Posts in category: Projects

Individuals who have a passion for people and a desire to help others in their local community are being urged to think about becoming an on-call firefighter, as part of the Need More On-call Fire campaign.

Led by the National Fire Chiefs Council, the campaign encourages people to explore the on-call firefighter career opportunities available through a number of Fire and Rescue Services across the UK.

Now in its third year, the Need More On-call Fire campaign runs from 1 – 7 March and aims to highlight the opportunities available to people from all walks of life. The campaign is supported by a national website www.oncallfire.uk which details more about on-call roles and how people can get in touch with their local fire service all year round.

Working as an on-call firefighter means being involved in a wide range of local activities such as responding to emergency calls, carrying out work to meet the needs of local communities or provide prevention advice to keep households and businesses safe.

In return, the fire service can offer flexible working to fit around study, other work commitments and family life, first class training and development opportunities and a chance to make a difference in the local community.

Joe Hassell, On-Call Lead for the National Fire Chiefs Council, said: “Communities have seen the brilliant work and support the UK Fire and Rescue Service has provided during the Covid-19 pandemic. Our fantastic on-call Firefighters have been involved in a number of activities over the last year which have included giving safety advice to people at home, driving ambulances, delivering food and prescriptions and supporting mass testing and vaccination efforts as well as continuing to provide emergency response. By doing these activities, as well as responding to our normal emergencies, staff have helped thousands of people.

“This campaign is for those who welcome the chance to join the UK Fire and Rescue Service and those who perhaps have previously thought becoming a firefighter was not a possibility for them. There’s never been a better time to help serve local communities and help save lives. Now is the chance to find out if the Fire and Rescue Service is something you can be a part of.”

Keri Worrall joined Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service after seeing an advert as part of the national campaign. She combines the role with her job in the leisure industry and saw it as an opportunity to use her passion for working with people. She said:

“Being an on-call firefighter makes me feel brilliant. If someone asked me about joining the Fire Service I would say go for it! It’s an amazing job.”

Working in the Fire and Rescue Service means becoming part of a close-knit team, earning extra money and receiving full and ongoing training to develop a broad range of transferable work and life skills.

Fire and Rescue Services are keen to ensure their workforce reflect the local communities they work within, so welcome enquiries from all. No previous experience is necessary, but applicants will need to have a strong desire to support the local community, an enthusiasm for working as part of a team, a reasonable level of fitness and live or work within a close distance to the local fire station.

Thinking about a career as a firefighter? Visit the Need More On-call Fire website to find out how you can start your career.

Deliberate fire setting dropped by a third across Scotland in Spring last year – but the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service says there is no room for complacency.

The national service mobilised firefighters to a total of 2,491 incidents of deliberate fire setting between March and April 2020 compared to 3,658 incidents in 2019 – a 32 per cent reduction.

The figures were released as the Service launches its annual Spring Safety campaign.

Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Alasdair Perry, SFRS Head of Prevention and Protection said: “While any reduction in the number of deliberate fires is welcomed, we simply cannot be complacent.

“Deliberate fires have the potential to cause injury and even death or cause devastating damage to our environment and properties.

“One deliberate fire is one too many – they are a needless drain on emergency service resources at a difficult time.”

The data shows how deliberate fires in Spring last year included 379 in the city of Glasgow (a decrease of 42%) 329 in North Lanarkshire (a decrease of 41%) and East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and Renfrewshire 188 (decrease of 43%).

Most reported fires took place outdoors and were set in either grassland or rubbish and refuse, however some incidents also included vehicles and even buildings.

The significant reduction also coincided with Scotland’s first Covid-19 lockdown which introduced restrictions on movement which continue into Spring 2021.

DACO Perry said: “Last year we saw restrictions put in place on social movement, and this year is no different as we continue to tackle this pandemic.

“As well as limits on how far people can travel, we also know that schools, clubs and community groups are affected or unable to open due to Covid-19 restrictions.

“Our firefighters and community action teams have been and will continue to work extremely hard to engage with the public and promote safety messages.

“But as we cannot conduct school visits or engage with young people directly through clubs and groups, I would ask parents, guardians and carers to help by making sure that children and young people are aware of the risks and consequences of deliberate fire setting.

“It is vital we continue to remind people that deliberate fire setting is a crime and a criminal record can affect future life and job opportunities – a price that can be easily avoided.”

Anyone with information about deliberate fire-raising should contact the free and confidential Crimestoppers helpline on 0800 555 111.

The Fire Safety Bill, which would ensure that leaseholders do not have to pay remediation costs, has been voted down following a three hour debate in the House of Commons.

Although the bill received support from mp’s, a vote in the The House of Commons ended 340-225 in favour of not backing the motion, despite 30 Conservative MP’s going against the Government.

Following the Grenfell tower fire, the Fire Safety Bill was passed and added stricter regulations for building safety. However, despite the Government announcement that it is pledging £3.5bn towards the removal of unsafe cladding high rise buildings to bring an end to the cladding scandal, many leaseholders claim that they face further costs of up to £50,000.

Aside from cladding removal, residents of high rise buildings have faced large fees to pay for safety improvements to comply with new regulations.

The bill will now go to the House of Lords.

Apprentices for Fire & Security (A4FS) will be presenting to thousands of young people from across the UK in next month’s WorldSkills UK Spotlight Talks.

The Spotlight Talks are focused on inspiring careers excellence and will bring together the UK’s leading employers and apprentices to inspire even more young people, from all walks of life, to take up technical career routes and apprenticeships.

WorldSkills UK Live is the nation’s premier skills, apprenticeships and careers event. It takes place every November at the NEC in Birmingham. The Electronic Security Systems Competition was launched in 2019, but unfortunately, the live event was cancelled in 2020. The competition, which returns for 2021, is organised by Skills for Security, with CSL, Hikvision and Texecom as headline sponsors. The competition is the final part of the security side of Engineers of Tomorrow, which recently announced registration is open for this year.

A4FS is the industry initiative that places young people into careers in the fire and security industry. The initiative is helping to match young people with an apprenticeship in an array of fields within the fire and security sectors. The fire and security industry offers a diverse range of career paths including electrical engineering, product design, security guarding and much more.

The session takes place on Wednesday 24 March 2021 between 09:10 – 09:40. To register to attend, please click here.

Ajax Systems have launched a new promo campaign “The freedom to be an engineer.” The main goal is to attract new employees to the R&D team. The company’s goal for 2021 is to hire 250 developers, doubling its engineering team to 550 people.

A recruitment video was released to support the campaign. It reveals the core values and principles of Ajax Systems employees. The insights from in-depth interviews included the freedom to act and find solutions, the ability to influence the end result, engineering challenges, proximity to production, and working on a real world-renowned product rather than a part of a code pulled out from a project.

Valentine Hrytsenko, CMO of Ajax Systems said: “The developers at Ajax Systems are people who care about how they do their jobs and why. It’s important for them to influence the work process and see the result of their work. Here they are given this freedom, the freedom to be an engineer.”

Ajax Systems R&D offices are located in three cities in Ukraine: Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Vinnytsia. The company is actively looking for Embedded and Hardware developers. They invite both experienced engineers and talented young specialists.

A full list of open positions can be viewed here

Securitas, the world’s leading intelligent protective services partner, has acquired Dansk Brandteknik A/S, a leading Danish fire and safety company that specialises in fire and safety services and equipment, including related consulting and training services.

The acquisition will significantly enhance Securitas’ protective services capabilities in Denmark and is in line with the Group’s strategy of doubling its security solutions and electronic security sales by 2023. The purchase price is approximately MDKK 110 (MSEK 149) on a debt-free basis.

In 2020, Dansk Brandteknik’s annual sales were more than MDKK 60 (MSEK 81), of which 70 percent were on a recurring monthly revenue basis. The company has a nationwide presence in Denmark with 40 employees and approximately 7 500 business clients, mainly in the small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) segment, with high client retention rates. 

Peter Karlströmer, Divisional President Security Services Europe: “We are very happy to welcome Dansk Brandteknik’s team to Securitas and are looking forward to working together. Dansk Brandteknik is one of the strongest players in their space selling products and services as a solutions offering, fitting perfectly with Securitas’ strategy of providing protective services bundled as security solutions.

We can now package fire technology and consulting with our broader product portfolio, which is especially relevant for the SME space where we have an ambitious growth strategy. Our larger business clients will also benefit from this expanded offering, and we see major cross-selling opportunities in the client portfolios of both Dansk Brandteknik and Securitas.”

The acquisition-related costs are expected to be MSEK 6, to be recognised in 2021 and 2022. The acquisition is expected to be accretive to EPS as of 2021 and will be consolidated in Securitas as of February 22, 2021.

More than 27,000 vaccinations have been given to the public by Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) staff, following a drive to assist with the national programme.

This equates to firefighters and other FRS staff administering approximately one in 600 immunisations out of the 16.5 million given to date.

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has praised this incredible work – as fire service colleagues are administering vaccinations and carrying out other tasks to assist to Covid-19 response, alongside their usual emergency response duties.

Around 70 per cent – or 35 – UK FRSs are now assisting with the vaccination drive and fully trained staff from FRSs are actively giving the vaccinations with more trained to follow. More than 6,000 hours of support has been given. 

In total, there are 450 staff acting as vaccinators – with 193 active in the last week, with some services having support staff dedicated to the role fulltime. Additional efforts from services to support the vaccination effort includes logistical support, patient care and assisting on site at vaccination and test centres.

Staff from Shropshire, Nottinghamshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Lancashire, Tyne & Wear and Merseyside FRSs are all currently giving vaccinations – with more set to undertake this vital work.

Chair of NFCC, Roy Wilsher, said: “To see the sheer number of vaccinations and support being given by Fire and Rescue Service staff is amazing.

“We have seen services working tirelessly to set up the sites, assisting with patient care and also administering the vaccines. This doesn’t take into account other work such as services helping deliver and carry out tests in areas where new COVID strains were discovered such as Surrey and Hertfordshire. Firefighters and other FRS staff continue to crew ambulances, deliver PPE and assist with getting items to vulnerable people, to name just a few activities.

“Once again it is evident staff are ready, willing and able to assist where their help is needed. The selfless dedication and determination being shown is second to none, and I am in no doubt the public are proud of their fire and rescue services as they once again step up to play their part; all this whilst workplace absence is incredibly low.”

Lancashire FRS is working alongside its partners to ensure thousands of people are getting their vaccinations, offering assistance at sites and – have assisted in administering over 50,000 vaccinations to those who need them most. More than 220 staff have volunteered to take part.

Nottinghamshire FRS team assisting the vaccinations centres across the county have administered over 10,000 vaccinations, while continuing to support our communities and partners through medical deliveries and befriending calls.

Shropshire FRS has redeployed nearly 200 staff to help roll out the COVID-19 vaccine, consisting of both operational and support teams. This includes training 34 staff as new vaccinators, providing mental health support to front line workers, helping to coordinate teams on site, medical assistance and implementing traffic management plans.

A total of 60 personnel from across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight fire services have so far been trained to become vaccinators. While ten firefighters from Hampshire have also joined doctors and nurses to help treat patients with COVID-19.

Tyne and Wear FRS has dedicated more than 1,100 hours of support and 57 staff to support the vaccination programme at Newcastle Racecourse and the Nightingale Hospital in Washington. This ranges from the team giving vaccinations, managing all non-clinical aspects of the centre, playing a critical role in executive decision making, movement of patients through the vaccination pods, resource management, volunteer briefing and welfare arrangements.

More than 150 staff have been trained to assist in both Merseyside and West Midlands FRS. They are also carrying out work, including administration support and delivering the vaccinations – as the programme gathers pace across the country.

Fire Minister Lord Greenhalgh added his support: “Our Fire and Rescue Service volunteers have made this extraordinary contribution in helping to administer the vaccine so many people, in turn saving many more. I want to thank them for their efforts.

“Their time and commitment in assisting with the rollout of the vaccination has directly supported our NHS to save lives and protect their local communities. I know our Fire and Rescue Services will continue to step up and do all they can to protect the British public.”

Additional figures from the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) show that since January 25th, more than 15,000 lateral flow tests have been given to staff, which is around 30 per cent of the FRS workforce.

Provided through local arrangements and with added provision from the Department of Health and Social Care – the tests are distributed via NFCC’s National Resilience (NR) function – enhancing the health surveillance of FRS staff, preventing asymptomatic transmission, whilst further enabling them to continue important COVID-related work – including supporting the nationwide vaccination programme.

Fire and rescue authorities must stop holding up firefighter pensions, an Employment Appeal Tribunal has ruled, in the latest legal victory for the Fire Brigades Union (FBU).

A Court of Appeal ruling in 2018 found that by forcing firefighters onto worse pension schemes while allowing others to remain on their old schemes, the government had committed unlawful age discrimination. The Supreme Court rejected the government’s attempt to appeal the case.

Fire service bosses refused to accept their responsibility to return firefighters to their rightful pensions, launching an appeal against the previous decision that the government and the fire and rescue authorities were both responsible for age discrimination. .

The FBU argued that discriminatory pension schemes are automatically rewritten, under the Equality Act, meaning employers must immediately treat firefighters as if they have always been on their original scheme.

An Employment Appeal Tribunal has now ruled in the union’s favour, meaning fire authorities must pay out to firefighters the pensions that they are rightfully owed.

The FBU is launching new court proceedings to make employers deal with these cases without waiting for new regulations to be made.

Last week, the government said that firefighters are entitled to choose which scheme to claim at the end of their career, rejecting an option that would have forced members to choose their scheme now, without access to vital information like their personal circumstances at the time of retirement.

Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: “There is no disputing the law in this case – the Tory-Lib-Dem government’s attack on firefighter pensions was discriminatory and firefighters are entitled to return to their rightful pension. But employers seem hell-bent on dodging their responsibility to pay up.

“While fire authorities waste endless sums on legal appeals, firefighters are being forced to retire without the pensions they are entitled. This tribunal’s ruling is clear; employers can pay firefighters their proper pensions – and they must.

“After seven years of campaigning, lobbying, industrial action, and legal challenges, we’re tired of the games and attacks from fire service bosses and government. Firefighters just want what they are entitled to – fairness and dignity in retirement, free from illegal age discrimination.”

Intertek and BEXIMCO have opened a PPE Center of Excellence at BEXIMCO HEALTH, PPE Industrial Park, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Ambassador of the USA to the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, H.E. Earl R. Miller opened the PPE Industrial Park along with Mr. Salman F Rahman, MP, Honorable Advisor to the Prime Minister, Bangladesh for Investment & Private Sector, Mr. Syed Naved Husain – Group Director & Chief Executive Officer BEXIMCO and other senior officials from BEXIMCO and Intertek.

BEXIMCO, a diversified private-sector group in Bangladesh, and one of South Asia’s largest vertically integrated textile and garment companies, established the PPE Industrial Park to produce personal safety equipment with a vision to become one of the major players in PPE manufacturing globally.

With South Asia emerging as the new global center for PPE manufacturing, the need for PPE products to meet all safety, hygiene and Quality Assurance standards prior to export and local consumption has been increasingly critical. To further our strategic partnership with BEXIMCO, a 12000ft² PPE Center of Excellence has been set up at the PPE industrial park that is capable of testing a wide range of PPE products to meet stringent international industry standards.

The Center of Excellence provides services ensuring that all PPE products tested in the facility comply with European, American and other international standards, all under one roof. The PPE Center of Excellence significantly enhances the delivery of our Total Quality Assurance (TQA) customer promise and streamlines our superior customer service.

The new PPE Center of Excellence will allow Intertek to provide systemic end-to-end solutions in this sector to all customers across the PPE ecosystem in Bangladesh. Intertek has partnered with the Government of Bangladesh, the World Health Organisation, Directorate General Drug Administration (DGDA) and private manufacturers alike, assuring all products from raw materials to finished items, allowing these organisations to supply high-quality and regulation-compliant products to the local and global market.

Commenting on the agreement, André Lacroix, CEO of Intertek said:

“As a purpose-led company, Intertek’s mission is to make the world a better and safer place by bringing Quality, Safety and Sustainability to life. That is why we are extending our partnership with BEXIMCO by establishing a new state-of-the-art center of excellence to ensure its vital PPE products are able to meet the highest risk-based quality assurance standards. The COVID-19 pandemic has seen global demand for PPE rise significantly, along with the need for end-to-end testing and certification solutions for protective clothing and other PPE equipment. With BEXIMCO becoming a key player in the manufacture of PPE globally, I am confident the next stage in our partnership will help make the world an ever-safer, ever-better place in these challenging times.”

Syed Naved Husain, CEO BEXIMCO, said: “BEXIMCO has steadily contributed to Bangladesh’s meteoric rise as a manufacturing hub in South Asia. I am delighted with this new development in our relationship with Intertek since it will place Bangladesh on the world’s PPE manufacturing map. The Quality Assurance capabilities of Intertek will help to further this cause by helping us to meet the most stringent regulatory standards and further cements our relationship. The new facility will help manufacturers, buyers, retailers, brands and [governments?] by bringing together all of our services under one roof encompassing European, American and other global regulatory standards. This should help us realize our vision of seeing Bangladesh as the largest manufacturer and exporter of PPE products.”

For more than two decades, Intertek has helped Bangladesh industry to ensure the quality, quantity and safety of their products, processes and systems, supporting clients involved with textiles and garments, leather and footwear, food, petroleum, petrochemicals, agricultural products, pre- shipment inspection under contract with the government, industrial technical services, high-end engineering projects, government projects and international systems certifications. The new PPE Center of Excellence adds another milestone in our existing partnership.

RapidSOS, the world’s first emergency response data platform, has partnered with Hexagon’s Safety & Infrastructure division, a global leader in computer-aided dispatch (CAD) software and public safety solutions, to give emergency communications centres across the UK access to life-saving data. 

The partnership is an extension of the existing RapidSOS and Hexagon collaboration in the United States. It brings together two foremost industry experts and is the first stage in moving public safety agencies towards next-generation (NG999) communications.

By combining Hexagon’s innovation in call centre dispatch with the RapidSOS emergency response data platform, the pair is ensuring emergency services around the world have fast, accurate and up-to-date information when responding to accidents, critical incidents and health emergencies.

The technology created by New York-based RapidSOS protects more than 90% of the U.S. population. Worldwide, it securely links emergency intelligence data – including medical status, vehicle crash data, and more – from 350M+ connected devices directly to emergency services and first responders. A recent partnership with MedicAlert UK was announced late last year, providing life-saving details and medical conditions of the charity’s ID card users directly to the UK 999 system.

By joining forces with Hexagon, this life-saving data, accessed through the RapidSOS Platform, can be distributed widely to first responders through the HxGN OnCall^® Dispatch suite – which provides police, fire, ambulance and transportation agencies with quality incident management and call-taking capabilities, to deliver better service during emergencies and major events.

For example, when a call is made from a user’s registered mobile phone or connected device, call handlers will automatically receive critical details about them to send to those attending emergency call-outs. 

Jessica Reed, VP of Strategy and Global Partners at RapidSOS, said: “The RapidSOS Platform is able to bring together crucial and potentially life-saving information from a variety of sources. Partnering with Hexagon in the US and now in the UK, helps ensure this information is delivered to the right place at the right time to make informed decisions, improve responses and save lives.

Reed continued: “The RapidSOS Platform supports all sorts of data, from dynamic AML (Advanced Mobile Location) and alternative location services to additional details generated from security systems, connected mobility, healthcare, connected buildings, apps, and wearables.”

Ian Holmes, Head of Public Safety for Hexagon’s Safety Infrastructure division UK, added: “There are a number of huge challenges ahead for public safety agencies, which require the capability to receive requests for service via not only voice but also through text, video, sensors, social media and instant messaging.

“HxGN OnCall can leverage many of these next-gen information platforms. By partnering with RapidSOS, Hexagon is able to provide quick and efficient access to this information. As well as critical medical details, this also includes location accuracy and a range of supplemental information such as contact or building information.”