Chennai building fire safety scans to be carried out by drones

by Featured NewsSafety

Drones are to be used to scan for fire safety issues on buildings in Chennai , the capital city of Tamil Nadu in East India, by the Special Task Force, according to a report from The New Indian Express.

The Task Force, established over three years ago to target illegal buildings across the city, will use drones to review 149 buildings which are under scanner for violation of fire safety norms.

A consultant is to be hired by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) member secretary, after which inspection will be carried out, a CMDA official said.

This follows a separate study on fire safety measures with an alternate mechanism in congested areas including George Town, Purasawalkam, Tripplicane and T Nagar.

“Once the order is passed this week, we are likely to take it up the coming week. We wanted to have scientific data on these buildings. Doing it manually will take time,” said the official.

Fire consultant V Sivaramakrishnan said, however, that drones cannot find out whether the sprinklers are working or are they connected to the water pump, and so this will have to be done manually.

According to a survey of 150 T Nagar multi-storeyed buildings carried out by the State Fire and Rescue Services Department, it was found that in most buildings, water storage and provision of fire pump facilities and hydrant systems are not as per requirements of National Building Code. Most buildings also were also found to have no automatic sprinkler system.

LFRS urges people to take fire safety precautions at home

by Featured NewsSafety

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) are urging people to take fire safety precautions in the home to stay safe as the cost of living rises across the UK. The advice has been issued as part of of NFCC’s national Home Fire Safety Week taking place between this week (13-19 June), which aims to keep people safer from fire in their homes.

NFCC is concerned that people may put themselves at additional risk as the cost of living increases and remind people to buy, charge and run electrical products safely and ensure they keep warm safely as taking a few simple steps can reduce the risk of fire in the home. NFCC is also urging people not to take additional risks and be alert to how simple measures could save lives and reduce injuries.

The week of action covers a range of areas such as electrical safety, the dangers of illegal cigarettes and the offer of home safety fire checks and fire safety advice. People are being urged to buy electrical products from reputable retailers, to register appliances and always sign up to the national product safety alerts and recalls: https://www.gov.uk/product-safety-alerts-reports-recalls

With rising energy costs and many people look to reduce heating bills, LFRS want to ensure people are keeping warm safely. It is encouraging residents to ensure they have smoke and carbon monoxide alarms fitted and to ensure portable heaters and electric blankets are in good working order, not subject to any recalls and used correctly.

With older relatives and neighbours thought to be particularly vulnerable and at a higher risk in the home and, LFRS is offering a home fire safety check, vital safety help, advice and solutions, as well as help from a range of organisations. Registering for personalised fire safety advice can be done here.

LFRS Prevention lead Kirsty McCreesh said “As the cost of living increases across the entire UK, we are offering help and advice to help people stay safer in their homes. This ranges from simple steps such as smoke detection and checking electrical items to how fire services can assist people who are more vulnerable.

“While we understand the pressures people are currently facing and affordability is a major factor for many, I am hoping that by giving practical help and advice, we can raise awareness and offer useful assistance. Prevention work is at the heart of all fire and rescue service work and we are here to help.”

Motorola opens new flagship office in Edinburgh

by Featured NewsSafety

Global leader in public safety and enterprise security, Motorola Solutions has opened an innovation hub in Edinburgh, Scotland, expanding its mobile video, video security and access control businesses and creating new employment and commercial opportunities for Scotland.

Motorola Solutions’ Edinburgh R&D teams will focus on cloud-based evidence management software, video security solutions and body-worn cameras, highlighting the Scottish capital’s global reputation for strong engineering talent and position as the U.K.’s top innovation city outside of London. 

“The opening of Motorola Solutions’ new Edinburgh facility is a real vote of confidence and again highlights the attractiveness of investing in Scotland,” said Angus Robertson, Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture. “Innovation is key to ensuring that Scotland is able to develop smart digital solutions to meet the needs of the future. The Motorola Solutions Innovation Hub will contribute to this work by creating video security and evidence management solutions for emergency services, not just in Scotland but internationally as well.”

Motorola Solutions’ video security innovations from Scotland are trusted by organisations worldwide, including U.K.-based NHS England ambulance trusts, National Highways and the Co-op, as well as international organisations, such as the French Ministry of the Interior, Malta Police, MetrôRio and Romanian Border Police.

“Edinburgh has a proven track record for some of the most exciting advancements in video innovation,” said Richie McBride, senior director of international mobile video, Motorola Solutions. “Our growing local presence reinforces Motorola Solutions’ commitment to investing in diverse talent to create next-generation, mission-critical technologies that are depended on by frontline workers all over the world.”

The Edinburgh office is located at Caledonian Exchange, 1st Floor, 19a Canning Street, Edinburgh, EH3 8EG.

New Fire Standard ‘Emergency Preparedness and Resilience’ launched

by Featured NewsSafety

The Fire Standards Board (FSB) has launched the eleventh professional Fire Standard; Emergency Preparedness and Resilience, which focuses on ensuring fire and rescue service are prepared to respond to major incidents and large-scale emergencies or disruptive challenges.

The FSB has said it hopes the Emergency Preparedness and Resilience Fire Standard is that services will contribute effectively to national resilience requirements and have suitable and sufficient access to resources and assets to support response to local, regional and national scale emergencies.

The development of the standard was led by CFO Phil Garrigan of Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service, who oversee National Resilience Capabilities on behalf of the Home Office, and NFCC Lead for Local Resilience Forums, Stuart Errington. It was also supported by Business Continuity and national and local resilience practitioners from across a wide range of services, and the Home Office and Cabinet Office.

One of the expected benefits of achieving the Standard is that members of the public will be reassured that their fire and rescue service is resilient, prepared and able to respond to emergencies while maintaining its critical functions during a disruptive event.

As with all Fire Standards, there’s a corresponding Fire Standards Implementation Tool to support services with the implementation. The tool was designed to support services in assessing how well they meet the standard; helping them to build an action plan to identify and address any gaps.

Chair of the Fire Standards Board, Suzanne McCarthy said: “The Board welcomes the launch of the new Emergency Preparedness and Resilience Fire Standard and recognises the contribution it will bring to fire and rescue services and the communities they serve. The standard builds on our increasing portfolio of professional Fire Standards.”

Fire Minister Lord Greenhalgh said: “I am delighted to see the launch of the Emergency Preparedness and Resilience Fire Standard. This standard will help ensure consistency in how fire and rescue services prepare for and respond to major incidents and emergencies, and importantly how they will work with partner agencies. It will provide reassurance to the public that their local services are resilient and prepared to deliver a coordinated response.”

Chair of NFCC, Mark Hardingham said: “The Emergency Preparedness and Resilience Fire Standard aims to ensure that there is a consistent approach from fire and rescue services in preparing for, and responding to, major incidents and emergencies.  

“Thankfully major incidents and emergencies are infrequent, but when they do happen members of the public should be reassured that their local service is prepared to ensure an effective response through a standardised approach to emergency preparedness. Thank you to everyone who has been involved in the development of this standard.” 

FBU Scotland: zero budget increase will put communities ‘in great danger’

by Featured NewsSafety

Scotland’s firefighters have responded to the Scottish finance secretary’s statement on the Scottish spending review, which sees zero increase in the budget of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service over the next five years.

The Fire Brigades Union Scotland has said the lack of increase will mean a potential large real terms cut, especially given the currently rampant rate of inflation.

Responding to the finance secretary’s statement on the spending review, John McKenzie, FBU Scotland regional secretary, said: “The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has already suffered the loss of a thousand members of staff, cuts to crewing levels and stagnation of pay.

“The announcement by Kate Forbes shows a zero increase in the budget for the service over the next five years. If enacted this will put our communities and our members who serve them in greater danger. The FBU in Scotland will be seeking an urgent meeting with the Justice Secretary to discuss the future funding of the Fire and Rescue service.”

LFB ‘in serious need of funding’ to tackle building safety crisis

by Featured NewsSafety

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) commissioner Andy Roe has said the fire service is in serious need of funding if it is to effectively tackle the building safety crisis.

At a City Hall Plenary meeting in February, LFB Commissioner Roe said that to inspect just 10% or 20% of London’s approximately 95,000 mid-rise buildings for fire safety defects, the LFB would need to recruit a “significant labour force” of “a couple of hundred” additional specialist fire safety inspecting officers. He also said that there is an £8 million budget gap expected for the LFB in 2022/23.

During Mayor’s Question Time on 19 May, Labour’s London Assembly Fire and Resilience Spokesperson, Anne Clarke AM, entreated the government to support people living in residential blocks of all heights and called for proper funding for the LFB to tackle the building safety scandal, seeking compensation for leaseholders who have already paid out of their own pocket to fix potentially deadly fire risks.

Secretary of State for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), Michael Gove, stated developers will pay for mid-rise buildings between 11 and 18 metres with dangerous cladding, and funding has been provided for 8,500 high rise buildings above 18 meters in London.

Blocks below 11 metres that have been deemed in need of remediation work will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, but the government has stopped short of providing blanket protection under the Building Safety Act as revealed by Housing Minister Stuart Andrew in the Commons last month. In response to a question from Ms Clarke, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, stated: “I think the height requirement should go, either your building is safe, or it isn’t”.

Ms Clarke said: “Nearly five years on from the Grenfell tragedy it’s completely unacceptable that so many Londoners are living in unsafe homes. Ministers must extend remediation support to all residential buildings with safety defects or combustible cladding. Regardless of height, if leaseholders have already paid, they are owed compensation.

“Londoners are being let down. They’re dealing with this on top of an unprecedented cost of living crisis. It’s disgusting so many have been left to sit with this hanging over their heads. This is a building safety scandal, not just a cladding scandal. The Fire Brigade needs more funding from the government so it can recruit hundreds of specialist fire safety officers to make London safe.”

Fire Safety Enforcement in NYC strengthened by new bill

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams has signed five pieces of fire safety legislation into law aimed at strengthening enforcement, education, and outreach efforts in the wake of the tragic Bronx apartment fire in January which saw the death of 17 people.

The new laws include shortening the timeline of re-inspection for self-closing door violations, increasing the fine for building owners who do not fix violations, banning the sale of certain space heaters that do not meet certain safety standards and codifying increased fire safety outreach.

“More than a dozen New Yorkers, some just children, were killed in the fire at the Twin Parks apartments. We mourn their passing but that is not enough — we must ensure that a tragedy at that level never happens again,” said Mayor Adams. “In March, I signed an executive order to immediately improve fire safety coordination and outreach. Today, I’m proud to work with the City Council to create long-term solutions that strengthen enforcement and education and will keep all New Yorkers safe.”

The mayor signed the following bills into law:

Intro. 104 which clarifies the definition of a self-closing door to mean a door equipped with a device that will ensure the door, when opened and released, returns to the closed position and self-latches shut.

Intro. 105 which shortens the timeline for correction of self-closing door violations from 21 days to 14 days, requires HPD to reinspect a self-closing door violation no later than 20 days after the expiration of the 14-day correction period, and increases penalties for building owners who do not cure those violations. It also establishes a civil penalty range of $250-$500 for the violation of the self-closing door requirement and a $250/day penalty from the date set for correction of the violation until it is corrected, increases civil penalties for the false certification of corrections for Class A, B, and C violations of the Housing Maintenance Code.

Intro. 106 which bans the sale of electric space heaters that do not have automatic shut off capabilities if the heater falls over or overheats, and requires that space heaters sold in New York City be labeled by a nationally recognized testing laboratory.

Intro. 131 which expands fire safety education to require FDNY to provide educational materials and conduct outreach relating to the safe use of electric space heaters in residences. The law — which takes effect as FDNY continues to conduct a robust fire safety education program — also requires that such educational materials be made available to tenants in the top 10 most common languages in New York City.

Intro. 155 which prohibits the DOB from charging filing fees for a permit to repair fire damaged conditions of one-, two- or three-family homes. If construction defects are discovered at such fire-damaged locations, this fee exemption would extend to other dwellings within the same homeowner or cooperative association to correct the same construction defect. The law will diminish repair costs for owners remediating fire-damaged properties and construction defects found during the remediation process and task DOB with conducting targeted outreach showcasing the fee-exemption program.

Commenting on the new legislation, New York City Fire Department (FDNY) Acting Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said: “Educating New Yorkers on fire safety and prevention is key to the Department’s lifesaving mission. These bills, and the mayor’s Executive Order increasing coordination between our department and HPD, will strengthen the FDNY’s ability to reach the neediest residents in our city with critical messages of fire education and prevention.”

Survitec launches ‘Head Start’ programme for ship fire safety

by Featured NewsSafety

Survival Technology specialist Survitec has introduced a new programme to ensure shipowners are fully equipped to protect crews and assets throughout the entire lifetime of their vessels.

The “Head Start” programme is a complete through-life supply and service initiative. Survitec has been working with shipowners, designers and ship builders from first designs to ensure that vessels are protected with the most advanced safety solutions possible and to ensure they can be operated and maintained efficiently throughout the vessel’s lifetime.

Finn Lende-Harung, Commercial Director – Fire Solutions, Survitec, said: “Being involved from the planning phase onwards, we can help to optimise safety system design, installation and commissioning as well as ensuring shipowners benefit from the most cost-effective means of managing their ongoing system training, servicing, and certification requirements.

“From the very beginning of a project, shipowners have immediate access to our global network of experts through a single point of contact. We’re providing a complete one-stop safety shop from the design phase through to ongoing vessel operations. We’re setting shipowners on course for a lifetime of safety at sea.”

Rafal Kolodziejski, Survitec’s Head of Product Support and Development – Fire Systems, cited the increasing number of newbuilds opting to run on alternative fuels as one of the main reasons why the initiative is becoming so appealing.

He said: “The industry is well advanced in fire extinguishing technologies and mediums for gas and methanol fuelled fires. However, li-ion batteries, ammonia, and hydrogen are relatively new marine fuel and powering options, presenting very different challenges for shipowners and operators.

“The risk of fire from these alternative fuels can be substantial, requiring a higher focus on prevention and the monitoring of gas leakage and temperatures. When we are involved in a newbuild project from the beginning, we can better mitigate any risk further down the line through quick-response fire system solutions.”

Lende-Harung added that as the shipping industry moves towards digital technologies and the possibilities of autonomous shipping – accelerated perhaps by current operational and financial challenges: “Remote monitoring, diagnostics and online maintenance will in the future become a major consideration at the design stage.”

Survitec’s fire system experts can monitor system conditions, support ship crew with trouble shooting and adjustment of equipment shoreside without having to physically attend the ship,” said Lende-Harung. “A remote VPN gateway connects to the fire safety system operator panel via an ethernet cable or Wi-Fi through a secure gateway.

“We can connect at short notice in case of issues threatening normal operation or to provide training to ship crews. For example, we can help a system operator tune-up their inert gas system to reduce fuel consumption, reduce maintenance and increase system stability. Remote diagnostics and the monitoring of fire safety equipment will become a major factor in the swing towards autonomous shipping.”

Hospitals in Karnataka slow to carry out fire safety audit

by Featured NewsSafety

Only 44 out of 166 government hospitals in Karnataka, a state in the south western region of India, have completed a fire safety audit within the two week period set out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as fire accidents have been on the rise sue to summer heat, according to reports.

Modi spoke at a video conference with Chief Ministers on 27 April suggesting that all states conduct fire safety audits. Over two weeks since the Health Department directed 16 district and 150 taluk hospitals to complete the audit, only 27% have completed the exercise. The May 21 deadline has now been extended until the end of the month.

To aid he process, the Health Department approved ₹82 lakh for the fire audits of 166 hospitals (at ₹50,000 each hospital) under the National Health Mission (NHM), relasing the funds on May 18.

State Health Commissioner Randeep D. attributed the slow action to procedural delays: “Funds have been released to the 166 hospitals and the DHOs have been asked to facilitate the audit of hospitals in their districts by the end of this month. So far, 44 hospitals have completed the audits,” he said.

“The recent incidents of fire accidents in hospitals have reinforced the need for compliance with fire safety measures in hospitals across the State,” he added.

Commenting on fire safety in hospitals, C.N. Manjunath, director of the State-run Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, said: “Hospitals have a multitude of flammable materials, each with different degrees of combustibility, each reacting differently to heat and fire.

“It is mandatory for hospitals to have smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, a fire escape route plan, fire exit LED signages with two hours power backup, fluorescent arrow directions and adequate space for fire tenders to operate.”

UK parliament could burn down ‘any day’ says former minister

by Breaking NewsSafety

Andrea Leadsome, former minister and current Member of Parliament for South Northamptonshire, has urged her fellow MPs to ‘get on’ with the renovation of the Parliament building to prevent at fire similar to that seen by the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris in 2019.

In 2019, MPs voted to set up a sponsor body with responsibility for the restoration of the building. A review produced by the body put the basic costs of essential repairs between £7 billion and £13 billion and estimated they would take between 19 and 28 years to complete – or 12 to 20 years if the building was fully vacated.

Some politicians have expressed concern about moving out amid plans to relocate to Richmond House in central London were vetoed, despite the body claiming that costs would increase by 40% if politicians stayed put.

Speaking to Radio 4’s Week in Westminster programme, Leadsom said a fire of the scale seen by Notre-Dame could happen in Parliament, adding that a fire in 2017 was only averted because of the presence of the 24/7 fire patrol.

“That is so ‘there but for the grace of God’,” she said. “It could burn down today, tomorrow, any day and we’ve got to make that decision and get on with it.”