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The Rosenbauer Group has adjusted its outlook for the current financial year. Following a review of business figures, revenues are expected to stay below € 1.0 billion (previously stable revenues; 2020: € 1.04 billion), whereas EBIT margin is expected to be 3.5% (instead of previously 4.5% to 4.8%). The causes for this development are delayed handovers of vehicles, which have led to a partial revenue relocation to the first quarter 2022, as well as persisting disruptions in production and increased material costs due to supply chain issues. This situation has been aggravated by recent lockdowns and renewed travel restrictions.

In the first three quarters 2021 the Rosenbauer Group has generated revenues of € 649.5 million and an EBIT of € 12.9 million. This corresponds to an EBIT margin of 2.0%.

The preliminary results 2021 will be published on February 18, 2022.

Surrey fire and rescue is suffering from the effect of cuts more than ever, says the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), after a new inspection of Surrey Fire and Rescue service claimed to find ‘progress’.

The union has pointed to low fire engine availability and a handful of concerning incidents as evidence for new cuts hitting the service hard.

HMICFRS has statutory responsibility for the inspection of fire and rescue services and police forces across the country. Their new report into Surrey Fire and Rescue Service has found that the service “requires improvement at effectively and efficiently keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks”, but also states that the service has “made good progress” including on “how it uses its resources to keep people safe”.

However, multiple incidents have cast doubt on the safety of the brigade’s ‘Making Surrey Safer’ plan, voted through in September 2019 in response to financial restraints and now implemented. The plan included removing seven fire engines, removing night-time cover at three fire stations, and axing 70 firefighter jobs.

In an incident last month an elderly man died after the first fire engine took 13 minutes to arrive, with a nearby fire station having been closed at night and this “substantially” lengthening response time. Previously this year, a life was lost after the first fire engine took 14 minutes to arrive, and last year fire crews had to wait 57 minutes for a high-reaching aerial appliance to reach a fire.

Overall, average response times in Surrey have gone up for every type of fire since 2018, according to Home Office figures.

Joe Weir, FBU Regional Secretary for South East region, said that:  “We are at an absolute crisis point, and this report, whilst containing some recognition of shortfalls, does not go far enough in identifying this. The idea that ‘progress’ has been made since 2018, the point of the last inspection, is ridiculous.  

“The brigade’s cuts under its ‘Making Surrey Safer’ plan – voted through in 2019, and brought in due to financial constraints – mean that fire engines are constantly out of use due to staff shortages, with average availability just 68.31%, and that response times are often missed. We have seen the human cost of that in recent incidents, including one last month where the first fire engine took 13 minutes to arrive, and a similar incident earlier in the year where the first engine took 14 minutes to arrive

“Tory austerity since 2010 has been a disaster for Surrey Fire and Rescue, with the service losing nearly one in every five of its firefighters since that point. Between 2013 and 2020 fire and rescue services across the UK saw their real-terms spending cut by 38%.

“Morale in Surrey fire and rescue is at an all-time low, and no wonder: firefighters want to be proud of the service they provide to their community.”

A housing company has been sentenced after an agency worker suffered serious injuries in a ladder fall. Teesside Magistrates’ Court heard that on 8 November 2017, the worker was carrying out work at height from a ladder, removing beading to an external first floor window on a residential home. The worker fell a distance of three metres, suffering serious injuries including four fractured vertebrae.

A Health and Safety Executive investigation found that the housing company had failed to properly plan, supervise and carry out external work at height.

Thirteen Housing Group of Northshore Road, Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4 (1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The company was fined £50,000 and ordered to pay costs of £7,327.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Ashfaq Ali said: “This incident could have been prevented had the company properly planned the work at height. This would have included the use of reasonably practicable measures such as mobile tower scaffolds, which were introduced for similar work following the incident.”

MSA, DuPont, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) are helping volunteer fire departments obtain much-needed gear through MSA and DuPont’s Globe Gear Giveaway. The program is wrapping up its tenth year and has provided over $1 million worth of gear to assist volunteer fire departments in need. This year, 13 departments have each been awarded four sets of turnout gear and four helmets to help enhance the safety of their firefighters. The first 500 applicants also received a one-year NVFC membership, courtesy of MSA.

The final three recipients of the 2021 program are the Daggett (CA) Volunteer Fire Department, Takla Nation (Takla Landing, BC), and Preston (MD) Volunteer Fire Company.

Daggett Volunteer Fire Department

The Daggett Volunteer Fire Department (DVFD) is an all-volunteer fire department located in southern California’s rural Mojave Desert. DVFD’s 30 volunteers serve a population of approximately 300 over 50 square miles, responding to an average of 250 calls annually. Due to the number of vacant structures in their service area and a well-traveled, cross-country highway, the majority of their calls are fires and traffic collisions.

DVFD has only 20 sets of turnout gear, meaning that members are often forced to share. Furthermore, only three of the sets are less than 10 years old and therefore compliant with NFPA standards. DVFD’s gear was acquired secondhand and is generally damaged and ill-suited to protecting the department’s volunteers.

Facing increased call volumes and decreased revenue, DVFD’s need for new turnout gear is critical. Since much of their budget is dedicated to apparatus upkeep and the purchase of medical supplies, they are unable to acquire this gear on their own. The donation of the new Globe gear will have a big impact on the safety of their firefighters. “Being able to outfit our crew in turnout gear that is up-to-date and NFPA compliant would allow our crew to work efficiently and safely while on emergency responses,” said assistant chief Wayne Clemons, Jr.

Takla Nation

The Takla Nation is a First Nations community located in a rural area of northern British Columbia, Canada. Composed almost exclusively of volunteers, the department’s 11 members serve a population of approximately 350 over 90 square miles and respond to an average of 12 calls annually.

The Takla Nation’s volunteer emergency responders are not equipped with any turnout gear and have been responding to wildland fires with coveralls, pumps, and hand tools. They are currently working with the Canadian federal government to acquire a new engine and six sets of turnout gear, but this would still leave five of their members without gear.

The Takla Nation’s goal is to equip their volunteers with gear that would allow them to safely respond to structure fires. “We are working on being able to respond to residential fires and would like to prevent loss of homes in our community, where it is very difficult to replace a lost home,” said fire chief Jeremiah Louis.

Preston Volunteer Fire Company

Located on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the Preston Volunteer Fire Company (PVFC) is an all-volunteer department serving a population of approximately 4,800 over 55 square miles. PVFC’s 60 volunteers respond to an average of 400 calls annually, including Basic Life Support transport and vehicle and dive rescue.

Despite their high call volume, PVFC does not have enough gear to outfit all of their firefighters and has resorted to outfitting members in gear that does not fit properly and mixing and matching pieces of gear to form complete sets. With budget cuts due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a decrease in donations, PVFC is unable to purchase the needed gear on their own.

“With this grant money, we will be able to completely outfit all active firefighters in full turnout gear,” said fire chief Troy Plutschak. “As a fully volunteer company, we depend on these grants along with donations to make ends meet.”

Stay tuned to the NVFC web site, Dispatch newsletter, and Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as the Globe Facebook page, for a full wrap-up of the 2021 gear donation program as well as information on the 2022 application period.

Leading technical insulation and passive fire protection (PFP) specialist, AIS Technical, which is part of the IPCOM Group, is strengthening its team with three key UK appointments to support continued growth.

The appointments include technical sales manager, Ian Fishpool, planning and performance manager, Gavin Clark and technical design specialist, Adam Donaldson.

Having spent a lifelong career in fire protection products with Darchem Engineering, Ian Fishpool brings considerable expertise to AIS Technical. His previous role involved generating business across the Middle East, Asia and the USA, as well as managing a network of sales agents.

At AIS Technical, Ian will be responsible for securing major international projects, primarily at construction phase, identifying new markets, developing new products and expanding the company’s existing network of sales agents globally.

New performance manager, Gavin Clark has a wealth of experience in planning and manufacturing processes having worked for the past 20 years in a wide range of sectors including food production, the automotive industry and oil and gas supply for companies such as Cumbria Seafoods, Nestle, IAC Group and NOV. 

With a master’s degree in computer science, Gavin’s expertise lies in the implementation of new systems such as barcodes, tracking and live data capture. He will be bringing this knowledge to AIS Technical to help improve efficiencies, reduce downtime and increase manufacturing output.

CAD system specialist, Adam Donaldson, will be responsible for the technical design of bespoke insulation systems. Having previously worked at AIS Technical between 2013-2019, Adam is re-joining the firm after a spell working offshore in the oil and gas sector.

In additional to these new appointments, AIS Technical will also be working with business development manager at Insulcon, Steve Moss. Based in the UK, Steve will be helping to establish and grow AIS Technical as the new UK manufacturing hub for Insulcon’s flexible “Wearflex” products. With this new UK manufacturing base, Insulcon will be able to service UK customers quickly and efficiently.

AIS Technical is also looking to fill a number of roles for machine operatives to help in the manufacturing of its removable insulation systems. These award-winning systems combat key industry issues such as corrosion, noise and extreme temperatures. Acquired by Belgium insulation group, IPCOM, two years ago, AIS Technical has started manufacturing products for Group company, Thermal Insulation Distributors Limited (TIDL). 

Managing Director at AIS Technical, Chris Evans, said: “Recent deals will see us producing more than five thousand additional insulation jackets and fabric expansion joint products annually at our North Tyneside site for the oil and gas, power generation and heavy industry markets.

“The unrivalled expertise of Ian, Gavin, Steve and Adam will help us to deliver this expansion, as well as enabling us to bring our products and services to new markets.  In addition to these new appointments, we are investing thousands of pounds in new machinery to accommodate our ambitious growth plans.

“Growing sectors such as energy from waste can benefit enormously from our knowledge and world-leading products, such as the world’s thinnest insulation jacket and passive fire protection which provides 180 life-saving minutes for escape. All of our products have been embraced on the international stage and we have a proven track record with some of the oil and gas sector’s biggest names. This reputation and our strengthened team will help us to make significant inroads into industries which require highly specified insulation products like ours.”

To find out more about AIS Technical please contact 0330 2020 498 or visit the newly revamped website at www.aistechnical.co.uk

Spartan Emergency Response, a subsidiary of REV Group, and a leading manufacturer of fire apparatus is pleased to announce Philadelphia Fire Department has taken delivery of a new Spartan Emergency Response Custom Pumper, as well as a new Ladder Tower 100’ Tractor Drawn Aerial (TDA).

Sold by Spartan’s authorised dealer, Campbell Supply, these vehicles are part of a multi-unit order that includes eight Spartan Emergency Response Custom Pumpers, five Tractor-Drawn Aerials (TDAs) and three Spartan Custom Foam Pumpers. All three vehicle configurations were built on the Spartan Metro Star cab/chassis.

Ladder Tower’s 100′ TDA’s are designed for busy departments like Philadelphia, which call for a compact, highly maneuverable design, abundant equipment, and ladder storage, a short 14’ outrigger spread and excellent visibility for the tiller driver’s position. For increased safety, all interior grab handles and rails were painted safety yellow and the ladders have an enhanced light package on the rear for highway operations. 

Key features of the Ladder Tower 100’ TDA include:

• 10’11” overall travel height
• Overall length of 55” 6”
• Short wheelbase trailer for tight urban streets
• A 500 lb. dry/ 250 lb. wet ladder tip load
• Two (2) H-style outriggers with a narrow 14’ spread
• 266 feet of ground ladder storage
• Cummins X12 500 HP engine
• Generous compartment space
• 10 KW Harrison generator
• Enhanced rear light package for added safety

Philadelphia’s eight Spartan Emergency Response Custom Pumpers are configured with a short 28’ overall length and narrow 96” wide body for advanced stability and maneuverability. All apparatus on the order are equipped with the Spartan Advanced Protection System (APS), the industry’s leading comprehensive safety enhancement package, as well as the only safety system featuring side-impact protection.

“We decided to make some changes including reducing two feet from the overall length of the pumpers, relocating the booster reel, lowering the height of the body for added stability, and reintroducing the front intake,” said Lt. Christopher Wynne of Philadelphia Fire Department. 

Key features of these pumpers include:

• Spartan Metro Star cab with 10” raised roof
• Cummins L9 450-hp engine
• Advanced Climate Control System
• Wheelbase 171”
• Waterous CMU 1500-gpm pump
• 500 gallon water tank
• Right side ground ladder rack
• Low hose bed body configuration (64” from the ground)
• Custom wheel well storage

The Spartan Custom Foam Pumpers are equipped with 400 gallons of class B foam and will serve the city’s chemical plants, rail system and port that experiences large influxes of oil and chemicals. Key features of the custom foam pumpers include: 

• Spartan Metro Star cab with 10” raised roof 
• Cummins L9 450-hp engine 
• 500 gallon water tank 
• FRC Acumax Foam System Direct Injection  
• Waterous CMU 1500-gpm pump 
• Low hose bed  
• Short overall length of 29’ 11” 
• Crossslays  
• Front bumper intake  

“We are honored to have the continued trust and confidence of the Philadelphia Fire Department in Spartan fire apparatus,” said Chris Wade, Director of Sales, Spartan Emergency Response. “The tiller line certainly has a long history of maneuverability and service in the city’s challenging streets. We look forward to many years of our apparatus supporting the Philadelphia’s firefighters as they serve their citizens.”

Following a year off, Intersec is back and Hochiki Middle East FZE, part of the Hochiki Group, are excited to announce that they will be at the event in January. The expert Middle East team will be sharing a range of industry leading and greener products, as well discussing what the future holds for fire system design and how customer insight is driving this innovation.

Sophisticated design combined with powerful customer insight

The Hochiki Middle East team of experts will be on hand to demo the new L@titude system. With huge investments made in the research and development of this product, led by customer insight, this latest model combines the very latest in hardware and software and is the company’s market leading control and indication system.

Sophisticated enough to operate anywhere in the world, in multiple languages, across all manner of applications – from schools and hospitals, skyscrapers filled with thousands of office workers, apartment blocks and entertainment venues, cultural and commercial spaces as well as international travel ports, manufacturing warehouses and logistics hubs. The system has been designed to be simple to configure and easy to use by anyone, utilising touchscreen technology with a graphical user interface to help display vital information. It is EN approved and recently DBI certified for the Danish market following its EN54 Part 13 approval.

Greener life safety products

For visitors looking to improve their energy consumption, the Hochiki team will be providing live demonstrations of the power saving and environmentally friendly FIREscape emergency lighting system. Consuming only 0.1W once fully charged, the lower energy consumption directly correlates with lower CO₂e emissions; providing building owners with a greener and more cost-effective solution.

A new generation of Hybrid Wireless Fire Detection

Other products available for demonstration at Intersec will be Hochiki’s next generation of hybrid wireless fire detection products, Ekho. At the core of the system is the wireless Translator module. It is hard-wired to the fire alarm control panel loop and communicates continuously with the wireless devices. Wireless Expander modules are then used to extend the self-healing radio mesh network, increasing the reach and capacity of the overall system.

Commenting on attending the event, Hochiki’s Middle East Managing Director, Mr Shinsuke Kubo said, “We’re really excited to get back to live events and meet with our customers face to face. There is nothing quite like live demonstrations and we are attending with three of our most innovative pieces of life safety technology, so this year’s event really will be the best yet.

If you want to learn more about how our world-leading solutions can protect your business, people, and assets, as well as drive a more efficient operation, then do visit our stand.” Intersec will take place at the Dubai World Trade Centre 16-18 January 2022, head to stand 4-B22 to speak to the Hochiki team of experts. For more information about Hochiki Middle East, visit: Hochiki

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of the Interior (DOI) and FEMA has announced the establishment of a Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission. Establishing this commission fulfills a key provision of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and represents a critical step in combating the nation’s wildfire crisis and improving resilience in America’s landscapes.

The commission is tasked with recommending federal policies and strategies to more effectively prevent, mitigate, suppress and manage wildland fires, including rehabilitating land affected from wildland fires. It will include representation from federal, state, tribal, county and municipal governments as well as non-governmental stakeholders from private industry.

Through a coordinated effort, the commission will deliver a report to Congress with practical policy recommendations one year from the first meeting. In addition, the commission will outline a strategy to cost effectively meet aerial firefighting equipment needs through 2030.  

The commission’s work will build on existing interagency federal efforts, such as the Wildland Fire Leadership Council and the White House Wildfire Resilience Interagency Working Group and will continue to pursue a whole-of-government approach to wildfire risk reduction and resilience.

“The effects of a changing climate are all around us.  Americans, especially those in rural communities in the West, are experiencing a growing number of bigger, hotter and more destructive wildfires that threaten people, livelihoods and our natural resources. The commission will bring together a diverse group of leaders to help tackle this crisis and inform our collective ability to improve the health and resilience of our forests and communities,” said U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

“We have a historic opportunity to take action on forest restoration, hazardous fuels management and post-wildfire restoration activities, and better address the needs of federal wildland firefighters,” said Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. “The commission established under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will provide valuable insight into ways we can better prepare communities and ecosystems against the threat of wildland fire across our nation’s public and tribal lands.” 

“This commission represents a unified effort across the federal government to answer a call that is quickly growing louder; we must protect our wildlands from the ravaging impacts of climate change,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. “In coordination with our partners at USDA and DOI, FEMA is committed to doing our part to help build readiness and resilience in communities who are at risk from wildfires.”

“Climate change and increasing development in the wildland urban interface are rapidly changing the complexity and response challenges for the fire service.   It is time for us all to recognise that wildland fire is not just a forest or rural problem any longer.  Urban and suburban fire departments that had no part in wildland firefighting 30 years ago are now heavily engaged in wildland fire prevention, mitigation and response.  The wildland urban interface is now the frontier for wildland fire,” said U.S. Fire Administrator Dr. Lori Moore Merrell. “This commission will pull together our partners and stakeholders to focus on community risk reduction, enhanced prevention efforts and overall response and mitigation capacity that matches the wildfire risks within the nation’s wildland urban interface.”

“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law calls for a dramatic increase in the scale and pace of wildfire mitigation, restoration and post-fire recovery work,” said Mike Zupko, Executive Director of the Wildland Fire Leadership Council. “Success can only be accomplished through dedicated partnerships and collaboration. The Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission will advance our collective ability to combat the nation’s wildfire crisis and accelerate implementation of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy.”

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests unprecedented funding in America’s natural infrastructure. The joint Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission will support the implementation of effective wildfire risk reduction, community risk reduction and resilience strategies to combat the wildfire crisis, recovering and protecting our nation’s forests, landscapes and surrounding communities.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.

The BAFE has launched a survey that will help to assess the demand for fire and security apprenticeships in Wales, in particular the interest employers have for a specialist fire and security apprenticeship in the country.

Commenting on the survey, Lewis Ramsay, Caretaker Manager/Board Member – BAFE states: “BAFE fully support any developments in helping younger people enter the fire and security sector. It is crucial the right skills, knowledge, expertise, and behaviour is instilled from day one of working with life safety processes and systems. We encourage all BAFE registered organisations based in Wales to complete this survey to establish evidence of employer interest to develop this further.”

Pat Allen, Chair of the FESS Employer Group, added: “In recent years there have been several developments designed to raise competence and qualification levels in the Fire and Security Industries.

“In England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland these have included the introduction of specialist apprenticeships. Wales is therefore currently the only part of the UK without a specialist Fire and Security Apprenticeship.

“Recently, a group of employers and industry bodies, including ECA and FSA have had positive initial conversations with Welsh Government and Qualifications Wales about developing an equivalent specialist apprenticeship in Wales.

“For these discussions to progress further, however, we need to demonstrate a sufficient level of employer interest.”

The survey is available on the BAFE here.