England audit data shows persistent fire safety compliance gaps

by ResearchSafety

Fire safety audit findings across England

Almost half of audited purpose-built blocks of flats were rated unsatisfactory in fire safety checks across England, with 45% requiring remedial action to meet regulations.

The figures were analysed by Drax Technology using data released by Fire and Rescue Services for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.

A total of 4,257 buildings over four storeys were audited, with 1,923 failing to meet required standards.

There are around 120,000 buildings of this size across England.

Audits assess records, fire safety equipment and management practices to identify compliance issues.

Each audit is graded as satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

The Responsible Person is required to maintain the validity of the audit, particularly following changes such as structural alterations.

Enforcement action and audit ratings

The proportion of unsatisfactory results fell slightly from 49% in the previous year.

Fire and Rescue Services issued 445 enforcement notices requiring building managers to address identified deficiencies within a set timeframe.

Twenty buildings were served with Prohibition Notices, where serious and imminent risks to life meant all or part of the premises could not be used.

Six cases led to prosecution after failures to complete required remedial actions.

Less serious breaches were addressed through informal notifications.

The data also showed that 34% of high-rise buildings of 10 storeys or more received an unsatisfactory audit.

Drax Technology comments on compliance records

David Simpson, Group Product Director at Drax Technology, said: “Blocked escape routes, failing emergency lighting, and faulty alarms are too often pushed down maintenance lists until a fire exposes the devastating consequences.

“Under the Building Safety Act, compliance can no longer be assumed, it must be proven.

“Building managers across BTR, the PRS and social housing, now need clear evidence of what was inspected, when, and by whom.

“Gaps in record-keeping represent a serious operational, financial, and regulatory risk.”

Simpson said the analysis highlighted both non-compliance and limited visibility over whether fire safety standards were consistently being met.

“There is no room for uncertainty when it comes to resident safety,” Simpson said.

“Digital platforms can give property teams constant oversight of fire safety systems, allowing issues to be identified and resolved before inspections, or worse, before an emergency.”

He added that 34% of high-rise buildings of 10 storeys or more receiving an unsatisfactory audit reflected the added complexity of these buildings.

“High-rise buildings pose greater risks because fire fighter access is more complex, so robust and consistent fire safety measures are critical,” he said.

“The industry must step up and do better.”

The data set used for the analysis was FIRE1202.

FSRI study expands search and rescue guidance for residential firefighting operations

by Featured NewsResearchSearch and Rescue
Image Credit: FSRI

Search and rescue report adds three tactics

UL Research Institutes’ Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI) has announced a new technical report in its Study of Fire Service Residential Home Size-up and Search & Rescue Operations project, adding three tactical considerations to previous findings.

FSRI said the report is based on new full-scale residential fire experiments examining how crews should coordinate search, suppression and ventilation.

The new material adds Tactical Considerations 10, 11 and 12 to the original nine tactical considerations from earlier reports.

The report states that, where resources are sufficient, crews arriving at a fully developed fire with extension to the exterior should consider simultaneous exterior and interior suppression operations.

It states that a well-applied exterior stream can produce rapid interior improvement and that coordination with interior suppression can improve conditions for occupants and firefighters.

The report also says compartments remote from the fire area should be locally ventilated as soon as possible, with pre-suppression isolation of the compartment before ventilation.

It adds that rooms farther from the fire are often where victims are found and that conditions in those spaces can keep deteriorating after the fire is controlled if they are left unattended.

Search and rescue experiments informed updated guidance

Keith Stakes, principal research engineer, said: “The release of this report is the result of our continued collaboration with the fire service to deliver real, actionable insights that the fire service can take back to the fireground.

“We take seriously our commitment to answering the urgent questions facing the fire service every shift, knowing that improved understanding and insights leads to safer operations and improved outcomes for victims.”

FSRI said the new tactical considerations came from 10 experiments in purpose-built, fully furnished, single-story, single-family structures designed to represent today’s residential environment.

The homes used in the experiments included four bedrooms, two bathrooms and an open kitchen and living area, as well as an HVAC system used to study smoke and heat movement.

Researchers collected measurements for gas temperatures and gas concentrations, along with gas velocities, pressure and heat fluxes in every room at multiple heights.

The structure, fuel loading and instrumentation remained consistent across burns, with tactical actions such as the timing and location of search, suppression and ventilation varied between experiments.

FSRI said the new tactical considerations will later this year be added to an updated version of the Search and Rescue Tactics in Single-Story, Single-Family Residential Structures online course on the Fire Safety Academy.

Fire and smoke detection results raise questions for smart cities

by AI & Deep LearningFeatured NewsFire DetectionResearch

Detection system combines two AI models

Researchers at Jouf University in Saudi Arabia have developed an artificial intelligence framework for early smoke and fire detection in smart city environments.

A study by Amr Abozeid and Rayan Alanazi describes a hybrid system that combines a Vision Transformer with the YOLOv8 object detection architecture.

The framework is designed to identify early-stage smoke and fire patterns in complex visual scenes and support faster response through smart city monitoring systems.

The study says conventional heat and smoke detectors often raise alerts only after smoke reaches the device.

It adds that existing video-based systems can also produce false alarms when visual conditions include dust, clouds or changes in lighting.

The Vision Transformer analyses global visual patterns in an image so the system can detect subtle smoke characteristics and spatial relationships across a scene.

The YOLOv8 module then performs real-time object detection to localise smoke and fire regions at speed.

Detection results and next steps

According to the study in Scientific Reports, the researchers trained and tested the model on more than 7,000 images from urban and rural datasets.

These images included smoke and fire scenes captured under different lighting conditions and in different environments.

The system achieved 99.2% accuracy, with precision of 98.5% and recall of 97.8%.

Its F1 score reached 98.1% and inference latency was about 45 milliseconds, which the study says enabled real-time detection at about 22 frames per second.

The researchers reported an accuracy increase of about 4.3% compared with conventional convolutional neural network approaches and other single-model detection systems.

The study also says the framework performed better than several existing detection models across precision, recall and localisation accuracy.

It states that the hybrid architecture can distinguish real smoke or fire from visually similar features such as printed flames or static images by analysing contextual and spatial characteristics rather than relying only on colour.

The authors say further validation in real-world settings is still needed, with future work set to examine thermal imaging and environmental sensor inputs for low-visibility conditions.

CONAF study details wildfire prevention gains during Chile fire season

by Featured NewsResearchWildland Fire

Wildfire prevention findings from Chile

New analysis published in January 2026 found that wildfire prevention and response measures in Chile avoided substantial damage during the severe 2023 fire season.

The study by Jorge Saavedra, Daniela Alegría, Gonzalo Tapia, Ana Prados and Mackenzie Allen used modelling and post-fire assessments conducted by the National Forestry Agency (CONAF) to examine wildfire impacts and avoided losses.

During the Santa Ana fire in the Biobío region in February 2023, about 108,944 hectares burned.

Modelling suggested the fire could have affected about 242,093 hectares.

That left an estimated 133,149 hectares spared.

The analysis also found that 17,321 homes were identified as potentially at risk.

Around 15,171 of those homes were ultimately spared from fire damage.

Across January and February 2023, CONAF estimated that prevention and response efforts helped prevent about USD 2 billion in economic losses.

That figure was about 20.8 times greater than the country’s USD 101 million budget for fire control and prevention activities.

The same analysis indicated that about 64,477 people and 46,634 structures avoided wildfire impacts during that period.

How the analysis measured avoided losses

CONAF stated that it has been analysing avoided wildfire losses since 2014 – 2015 to support wildfire risk management policy and assess prevention strategies.

One method uses fire behaviour simulation to estimate potential spread under given conditions.

Another method uses fire potential polygons to model areas that could have burned if suppression and mitigation efforts had not taken place.

These models are then compared with the actual burned area after a fire.

The difference between the modelled and observed burn area is used to estimate the land, property and communities protected by prevention and response actions.

That avoided burned area can also be combined with population data, property values and vegetation assessments to estimate economic impacts and the number of people and structures protected from damage.

Community measures and vegetation protection

The analysis also examined avoided losses linked to vegetation damage and community-level wildfire prevention work.

According to the figures presented, avoided vegetation-related economic losses in the affected regions during the 2023 fire season reached about USD 786 million.

The study said these figures reflect the value of forests, agricultural land and natural vegetation protected through prevention and response measures.

Chile has also expanded community-based wildfire prevention through CONAF’s Community Preparedness Program.

The programme works with residents in high-risk rural areas and wildland-urban interface zones to develop participatory wildfire prevention plans.

Activities include training workshops on household protection measures and the development of local emergency response procedures.

Vegetation management measures are also used in interface zones, with pruning and thinning used alongside fuel breaks to reduce fuel continuity and slow fire spread.

The authors said the Chilean case study shows how fire modelling, earth observation data and post-fire analysis can support wildfire mitigation and policy development.

Extreme fire weather risk projected to rise across Australia

by Featured NewsResearchWildland Fire

Fire weather projections across Australia

Extreme fire weather events are projected to become more frequent and more intense across Australia as global temperatures rise, with some of the sharpest changes expected in fire-prone forest ecosystems in the southeast.

A study published in npj Natural Hazards examined changes in fire weather using the McArthur Forest Fire Danger Index (FFDI) together with dynamically downscaled CMIP6 climate model projections.

The research was carried out by researchers from the Queensland Future Climate Science Program, the University of Queensland and the University of Melbourne.

It found that under 3°C of global warming, weekly extreme fire weather events that historically occurred once every 20 or 50 years are projected to become much more common across Australia.

Across southeast Australia’s eucalypt forests, the study estimates that these events could become about 2.1 times and 2.5 times more likely under 3°C of warming.

In Tasmania, comparable events may become about 3.2 times and 4.1 times more likely.

Fire weather refers to atmospheric conditions that affect the ignition and spread of wildfires, including temperature, humidity, wind speed and rainfall patterns.

The FFDI combines these factors to estimate potential fire behaviour.

The analysis also found that severe fire weather days, defined by an FFDI of 50 or higher, are projected to increase across much of Australia.

The largest increases in severe fire weather days are projected in northwestern and central regions.

Days classified as “Very High” fire weather are also expected to increase in northern and southern parts of the country.

Fire weather in forest regions and future planning

The study states that southeast Australia’s forest ecosystems remain a key area of concern because these regions have historically experienced destructive bushfires.

For eucalypt forests across southeast Australia, the magnitude of rare fire weather events could increase by about 10% under 3°C of warming.

Tasmania is projected to see stronger changes in both the intensity and likelihood of extreme events than other regions covered in the study.

The findings suggest rising maximum temperatures will be a main driver of higher fire weather risk.

In southern forest regions, falling humidity and higher drought conditions are also projected to increase the potential for intense fires.

The study also states that changes in large-scale climate patterns, including the El Niño-Southern Oscillation and the Southern Annular Mode, may affect future fire weather through changes in wind patterns, rainfall and humidity.

The researchers found that fire weather seasons may lengthen in several regions, with more dangerous conditions projected during spring, autumn and winter.

The study states that understanding these changes is important for future resilience planning, including wildfire preparedness, land management and building standards in bushfire-prone areas.

By combining high-resolution climate projections with detailed fire weather analysis, the research sets out how warming temperatures may reshape wildfire risk across Australia in the coming decades.

New research shows North America wildfire seasons moving in different directions

by Americas - Featured NewsFeatured NewsResearchWildland Fire

Wildfire study tracks regional timing shifts

A new study has found that climate change is changing the timing of wildfire seasons across North America, with earlier fire seasons in northern forests, limited change in prairie regions and later activity in parts of the western United States and California.

The research, published in Geophysical Research Letters, examined wildfire activity across 18 ecological regions using burn area data collected between 2001 and 2020 from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua and Terra satellites.

Researchers combined the satellite data with environmental variables including temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, vegetation conditions, wind speed and lightning potential.

The analysis found that ecosystems are responding in different ways, with boreal and taiga forests across Alaska, Canada and parts of the Great Lakes region showing wildfire seasons that are shifting earlier in the year.

The study links that change to earlier snowmelt and faster drying of vegetation, which exposes flammable fuels sooner in spring.

It also found that boreal ecosystems are especially sensitive to atmospheric dryness, which was identified as the main driver of wildfire activity across several fire regimes.

Hongliang Zhang, environmental scientist at Fudan University in China, said: “It’s very region-specific.”

Wildfire seasons extend later in western regions

The study found that Mediterranean-type climates and desert regions in the western United States are seeing fire seasons that continue later into the year.

In California and the warm desert Southwest, increased late-season burning is pushing wildfire activity further into autumn and early winter.

The research links those patterns to prolonged drought conditions and changes in vegetation dynamics that increase fuel availability later in the year.

Prairie ecosystems and humid forest regions including the Appalachian Mountains and the southeastern United States showed only limited shifts in wildfire timing.

Researchers said these regions may be more stable because of stronger precipitation influences and different vegetation structures.

Wildfire projections point to further seasonal change

The researchers also used climate model projections to assess how wildfire seasons may change in future decades.

Under a high-emissions climate scenario, the study projects that boreal wildfire seasons could begin around a week earlier on average.

Some northern regions could shift by more than three weeks.

California’s wildfire season could extend by more than a month beyond the traditional June-to-October window, and desert regions in the western United States may also see later seasonal expansion.

The source material also states that the modelling framework could be used to assess vegetation change, along with human activity, in wildfire ignition.

According to the source material, about 85% of wildland fires in the United States are caused by human actions, including arson or unattended campfires.

Zhang said: “That model is really good at predicting wildfire.

“So now we want to predict the emissions of wildfire to the atmosphere.”

The study concludes that climate change is reshaping the seasonal distribution of wildfire activity across North America in ways that differ sharply between ecosystems.

Cleaner concentrate choices: Inside the global SFFF market expansion

by Breaking NewsFire SuppressionResearch

IFSJ’s market report tracks the global SFFF market, sizing demand, forecasts, policy drivers, adoption by region and procurement issues for airports and industrial sites

Synthetic fluorine-free foams (SFFF) are moving from limited use to standard specification for Class B suppression in many sectors.

This shift is being driven by tighter PFAS regulations, the financial burden of managing legacy AFFF inventories and greater scrutiny of foam chemistry by buyers, regulators and insurers.

Airports, petrochemical facilities, marine terminals and municipal fire departments are updating procurement frameworks and operational procedures as they assess performance criteria alongside environmental and legal considerations.

This report examines the global SFFF market, focusing on current valuation, projected growth, adoption drivers and regional demand patterns.

Market overview

SFFF forms part of the broader PFAS-free firefighting foam segment, which remains smaller than the legacy fluorinated foam market but is expanding rapidly.

According to Fact.MR, PFAS-free firefighting foams are projected to grow from $310.0 million in 2026 to $937.3 million by 2036, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of 11.7%.

Within this category, synthetic detergent-based fluorine-free foams account for about 44% of the segment, placing the estimated SFFF market value at approximately $136 million in 2026 and projected to reach about $412 million by 2036.

Future Market Insights reports similar expansion trends, forecasting PFAS-free foam growth from $346.3 million in 2026 to more than $1 billion by 2036.

The wider firefighting foam market remains substantially larger.

According to Custom Market Insights, the total global firefighting foam market was valued at approximately $5.82 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $7.57 billion by 2034.

The PFAS-free segment is expected to account for an increasing share of this total as replacement cycles accelerate.

Strengths

SFFF provides an alternative to fluorinated concentrates while maintaining operational capability for Class B suppression.

This transition can simplify chemical management and reduce the long-term liabilities associated with PFAS detection in soil, groundwater and infrastructure.

Manufacturers are developing SFFF formulations designed for compatibility with fixed suppression systems, mobile monitors and portable equipment, subject to validation testing.

This compatibility allows agencies and industrial operators to transition while maintaining existing infrastructure where feasible.

Technical improvements in polymer hydration and concentrate formulation have improved viscosity stability and proportioning reliability, which supports consistent performance during storage and discharge.

This reliability is particularly relevant in environments where foam systems may remain inactive for extended periods.

Alcohol-resistant SFFF variants are expanding operational coverage for facilities handling polar solvents such as ethanol, methanol and acetone.

This allows sites to standardize inventory across multiple hazard classes, reducing storage and logistics complexity.

Challenges

System compatibility verification remains one of the primary barriers to adoption.

Many operators must conduct proportioning tests, discharge verification and documentation to confirm performance with their specific equipment.

This process can require technical support, downtime and capital planning.

Application techniques for fluorine-free foams may differ from legacy fluorinated foams, particularly in low expansion applications.

This requires updated training procedures to ensure effective use in emergency conditions.

Product approval and certification availability can also limit supplier selection.

Buyers often require listings from recognized testing bodies or approval from authorities having jurisdiction, which can extend procurement timelines.

In addition to concentrate replacement, organizations face costs associated with the removal, disposal and remediation of legacy AFFF systems.

Cleanup of contaminated infrastructure, wastewater and soil can represent a large share of transition expenditures.

Recent developments

Regulatory changes are accelerating the transition toward fluorine-free foams.

According to the European Commission, new restrictions on PFAS in firefighting foams took effect in October 2025, with phased transition timelines depending on application.

In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration has approved fluorine-free foam use at Part 139 airports, aligning with Department of Defense specifications published in January 2023.

According to the American Association of Airport Executives, airports are actively transitioning to fluorine-free concentrates and expanding procurement programs.

Legislative funding has also supported adoption.

According to the International Association of Fire Fighters, US legislation has allocated $350 million to support airport foam replacement and cleanup, along with $30 million for vehicle modifications and related infrastructure updates.

Product development continues across multiple manufacturers.

For example, Fomtec introduced Enviro NEO in January 2026, an SFFF concentrate designed for petrochemical, oil and gas and marine applications, reflecting ongoing investment in fluorine-free formulations.

Regional insights

North America is one of the largest SFFF adoption regions, driven by airport compliance requirements, military transition programs and litigation exposure related to PFAS contamination.

Municipal fire departments and industrial operators are also incorporating fluorine-free foam into procurement planning.

Europe is progressing rapidly due to regulatory enforcement and environmental compliance frameworks.

Industrial operators, airports and municipal services are aligning procurement with regional PFAS restrictions and national phase-out schedules.

Asia Pacific presents strong growth potential due to expanding aviation infrastructure, industrial development and regulatory activity.

According to Airservices Australia, fluorine-free foams have already been deployed across Australian civilian airports, demonstrating early transition within the region.

The Middle East is seeing adoption primarily within petrochemical, marine and energy sectors, where large-scale fixed suppression systems require fluorine-free concentrates compatible with seawater and high hazard fuels.

Latin America and Africa remain emerging markets for SFFF adoption.

Uptake is concentrated in oil and gas, mining, ports and aviation sectors, where compliance with international insurance and operational standards is driving procurement decisions.

This was originally published in the March 2026 Edition of International Fire & Safety Journal. To read your FREE copy, click here.

When neighbours become first responders: Inside Singapore Civil Defence Force’s award-winning myResponder app

by Breaking NewsCommunicationsIFSJ ExclusivesResearch

Abdul Razak Bin Abdul Raheem, Senior Assistant Commissioner, Director Volunteer and Community Partnership Department at Singapore Civil Defence Force, outlines myResponder’s alerting model, CFR roles, AED access and responder safety

Each year, more than 3,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest emergencies occur in Singapore.

Without immediate intervention, a patient’s chances of survival diminish significantly with each passing minute.

Similarly, minor fires, such as those involving discarded items or a refuse chute, can quickly escalate into large fires without early intervention.

To address these challenges, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) launched the Save-A-Life Initiative in 2015.

The initiative focuses on three key areas: equipping citizens with lifesaving skills, building a nationwide network of Community First Responders (CFRs), and expanding the availability and access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and fire extinguishers across Singapore.

Through online lessons or hands-on training at SCDF establishments, members of the public can learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and how to use an AED and a fire extinguisher.

This hybrid approach ensures that the community is prepared to utilise lifesaving equipment placed across Singapore and render assistance when emergencies arise.

Building a community-centric emergency response

While members of the public are trained in lifesaving skills and able to utilise publicly accessible AEDs and fire extinguishers, these capabilities can only be effective if the public is aware of emergencies around them.

To address this, the myResponder mobile application was launched in 2015 to alert nearby CFRs, bridging the critical gap between the onset of an incident and the arrival of emergency responders.

Highly accessible to the public, anyone – students, office workers, retirees, or parents – can register and join as a CFR on myResponder.

Registration is voluntary, and SCDF consistently reminds CFRs to prioritise their personal safety when responding to an emergency.

The first version of myResponder provided two core functions.

It alerts CFRs to nearby cardiac arrest emergencies and provides a live map of publicly accessible AEDs.

When a cardiac arrest incident is reported via SCDF’s “995” emergency hotline, SCDF dispatches emergency resources, and alerts CFRs within a 400-metre radius of the incident through myResponder.

Responding CFRs are guided to the nearest AED via the Registry for AED Integration, a national registry managed by SCDF and the Singapore Heart Foundation.

With this data integrated into myResponder, CFRs can view real-time AED locations, supporting early defibrillation to improve the chances of survival for cardiac arrest patients before the arrival of SCDF’s emergency responders.

In conjunction with the launch of myResponder, SCDF and its partners have over the years been conducting public outreach and education drives to encourage more members of the public to learn lifesaving skills and build their awareness and confidence on the use of AED.

In 2018, myResponder was enhanced to include alerts for minor fires, enabling CFRs to mitigate small fires before they escalate.

An upgraded myResponder

In 2024, SCDF collaborated with the Home Team Science & Technology Agency (HTX) to upgrade myResponder.

With an improved user interface and new functions, the latest version of myResponder strengthens the coordination of community response while ensuring CFRs’ safety.

CFRs can now select their preferred mode of transport, either on foot, by bicycle, or by vehicle.

The alert radius is expanded to 800 metres for cyclists and up to 1.5 kilometres for drivers, helping faster-moving responders cover a wider area, while those on foot will receive alerts for areas that they can realistically reach in time.

To further improve coordination during emergencies, the upgraded app includes a “Respond Together” function.

This enables CFRs to see others who are responding to the same incident and view each other’s location on the map.

Through the in-app chat function and media-sharing features, CFRs can communicate with each other to allocate tasks such as performing CPR and retrieving an AED.

They can also share photos and videos with SCDF’s Operations Centre, giving dispatchers real-time situational awareness of the incident and allowing emergency resources to be more effectively deployed.

A growing network of community first responders

Since 2015, myResponder has grown from 3,000 registered CFRs to over 250,000 as of December 2025.

Collectively, CFRs have responded to over 52,000 cardiac arrest cases and minor fires, contributing to the survival of over 157 individuals who had suffered cardiac arrest.

Beyond operational outcomes, myResponder has encouraged a significant shift in public mindset.

By enabling members of the public to play an active role during emergencies, it has strengthened emergency preparedness and proactive response within the community.

SCDF formally recognises the contributions of CFRs through several awards.

The Community First Responder Award is presented to individuals who have rendered assistance during emergencies, while those who have helped save lives receive the Community Lifesaver Award.

The myResponder Award recognises CFRs who responded to the most myResponder activations in a year.

Recipients are acknowledged in myResponder’s Hall of Fame and at the annual Responders, Partners, and Volunteers Appreciation Event.

In recognition of myResponder’s impact on mobilising the public to respond to emergencies, SCDF received the Singapore Good Design (SG) Mark Gold Award on 25 November 2025.

The award was presented to Commissioner SCDF, COMR Eric Yap, by the President of the Republic of Singapore, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and the President of the Design Business Chamber Singapore, Mr Hong Khai Seng.

Looking ahead

Future developments for myResponder include video-call support, enabling dispatchers to provide real-time guidance to CFRs during emergencies.

This will further improve community response during complex situations, while continuing to ensure CFRs’ safety during an emergency.

From its humble beginnings in 2015 to a growing nationwide network of CFRs in 2025, myResponder shows how technology and community spirit can be integrated to complement SCDF’s emergency response.

By empowering citizens to become CFRs, it strengthens national resilience and fosters a more caring community where help is always within reach.

Real-world use of myResponder

Real-world callouts through Singapore’s myResponder app show how ordinary members of the public are increasingly becoming part of the city-state’s emergency response, often arriving before professional crews and buying critical minutes for patients and bystanders.

In Whampoa, a 20-year-old psychology student has described how a late-night alert prompted her to run down 14 storeys to a suspected cardiac arrest outside her own block.

When she arrived, she found a man unconscious while passers-by attempted chest compressions with inconsistent technique.

Working alongside another community responder, she took over CPR, directed bystanders, and helped deploy a nearby automated external defibrillator.

The device delivered a shock, and the patient regained a pulse shortly before Singapore Civil Defence Force paramedics reached the scene.

In another widely reported case, a young volunteer named Darryl responded to an alert close to his home and found a man in cardiac arrest with only his son present.

Darryl joined them in performing CPR and applying an AED until SCDF crews took over.

The patient later recovered sufficiently to be seen eating in a neighbourhood coffeeshop.

Darryl has since attended more than 60 myResponder activations.

The app has also been used in non-medical incidents.

On one occasion, a member of the Singapore Civil Defence Auxiliary Unit left myResponder active while at work and was alerted to a small rubbish bin fire nearby.

With no firefighting equipment immediately available, he organised people attending a nearby funeral wake to pass buckets of water, containing the blaze until firefighters arrived.

In each case, the decisive factor was not technology alone but what happened in the minutes after the alert landed on a phone, when strangers chose to act and stay with a patient until professionals arrived.

This was originally published in the March 2026 Edition of International Fire & Safety Journal. To read your FREE copy, click here.

Report questions claims about water mist outperformance in England fire incident data

by Associations and OrganisationsBreaking NewsFire SuppressionResearch

Water mist systems in IRS data are not like-for-like

A report by Optimal Economics has concluded that Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) incident data cannot be used to determine the comparative effectiveness of sprinklers and water mist systems in England.

Commissioned by the British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association (BAFSA), the analysis drew on the MHCLG Incident Recording System (IRS) dataset of primary fires where a sprinkler or water-based fire suppression system was present between 2018/19 and 2023/24.

It reviewed 2,924 incidents in total.

Sprinkler systems accounted for 2,438 incidents, or 83% of the dataset.

Water mist systems accounted for 486 incidents.

Sprinkler systems are described as fixed, building-wide installations, whereas water mist covers a range of technologies including fixed automatic systems and portable or manually deployed hose-reel and lance equipment.

The dataset does not distinguish between those different water mist system types.

Where fires occurred and how systems were recorded

The analysis identified marked differences in the characteristics of incidents recorded under each system category.

Most sprinkler and water mist incidents occurred in non-residential buildings.

Industrial premises accounted for almost half of non-residential sprinkler incidents, including factories, recycling centres and warehouses.

There were 69 water mist incidents in industrial premises, mainly in food and drinks processing, recycling and factories.

In non-residential settings, 74% of water mist incidents were recorded in custodial environments, including prisons and young offenders’ institutions.

In dwellings, sprinkler incidents were concentrated in purpose-built flats or maisonettes, particularly those with more than ten storeys.

Water mist incidents in dwellings were primarily recorded in low-rise settings, with a concentration in single-occupancy bungalows or self-contained sheltered housing.

The report links these cases to the use of personal protection systems for vulnerable residents under local policies.

Differences were also recorded in the location of systems relative to the fire.

In most sprinkler incidents, the system was located in the room of origin.

In water mist incidents, the system was more often recorded as being on the same floor as the fire.

In 71% of water mist incidents where the system operated, the fire was on the same floor as the system rather than in the room of origin.

Conclusions and recommendations for future data

The report concludes that the IRS dataset does not contain two comparable populations of building-wide automatic suppression systems.

As a result, a robust comparative analysis of operational reliability and performance reliability between sprinklers and water mist is not possible.

It states: “Any claims that MHCLG incident data demonstrate superior effectiveness of water mist systems compared to sprinklers are not supported by the evidence and arise from invalid comparisons between fundamentally different types of fire suppression systems.”

The analysis calls for system-level classification, consistent standards and sufficient sample sizes to enable valid comparisons.

It recommends that future IRS data collection distinguishes fixed building-wide suppression, personal protection systems, local application protection and manually deployed custodial systems.

Without that separation, it warns that “suppression policy risks being shaped by invalid evidence”.

Southern Spain research identifies drivers of suppression performance

by Featured NewsFire SuppressionResearchWildland Fire

Southern Spain study reports what suppression achieved in Andalusia

An assessment of wildfire management in Andalusia found that suppression operations protected an estimated 67% of the potentially burnable area across 39 wildfires recorded between 2011 and 2019.

The findings were published in 2026 by Ortega M, López Sancho A and Molina JR in the International Journal of Wildland Fire.

The study estimated that for every unit of cost invested in suppression, about three units of potential economic losses were averted.

The authors concluded that operational performance and economic return varied according to province, fire behaviour and timing within the season.

Provincial, seasonal and fire behaviour patterns shaped results in Spain

The analysis identified consistent differences between provinces in southern Spain, with Córdoba and Sevilla recording higher effectiveness and higher cost-benefit values than Huelva and Cádiz.

Fire growth rate was linked to lower effectiveness, with faster-growing fires more difficult to contain.

Longer control times were associated with improved cost-benefit and cost effectiveness values.

The study reported lower containment effectiveness for fires occurring in June compared with July and August.

Later-season fires were associated with higher cost effectiveness.

Wildfires igniting during daytime were less effectively contained than those starting at night.

Higher rates of spread and longer flame lengths were linked in the modelling to increased technical efficiency values, alongside longer control times.

Modified index proposed to reflect area saved rather than area burned

The paper reported that the traditional Management Index relates suppression costs to total area burned, which can produce low values when fires are kept small.

To address this, the authors proposed a modified Management Index that links suppression costs to the area saved from burning.

The mean technical efficiency value reported in the study was 0.61, and the mean modified index value was 0.33.

The authors stated that combining measures of operational effectiveness and economic efficiency provides a multidimensional framework for assessing wildfire suppression performance in Spain.