Posts in category: People

Avon Fire Authority has announced the appointment of Steve Imrie as the permanent Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO) for Service Delivery for Avon Fire & Rescue Service (AF&RS).

ACFO Steve Imrie has been the Temporary ACFO for Service Delivery since January 2021, prior to that he spent eight months as Temporary ACFO for Service Delivery Support in 2020. Following a robust and challenging recruitment process this year, Steve has successfully been appointed into the ACFO role permanently following a competitive process in which both internal and external applications were invited.

Chair of Avon Fire Authority Councillor Brenda Massey said: “I am delighted to be able to confirm Steve Imrie’s appointment as Assistant Chief Fire Officer. Throughout a challenging recruitment process, the People and Culture Committee agreed Steve was the strongest candidate; he remained calm, professional, and showcased his experience and knowledge incredibly well. I am confident that Steve has the skills, professionalism and knowledge to prove an asset to the Service Leadership Board and I look forward to working closely with Steve in the future.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the candidates who remained incredibly professional throughout the recruitment process while presenting their skills and impressive knowledge to the recruitment panel. My thanks extend to the People and Culture Committee, who led the robust and competitive recruitment process on behalf of the Avon Fire Authority.”

On hearing the news of his successful appointment, Steve said: “After a challenging recruitment process, I am delighted to have been successfully appointed as Assistant Chief Fire Officer for Service Delivery by the Employment Panel of the People and Culture Committee on behalf of the Fire Authority.

“Since joining the County of Avon Fire Brigade in 1995, I have been privileged to hold a number of posts. I started my career as an operational firefighter at Brislington, Bath and Southmead, before progressing to several roles, including Station Manager Learning & Development, Vulnerable Adults Manager, Unitary Manager B&NES and South Gloucestershire, and Head of Operational Response, among a few other roles in the past 26 years. It is clear that Avon Fire & Rescue Service is an employer that truly believes in, and supports, the potential in its staff.

“Throughout my career I have seen many changes in the fire sector, both locally and nationally, and I look forward to working closely with colleagues across the Service to influence our journey and develop the next Service Plan for the years ahead. I am truly excited to be a part of the Service Leadership Board as the Service continues through a transformational journey, to ensure we are the very best we can be while remaining an employer of choice within our communities.”

After 12 successful years as BAFE’s CEO, and latterly as CEO and Director of FireQual, Stephen Adams has stepped down from the business as of the 7th of September 2021.

Stephen joined BAFE in 2009, oversaw the move into our current offices within the Fire Service College at Morton-in-Marsh, where he has been central to the development of the business and the respect it has within the UK fire market today.  Stephen has also been involved with the excellent BAFE team and industry stakeholders in the development of many new BAFE schemes and initiatives but notably the expansion of the SP203 scheme into Emergency lighting, the SP205 Fire Risk Assessment scheme and the new BAFE SP206 Kitchen Fire Protection Systems scheme whilst ensuring that the original BAFE schemes such as SP101 for competency of Portable Fire Extinguisher Organisations and technicians has developed and continues to support growth & competence in this market.

Over the past year, he has been active in the establishment of BAFE FireQual, which is the specialist Awarding Body for the fire protection industry working for the betterment of knowledge and skills and is now successfully launched and offering qualifications and examinations to those engaged across the fire sector.

Stephen has always highlighted & promoted how 3rd party certification would make a difference to delivering a safer built environment in the UK for our people and businesses and has been heavily involved in promoting this both before and following the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

The Board of BAFE would wish Stephen and his family every success in their future and to thank him for his influential years of service.

A separate announcement will discuss the future management structure for BAFE.

Chris Davies, Chief Fire Officer of Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service has announced his intentions to retire from his role in April 2022, bringing to a close his distinguished 37 year career.

Since joining South Glamorgan Fire and Rescue Service back in 1984, then moving to South Wales Fire and Rescue Service in 1996, Chris has been extremely fortunate to have carved out a successful career in an area of work that is incredibly challenging, fulfilling and rewarding.

Having risen to the rank of Head of Community Safety in South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, Chris joined Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service in 2008 as Corporate Head of Community Risk Reduction. From there, and with thanks to a hugely dedicated team at every juncture, he progressed through the ranks to become Chief Fire Officer in 2014.

Chris Davies, Chief Fire Officer, said: “It has and continues to be a real honour and privilege to lead our Fire and Rescue Service. With six months left in my role, I will continue to lead with the dedication and vigour I always have, ensuring that I conclude much of the good work that is taking place and end my tenure with the guarantee that our communities remain safe and our Service effective and efficient.

“Making this decision was incredibly difficult and brings to end a long career that I am incredibly proud of.”

Cllr Elwyn Williams, Chair of Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Authority said: “On behalf of the Authority, I want to extend my thanks to Chief Fire Officer Chris Davies for the contribution he has made to our Service. During his tenure as Chief Fire Officer, Chris has undertaken his role with the highest professionalism, delivering far reaching success to ensure the ongoing safety of the communities we serve.

“His retirement will be a huge loss to our Service, but his illustrious career places us in a strong position to continue to deliver an efficient and effective Service.”

The Chief Fire Officer of Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service John Buckley is to retire in April 2022 after 26 years of service.

Buckley joined as a Firefighter back in 1996, having transferred from Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service where he was previously an On-Call Firefighter from 1994. 

During his time with Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service he has risen through the ranks and has worked on several stations and in various departments, before ultimately being appointed as Chief Fire Officer in 2014.

The Chief Fire Officer has been a passionate fundraiser for The Fire Fighters Charity, the charity which provides support to fire and rescue service staff and their families. He has spearheaded the annual Chief’s Challenge which usually raises over £10,000 for the charity.

Councillor Michael Payne, Chair of the Fire Authority, said: “John has led the Service through challenging times over the past few years, and more lately ensuring that the Service has been at the forefront of supporting communities throughout the pandemic. He has made a huge difference at national level – representing the fire sector on finance and funding related issues as we approach the comprehensive spending review.

“John has led with distinction, integrity and a deep sense of commitment to the communities of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. 

“I would like to thank John for his exemplary service during his career. I know he remains fully committed to continuing to lead the organisation with his trademark passion and commitment over the next six months.”

Chief Fire Officer John Buckley added: “It has and continues to be a real privilege to lead Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service. Six months is a long time away and there’s still much more that I want to see through while I am here.

“My aim is to leave the Service in the best shape possible to continue our work in keeping the communities of Nottinghamshire safe.”

Over the next six months the Fire Authority will consider all options for the future leadership of Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Steve Hamm discusses the details behind the recent announcement that the Institution of Fire Engineers will undergo a comprehensive review of its communications and activities that will aim to strengthen its global influence.  

Across the global fire and safety spectrum, new regulations, technologies and standards are changing at an accelerated pace. These changes have been brought on by climate change and major incidents taking place across the world, and for that reason, many organisations are in the midst of a structural change. For governing bodies, this change has had an impact on how they, and their members operate. With new challenges to overcome, they must manoeuvre appropriately to prepare for the future and continue education of the ever-expanding industry. 

For the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE), this has resulted in a new global strategy. The IFE is a global professional membership body for those in the fire sector that seek to increase their knowledge, professional recognition and understanding of fire through a global discourse. With over 100 years of history, the IFE has helped shape the future of a world that is safer from fire.  

Leading the way 

Having spent more than 25 years in the Fire and Rescue Service, serving in operations, fire safety and training in both county and metropolitan areas, Steve Hamm is well versed within the challenges that lie ahead for companies within fire engineering. His role within IFE already requires him to lead the way in meeting the future demands and challenges that are emerging.

On his role, and that of the IFE within the sector, Hamm said: “It is my job to make sure that the organisation continues to evolve to meet the future needs of its members. I have been responsible for leading the change in strategy, reviewing what we do, how we do it and listening to how members would like to see the organisation develop in the future. I also foster collaboration across the global fire industry to drive our mission to advance and improve the knowledge, practice and recognition of all fire professionals as we look to enable an increasingly fire safe world.  

“The IFE is the global professional membership body for those in the fire sector. Managed for fire professionals by fire professionals, the IFE looks to promote, encourage and improve the science, practice and professionalism of engineering, acting as a beacon of established expertise and guiding the way to a fire safe future.” 

As part of their position within the fire sector, the IFE recently announced a comprehensive review of its communications and activities to improve its services and qualifications for members. The review will look to strengthen the global influence in competence and sustainability for the Institution. The review has been brought on by an evolving landscape which has provided new ways of working and highlighted the importance of knowledge and information sharing.

On the changes the industry is adapting to, Hamm comments: “Across the board our roles and responsibilities are evolving, influenced by advances in technologies and materials. The reality is the fire safety landscape in which our members operate is changing at a faster pace than at any time since the foundation of the Institution in 1918. This is both exciting and challenging and it is vital we remain highly relevant to the needs of our members and continue to build on our role to create a fire safe future. We have had valuable input from members, volunteers, staff and stakeholders in shaping our new direction.” 

Changing to reflect the future  

When setting out the challenges the industry has faced, the IFE first had to clarify the key areas that needed to be made for the immediate future. The process of this can be complicated, especially with so many members to consider when making the necessary changes.

However, Hamm states that when coming up with a strategy, their members were heavily involved in the process, and together they have developed something that will help build towards a better future: “By listening to our members, we have come up with a strategy that ensures the IFE remains relevant to future needs, builds on the potential of digital learning and knowledge sharing initiated during lockdown and influences best practice around the world.  

“We have undertaken a comprehensive review of our communications and activities with the aim of reshaping our services to members and developing clear strategies for activities under two core themes of competency and sustainability. Our research particularly highlighted the importance members place on the global reach of our organisation, enabling them to learn from each other and ensure they are at the forefront of best practice. This builds their own levels of expertise and in turn the confidence that others have in their services, advice and assessments.” 

Improving support to improve services 

As part of the new strategy the IFE has also made changes within its team. Peter Wilkinson has been appointed as new technical director to lead on the IFE’s technical collaborations, special interest groups and input into consultations. The new position of relationships manager has also been created, with the aim of developing support for the organisation’s international network of branches and extensive cohort of volunteers. There has also been changes implemented to improve services and qualifications for members of the IFE.

When discussing the changes, Hamm comments: “We have enhanced our communications across the board and moved more of our activities online attracting a much more diverse international audience than previously. We are focussed on ensuring that what we do remains highly relevant to the future needs of the sector so are increasingly looking to our branches to bring challenges to us from around the world so that we can work together to resolve them, as well as expanding our branch network into new territories.  

He continued: “By connecting different professions in the industry, we can help to inform future advances and innovation. Training, CPD, qualifications and technical updates are at the heart of our role in illuminating a fire safe world. We are bringing together the schedules, events and work of our special interest groups to create a more transparent and accessible hub of information that will support competency.

“Our branches around the world are engaged in influencing new legislation, regulations and guidance, as well as enabling the training to support these changes. Our focus on competency will be underpinned by a new learning resources facility as a member benefit with accessible study support.” 

Mapping out immediate priorities 

With many changes to come for the IFE, the organisation has already set out its priorities for the coming year. Part of this is to develop a strategy for the existing volunteers. Hamm believes that this will help them maintain the high standards that they have built. “From reviewing applications and examinations to sitting on committees, they volunteer their knowledge and expertise to help maintain the high standards that build confidence in our professionalism and practice. In turn, they benefit from the experience, knowledge sharing, influencing and leadership skills that come with many of our volunteering roles, but we want to build on this. 

He continued: “As part of this exciting initiative, we are going to host a new Volunteer Hub on our website. The hub will recognise and support our existing volunteers, enabling them to share their experiences and showcase work they have been involved in on our behalf. It will also highlight the diverse range of voluntary roles available throughout the IFE and make clear what each role involves. The hub will also set out the many benefits that volunteering for the IFE can bring to both individuals and employers.” 

The next steps 

With the strategy still in its infancy, there is much more to come from the IFE. The organisation are looking to build closer relationships with other organisations and are putting together a new suite of qualifications that have been well received by members. For the future, Hamm says they want to focus on competency and sustainability. “Our strategy is at the beginning of its journey so our focus will be centred on its key components, competency and sustainability.

“We will build on our resources to ensure we are equipping our members to build knowledge and skills together. Around the world, our branches are engaged in activities designed to attract new people into the sector. Professional fire engineers will be crucial to making a rapidly changing world safe from fire in the future.  

He continued: “There is still a lot we don’t know about fire, and we cannot be complacent particularly when it comes to emerging technologies. To respond effectively, we must work in partnership and collaborate across specialisms. Each person working in the fire industry today brings their own experience and valuable perspective to solving the problems of the future. Competency has always been front and centre of our commitment to professionalism and is more important than ever as we update our skills and practices in line with new legislation and regulations.” 

As the landscape of the fire industry around us changes, it is more important than ever that organisations continue to reflect the change with up-to-date strategies. The IFE look well placed to help its members continue to navigate the future challenges on the horizon. 

Spartan Fire, LLC, a subsidiary of REV Group have announce that Edward (“Ed”) DeVito has joined the company as Vice-President/General Manager.

With over 20 years in various key operations leadership roles, Ed has tremendous experience in the chassis industry including 12 prior years in manufacturing, production engineering and supply chain with Spartan Motors.  Most recently, Ed was Vice-President of Operations at HME Ahrens-Fox.

“Since late April, with Gary Pacilio’s direction acting as interim VP/GM, the Spartan Fire Chassis team has made great progress in assimilating to the REV Drive Business System and has delivered real progress with both commercial and operational improvements across the business,” stated Kent Tyler, President REV Fire Group.  “With a solid background in custom chassis manufacturing, including several years previously with Spartan, we are very confident that Ed will work closely with the Spartan Fire Chassis organisation, our dealers, our OEM partners, and fire service customers to keep driving this positive momentum forward,” Tyler added.

A Michigan native, Ed earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at Michigan Technological University and a Master of Science in Engineering Management from Western Michigan University.

Each year, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) presents awards that recognise outstanding achievements in fire and life safety. Two of those awards are the Harry C. Bigglestone Award and the Research Foundation Medal, given out by the Fire Protection Research Foundation (Foundation), the research affiliate of NFPA.

Harry C. Bigglestone Award

The Harry C. Bigglestone Award is given annually in recognition of a paper that appeared in Fire Technology. The chosen contribution best represents excellence in the communication of fire protection concepts and honors Harry C. Bigglestone, who served as a trustee of the Foundation. Bigglestone was a fellow and past president of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers. The award is accompanied by a $5,000 cash prize from NFPA.

The 2021 Harry C. Bigglestone winning paper is “20 Dwelling Large-Scale Experiment of Fire Spread in Informal Settlements,” by Nico de Koker (PhD, BScEng, BSc), a computational physicist and structural engineer who works as an associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Stellenbosch University.

The paper’s co-authors were R.S. Walls, A. Cicione, Z.R. Sander, S. Loffel, J.J. Claasen, S.J. Fourie, L. Croukamp (all from the Department of Civil Engineering, Stellenbosch University), and D. Rush (School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, U.K.). de Koker’s research interests broadly focus on the uncertainty quantification in engineering simulations, in particular applications in structural fire safety, fire spread modelling, reliability-based design, and stochastic inversion.

Fire Protection Research Foundation Medal

The Research Foundation Medal recognises the project completed in the previous year that best exemplifies the Foundation’s fire safety mission, technical challenges that have been overcome, and a collaborative approach to execution (the hallmark of all Foundation projects). An awards committee consisting of representatives from the Foundation Board, Research Advisory Committee, and NFPA technical staff reviewed summaries of 18 eligible projects and conducted staff assessments of how they meet each of the criteria.

The project, Evaluation of the fire protection effectiveness of fluorine free firefighting foams has been selected as the recipient of the 2020 Foundation Medal. This project addressed the need to inform end users about alternatives by evaluating the firefighting capabilities of fluorine free, Class B firefighting foams on fires involving hydrocarbon and alcohol fuels.

More than 165 fire tests were conducted to determine foam application rates and foam discharge densities as a function of a range of test parameters, including discharge types, foam qualities and aspiration ratios, fuel types, water types, and fuel temperatures. Information on the proper application of fluorine free foams (FFFs) was lacking for the end users. In part, the study highlighted the importance of following the listed parameters while applying FFFs.

The Research Foundation Medal recognises everyone that was involved in the project including the research team, the project sponsors (American Petroleum Institute, Angus International, Chevron USA Inc., Exxon Mobil, Johnson Controls, Marathon Petroleum, Philipps 66, Shell Oil Company), and the project technical panel.

The award will be presented to the research team, led by Gerard G. Back, senior fire protection engineer, Research & Development, Testing & Evaluation at Jensen Hughes (Md.), and John Farley, director of Fire Test Operations at the Naval Research Laboratory’s Navy Technology Center for Safety and Survivability (Va.). The research team will receive the award during the ‘Night of Stars’ event at the 2022 NFPA Conference & Expo to be held in Boston.

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has appointed Nicole Rinaldi as its new Director of Professional Services.

Nicole joins IOSH on 25 October and will head up IOSH’s Professional Services Directorate, which is responsible for all aspects of the Institution’s professional support for its members and stakeholders.

She brings with her a wealth of experience working in professional bodies. She is currently Director of Membership and part of the Executive Leadership Team at the Chartered College of Teaching and was previously Head of Global Membership and Business Development at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Prior to working in professional bodies, Nicole worked for organisations in the media and publishing sector, with a strong focus on magazines, digital platforms and events serving industries including the built environment, finance, advertising and drinks.

Nicole is a trustee of CAPE, a mental health charity in Ealing, London, and was a trustee for the Support Network, the benevolent fund of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, until last month.

Her appointment comes after IOSH’s former Director of Professional Services Vanessa Harwood-Whitcher became its Chief Executive at the start of this month. Ruth Lake has taken over as Interim Director of Professional Services until Nicole moves into the post.

Among Nicole’s initial aims will be to oversee the continued delivery of a number of member-related projects which form part of IOSH’s WORK 2022 five-year strategy.

Speaking about her appointment, she highlighted how she is keen to continue the work done to enhance the profession, at a time when IOSH’s members around the world are front and centre of businesses’ response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

She said: “This is a hugely exciting time to join IOSH, as it continues to deliver on its WORK 2022 strategy, including a number of measures to enhance the occupational safety and health profession.

“The Institution will also continue to support its members as they in turn support their employers and the businesses they work with which are seeking to ensure they manage Covid-19 and all other health and safety risks.

“I am very much looking forward to working with the team at IOSH and the membership from October.”

The Assistant Chief Fire Officer of West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service is to leave the post in the autumn to take up an exciting new role.

Jon Lacey has been appointed as Chief Fire Officer and Executive Director for Public Safety of Suffolk Fire & Rescue Service. Jon began his firefighting career with West Sussex in 1993 as a retained firefighter. He leaves the service after working his way up through the ranks to be appointed as the service’s Assistant Chief Fire Officer in 2020.

Jon said: “I have served most of my career with West Sussex and I have had the opportunity of working with some fantastic people over the last two and a half decades. It is those experiences I will be taking with me as I leave the county. It has been an honour to serve the people of West Sussex.” Jon also spent five years with Essex Fire & Rescue Service.

As the Assistant Chief Fire Officer in West Sussex he has had responsibility for the service’s Prevention, Protection and Response teams as well as the county council’s Resilience and Emergency Team. Jon is also the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) national lead for air transportation and outside of work is a keen instructor for the Air Cadets.

WSFRS Chief Fire Officer, Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, said: “This is fantastic news for Jon and I am sure I speak for everyone when I offer him my congratulations and say how delighted we are for him.

“Jon will be a huge loss to the service as he has such a wealth of experience gained over 24 years in the fire and rescue service, the majority with us here in West Sussex. I wish him every success in his new role.”

West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Community Support and Fire & Rescue, Duncan Crow, said: “Jon has dedicated much of his career to keeping the residents of West Sussex safe, and has been a tremendous asset to our fire and rescue service. I know I speak for everyone here at the county council in wishing him all the best.”

Graeme Leonard, Director of Sales for Victaulic outlines why their products help customers alleviate labour risks  

What makes Victaulic stand out from its competitors?  

“I think there are many reasons. For example, we have over 100 years’ experience in pipe joining technology, an integrated supply chain and, from an import perspective, we have manufacturing facilities within Europe. I would also say our consistent pursuit of excellence in technology and new innovations help us stand out. We are also all about time. The time taken on rework really gives security to the customer that they can do it right the first time, and this means that they can walk away happy from a job.”  

What market gaps have you seen in the last year?   

“We have seen a couple of trends over the last year, but the biggest trend we have seen is the increased risk attributed to labour due to mobility issues and its availability. We have seen a real shortfall in properly trained and properly qualified labour available on sites throughout Europe and this is something we have looked to mitigate with some of our product developments, in particular with our Style 109 one-bolt rigid coupling, which aims to mitigate the risk in three ways. Firstly, it is six times faster to install than a traditional coupling.

“Secondly, and equally important is that its very difficult to install incorrectly due to the one-bolt design. Thirdly, there are quality checks built into the product that make it easy to verify if the coupling is properly installed. This all adds up to mitigate any labour risk on site. A lot of what we do is focused on those risks and we believe that some of our products are pretty revolutionary.”  

What have Victaulic been involved in this year?  

“Going back to the Style 109, it is a rigid coupling, which is the most common product in pipe joining with regards to the fire protection industry. But we took it to the next level, by making its design more efficient. This is a once in a decade launch and is a very important new product both for  the industry and Victaulic. We have also increased our range of grooved end, Installation-Ready Sprinklers, which eliminate the risk of poorly connected threaded sprinklers.

“Finally, with VicFlex, our range of flexible hoses, we are also moving forward with grooved ends. The coupling at the end of the hose is used for the connection to the branch lines and improves the productivity whilst also adding safety to the installation. The product is really defined as a labour saving solution for the market, but we have taken it much further.” 

With over 100 years’ experience, how have Victaulic continued to drive innovation?  

“The innovation has been driven in two ways. We have always directed a lot of resources towards research and development, and that is key to our success and our understanding of the issues that occur on job sites. In addition to our physical products, we have our virtual design and construction department that works with customers in their planning and design phase to start the project in the most efficient way.”  

What plans do Victaulic have for the coming year?  

“The prime goal is to ensure that we conduct the launch of the Style 109 One-Bolt Coupling effectively, but most importantly, we also want to address the challenges that installers are facing in terms of supply across Europe. We want to work with our customers to make sure they get what they need on their job site in a complete and timely fashion, which I believe is a priority for all contracting entities at this point in time.”