Rosenbauer America announces Randy Brummel as new President

by Breaking NewsPeople

Rosenbauer America, a leading manufacturer of fire apparatus, has announced the appointment of Randy Brummel as President. With an extensive history in the fire industry and previous leadership roles at Rosenbauer, Brummel is well-prepared to lead the company into the future.

Brummel joined Rosenbauer as the Vice President of Supply Chain, bringing his extensive expertise in operations and the fire industry. He later accepted the position of Executive Vice President of Operations in 2022 and has been a driving force for quality, productivity, and unification of the Minnesota, South Dakota, and Nebraska campuses.

The company’s purpose remains to support the mission of saving lives and protecting property. Brummel’s focus continues to be building the industry’s best custom fire trucks, operational excellence, dealer development, financial discipline, customer satisfaction, and serving first responders.

“I am truly honoured and excited for the opportunity to lead the best fire apparatus manufacturer in the industry,” said Brummel. “Our commitment continues in best in quality, on-time delivery, with a focus on exceeding customer expectations. I feel we have set a great course and that path is to be fire department’s preferred apparatus manufacturer.”

Brummel said of Mark Fusco, who he succeeds as President at Rosenbauer America. “I would like to thank Mark Fusco for his tenure at Rosenbauer America and wish him continued success in his future endeavours.

“I have learned a great deal from all the team members at Rosenbauer America over these past three years and appreciate your continued support as we enter Rosenbauer’s next chapter together.”

IFSJ Exclusive: Protecting energy storage from fire risk

by Breaking NewsFire SuppressionIFSJ Exclusives

Kristoffer Eldin, Managing Director for Dafo Vehicle Fire Protection’s Energy Storage Protection division, explores new risks and ensuring a global green future

With government leaders pushing towards ambitious sustainability targets, the global energy storage market continues to grow rapidly. Globally, it is estimated an additional 387GW/1, 143GWh of energy storage capacity is needed to meet rising demand before 2030. That is more than Japan’s entire capacity for 2020. China and the US are still leading the way, but Europe is soon set for a significant ramp up in the aftermath of the energy crisis. 

However, with more energy stored, more batteries are regularly being used to higher capacities. This brings about key fire risks, and many customers are seeking stronger assurance on fire safety as the market continues to grow.

Clean energy

With a growing volume of conversations around carbon emissions, governments around the world are continuing to push ambitious environmental agendas. A key part of this is the global shift to net zero emissions by 2050.

To achieve net zero, it is estimated the annual clean energy investment will need to more than triple before 2030 – to around $4t. Inevitably, this is placing intense pressure on energy storage, and as a result, global reliance on electricity is skyrocketing.

The resulting ‘electrification’ – both domestically and commercially – is undoubtedly having a positive impact on global carbon emissions. However, it is also seeing the number of batteries (predominately lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries) used to store and distribute energy increase. This brings about new fire risks, which are realised through many recent battery fires at energy storage facilities.

Unpicking the risks

When it comes to increasing energy storage capacity with li-ion batteries, the primary risk is thermal runaway.

Thermal runaway is a process that can initiate due to a malfunction in the battery cells. That malfunction can be as a result of physical damage, overcharging, overvoltage, mechanical failure or overheating, for example.

In thermal runaway, a battery will be subject to extreme temperature increases, which causes the battery to release additional energy, leading to further temperature increases. If rapid temperature increases are not controlled quickly, thermal runaway is likely to progress, putting the battery at risk of fire, toxic gas emissions and large explosions.

In energy storage facilities, where batteries are often stored in close proximity to one another, the risk is much greater, as thermal runaway can spread between batteries, amplifying the safety consequences.

A distinct lack of regulation

Unfortunately, there is a lag in government regulation when it comes to energy storage facilities. With the electrification movement still in relatively early stages, best practice safety measures are still being debated, with government and insurer discussions and outcomes yet to be shared widely across the market.

There are some optional standards, but these are yet to be mandated or globalised. As a result, the decision all too often is coming down to price – with facilities often opting for cheaper solutions, or no solution at all. In the short term, this can save money, however in the longer-term, at the expense of having a system that is not fit for purpose, there is a clear trade off in costs. The cost of the risk – once realised – will often far exceed the cost associated with installing an effective system at the beginning.

Handle with care

With electricity being used in so many applications, there is an increasing presence of scrap batteries in household and business waste streams. Batteries are also becoming increasingly prevalent in manufacturing processes, and scrap batteries can be present in a larger scale here.

As li-ion batteries can produce their own source of oxygen when in thermal runaway, they can self-sustain a fire from within, making suppression using traditional means particularly challenging.

To suppress thermal runaway risk sustainably, extensive research – conducted by Dafo Vehicle Fire Protection and Research Institutes of Sweden – reveals that an early fire warning system, supported by spot cooling is the most effective solution. This detects potential battery failure before temperatures rise, halting thermal runaway from progressing.

With a system built inside the energy rack, temperatures are able to be controlled from the inside before sharp rises, containing risk and minimising safety consequences.

Inevitably, as sustainable energy demand continues to grow, the risks associated with li-ion batteries are only going to become more prevalent. Yes, switching to sustainable energy is crucial for our environment, but doing so safely is critical.

This article was originally published in the April edition of IFSJ. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.

Exclusive: Small space suppression with Fike

by Breaking NewsFire SuppressionIFSJ Exclusives

Fike looks at whether it is possible to both detect and suppress concealed fires

Everyone knows that the goal of any fire protection system is to identify a fire as early as possible so subsequent building evacuation and fire suppression systems may be activated to reliably protect people and property.

But what happens if the fire is obscured from the view of a flame detector? Or if smoke detectors are ineffective in a particularly spacious environment? How can a fire inside a small, enclosed space be detected and suppressed before evolving into a serious situation?

Fike’s Missing Piece

Since 1973 Fike Corporation has protected the world’s industries with innovative fire detection solutions, including fire panels, air sampling devices and flame detectors, and suppressed fires with chemical agent, water mist, inert gas and CO2 systems.

Missing from its product catalogue, however, was a reliable method for protecting enclosed spaces, where a small flame may quickly become a well-developed fire before being identified. Because an increasing number of users have begun adopting solutions that protect individual at-risk areas rather than an entire room with a total flood system, the Fike team quickly got to work.

The Fike Small Space Suppression System launched in 2022 and is ideal for both detecting and extinguishing fires within electrical cabinets, CNC machines, wind turbines and more.

This technology uses a flexible heat-reactive tube that is strategically routed throughout these smaller applications. Upon ignition, the tubing melts and activates the connected cylinder of 3M Novec 1230 Fire Protection Fluid to suppress the hidden fire quickly and reliably, likely before anyone even realises a fire has occurred, and most importantly, before it has a chance to spread. Finally, it does all this without electrical power.

Direct and Indirect Systems

Fike Small Space Suppression is available in two different configurations for specific applications. The direct system is engineered for electrical cabinets, which may experience a fire due to excessive heating from overloaded circuits, faulty wiring and other sources. When a fire occurs and melts the nearby segment of the nitrogen-pressurised tube, the pressure loss opens the cylinder and releases Novec 1230 from the hole in the tube and directly onto the fire.

Wind turbines are another application where the direct configuration is commonly used. A wind turbine’s fire hazards occur within the nacelle, the housing which includes the generator, brake assembly, gearbox, drivetrain and more. Mechanical failure such as misaligned bearings may create overheated surfaces or sparks and lead to difficult-to-reach fires. Traditional fire protection systems may be ineffective due to high airflow and high-voltage electrical systems within these environments, so the direct Fike Small Space Suppression System may be used as an effective alternative.

The indirect system is designed for CNC machines, which are at risk of fire due to the flammable coolant used to increase longevity and improve the performance of the system. A single spark created during production may ignite the coolant, resulting in a very dangerous situation due to the excessive amount of heat and flammable components within the machine.

The indirect system also uses pressurised tubing, but in this configuration the extinguishing agent is delivered through a network of flexible hoses leading to strategically placed, UL-listed nozzles within the hazard. Indirect systems are designed to achieve 95 percent of the minimum design concentration for flame extinguishment in 10 seconds or less.

Component Features and Specs

The Tubing: The proprietary material and unique manufacturing process allow the detection tube to offer high resistance to stress, corrosion and moisture absorption while maintaining its performance and longevity. During its manufacturing process, the tubing is constantly monitored to ensure consistent wall thickness, whereas thin tube lining could result in weak spots prone to leaking.

The Cylinders: Fike Small Space Suppression is available in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 14 and 18kg cylinders to ensure the most cost-effective size is selected for the unique application. A ball valve is integrated into a stainless steel body to reliably deliver agent into the tubing network and prevent leaks. The system is run at 360 psi to ensure the atomisation of the agent.

The Nozzles: Used in the indirect system, the nozzles are machined from brass and specifically designed to give the best dispersion of the extinguishing agent to suit the flow characteristics of the medium. The nozzles utilise an orifice plate to control the flow rate of the agent into the protected volume, and its 360-degree discharge pattern evenly distributes the agent throughout the hazard, ensuring no space is left without proper concentration. The 1, 2, 3 and 4kg cylinders use one nozzle, the 6 and 9 kg cylinders use two nozzles, and the 14 and 18kg cylinders use three nozzles.

The Agent: Novec 1230 is a fluorinated ketone stored as a liquid and discharged as a gas. It is electrically non-conductive, leaves no residue after discharge, and has a zero-ozone depletion potential (ODP), a global warming potential (GWP) of just one, and an atmospheric lifetime (ALT) of only five days. Novec 1230 extinguishes fire by removing heat from the fire. When discharged, the fluid creates a gaseous mixture with air. A higher heat capacity means that this gas mixture will absorb more heat for each degree of temperature change it experiences. 

This article was originally published in the April edition of IFSJ. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.

IFSJ Exclusive: Putting firefighters on the map with MSA Safety

by Breaking NewsFirefighting EquipmentIFSJ Exclusives

Matt Quigley, Product Platform Manager for MSA Connected Firefighter, and Selma Sosic, Product Line Manager for MSA FireGrid talk product development and FDIC

At FDIC in 2019, MSA Safety announced the Connected Firefighter Platform. Since then, the platform has grown and developed to incorporate new elements such as LUNAR and FireGrid. Ahead of FDIC 2023, which returns to Indiana Convention Centre on 24-29 April, IFSJ caught up with Matt Quigley, Product Platform Manager for MSA Connected Firefighter, and Selma Sosic, Product Line Manager for MSA FireGrid to learn more about the Platform, its development, latest additions and what’s coming next.

Can you give me an overview of the Connected Firefighter?

MQ: Our aim for the Connected Firefighter Platform is to utilise connectivity and technology to make firefighters and fire departments more capable. From what we see from the Global Fire Service market, firefighters are typically being asked to do more. What we see, especially in North America, is that the number of firefighters isn’t really growing. The fire service is essentially being called upon to do more with the same or less resources. Our intent for the Connected Firefighter is to utilise technology to essentially make fire departments more capable in three primary areas.

The first one is people: making firefighters safer with new technological tools. The second is products – we’re developing a lot of functionality that leverages technology and data to inform maintenance procedures to make the product last longer and be less burdensome to maintain. The final one is processes – we’re collecting information on firefighter behaviour to inform departments of additional training opportunities and to make them safer by bringing awareness to their behaviours.

A big part of the Connected Firefighter is our FireGrid cloud software. All of our connected products have wireless transmission capabilities to FireGrid, which is our centralized location for storing and providing insights from customer data. FireGrid is essentially the central focal point that’s gluing our entire platform together.

What are the major components that you’re offering for FireGrid?

SS: There are four key functionalities that FireGrid offers. The first one is the live incident management, meaning being able to monitor live MSA product data on scene to help the incident commander make more informed decisions in real time.

The second is our post-incident analytics. Firefighters don’t have to change anything about the way that they’re using the breathing apparatus, but because our devices are cloud-connected, all that data is stored in their account in the cloud, and we’re able to utilize that data to provide more insightful analytics and reporting for the customer to better inform things like training or on-scene procedures.

Third is Inventory Management and Compliance. We currently offer an inventory management solution where you’re able to track all of your MSA products and manage all of the relevant maintenance and compliance requirements for each asset. Because this tool is part of the cloud-based ecosystem, MSA is specifically able to link the G1 SCBA’s hours under pressure to the inventory management tool, allowing customers to save time and resources by maintaining SCBAs based on actual usage data.

The fourth component that FireGrid offers is the individual firefighter health and safety component which primarily takes the focus from looking at individual products to looking at individuals and behaviours.

MQ: With our head-to-toe portfolio, MSA is able to provide multiple types of equipment than an individual firefighter will use while on-scene. With the Connected Firefighter, we want to provide a singular repository of collected data from all of these products. That information can be very insightful for a department for improving safety in real time. A big focus that we have is then using that same information for driving improvements to the procedures and processes that happened after the scene has ended, such as maintaining equipment, training firefighters, and understanding their lifetime health and safety.

Can you talk a little bit about the development process of the Connected Firefighter Platform?

MQ: Voice of customer (VOC) activities are critical to how we develop products as MSA. It’s critically important for our engineers, our product marketers, and people who are responsible for designing and developing our products to have a partnership with fire departments to ensure that what we’re developing hits the mark and is actually solving a problem that they see in their everyday life.

VOC was a critical component of what led to our G1 SCBA becoming the G1 SCBA that it is today. More recently, our VOC collection activities have matured beyond just having dialogue and conversation to simulated experiences of using potential future products. We’ve evolved as our products and technology have evolved to create a much more immersive experience for firefighters and fire departments to provide us with valuable feedback.

SS: It’s not just a one-time conversation with the customer – as you’re going through the lifecycle or the development process, you’re continuously checking in with the customer to understand, ‘is this what you’re looking for? Does this meet the mark?’ The VOC process has helped us immensely as much as it’s helped the end user.

What has the customer response been to the Connected Firefighter?

MQ: We’ve had a lot of deeper, more intimate discussions with fire departments since we’ve launched the Connected Firefighter because of the capabilities of the technology provides. The Connected Firefighter has provided us the ability to work and partner with fire departments and show them discreetly how the products are being used, how firefighters are performing on scene, and opportunities that are discreetly understood and automatically provided in terms of making them visible to the fire department.

Before the Connected Firefighter existed, typically, the insights of how equipment was being used and how firefighters were behaving was circumstantial. It was word of mouth. It was what you visibly saw during a very stressful environment. I’m sure a tremendous amount of what actually happened either was not seen or potentially misinterpreted just because of all the chaos that was happening on the active scene.

The discussions that we’ve had have matured beyond just what the Platform is doing on scene, but also what this can do by giving access to data and making fire departments more capable, which was the aim of what we had when we started the Connected Firefighter journey a few years ago.

Are there any specific plans to further develop the platform?

SS: For FireGrid we have a couple of releases that we’re planning for in 2023. We will be expanding our inventory management platform on FireGrid to include both MSA and competitive turnout gear solutions – you’ll be able to add those into your inventory and track the history of those assets specifically related to cleaning and maintenance within the FireGrid platform.

We’ve also launched a large feature on FireGrid Monitor called Map View. We’re able to utilise the GPS location of our LUNAR devices to plot the individual firefighters on a map. You’re able to see not only air pressure from the G1 SCBA or any alarm status from the LUNAR device, but you’re also now able to see where that individual is relative to a location or building/structure.

We’re also advancing our FireGrid reporting capabilities. We will be expanding the data that we show within the reporting structure to focus on individual firefighter information as well.

MQ: In terms of how we’re planning to expand the platform, a lot of focus that we put into it is digitising and automating manual procedures that fire departments are actively doing today. A big one that we’re going to be launching this year is the reporting analytics capability. With the advent of a dashboard and deeper analytical tools, we’re able to provide insights a couple seconds after a scene has ended through an automatically generated report.

Typically, if there is an incident, a fire department has to manually create a report sometimes using pen and paper, by asking firefighters what happened. What we’re providing with these tools is the capability to automate that process – from an otherwise very manually intensive effort. We have a lot of launches this year that span the entire platform, including incident management, inventory management, and the reporting analytics capability that we’re planning to improve this year.

What is MSA showcasing at FDIC?

MQ: MSA’s aim for the show is to demonstrate the maturation and the growth that we’ve had with our Connected Firefighter Platform since we announced it in 2019. This year you’re going to see an explosion of new launches that we have on that platform, showing our continued commitment to growing and supporting our Connected products and our G1 SCBA which benefits from all this investment as well.

We had demonstrated a beta version of Map View at FDIC last year, and the response was overwhelmingly positive in terms of a visual representation of firefighter behaviour on scene. Now that we’ve launched it, that is something that we’re really excited for and getting strong feedback from customers.

This article was originally published in the April edition of IFSJ. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.

Advanced accelerates growth in Middle East & Africa with new appointment

by Breaking NewsPeople

Fire detection solutions manufacturer Advanced has continued to drive ahead its Middle East & Africa growth strategy with the appointment of Business Development Manager Hossam Badwy.

Bawdy joins Advanced having worked with fire protection products for 13 years in engineering and sales roles, and serving as a US National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Certified Fire Protection Specialist.

As Business Development Manager for the Middle East, Hossam will draw on his strong sales background, including his most recent position as Sales Lead for global systems manufacturer Johnson Controls, to continue Advanced’s ambitious growth plans for the region.

Originally from Egypt but now based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Bawdy, who also holds an MBA from Paris ESLSCA Business School, will use his commercial and technical experience to help Advanced build relationships with end users, consultants and system integrators and accelerate growth in the area. 

Commenting on his appointment, Bawdy said: “Advanced already has a reputation for its excellent product quality and I’m looking forward to introducing that quality to a developing market.”

Hossam is Advanced’s third recent appointment to its Middle East team, with Commercial Manager Sasi Kumar and UAE-based Business Development Manager Sargunan Sellamuthu already pushing forward the company’s progressive expansion strategy across the Middle East and Africa.

Sasi Kumar said: “I am excited to be in the position to welcome yet another addition to my team. Advanced are in a unique position in this market as we offer both EN and UL solutions, and it’s clear there is an appetite for our products among customers here. Hossam’s impressive background in fire protection and allied industries puts us in great stead as we seek to build new relationships and grow our market share in the area.”

IFSJ Exclusive: Peace of mind on the front line with PBI

by Breaking NewsPPE

Ian Callaghan, Vice President of Sales Europe, Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia at PBI Performance Products, talks firefighter protection

Firefighters in the Middle East should be able to do their job with the confidence and peace of mind that their protective clothing that has been tested and proven in the field to provide the highest levels of protection.

PBI fabrics are designed to offer maximum thermal protection from the outside, while at the same time delivering high levels of breathability and comfort to reduce the risk of heat stress. They will not become brittle, shrink or break open when exposed to flame and high temperatures, which is among the characteristics of other fabrics. This means that the integrity of the internal layers of the garment is protected, and the transfer of any radiant heat is slower, allowing more time for firefighters to escape to safety in a situation such as a flashover.

In a post pandemic world there have been significant changes and challenges in in every country.  But the team at PBI have worked closely with their supply chain partners to successfully navigate through the issues and maintain our commitment to fire and rescue services.  But we recognise that while the world may be changing, the need for firefighters to have the protection to do their job to the best of their ability is a constant.

We are proud to support the IFSJ Leaders in Fire and Safety event in Dubai and look forward to a fascinating series of discussions that will provide unique insight into the region and its trends for the sector.

This article was originally published in the March edition of IFSJ. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.

MSA Safety adds FireGrid Map View to Connected Firefighter

by Breaking NewsFirefighting Equipment

MSA Safety has released FireGrid Map View, a software enhancement of MSA’s LUNAR Connected Device. Designed enhance situational awareness and firefighter accountability, Map View enables tracking of a firefighter’s estimated location when outside of a structure.

FireGrid Map View is accessible through FireGrid Monitor, MSA’s tablet-based on-scene monitoring application. It shows a firefighter’s approximate location as a color-coded marker, using a LUNAR device’s GPS capabilities and coordinates.

By tapping on a marker in Map View, an incident commander can access additional information about a firefighter’s team assignment, self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) air pressure, and alarm status in addition to their estimated location.

In the event that LTE cellular connection or GPS connection is lost, Map View will display the last known location of the firefighter.

Incident commanders can see the same information for a team of firefighters, allowing for better visualisation of where team members are located and to help support the rapid decision making that occurs on scene. The three selectable views in Map View are street view, satellite and terrain.

Map View is the latest enhancement to the MSA Connected Firefighter Platform, an ecosystem of products centred around the MSA G1 SCBA that includes LUNAR, FireGrid software, HUB, and ALTAIR portable gas detectors. Together, the platform helps to keep firefighters safe, connected, and accounted for on the fireground.

Map View is now available as an update to the FireGrid Monitor application through the iOS and Google Play App stores. Compatible LUNAR devices will require a firmware update and to be registered to a FireGrid account. For more information on FireGrid Map View and the Connected Firefighter Platform, click here.

IFSJ Exclusive: High hazard firefighting with FireDos

by Breaking News

Stuart Phythian, Market Manager Oil & Gas at FireDos comments on firefighting in the Middle East’s Oil & Gas industry

FireDos is ideally suited for Oil & Gas applications, an industry in the Middle East region that dominates the world. FireDos already have a successful track record across the region, providing contractors and end users with cost-effective and performance solutions for their firefighting foam needs.

This means end users can sleep better at night in the knowledge a foam firefighting solution protects their assets, reducing the headache for contractors when designing a foam skid with a simple methodology that is easy to design into a firefighting system. 

Oil, gas and petrochemical facilities have seen major changes in the Middle East. The general trend for the region to diversify from solely oil and gas to more downstream processing has added to the demands for high-hazard firefighting solutions, where FireDos is ideally suited to serve.

Additionally, due to the ongoing changes in the firefighting foam market to an environmentally friendly fluorine-free foam, FireDos is the first company worldwide to become approved for the latest FM approval for water-driven foam proportioners, designed for variable viscosity foam types typical of many of the Synthetic Fluorine Free Foams (SFFF).

We are proud to be able to represent a product range which offers substantial benefits and to assist the Fire & Safety Leaders with advice on high hazard firefighting best practices for the changing and growing market in the region.

This article was originally published in the March edition of IFSJ. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.

New report calls for the introduction of misconduct standards in the UK fire service

by Breaking News

A new report released by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has called for comprehensive background checks on all firefighters and staff, along with new misconduct standards including the introduction of a national barred list and mechanisms for raising concerns.

The report, which focused on fire and rescue services in England, found examples of racist, homophobic and misogynistic behaviour in 25% of services, often excused as banter. The HMICFRS described the sector as a “boys’ club”, with some services experiencing significantly more bullying than others.

It highlighted instances of bullying and harassment, including a senior officer using the “n-word” when referring to a Black colleague, two male firefighters joking about raping a female firefighter and engaging in a simulation of the rape, and homophobic abuse found written on a firefighter’s locker.

The report also revealed that people were often afraid to report bad behaviour for fear of reprisals. One person said their “card would be marked” if they raised concerns, while another described it as “career suicide.”

The HMICFRS called for all fire and rescue services to implement the recommendations outlined in the report, which include improved oversight, accountability and transparency. It also called for the establishment of an independent body to oversee the implementation of the report’s recommendations.

‘Tip of the iceberg’

His Majesty’s Inspector of Fire & Rescue Services Roy Wilsher said the findings shine a light on deeply troubling bullying and harassment in fire and rescue services across the country – but that it could just be ‘the tip of the iceberg’.

“Firefighters can be called upon to do an incredibly difficult job. They should be able to trust each other implicitly, just as the public need to be able to trust them. Unfortunately, our findings show this is not always the case,” said Wilsher. “Instead, we found trust and respect is too often replaced with derogatory, bullying behaviour, often excused as banter.”

Services reported misconduct cases over the past 12 months with more than half concerning inappropriate behaviour, such as bullying and harassment, associated with a protected characteristic.

Wilsher said the sector needs to ‘get a grip’ on how it handles misconduct matters: “Staff should feel able to report allegations without fear of reprisals, and any fire and rescue staff found to have committed gross misconduct should be placed on a national barred list to protect other services and the public.

“Despite the fact fire and rescue staff often have contact with the most vulnerable members of society, there is no legal obligation for services to run background checks and we found an inconsistent approach to this across the country. We’re calling for appropriate background checks on existing and new staff as a bare minimum.”

He added that the majority of fire and rescue staff act with integrity and we are in no doubt of their dedication to the public, but that behaviour uncovered makes it clear the sector cannot wait another day before it acts: “We have made 35 recommendations and would urge chief fire officers, the government and national fire bodies to implement them as a matter of urgency.”

‘No time to wait’

The HMICFRS report comes just days after the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) event on culture and inclusion which brought together representatives from all UK Fire and Rescue services.

Attendees to the event were unanimous in their commitment to to improve culture and inclusion across fire and rescue services, with the publication of a clear and renewed national action plan within a month.

Commenting on the new report, Mark Hardingham, Chair of the NFCC, said: “This report makes for difficult reading; I am clear that now is the time to act together to deliver transformation and culture change across the fire and rescue service. We need to move forward with pace; there is no time to wait. To read about the allegations of bullying, harassment and discrimination paints a stark and damning picture of the cultural issues fire and rescue services face.

“I fully support the report’s recommendations and I am committed to working with fire and rescue services, government, HMICFRS and wider partners to ensure we see tangible improvements – and provide challenge and support where we do not. Strong action must be taken to ensure everyone feels safe and supported, staff are treated fairly and have the confidence to challenge poor behaviour.”

Cygnus training academy launches

by Breaking NewsTraining

Developer and manufacturer of fully compliant and wireless fire detection and alarm systems Cygnus has officially opened the new Cygnus Academy – an in-person, high specification training hub for installers seeking to learn about the company’s new SmartNet wireless fire detection and alarm system.

Located at the company’s headquarters in Hereford, the Cygnus Academy provides a modern, fully equipped and comfortable environment where installers can complete the SmartNet one-day training course to become a Cygnus Certified Partner.

The SmartNet course, combining both theoretical and practical training, provides detailed insights into the ground-breaking SmartNet technology and the skills required to carry out a successful installation. Areas covered in the first part of the course include an overview of SmartNet wireless technology, site and system configuration and SmartNet installation.

The second part focusses on setting up the mobile app as well as diagnostics and fault finding. It will give installers an in-depth overview of Cygnus and SmartNet and allow them to design and fit a system correctly whilst offering the best services to their clients.

‘Huge growth opportunity’

Cygnus brings a strong heritage with over 10 years developing wireless technology, beginning with the launch of the original Cygnus radio evacuation systems for constructions sites, which became renowned for its range and reliability.

Training dates include 4, 11, 18, and 25 April and 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30 May and can be booked via: help@cygnus-academy.com

Austen Wells, Sales Manager at Cygnus said: “Reliable, robust and easy to install wireless fire detection and alarm systems are a huge growth opportunity for installers. The Cygnus SmartNet system transforms that opportunity into a business reality, with a system that is quick and simple to install and can be scaled effectively from small to large installations. SmartNet is also supported by expert in-depth training through the Cygnus Academy and ongoing first-class technical support from Cygnus.”

About Cygnus SmartNet

The Cygnus SmartNet system comprises a comprehensive range of EN54 compliant and Construction Products Regulation (CPR 305/2011) certified fire detection and alarm devices suitable for permanent installation across all types of building environment.

These include a choice of Radio Bases, with and without Sounders and Visual Indicators; Optical Smoke, Type B Heat Detectors, PIR Detectors and a Combi detector, which has a smoke and A1R sensor, together with Ceiling and Wall-Mounted Visual Alarm Devices, Call Points and Interface.