Lancashire firefighters battle blaze at former Co-op bank building

Eight fire engines and police attended a huge fire at the former Co-operative bank building on High Street in Skelmersdale at around 7.30pm yesterday evening (September 15).

Lancashire Police closed a number of roads in the area and people were asked to avoid the scene and keep windows and doors shut.

Pictures from the scene show the building well alight and thick smoke rising into the sky as firefighters battled to bring the fire under control.

A spokesman for Lancashire Fire Service said: “We have eight fire engines from Lancashire, Manchester and Merseyside at a derelict building fire on High Street, Skelmersdale. We were called around 19:30 and crews are battling to bring the fire under control.

“Lancashire Police have closed a number of roads in the area and the public are advised to stay away from the scene. If you can see or smell the smoke, please keep your windows and doors shut.

The fire service confirmed at 12.20am today (September 16), the blaze was brought under control.

Firefighters have remained at the scene all night and the cause of the fire is currently unknown. A joint police and fire investigation is underway.

The site had been earmarked for a new Aldi after the discount retailer submitted an application in 2019.

That application is still pending and no decision has been made by West Lancashire Borough Council.

Education Roundtable: A lesson in life safety from Hochiki Europe

Hochiki Europe has hosted a virtual roundtable in which experts discussed the pressing issues that surround life safety in our educational facilities. The online panel talk, available to watch online, comes as part of the manufacturer’s efforts to uphold high standards within the fire safety sector and support its industry partners in doing the same.

The experts on the roundtable comprised:

  • Paul Adams, Marketing Manager, Hochiki Europe, (Chair)
  • David Brant, Contracts Manager at Fisk Group
  • Chris Connor, Site Manager at The Campion School
  • Neil Eves, Systems Manager, Hochiki Europe
  • Will Lloyd, Technical Manager, Fire Industry Association

The group recently worked together installing a new life safety system at Campion School in Essex. The panel discussed the pressures education providers are facing in this new normal, but also some of the key factors that need to be taken into account when specifying and installing life safety systems in schools and universities. Highlights of the roundtable are available on YouTube, providing some key takeaways for installers, engineers and end users alike.

Paul Adams, Marketing Manager at Hochiki Europe said: “We are planning to regularly host these events to bring various stakeholders together and uncover the pressures they all face, to see how we can continue to support them with our offering.”

Full details on the Campion School project can be found here and you can watch the full roundtable below…

www.hochikieurope.com/

Comelit adds BSI membership to its fire credentials

Comelit UK has become a member of the British Standards Institution (BSI) to enable its fire division to benefit from access to the standards set and latest Government influenced, industry thinking.

The Italian door entry manufacturer, known for its high specification solutions, offers a range of automatic fire detection systems, including conventional and addressable panels, that are proving successful across the UK in a variety of sectors.

Pledging its commitment to offering products and services accredited to the highest level, Comelit has become a member of BSI to ensure it stays abreast of latest certification and standards-related services to the fire industry.

Says Mandy Bowden, Fire BDM for Comelit Group: “BSI is ‘the business standards company that helps organizations all over the world make excellence a habit.’  This is exactly how Comelit wants to present itself in offering tailored fire detection solutions, where customers can be assured of compliance and good practice always.

“Our membership to BSI aligns us with an organisation that represents the agreed, best and most effective way of creating a product or delivering a service.  I am looking forward to receiving first-hand the latest developments on our industry, whilst presenting a portfolio of products that achieves BSI requirements, without compromising on the style and aesthetic that is synonymous with the Comelit brand.”

Comelit will now be able to present its membership of BSI with use of its logo on all printed and digital media; to demonstrate its dedication to an organisation associated with quality, credibility and raising industry standards.

Anne Hayes, Director of Sectors at BSI added: “At BSI, in our role as the UK’s National Standards Body, we help to improve the quality and safety of products, services and systems by enabling the creation of standards and encouraging their use. We welcome new BSI members on their journey to demonstrate commitment to best practice and organizational resilience.”

www.comelitgroup.com/

IWMA to support UN Goals

Being an agent of an eco-friendly technology, the International Water Mist Association (IWMA) has resolved the support of three of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): No. 6 (clean water and sanitation), no. 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure) and no. 13 (climate action).

How will IWMA support these UN Sustainable Development Goals? IWMA president Are Brandt explains: “The IWMA Board of Directors have agreed to donate 1% of the annual incoming membership fees to the United Nations. IWMA will support the goal alternately starting with goal 13.”

The Sustainable Development Goals, also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by all United Nations’ Member States in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.

“Everyone is needed to reach these ambitious targets. The creativity, know-how, technology and financial resources from all of society is necessary to achieve the SDGs in every context. That is the reason IWMA will contribute”, explains IWMA general manager Bettina McDowell.

https://iwma.net/

CSL and Noby announce distribution partnership for Norway

The Oslo-based company, Noby AS, is a specialist distributor for Intrusion Alarm, Camera Surveillance, Smoke Detectors, Fire Alarm, Transmission Systems, Access Control, and are now able to offer their customers the latest CSL products and solutions, including the CSL Router and CSL Managed 4G SIMs.

Ken Inge Hanski, Product Manager at Noby, commented: “CSL’s partnership will enable Noby to offer solutions including 4G SIMs for installers requesting complete solutions with network connection for their projects. It is important for us to help our customers in a market where technology is continuously updating. We do that with quality products from well-established suppliers such as CSL, to supply our customers with products they can trust. CSL are market leaders in providing secure connectivity solutions and we are happy to be able to present their products on the Norwegian market.”

Ingemar Spångberg, Business Development Director – Nordics, added: “We are delighted to announce this partnership with Noby to enable us to provide our connectivity solutions to the Norwegian market. Noby are a long-established and trusted brand and we look forward to working closely with them to support Installers.”

www.csl-group.com/

‘Red Flag Warning’ – high winds further spread US West Coast wildfires

The US National Weather Service has issued a “red flag warning” for areas of the West Coast, as high winds threaten to spread devastating wildfires still further.

Gusts of up to 40 mph (64 km/h) are expected in parts of southern Oregon, with no rain.

Fires have been raging for three weeks in Oregon, California and Washington, burning land and destroying homes.

Tens of thousands of people have had to flee and at least 33 have died.

Dozens of people are missing in Oregon alone, with one emergency official saying the state should be preparing for a “mass fatality incident”.

Cooler, moister conditions on Saturday allowed firefighters to make some progress with the fires.

However, the forecast for Sunday prompted a warning of winds of 15-25 mph and gusts of 30-40 mph in the Shasta Valley and east of the Southern Oregon cascades.

A red flag warning is the highest alert for events which could result in major fires, and which demands extreme caution by residents.

This area includes Jackson County, Oregon, where the Almeda fire has destroyed hundreds of homes and remains only 50% contained.

The fires have so far scorched an area of land the size of New Jersey, officials say.

The smoke pollution from the wildfires has left Oregon’s largest city, Portland, with the worst air quality in the world, followed by San Francisco and Seattle, according to recent findings from IQAir.

RIBA introduces new fire safety educational framework

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced ‘The Way Ahead’ Education and Professional Development Framework after the Grenfell tragedy and growing concern about the climate.

The framework signifies a new direction for architectural education and continuing professional development, with a greater emphasis on health and life safety, the climate emergency and professional ethics.

For the first time, the RIBA has developed a single standard covering pre and post-registration education and professional development. Key components of the new framework include education themes and values, mandatory competencies, career role levels, core CPD curriculum, specialisms and accreditation.

The Education and Professional Development Framework will be phased in over two years, beginning in 2021. The Way Ahead, which outlines the changes, gives advance notice of these developments to schools of architecture, CPD providers, practices and members so they can implement and respond.’

Adrian Dobson, RIBA’s executive director of professional services, said: “After 40 years of deregulation in UK society, there was an appetite to re balance professional standards against commercial imperatives”.

RIBA president Alan Jones said the change was due, adding: “The education of future chartered architects, and the professional development of those who have already achieved chartered status, need a sharpened focus on the core knowledge, skills and experience required to respond to the immediate and mid-term challenges facing our world, society and industry.”

The first mandatory competence – health and life safety, including fire safety – will be introduced next year with architects expected to pass a test demonstrating their competence.

It is key that across society we are embedding fire safety knowledge at all levels to ensure that we are making society better, safer and more competent – especially in the realm of fire safety. Beyond the breadth of these changes, another great aspect of the new Education and Professional Development Framework is the idea of re-certifying to ensure that professionals are kept up to date on the latest changes and can become familiar with best practices.

www.architecture.com/

C-TEC’s CAST and Hush Pro systems specified at mixed-use site

C-TEC’s CAST and Hush Pro fire alarm systems are safeguarding a charming cluster of commercial and residential properties in Llangollen, Wales.

As a ‘mixed-use’ building housing both business units and domestic dwellings, a combination of commercial and residential fire systems was required. Allied Fire & Escapes Ltd, a leading Wrexham-based fire specialist company, installed one of C-TEC’s powerful CAST XFP addressable fire systems to protect the ground floor retail units and interfaced it to three of C-TEC’s new Hush Pro domestic fire systems to safeguard the residential dwellings on the first floor.

Said John Westerman, Director at Allied: “Linking C-TEC’s CAST system to Hush Pro proved the ideal solution for this mixed-use building. Each domestic dwelling is fitted with a Hush Pro controller connected to a series of Hush Pro smoke detectors, base sounders and heat detectors – all interfaced via Hush Pro’s CAST Landlord Interfaces – to the CAST XFP communal/landlord system.”

Specifically designed for flats, apartments and high-rise residential buildings, Hush Pro provides residents with easy-to-use detection, alarm, silencing and test facilities so they can test their own devices, be alerted to system faults and hush any false alarms at the Hush Button which is positioned at light-switch level for easy access.

Said John: “We specified Hush Pro as it offers higher levels of fire protection over the Grade D unmonitored battery alarm systems typically used in domestic installations. As a fully-monitored BS 5839-6 Grade C system, Hush Pro reports open and short circuit faults and operation faults back to the CAST fire panel and even allows management and maintenance companies to remotely monitor the system. In the event of an emergency, Hush Pro relays information to the CAST panel to effectively notify building management.”

“As an intelligent domestic detection system, Hush Pro certainly ticks all the boxes. We were very impressed by its operation and ease of integration with the CAST fire system which was also simple and straightforward to set up. With regards to customer support, C-TEC is always very responsive and happy to help with any enquiries we have. We look forward to installing C-TEC’s products into our future contracts as they provide high-quality, intuitive and easy-to-install fire detection solutions that can be adapted to meet the specific requirements of any building.”

www.c-tec.com/

CertAlarm announces new Chair of Technical Advisory Group

CertAlarm, an organisation offering a pan-European quality mark in the fire protection and security systems industry, has appointed Dr. Benoît Stockbroeckx as new Chair of its Technical Advisory Group (TAG). The TAG is CertAlarm’s organ to provide technical guidance on issues such as the interpretation of the respective standards or on the monitoring of the competence and integrity of the participating certification bodies and test laboratories.

Dr. Benoît Stockbroeckx, who is Technical Manager of Euralarm, the European trade association representing the fire and security Industry, was until recently Head of Division Laboratory at ANPI, a Belgian association in the field of fire and theft prevention in which all industrial federations and professional associations as well as the government are represented. He is also an expert in several working groups within CENELEC TC79 and has a long experience within CEN TC72.

“I have always been convinced that a pan-European certification based on mutual recognition can benefit the whole fire and security market and I look forward to contributing further to this objective”, says Dr. Benoît Stockbroeckx.

“Dr. Stockbroeckx has many years of experience in the field of fire protection and security system products certification. He is also a proven expert in the field of alarm transmission systems. We are therefore delighted to be able to build on his experience in the future”, adds Anja Kinsky, General Manager of CertAlarm.

https://certalarm.org/

9/11 19th Anniversary – conducing the ceremony through COVID

In the days before the annual ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum that serves to remember those who were killed in the terror attacks 19 years ago, there is typically plenty of work that goes into setting up – but that setup looks a bit different this year.

While normal things like speakers will still be present for the reading of names, there will be no stages at the solemn occasion this year. Instead, hand sanitizer stations installed by crews in masks will dot the grounds in Lower Manhattan – a reminder that the COVID pandemic changes even in the most solemn of moments.

The museum said it wanted to find a way to balance safety and tradition this year.

“It was, how we could do it safely that became a question for us,” said 9/11 Memorial Museum Director Alice Greenwald. “We’ve always had a stage.  And we’ve seen too many examples of when you have a stage, people naturally gather.”

With no stage this year, family members have pre-recorded victims’ names, which will be streamed online Friday morning. Victims’ families can still gather in person at the memorial and hear the names of their loved ones read aloud, as groups will be safely spread out on the plaza’s eight acres. The ringing of bells, signifying each attack on Sept. 11, 2001, will still ring out too, complete with honour guard.

Other members of the public will be allowed on the grounds staring around 3 p.m. until midnight. All other large gatherings will be discouraged, although there is an unofficial ceremony at a corner near the World Trade Centre. The split in ceremonies came after a divide over the memorial’s decision to not have the names read in person, due to COVID concerns.

Vice President Mike Pence is expected to be at both the remembrances in the city, while Democratic nominee Joe Biden and his wife Jill will attend the observance at the memorial plaza before traveling to to Shanksville, Pennsylvania for the Flight 93 National Memorial. President Donald Trump will also attend the Pennsylvania memorial, however he and Biden will be present at separate times.

Other changes involve the 9/11 Memorial and Museum itself. It will open Friday for family members after being closed for six months. On Saturday, it will open to the general public, with timed tickets and all social distancing rules required.

COVID concerns at first canceled The Tribute in Light, the beams of light that soar into the air. But Memorial officials, with state and donor support, have now worked to make sure the production crew is safe. The lights will shine starting Friday around dusk.

“We can integrate that loss and create transformation and beauty out of tragedy … This is about the community coming together and saying, ‘This means something to us so profound, we must have it,’” said Greenwald. “It is an unusual year. But what was never in doubt is would we commemorate. That was a given.”