Posts in category: Projects

Thousands of UK firefighters are being readied to rollout the Covid-19 vaccine, the Home Office have confirmed.

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) have been in dialogue with the Government throughout the pandemic, and many firefighters have already assisted in the fight against Covid.

NFCC Chair Roy Wilsher said : “For months, dedicated and skilled firefighters across the entire UK have gone above and beyond to assist those who need help the most. 

“We have thousands of firefighters who are ready, willing and able to take on more in the fight against COVID-19. Today’s announcement means thousands of firefighters are being equipped to support one of the biggest means to combat the virus and reduce its devastating impacts”.

The announcement means that UK firefighters will now be able to continue with mass testing, assisting ambulance services and vaccination.

Minister for Fire Lord Greenhalgh said: “Since the start of the pandemic, firefighters and FRS staff have played a crucial role in supporting the fight against coronavirus.

“From delivering essential medical supplies and transporting patients to hospital, to providing training on preventing infections to care home staff, our fire service has met the challenges of this pandemic admirably.

“I am immensely proud of their efforts – they have proved themselves to be ready, willing and able to support the national effort to protect the NHS and save lives.”

The Grenfell inquiry has been suspended until at least February, following a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases in London.

A statement on the inquries official website stated: “it was a difficult decision, but the increase in transmissibility of the new variant of Coronavirus means that there is a significant increase in the risk of infection.

“The Panel is keen to maintain the momentum of the Phase 2 hearings, and so has made the decision to switch to remote hearings as soon as possible. The Panel recognises that the subject of remote hearings was fully explored with core participants last spring during the first 2020 lockdown, and that it was not in favour of that option for the reasons it gave. However, the Panel has decided it is better to have remote hearings than no hearings at all while the current restrictions are in place.”

Since the pandemic, the Grenfell inquiry had been operating in person, albeit with a smaller attendance than before. The delay means that there is now a risk of the hearing continuing in to 2022.

The Minsistry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) have confirmed that cable testing and certification service experts BASEC have been designated as an approved body for UK Construction Products Regulation testing as of 31^st December 2020.

MHCLG position has been confirmed as below:

“The agreement that was reached with the EU at the end of 2020 did not include a provision which would allow for mutual recognition of conformity assessment. Our understanding of the EU Commission’s position is that type test reports issued by UK notified bodies will no longer be valid for the EU market from 1 January 2021. Test type reports issued by UK Notified Bodies will continue to be valid for the GB market, and will allow manufacturers to affix the UKCA marking.

“The UK’s position is that it is down to individual UK bodies to decide whether or not to accept EU-issued type test reports to enable UKCA marking and ultimately whether or not retesting is required.”

Manufacturers and suppliers of BASEC approved cables can now confidently set and update Declaration of Performance (DoP) processes to fully comply with UKCA requirements, subject to a valid Certification or Certification of Constancy of Performance (CoCP) being in place. Ensuring compliance to the designation which shall take effect from the end of the transition period.

London firefighters have once again stepped up to assist London Ambulance Service (LAS) to boost their emergency response, as Covid-19 infection rates have sharply increased in the capital. Today 125 firefighters are helping the LAS, with a further 60 set to be trained and dispatched next week.

Over 100 London firefighters commit to aid the LAS

Since the agreegment began in April 2020, London firefighters have responded to 100,000 incidents whilst driving ambulances with the LAS. A new agreement put in place in December has seen over 100 firefighters volunteer to drive ambulances, as LAS try to fight the spike of Covid-19 cases in the capital.

Similar to the joint collaboration in April, the extra support has been agreed nationally between the National Employers, National Fire Chiefs Council and the Fire Brigades Union and recognises the need to support local authorities and the NHS, including ambulance services.  

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:

“On behalf of all Londoners, I want to thank our hardworking firefighters for continuing to work tirelessly during the pandemic to keep Londoners safe. We are incredibly grateful to those from the London Fire Brigade who have volunteered to drive ambulances with the London Ambulance Service.

 “The situation with the virus in London is extremely serious. In the midst of the biggest public health crisis we have seen in our lifetime, the Brigade has stepped up to support our blue light services when they are under immense pressure. Our firefighters have shown once again that our frontline heroes are the very best of us.”

Ready, willing and able

London Fire Brigade Commissioner Andy Roe said: 

“We’re ready, willing and able to support the national fight in combating Covid-19. At this crucial stage in the pandemic firefighters have once again volunteered to step up to support a joint emergency response to Covid-19. The arrangement will help keep ambulances on the road and get vital care to those who most need it. 

“It makes me very proud to see so many firefighters eager to step up and volunteer at such a challenging time. Since April 100,000 incidents got an ambulance sooner because we’ve been assisting the London Ambulance Service.” 

Garrett Emmerson, CEO London Ambulance Service, said:

“We continue to be grateful for the support that LFB have been giving us since the first peak of the pandemic in the spring of last year. Back in April, we trained over 300 firefighters to support our frontline colleagues, and we’re delighted to have some of them, along with some newly trained firefighters, driving trucks for our clinicians who are working harder than they’ve ever worked in the most challenging of conditions.”

Having been trained by London Ambulance Service clinicians in basic life-saving skills as part of the training programme all London firefighters receive and already holding qualifications to drive emergency vehicles on blue lights, each London firefighter who has volunteered to help us will be trained and ready to support our skilled paramedics on the road in a day. 

Dräger have announced that it has entered into an agreement with Breas Medical, a global medical device company delivering respiratory care solutions throughout the continuum of care. Dräger and Breas Medical will provide long-term acute care (LTAC) and skilled nursing facilities (SNF) in the U.S. access to both Dräger and Breas Medical mechanical ventilator technologies.

Dräger and Breas Medical offer solutions specifically designed to
address the challenges faced by many LTACs and SNFs, most notably the
complexity and costs associated with caring for chronically ill patients after
requiring mechanical ventilation following intensive care. This new agreement with Breas Medical will extend the reach of high quality ventilation, along with the company’s unparalled service and support,
into these and other non-acute settings.

“In an effort to reduce costs, the care of stable but chronically ill patients is
increasingly being pushed from the hospital out to extended care settings with many of these patients relying on mechanical ventilation,” said Dräger Senior Vice President of Sales, Hospital Solutions, Steve Menet.

“Administrators at these alternative care facilities continue to deliver quality care with limited resources. This distribution agreement with Breas Medical offers a more comprehensive solution with the combined goals of positively impacting patient and financial outcomes.”

“Quality and patient comfort are Breas’ top priority; we put great focus into
these core values using innovation in all of our devices. This agreement with Dräger will improve the experience for patients, operators and clinicians while creating more effective access and support for Breas ventilators in the LTAC and SNF markets,” said Chris Southerland, General Manager of Commercial Operations, Americas Region at Breas Medical. “Dräger is known throughout the healthcare industry and respiratory community for its state-of-the art mechanical ventilation technology. We are proud to partner with Dräger in their efforts to care for more clinically complex patients.”

The UK offshore oil and gas industry have welcomed the deal between the EU and the UK following a vote in Parliament last week. The leading representative body for the sector said that as the detail of the agreement is worked through, it is important that any friction is kept to a minimum, whist ensuring it also reinforces the opportunity to pursue an exciting energy future.

OGUK chief executive Deirdre Michie OBE said: “OGUK has consistently stated that a deal would be the best outcome for our industry. We therefore welcome the agreement and thank both the UK and EU for their efforts in securing this trade deal. We continue to work through the details with our members, the government, and the broader business community to ensure that every opportunity is taken to minimise and manage any potential disruption to goods and services in the energy sector, as well as limiting inefficiencies and red tape as changes are implemented.

“With anticipated agreement for the deal there is no time to waste, and it must also mark a renewed ambition in pursuit of an exciting energy future. We look forward to progressing the North Sea Transition Deal in the new year, which was supported in the government’s Energy White Paper and will unlock the full potential of our changing sector as a partner to deliver net zero.

“Through making the most of our domestic resources and putting our essential expertise to work, we can continue to provide jobs and opportunities in energy communities across the UK, while providing the affordable and lower carbon energy needed by millions across the country.”

Johnson Controls have been recognised as a leader for its actions and strategies in response to climate change by CDP, an independent not-for-profit organization that builds a sustainable economy and holds the largest database of primary corporate climate change information in the world.

Johnson Controls received an A- climate change Leadership band score, in recognition of its actions to reduce emissions and mitigate climate change in the past year as well as an A score for its risk disclosure and governance. Johnson Controls is among just 12% of companies globally in climate leadership to be awarded this leadership level position. A record-breaking 9,600+ companies disclosed through CDP in 2020, a 70% increase since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015 and a 14% increase since last year.

“Being recognized by CDP as a thought leader in addressing climate change underscores our ambition to play a meaningful role in helping the world transition to a low-carbon economy. The next decade is crucial in our shift to a sustainable economy and with our team of 100,000 employees we are firmly committed to building a world that`s safe, comfortable and sustainable”, said George Oliver, chairman and CEO.

Recently Johnson Controls was named to the World’s Most Ethical Companies® Honoree List and as one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens. Since Johnson Controls first signed the United Nations Global Compact in 2004, the company has remained fully committed to aligning its operations and strategies with the U.N. Global Compact’s Ten Principles. Johnson Controls is using its industry leading OpenBlue platform to continually put sustainability at the forefront for its customers and society as a whole.

Competition for climate leadership level status is increasing, and investors and purchasers are increasingly calling for transparency and action from companies on how they are responding to climate change. According to CDP, 515 investors with US$96 trillion in assets and 125 major purchasers with US$106 trillion in assets, and 150+ large purchasers with US$4 trillion in buying power requested thousands of companies to disclose through CDP in 2020.

To read more about Johnson Controls commitment to sustainability, please visit: https://www.johnsoncontrols.com/

The Spanish Association of Fire Protection Societies, Tecnifuego, has published the “Basic Technical Guide for the maintenance of passive fire protection systems in fire installations”, developed by Engineering, Installation and Passive Protection Maintenance experts.

The guide aims to give work guidelines to professionals, given the lack of regulation, documentation and regulation of the figure of the installer and maintainer of passive fire protection.

The guide also includes a descriptive part of the structural elements, with characteristics of fire resistance, products and systems of sectorisation against a fire, and the products used to improve safety against the reaction of fire, slowing down the spread of fires. 

Based on this, standard maintenance ranges are established with general guidelines as a complement to what is specified by each manufacturer, and emphasises the need to establish requirements that mark the importance of documenting the maintenance carried out.

To download the guide on maintaining passive fire protection systems, visit the Tecnifuego website.

Honeywell (NYSE: HON) have announced it has agreed to acquire privately held Sparta Systems for $1.3 billion in an all-cash transaction from New Mountain Capital. Sparta Systems is a leading provider of enterprise quality management software (QMS), including a next-generation SaaS platform, for the life sciences industry.

The acquisition further strengthens Honeywell’s leadership in industrial automation, digital transformation solutions and enterprise performance management software.

Honeywell will leverage its global presence, Honeywell Forge and Sparta’s expertise to introduce new, integrated solutions, including QMS offerings, for life sciences and adjacent industries. Honeywell’s customers will benefit from advanced digital QMS solutions to help them proactively achieve better quality, which results in improved new therapies, faster time to market, better business and patient outcomes, and effective regulatory compliance.

“Sparta’s TrackWise Digital^® and QualityWise.ai^SM are a welcome addition to Honeywell’s enterprise performance management software, Honeywell Forge, and will further enhance the link between quality and production data for life sciences manufacturers,” said Que Dallara, president and chief executive officer of Honeywell Connected Enterprise. “Our combined offerings will make it easier for customers to gain critical insights from manufacturing and quality data that can improve their manufacturing processes while ensuring product quality, patient safety, and supply chain continuity.”

Honeywell has provided the world’s leading drug manufacturers and biomedical firms with consistently innovative advancements in automation technologies, systems and services for more than 30 years. Honeywell’s portfolio includes advanced automation and process controls for consistency and oversight of both continuous and batch processing; data capture and recording solutions that simplify and safeguard compliance; and technologies that help maintain auditability, optimize production, and speed time to market while ensuring quality and repeatability. Honeywell’s Fast Track Automation helps life science manufacturers expedite development and production of vital vaccines and medical therapies.

“Sparta Systems is an ideal complement to our life sciences portfolio,” said Rajeev Gautam, president and chief executive officer of Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies. “While Sparta’s capabilities will initially help us expand our capabilities for our existing breakthrough initiative in life sciences, we plan to leverage Honeywell’s global footprint and expertise to quickly expand Sparta’s capabilities to serve other markets. We have strong conviction in the growth opportunities in the life sciences and pharmaceuticals space and in the synergies between Sparta and Honeywell both for Honeywell Connected Enterprise and Honeywell Forge as well as for Honeywell Process Solutions.”

Sparta Systems is headquartered in Hamilton, N.J., and has approximately 250 employees globally. Sparta serves more than 400 customers, including 42 of the world’s top 50 pharma companies and 33 of the top 50 medical device companies.

“Organizations need a quality management software solution with advanced digital capabilities that effectively automates, optimizes and standardizes quality processes across the board,” said Dana Jones, chief executive officer of Sparta Systems. “When you combine Sparta’s leading QMS platform with Honeywell’s existing process automation and software offerings, you create a highly differentiated, comprehensive solution that allows customers to focus more on the value-add activities that will accelerate their growth.”

Honeywell will continue to enhance TrackWise Digital QMS by adding AI and machine learning capabilities that augment human decision making. Honeywell will also add new IoT-enabled connectivity between quality and operational data to detect manufacturing anomalies and triage quality events in near real time. These continuing innovations will help customers proactively address quality to improve patient safety and effective regulatory compliance.

Pete Masucci, managing director of New Mountain Capital, said, “Since we partnered with Sparta in 2017, the company launched its TrackWise Digital platform – the only AI-enabled QMS solution, expanded its SaaS customer base by two-and-a-half times, and significantly invested in product development and R&D. We are excited to watch Sparta continue to thrive within the Honeywell organization.”

The acquisition is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2021 and is subject to certain regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. There is no change to Honeywell’s 2020 financial outlook as a result of the acquisition.

Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 technology company that delivers industry specific solutions that include aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings and industry; and performance materials globally. Our technologies help everything from aircraft, buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom.

Fire safety construction specialists ISD Solutions are delivering a fast-track firewall element at the UK’s new Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (VMIC) at Harwell in Oxfordshire.

The firewall division of the Gloucester firm was recently contracted to provide the two-storey building with almost 5,000m²of extensive certified fireproof separation walls.

VMIC was established to provide the UK’s first strategic vaccine development and advanced manufacturing capability. It has taken a leading role in advising Government teams on vaccines manufacturing in response to Covid-19.

Once operationally ready, the 7,400m² facility, at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, will have capacity to manufacture up to 70 million doses of a pandemic vaccine within a six  month timeframe.

Demand for the site accelerated when the pandemic started, construction was backed by UK Government and Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited the site in September.

It was around this time that ISD was selected through a tender process as the supplier of the fireproofing elements of the building.

The VMIC facility is due to open in summer 2021, a year ahead of schedule.

Brett Harrington, Manager of ISD Solutions’ Firewall Division, said: “The VMIC facility is a vital weapon in the UK’s fight against coronavirus and, as such, security and safety is crucial.

“This was an exciting opportunity to be involved in a project of such importance. The compressed timelines have added to the challenge but we have sufficient resources in house and quickly mobilised our design and project management teams. Working with our supply chain we were able to support the synchronisation of material ordering and delivery, even while the design phase was ongoing.”

“We are all proud to have played a role in the nation’s future recovery from the pandemic.”

During the past 12 months ISD Solutions has doubled down on its in-house fire expertise, part of its strategy to provide specialist services required by the market. Both Mr Harrington and managing director Adrian Smith becoming among the first worldwide to have passed the new Level 3 Certificate in Passive Fire Protection from the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE).

The qualifications put ISD Solutions as one of a select group of UK construction contractors to be at the pinnacle of fire safety expertise.

“Our expertise is becoming more widely recognised and, combined with our relationships with product suppliers, this makes ISD a reliable provider for such urgent work,” said Mr Harrington.

“Our clients receive surety in our installations, which are designed and installed to LPS 1500/1531 standards from the BRE, with a third party backed certificate of conformity.”

Glencar Construction is the main contractor at VMIC in Harwell and began on-site ground works in early April, with the basebuild ready for access for fit-out a few weeks ago.

Eddie McGillycuddy, Managing Director of Glencar Construction said: “Glencar is pleased to collaborate with stakeholders including ISD Solutions to deliver this critical project. We have made an accelerated start and reduced our construction programme with the support of our partners, making this project an excellent example of all that is good about our industry.”

Chris Lucas, Chief Operating Officer at VMIC said: “The programme acceleration to allow VMIC to open its doors in 2021, a year ahead of schedule, has been made possible by an extraordinary level of cooperation by all concerned.

“We have focussed on collaboration to deliver this critical resource both in the battle against pandemic viruses and the rejuvenation of the vaccines industry in the UK.”

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