, three-in-one protective gear so first responders can be ready for wildland fires, technical rescue/extrication, or emergency medical operations. The VIKING Shield is a new generation of multi-purpose protective gear that allows crews answering emergency calls to get underway assured of having the gear that is fit-to-purpose, whatever lies ahead. The challenges are growing with more frequent and larger wildla...
California spends hundreds of millions of dollars every year fighting fires, but stopping them before they start is the goal of low-tech solutions like spraying fire retardants in fire-prone areas and high-tech ideas using artificial intelligence. "Anytime we can get the fire at its early start, the better the firefighters have of containing it quickly," said KT McNulty, executive director of REDCOM at American Medical Response. early detection Ravaged by fire over the past four years, Sonoma...
Hotter, drier climates in the western United States are causing larger and more frequent wildland fires. Smoke from western wildfires can span a much larger area, significantly impacting air quality across the entire United States. The spread of wildfire smoke highlights how important it is to have up-to-date information on air quality hazards. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) released updates in 2021 to the popular AirNow Fire and Smoke Map. The map...
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Cedar Creek Fire burning in Okanogan County, Washington. The State of Washington’s request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) was approved by FEMA Region 10 Acting Regional Administrator Vincent Maykovich on Tuesday, July 20, 2021, at 2:50 p.m. PT. He determined that the Cedar Creek Fire threatened to cause such destruction as would constitute a m...
FEMA authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Buffalo Fire burning in Yellowstone County, Montana near Huntley. FEMA Acting Regional Administrator Tammy Littrell approved the state’s request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) after receiving the request Friday evening and determining that the fire threatened such destruction that it would constitute a major disaster. At the time of the request, the Buffalo Fire was threatening 285 hom...
With temperatures hitting highs of over 25°C in Cambridgeshire this week, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) would like to remind residents of important outdoor fire safety and water safety advice. They tend to see an increase in calls to fires during spells of hot weather. This does result in the crews spending significant time at incidents that could be avoided, which is why they are urging residents across the county to follow the simple tips to help avoid unnecessary incident...
Managing wildland fires is more important than ever because, over the last few decades, the wildland fire management environment has profoundly changed: longer fire seasons, bigger fires and more acres burned on average each year, more extreme fire behavior. The combination of heat and drought caused critical low solid moisture content and led to high fire danger. Fight Forest Fires With ECOPOL F Concentrate Due to its long experience in efficient and fluorine-free foam development, BIOEX lau...
Paul Gibson, International Sales Manager for MSA Bristol, a pioneer of cutting-edge firefighter protection, talks to Matt Campbell, Emergency Services Principal at Rio Tinto in Australia, about the role of Emergency Responders in the mining industry and their specific PPE requirements. In an industry such as mining, health and safety is absolutely paramount. By the nature of the job, workers tend to deal with heavy machinery, often in hostile conditions, and frequently operate in remote areas w...
Since 2015, the United States has averaged 100 more large wildfires every year than the year before, creating conditions in which wildfires overwhelm response capabilities. wildfire management On June 30, 2021, the White House released a statement summarizing the actions it is already taking, and those it intends to take once the FY2022 budget is passed, to address the growing wildfire threat. The statement acknowledges that the management of wildfires is a multi-agency effort,...
LEADER (Grupo Leader), alongside its fire safety equipment distributor, SOMATICO, organized a day of technical tests for a wide range of the company’s firefighting equipment, on the 29th of June, 2021, on its premises in Octeville sur Mer, France. Technical tests day The program day included general presentation of the various ranges of firefighting equipment and BIOEX foam concentrates, including ‘Positive Pressure Ventilators’ workshop - presentation and tests that featured...
Fireworks can be beautiful, but they can be unpredictable and deadly. Numerous fires every year result from the use of personal fireworks. The possession, use or sale of any type of personal fireworks, including 'safe and sane' fireworks, is against the law in any part of the Big Bear Valley. “The use of illegal fireworks places the entire community, as well as our first responders at risk,” stated Big Bear Fire Marshal, Mike Maltby. Enforcing state and local fireworks laws With t...
With TacticNet, Magirus presents an unprecedented overview of the entire operational area. This gives the incident commander a complete overview of the entire operational area, at all times, both live and in real-time, and allows for the best possible decisions, along with the best possible action. The WiFi-based and location-independent network, TacticNet also offers the possibility of integrating any number of units and task forces. WiFi-based TacticNet Visualization, data transmission, and...
Dräger (Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA), a globally renowned company in the fields of medical and safety technology, has launched the Dräger PSS AirBoss, the next generation in Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) that provides firefighters and emergency service teams with the utmost in usability, safety, serviceability, and connectivity. It was officially launched at the global virtual DrägerUp 2021 event, where Dräger demonstrated how PSS AirBoss represents a digit...
Wildland firefighting has always faced many challenges, but the challenges have increased as wildland fires have grown in size and magnitude, over the last 25 years. During a fire, wildland firefighters face long hours dealing with challenging and changing conditions. Wildland firefighters spend the majority of their time on their feet, walking over rugged and steep terrain, in hot temperatures, all while carrying the gear that they need for extended time, out on the fire line. Imp...
Johnson Controls, the globally renowned company for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, has announced the expansion of its Tyco corridor sprinkler family, with the launch of the Series RFII-C Royal Flush II Quick Response Concealed Pendent sprinkler. Corridor sprinklers Along with the recently released EC-8C Light Hazard Quick Response sprinkler, the corridor sprinkler family offers the cost-saving benefits of needing fewer sprinklers at lower design pressure, compared to standard covera...
MSA Safety, an industry-leading designer, manufacturer, and distributor of safety products the world over, announced the introduction of the GALLET F2XR rescue helmet. It is the first and only firefighters’ helmet on the market that can be used in a wide range of applications, including wildland firefighting and technical rescue operations, including responding to road traffic collisions, rescue at height, and water rescue operations. The F2XR helmet is produced at MSA’s design and...
