Patol, the UK manufacturer of industrial fire alarm and heat detection products, has started the new year with the launch of a complete revamp of its website, with a clean new look and a more user-friendly platform.
The company is proud of its heritage, with more than 50 years of supplying fire detection solutions to projects throughout the world. This is highlighted on the homepage, with examples of the wide range of industries in which the company operates, from car parks and tunnels to power generation, warehouses and waste management.
Visitors interested in the products relating to specific markets can drill down directly via a single click while those wanting to know more about the complete range of Patol products can also easily access the information.
The homepage features Patol’s three most popular solutions: the aspirating smoke detector ASD 535 which can monitor an area of up to 5,760 square metres; the Digital Linear Heat Detection Cable (LHDC) which provides cost effective early detection of fire conditions and overheating; and the 5000 Series of Infrared Transit (Conveyor) Heat & Flame Sensors.
Iain Cumner, Patol Sales Director, comments – “a lot of information was available on the previous website but it wasn’t always the easiest to find. Ease of navigation was a fundamental requirement in the brief for this revamp and that has certainly been delivered with the new site.
This is illustrated by the simple drop-down menu on the homepage through which most of the information can be reached in just a couple of clicks. We have retained features of the previous site that had proved popular with our customers, including access to our Technical Library, but it is now more readily accessible. By providing just some very basic information, visitors can download datasheets on our full range.”
For those who want to make enquiries, either through the UK HQ or the Patol office in India, simple forms are provided, while details of Patol’s numerous accreditations are also featured.
Cumner continues – “we recognise the ever-increasing role of websites as the first port-of-call for people seeking information. That, of course, needs to be backed by market knowledge and technical expertise from the people that we employ so we continue to invest in both.
We have retained SEO management of the site to help us ensure that we remain in front of existing and potential customers, providing the opportunity to highlight our wide ranging response to fire detection in many varied applications.”
Linear Group have today announced the acquisition of a stake in Kyle Management Consultants Ltd, a leading fire safety solutions consultancy, to create Linear Fire Safety (LFS), as it continues to drive growth across the UK.
The launch of Linear Fire Safety reflects the growing importance of, and demand for, specialist solutions in this crucial area of building development, management, maintenance and safety. The new division will have a clear, single minded focus on providing high-quality, industry leading and independent fire safety expertise and tailored services to a broad spectrum of business end users and properties across the UK.
Built on the fundamental principle that fire safety must be integral to each and every building, from design and construction through to long term management, Linear Fire Safety is committed to ensuring the optimal, and most effective strategy is identified and adopted, in line with the life stage of the building.
This move will see three new senior fire safety specialists join the Group, bringing over 100 years of hands-on fire safety experience to the business and providing essential insight for clients across the UK.
Former Assistant Chief Officer (Director of Operations) of Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, Bill McDonagh, who brings 42 years of fire safety experience, will take up the post of Chairman of Linear Fire Safety. Whilst Alan Macmillan becomes Managing Director, bringing an impressive career record of over 30 years with Strathclyde Fire and Rescue and Director Andrew McClure adds his own 30 years’ experience in local authority fire and rescue services to the team.
Commenting on the news, Bill McDonagh, said, “Since we began working with Linear, we’ve consistently acknowledged a strong synergy and connection with our collective skills and experience and their vision for growth, in adding vital specialists to the client offer. Making this exciting move and joining the Group will enable us to build on our current client base, as well as provide comprehensive fire safety solutions to Linear’s existing, and future, clients.”
Stephen Holmes, CEO, Linear Group, said, “For some time, we have been working collaboratively with Kyle Management so we recognise the unquestionable value they add to our service offering. By taking a stake in the business and formalising it as a key part of the Group, we are taking this a step further and ensuring this is integral to our business moving forward.
Bringing such highly regarded and experienced talent into the team will truly set us apart, as Bill, Alan and Andrew are arguably some of the most respected, skilled and knowledgeable figures from the industry, both in Scotland and across the UK.”
For more information on Linear Fire Safety visit https://linearuk.com/linear-fire-safety/
Static Systems Group have announced that it has been acquired by Halma. Halma, headquartered in the UK, is driven by a clear purpose to grow a safer, cleaner, healthier future for everyone, every day which is highly aligned with Static Systems’ values, strategy and culture.
Static Systems Group will be joining Halma’s Medical division and will benefit from the expertise and international reach of the global group while maintaining autonomous day-to-day operation of the business and the strong connections it has with employees, customers and suppliers.
“We are looking forward to being part of such a successful and purpose-driven group that can help take the company to the next level of growth, comments Static Systems Group Commercial Director, Chris Turner.
“Our life-critical alarm and communication solutions sit perfectly alongside those of the other companies in the Halma group. Our advanced nurse call solutions, for example, have seamlessly integrated for some time with CenTrak’s Real-Time Locating Systems (RTLS), helping to enhance the patient experience, keep patients and staff safe, and empower care teams.
“We also have long-standing supply relationships with Apollo Fire Detectors and Advanced, with the latter providing most of our fire alarm panels. With Static Systems’ design expertise, project management and installation experience, supported by comprehensive service and maintenance offering, we see this being a perfect relationship to holistically grow our fire alarm presence.”
Bill Stoval, the new Chair for Static Systems Group comments: “Static Systems’ culture of working in partnership with customers to build long-term relationships focused on mutual success provides a platform to invest in and explore new ways to create safer, healthier environments. We see new opportunities to help users of our systems address their challenges through deeper technical and clinical integration, with the capability to provide bespoke solutions tuned to specific needs.”
Halma employ over 7,000 people in 20 countries, with major operations in the UK, Europe, the USA and Asia Pacific.
The National Fire Chiefs Council have released a range of updated risk assessments which will allow UK firefighters and other staff to continue work on COVID related activities – while taking on more.
To support this, 10,000 lateral flow tests a week will be provided by the government to fire services, meaning up to 5,000 firefighters could soon be supporting the UK-wide vaccination programme now underway.
These tests will help keep UK firefighters who are undertaking vital COVID work safer – and is in line with other emergency services testing procedures
The updated risk assessments will allow UK firefighters to support the ambulance service with driving ambulances, community vaccination work, delivering PPE, transferring COVID patients, providing training on infection, protection and control, non-blue light driver training, and the movement of bodies.
NFCC Chair Roy Wilsher said: “Fire and Rescue Services across the country stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the NHS, nurses, paramedics and care workers in the fight against COVID-19. Firefighters have extensive first aid, trauma care qualifications and experience and want to play their part.
“It is in the DNA of a firefighter to assist where help is needed the most; I know staff will not sit behind the red doors of their fire station, when their help is needed in the communities they so ably serve. They will not wait for the pandemic to pass them by; they are ready, willing and able to continue to be at the heart of the response.
“The safety of firefighters is vitally important to every Chief Fire Officer. These risk assessments clearly set out how we will keep our people safe while carrying out this work.
Mr Wilsher pointed out since March the UK FRS has provided a wide-range of support to date. Latest figures show there have been more than 400,000 addition activities,
These include delivery of more than 125,000 essential items to vulnerable people; 7,370 NHS and clinical face masks fitted; assembled more than 68,000 singe use face masks; trained 273 people to drive ambulances; transferred 1,456 COVID patients to and from hospital and moved 3,196 bodies.
Phi Garrigan, national COVID lead and NFCC COVID Committee Chair, added: “Firefighters in many services are already supporting the vaccination effort and the lateral flow tests mean all fire services can support the vaccination programme is now a reality. This will provide much-needed support to our NHS colleagues who are facing unprecedented pressure as the impact of the new strain of COVID becomes a reality, we are ready to answer the call from NHS and local resilience partners.”
Kings Secure Technologies (KST) today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Midlands-based, Cougar Monitoring Ltd.
Bob Forsyth, Chief Executive Officer of KST, stated: “Our proposed acquisition of Cougar Monitoring Ltd will further expand KST’s leadership position in technology monitoring, while deepening and strengthening our relationships with our customers.
“We will be able to compete in the rapidly emerging global world of smart systems and the Internet of Things on a global basis. The combined reach of both KST and Cougar amounts to over 58,000 connections Europe-wide. This strategic acquisition will enable us to provide a monitoring platform to our customers at pace and scale, and to respond to new opportunities as they arise.”
Robin Fisher, Chief Executive Officer of Cougar Monitoring Ltd, said: “Started 24 years ago as the first UK NSI accredited Control Room, Cougar has built its customer base to close to 30,000 sites in the UK. We are now looking to shift our focus and growth into becoming a fully-fledged technology centre catering for the new rapidly emerging global world of smart systems. I am certain that KST will develop the Cougar brand accordingly, continue to support customers and give its employees expanding opportunities.”
KST was advised on the acquisition by Squire Patton Boggs’ Leeds Office, led by Senior Associate Louise Parker and Partner Paul Mann.
Bantec, Inc., a product and services company, have announced that its subsidiary Drone USA have received purchase orders to supply Atlantic City’s Fire and Emergency Management Departments with drones.
Michael Bannon, Bantec’s Chairman and CEO, stated: “We are excited to supply Atlantic City’s Fire and Emergency Management Departments with the right drone equipment. Drones provide a great and effective tool that ultimately help first responders perform their jobs more efficiently.
“One drone, equipped with payload and night vision capabilities, will be used to drop automatic flotation devices to swimmers in distress. To quote Elon Musk “The fighter jet era has passed.” There is great wisdom in this statement. Drones and robots in many ways will change the way we accomplish our daily tasks.”
The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) is launching a Certificate in Fire Safety for Construction, due to begin on 17 February 2021. The course provides an overview of fire safety and the knowledge to enable the learner to manage fire safety.
The course follows the recommendations in Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety. The aim of the course is to improve fire safety awareness in the construction industry and will look at current and future legislation, building design and building construction, fire risk assessments, fire science and human behaviour, and how to manage and implement fire safety systems.
Brad Walker, Eng Tech, AIFireE, course leader, said:
“We are pleased to be able to offer this Certificate in Fire Safety. A crucial aspect of building safety, it has been designed for those who are looking to gain an improved understanding of how fire safety principles are applied in the built environment. It will also provide the delegates with a stepping stone to competency for those who have fire safety management responsibilities.”
OGUK chief executive Deirdre Michie OBE appeared before the House of Commons Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Select Committee yesterday, to give evidence on the Energy White Paper (EWP), published in December.
The recently published paper provides a critical opportunity for a transformational North Sea Transition Deal (NSTD) to deliver new business opportunities, jobs and skills at pace, and protect and transition the wider communities which currently rely on the oil and gas sector.
The powerful committee also had representatives from the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) in attendance to quiz industry representatives on the content and deliverability of the much anticipated document.
“We welcome the Publication of the Energy White Paper as it demonstrates a holistic approach to energy, which is something we have been asking for in terms of the development of a comprehensive energy strategy.
“It is a timely document which sets out ambitious and challenging expectations of the UK energy industry, including the offshore oil and gas sector.
“It seeks to build on the strengths of our sector and others in a meaningful way – by recognising the contribution the industry can make to a successful transition.
“We’re proud to tell our story. The sector is already in action and changing – building on its strong focus on oil and gas to incorporating wind, CCUS, hydrogen, wave and tidal energies, but there is a still a need for governmental support to help our workers and communities transition at pace.
“We must use this as an opportunity to solidify the importance of our workforce and produce reliable frameworks to support the transition of their knowledge and skills.
“We now need government and Parliament to develop strong legislation to help us deliver our net-zero ambitions whilst ensuring our energy communities are secure and equipped with the necessary infrastructure for a fair transition.”
The issue of sexism and mental health within the fire services has been highlighted in the latest edition of the Resilience podcast.
One of Britain’s highest-ranking female firefighters has revealed that women make up less than 7% of the nation’s 32,223 crews, with women seemingly reluctant to apply for posts.
Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, chief fire officer at West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, believes more women should be encouraged to sign up for the demanding career. “It’s important that we have the best of the best. The problem is, the stereotype of a firefighter is so strong and so pervasive, that many people who would be the best firefighters haven’t even thought about it, because that ruffty-tuffty stereotype is not appealing to them.
Sabrina Cohen-Hatton
“So, I’m only getting the best of the best of a really small demographic and that has to change.” Cohen-Hatton, who joined the fire service after she spent two years destitute and living on the streets as a teenager, opened up about her challenges in the latest episode of the Resilience podcast, which brings together members of Blesma, The Limbless Veterans, and public figures in an inspirational podcast series. She shared her experiences with Josh Boggi, a former Royal Engineer, who lost both his legs and right arm in an IED explosion in Afghanistan when he was 23-years-old.
“When I joined, only 1% were women and now we are at 7% which is still very small so I do find it difficult to jump with joy talking about such a marginal increase,” she says. “I don’t believe in having an arbitrary quota. I don’t think that we should look to have a certain percentage of women in the workforce by any stretch of the imagination. But what’s important to me is that we have the best of the best to be firefighters.”
Josh Boggi
Cohen Hatton, who put herself through university after joining the fire brigade in her home town of Newport, South Wales, adds: “Being a good firefighter means that you’re calm under pressure, it means you’re decisive, it means you’re good at problem-solving, you’re good at communicating, you’re good at working in a team.
Absolutely none of those qualities is determined by your gender at all. Sabrina experienced sexism and sexual harassment when she joined up in 2000. “I’ve had some of the best experiences of my life in the fire service. It’s a real privilege to be one of the ones that are trusted to do what we do and that has been incredible,” she told the Resilience podcast.
“There have been some really tough times don’t get me wrong. I have experienced some sexism, especially in the early days. I haven’t always been welcomed with open arms. In fact, when I first joined people used to say to me, yeah, ‘I just don’t agree with women in the job. Sorry, no offence to you. It’s not a place for girls.’”
She emphasised that the sexists were in a small minority, adding: “I’ve also worked with people who are still like big brothers to me to this very day and work with people who have made me believe in myself so much that it pushed me to do things that I didn’t think that I was capable of. And, you know, it’s just been an incredible career.”
Sabrina and Josh found common ground talking about facing adversity when they discussed the difficulty in asking for help when in a ‘protector role’ such as theirs, and the need for having a provision which makes that easier; normalising talking about our mental health.
Sabrina added: “The thing about being a firefighter is it does become part of your identity and how you see yourself. We know that frontline responders are disproportionately more likely than the general population to suffer with their mental health, which is probably not a surprise given your repeated exposure to trauma.
“But interestingly, we are also less likely than the general population to ask for help. When you think about that, when you see yourself as a protector then the idea that you might need some help yourself can be counter-intuitive, so it can be more difficult to ask.
“I think the other thing specific to the emergency services is that when we see the effects of mental health issues it is at crisis point, – emergency services will deal with the aftereffects. Whether because it’s part of your job and you are exposed to other people’s trauma on a daily basis or whether because you’ve experienced a significant trauma. I think it’s really important that we know how to ask for help.”
The Resilience podcast Sessions, which are featured on the Samaritans wellbeing app, grew from the Making Generation R campaign, which trained members of Blesma to tell their stories of overcoming adversity to 100,000 front line workers, first responders and young people.
Alice Driver, founder of The Drive Project which devised the programme and presenter of The Resilience Sessions,added: “The podcasts are inspirational. You feel like you are part of the conversation between individuals who have been through tough challenges but have come out the other end and are able to talk about how they did it.”
The Resilience podcast, with a new episode every Tuesday features NASA astronaut and Commander of the ISS Steve Swanson, singer and comedienne Judith Owen, Chief Fire Officer and psychologist Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, and former SAS officer Billy Billingham MBE, who stars in the hit TV adventure series Who Dares Wins.
NSL, the UK’s largest parking enforcement specialist and part of Marston Holdings, is working in partnership with councils across the UK to help manage the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The company is providing Covid Marshalls to support the police and council enforcement officers in monitoring and managing busy public areas, to protect local communities and ensure that town centres are safe places to visit.
According to NSL Strategic Account Director Richard O’Malley: “The pandemic has reinforced our commitment to working in the community and ensuring that people stay safe as they go about their daily lives. We are proud that our Covid Marshalls are able to make such a positive impact and will continue to work closely with councils over the coming months, delivering a bespoke service to meet their specific requirements as government guidelines evolve.”
With the infrastructure and recruitment processes already in place, NSL has the ability to rapidly scale up its workforce to meet this demand from councils. The company has received hundreds of applicants for each advertised position, many with frontline customer service expertise and newly unemployed as a result of the pandemic. Successful applicants have already been employed with new and existing council clients including Bracknell Forest and Trafford.
According to Trafford Council’s Strategic Growth Team: “We are delighted by the friendly and professional way in which our Covid Information Officers are providing advice and support for local businesses on Covid-safe practices and ensuring safe, socially distanced queuing in public spaces. They are also supporting the night economy, helping to ensure that outside eating/drinking areas are safe and meet government guidelines.”
Covid Marshalls receive full training to ensure the effectiveness of every interaction. They are also fully equipped with PPE including face coverings and hand sanitiser as well as radios and mobile phones. When required, they also wear bodycams and work in pairs when operating at night.
“NSL can scale up to meet client requirements in as little as one week enabling an effective response to be delivered to meet changing government lockdown rules,” continued O’Malley. “We are committed to ensuring the safety of every employee as well as members of the public and operate strict daily cleansing regimes for all equipment and vehicles used.”
