9/11 19th Anniversary – conducing the ceremony through COVID

by Americas - Featured News

In the days before the annual ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum that serves to remember those who were killed in the terror attacks 19 years ago, there is typically plenty of work that goes into setting up – but that setup looks a bit different this year.

While normal things like speakers will still be present for the reading of names, there will be no stages at the solemn occasion this year. Instead, hand sanitizer stations installed by crews in masks will dot the grounds in Lower Manhattan – a reminder that the COVID pandemic changes even in the most solemn of moments.

The museum said it wanted to find a way to balance safety and tradition this year.

“It was, how we could do it safely that became a question for us,” said 9/11 Memorial Museum Director Alice Greenwald. “We’ve always had a stage.  And we’ve seen too many examples of when you have a stage, people naturally gather.”

With no stage this year, family members have pre-recorded victims’ names, which will be streamed online Friday morning. Victims’ families can still gather in person at the memorial and hear the names of their loved ones read aloud, as groups will be safely spread out on the plaza’s eight acres. The ringing of bells, signifying each attack on Sept. 11, 2001, will still ring out too, complete with honour guard.

Other members of the public will be allowed on the grounds staring around 3 p.m. until midnight. All other large gatherings will be discouraged, although there is an unofficial ceremony at a corner near the World Trade Centre. The split in ceremonies came after a divide over the memorial’s decision to not have the names read in person, due to COVID concerns.

Vice President Mike Pence is expected to be at both the remembrances in the city, while Democratic nominee Joe Biden and his wife Jill will attend the observance at the memorial plaza before traveling to to Shanksville, Pennsylvania for the Flight 93 National Memorial. President Donald Trump will also attend the Pennsylvania memorial, however he and Biden will be present at separate times.

Other changes involve the 9/11 Memorial and Museum itself. It will open Friday for family members after being closed for six months. On Saturday, it will open to the general public, with timed tickets and all social distancing rules required.

COVID concerns at first canceled The Tribute in Light, the beams of light that soar into the air. But Memorial officials, with state and donor support, have now worked to make sure the production crew is safe. The lights will shine starting Friday around dusk.

“We can integrate that loss and create transformation and beauty out of tragedy … This is about the community coming together and saying, ‘This means something to us so profound, we must have it,’” said Greenwald. “It is an unusual year. But what was never in doubt is would we commemorate. That was a given.”

Dorset businesses urged to prioritise fire safety in Covid world

by Active

Businesses across Dorset which have had to make changes due to Covid-19 are being urged to make sure fire safety remains a top priority.

The call comes from the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) as many have had to implement new ways of working due to the current pandemic. The NFCC is reminding businesses about the everyday fire risks in the workplace – and there is both a legal and moral responsibility to ensure premises are safe from fire.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) group manager Tim Gray, said: “The last few months have undoubtedly been difficult and challenging for many people and businesses.

“As such, we want to make sure that whilst businesses address the changes needed in response to Covid-19, they remain fire safe in doing so.

“Fire can have a devastating impact on businesses, with many never recovering after an incident.”

The fire service says many businesses had to respond quickly to the pandemic once they were allowed to reopen and while revisiting risk assessments, fire safety may not have been at the forefront of planning.

As part of NFCC’s Business Safety Week, running September 7-13, DWFRS is encouraging business owners and to ensure they review fire risk assessments.

They should also seek guidance and advice to help them keep their premises and occupants safe from fire.

DWFRS says businesses must consider the potential risks that the Covid secure measures, which are required to open some premises, may in some cases, compromise fire safety measures:

  • New screens must not obstruct smoke detection or sprinkler heads
  • Business must have enough trained staff to support evacuation procedures
  • Ensure measures to support social distancing do not impact evacuation procedures, exit doors or the ability of emergency service to help you
  • Protect your business from arson
  • Help your fire service by reducing false alarms – which currently accounts for about 40 per cent of all emergency calls

Mr Gray said: “We are encouraging businesses to firstly review their fire risk assessments, and to contact us for advice should they need any support. Our goal is to keep all businesses working safely.”

www.dwfire.org.uk/business-fire-safety

New aerial ladders to hit London’s streets

by Products

New aerial ladders that are more responsive to drive, faster to set up and with greater rescue capabilities are soon to hit the streets of London as the London Fire Brigade continue to improve its ability to deal with high rise incidents.

Twelve new 32 metre appliances known as turntable ladders are part of the aerial replacement project and have many improvements on the existing fleet, the biggest being that the ladder articulates, allowing for greater maneuverability. The articulating top section means that down London’s narrow streets the turntable ladder can now set up closer to the building than previous aerial appliances. The reach obtained can also means that the machines can be placed further away and overcome obstacles which would have problematic previously.

The new turntable ladders are swift and responsive to drive and can reach their top working height within a minute from the moment of arrival at an incident. Other features include a detachable thermal imaging camera, improved stretcher capabilities all of which will enhance our operations at height. They will also improve our capabilities for lighting and observation of emergencies from above, giving incident commanders greater knowledge from the sky.

Turntable ladders are used by us for a wide range of tasks such as aerial water towers to put water on buildings from height, rescues, high level lighting and as observation platforms. The new engines will be highly visible on London’s streets with its bright yellow ladder, bumpers and fenders. It also has driver aides like pre-emptive braking and lane change technology.

London Fire Commissioner Andy Roe said: “Our new aerial ladders are more responsive, quicker to set up and improve our ability to fight fires and rescue people from height. Our determination to get these working on London’s streets despite the challenges Covid-19 has given us shows our commitment to improve our response, especially at high rise incidents.”

Training has been able to start on the new turntable ladders due to the hard work of our staff and in close liaison with the Fire Brigades Union to make sure it can be done safely during the pandemic. The courses were completely revamped to make sure safe procedures are in place including the wearing of masks during driver training, increased open air training and regular sanitation of delegates hands and the machines. Internal training venues were found quickly to make sure staff didn’t need to travel long distances and the risk to those involved could be reduced.

Firefighters have also been incredibly flexible, attending courses at short notice to make sure the vehicles become operational as soon as possible. The Brigade’s training provider Babcock have made additional machines for training available so that multiple venues can be used, allowing for increased training while maintaining social distancing.

www.london-fire.gov.uk/

Active fire protection market set for growth post Covid-19

by Active

The active fire protection market is comprised of detection/alarms and suppression systems. Alarms and detection systems account for 63% of the overall active fire protection market, having gained slight share over the last two years, with the majority of installations of products and systems going into the non-domestic sectors. Domestic smoke alarms only account for a small portion of total market value.

Over the last decade or so, innovations in detection technology have significantly reduced the likelihood and number of false alarms, through such developments as improved capability of sensor technology in smoke detectors. However, the number of false alarms due to apparatus faults has stabilised in the last three years, suggesting that more recent product improvements are no longer having an impact on the number of false alarms.

AMA Research’s current forecast indicates a decline in 2020 due to the impact of Covid-19, this is down to the closing building sites, the furloughing of employees as well as restrictions on the supply of building materials throughout the world. The active fire protection market is expected to grow by 14% between 2020 and 2024.

Fire detectors, which serve to identify where a fire is occurring by locating heat, smoke or flames, before providing a warning of the blaze through an audible alarm and often through the alerting the fire service will outperform the market, increasing 17% between 2020 and 2024.

Higher levels of publicity and the greater awareness of fire safety measures, particularly within high rise buildings, should stimulate demand for active fire protection products. This should be seen in both new installations and particularly in the replacement sector.

Increasingly, businesses are adopting integrated fire and security systems, which is likely to remain a key feature of the industry. IT-based security systems, often including fire protection systems in combination with other security measures on a single network, such as video surveillance, access control and intruder alarms.

Laura Pardoe, Editor of the Active Fire Protection Market Report comments “the active fire protection sector is mature and has been primarily driven by the wider performance of the UK building and construction market. That said, changes to building regulations in the wake of the Hackitt Review will provide additional demand for the fire protection industry, particularly with regard to sprinkler systems in high buildings.”

The information was taken from the Active Fire Protection Market Report – UK 2020 -2024 by AMA Research, which is available to purchase now at www.amaresearch.co.uk

Honeywell donates 25,000 FFP2 face masks for Beirut relief effort

by Middle East - Featured News Archives

Honeywell has announced it will donate 25,000 FFP2 respirator face masks to the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC), to help support relief efforts following the explosion in Beirut earlier this month.

The masks, which Honeywell expects to ship to Lebanon this week, will provide AUBMC’s front-line staff with critical PPE as they continue to treat patients injured by the explosion amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Miroslav Kafedzhiev, vice president and general manager Middle East, Russia, Turkey and Africa, Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions said: “As a world leader in advanced Personal Protective Equipment we are committed to providing front-line healthcare workers with the equipment they need to help keep us safe.

“We are proud to be supporting the medical staff at AUBMC who are caring for those injured by the recent explosion in Beirut, and our thoughts are with all those affected by the tragedy.”

Walid A. Katergi, CFRE associate vice president for development, American University of Beirut said: “Our doctors, nurses and other front-line staff are working tirelessly to treat those hurt in the explosion amid the added pressure and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We send our deepest thanks to Honeywell for its kind donation of this critical equipment, which will help protect our teams as they focus on providing patients with the best possible care.”

Honeywell’s intelligent safety solutions and personal protective equipment help organizations keep their workers safe and healthy on the job.

The company’s offerings include hazardous gas detectors, safety software solutions and personal protective equipment such as gloves, protective eyewear, respiratory protection, safety suits, hard hats and boots.

Honeywell demonstrates its commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility and community involvement through Honeywell Hometown Solutions – a unique global corporate citizenship program that emphasizes STEM education, inclusion and diversity, and humanitarian relief to provide significant and meaningful results in communities around the world.

www.honeywell.com/en-us

New NFPA fact sheet provides guidance to schools as they prepare to re-open

by Projects

As schools prepare to re-open their doors in the days and weeks ahead, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has developed a new fact sheet, Building and Life Safety Issues for Safely Reopening Schools, which provides fire and life safety considerations for building modifications like door operability, classroom usage, seating arrangements, and partitions, as well egress management and storage of hand sanitizer and cleaning products.

“School and local officials are working diligently to implement measures that help minimize exposure to and spread of COVID-19,” said Kristin Bigda, technical lead for building and life safety at NFPA. “While much emphasis has understandably been placed on associated issues and concerns, it’s critical that adequate levels of fire and life safety continue to be maintained.”

Many of the issues addressed in the fact sheet require review and input from the local AHJ, as all changes and modifications must be implemented in accordance with local codes and standards. School fire drills are also briefly covered in the fact sheet, but more specific details around these requirements, as outlined in NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®, are covered in a separate resource.

“The risk of fires and other emergencies has not disappeared in the midst of the pandemic,” said Bigda. “It’s imperative that measures remain in place to adequately protect students, faculty and staff from these potential threats, even at a time when they’re not necessarily at the forefront of many people’s minds.”
For this release and other announcements about NFPA initiatives, research and resources, please visit the NFPA press room.

As all of us continue to navigate the evolving situation with COVID-19, NFPA remains committed to supporting you with the resources you need to minimize risk and help prevent loss, injuries, and death from fire, electrical, and other hazards.

www.nfpa.org/

Smart elevated skin temperature scanning solutions from Johnson Controls

by Products

The safe return of occupants to buildings requires strategies for controlling disease transmission, providing a safe work environment for employees while maintaining healthy business operations. Johnson Controls believe there is nothing more important than the health, security and safety of individuals in a working facility and current events have made securing facilities more complex than ever.

Thermal imaging systems have quickly become an important tool in the detection of elevated skin temperatures, a potential indicator for the presence of contagious individuals. A rapid diagnostic tool, thermal cameras can provide commercial buildings with a quickly scalable and highly efficient means of scanning building occupants. The thermal camera passively scans employees and visitors as they enter your building so as not to impede operations. If an elevated temperature is detected, a local team is alerted for further secondary assessment.

This solution is ideal when the need to minimise human contact is essential. Secondary screening with a thermometer
is required to verify an elevated temperature. Having this solution and the appropriate procedures in place will give
your employees and visitors peace of mind.

Elevated Skin Temperature Scanning

Johnson Control’s goal is to deliver a solution that helps to enhance facility efficiency and occupant safety, wellness and productivity. The image sensor with thermal detector paired with a black body calibration accurately scan a person’s forehead to detect elevated skin temperatures to within +/-0.3°C or +/-0.5°F.

Sophisticated software analytics evaluate employees and guests as they passively enter the camera’s field of view. The
system is capable of scanning 30 people per minute, one person at a time, in accordance with FDA guidelines.

The passive nature of the scanning results in reduced manual effort, reinforces social distancing between individuals and protects your employees charged with monitoring the system. The system can be setup with wall, ceiling
or a tripod mount. The configuration can be designed for portability for maximum flexibility or integrated to work seamlessly with your existing building systems. Event triggers can be customized to alert locally and remotely.

Smart facial temperature detection ties individual skin temperature, live video, and a built-in sound-light alarm. Elevated
temperature anomalies trigger an alarm to signal to your local team to take appropriate action. Powerful analysis tools also contain video-based analytics for perimeter protection (line crossing, region entrance, exit or intrusion), as well as blaze and smoke detection.

www.johnsoncontrols.com

Northwich Fire Station to host virtual open day

by Events

Northwich residents can find out about the lifesaving work of their local firefighters this weekend – without leaving the comfort of their own homes.

With many events around the country going virtual because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the annual open day at Northwich Fire Station is determined to do likewise.

The station will open its virtual doors at 10am on Saturday, August 29, with a wide range of informative and fun things for members of the community to enjoy via the Northwich Fire Station Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Station Manager Duncan Palin said: “We hold an open day every year, and we are not going to let the coronavirus pandemic stop us.

“The current restrictions prevent us from holding an open day in its usual form, so we have organised our first ever virtual open day to safely show Northwich residents the work that we do and the equipment we use.

“There will be a range of videos and other informative and fun things for people to enjoy via social media from the comfort of their own homes.

“You will learn a lot about the life of a firefighter and the roles that our crews play in serving the community, and you will also pick up some vital safety messages to keep you and your family safe.

“So please go online at https://www.facebook.com/NorthwichFS/ or https://twitter.com/NorthwichFS between 10am and 4pm this Saturday.”

For more information, visit https://www.cheshirefire.gov.uk/about-us/local-fire-stations/northwich-fire-station

California wildfires: ‘a major disaster’

by Americas - Featured News

Over 14,000 firefighters are battling 585 fires that have now burnt nearly one million acres (400,000 hectares) as President Trump has declared that wildfires burning through homes and devastating precious forestry in parts of California are a major disaster and has released federal aid.

Forecast high winds are threatening to drive flames into more populated areas as foul air blankets the state. At least six people have died and thousands have evacuated.

Most of the destruction has been caused by three large fire complexes in mountainous and wooded rural areas.

On Saturday 22nd August, California Governor Gavin Newsom said the SCU Lightning Complex fire south and east of San Francisco was the third-largest in the state’s history.

Video tweeted by the governor showed burnt tree stumps against the reddened fumes-filled sky and plumes of white smoke rising from ash-laden ground.

An evacuation order on Saturday extended to thousands of people in the Bay area near San Jose and warned others to be prepared to abandon their homes at short notice.

Exhausted firefighters continue to battle the flames, with some working 72-hour shifts in the dangerous, hot conditions, reports AP news agency. “They’re scrambling for bodies” to help fight the fires, an official in the city of Fresno told Reuters news agency.

In California’s oldest state park, flames scorched redwood trees that began their lives more than 2,000 years ago. The historic visitor centre of Big Basin State Park was burnt to the ground and officials say some trees, which tower as high as 330ft (100 metres), have fallen as the area was “extensively damaged”.

The state faces a more acute shortage of personnel than usual – the coronavirus pandemic has depleted a fire-fighting corps made up of prisoners, which has helped the state battle blazes since World War Two, due to early releases from jail.

At least 43 people including firefighters have been injured, and hundreds of buildings have burned down and thousands more are threatened.

After doubling in size on Friday, the fires continued to grow moderately on Saturday and firefighters made some progress in containing the flames.

More than 12,000 dry lightning strikes started the blazes last week during a historic heat wave in which thermometers in Death Valley National Park reached what could be the highest ever temperature reliably recorded.

The largest wildfire, called the LNU Lightning complex, is in the prominent wine-growing areas of Napa and Sonoma north of San Francisco and is just 15% contained, CalFire said on Saturday.

Further south in Santa Cruz county, 115 homes have been destroyed and some residents evacuated.

Firefighters dug a fireline around the University of California Santa Cruz campus as flames came within a mile of the buildings and surrounding area.

Gov Newsom has requested help from as far afield as Australia and Canada. Firefighters, engines and surveillance planes raced in from US states including Oregon, New Mexico and Texas.

Although California is used to wildfire, the governor called the fires unlike anything the state had seen before. “If you don’t believe in climate change, come to California,” he tweeted on Saturday.

With more than 650,000 coronavirus cases, California also has the highest number of infections in the US, and some evacuees have said they are afraid to go to emergency shelters.

US agencies have updated disaster preparedness and evacuation guidance in light of Covid-19. People who may be required to flee have been to told to carry at least two face masks per person, as well as hand sanitiser, soap and disinfectant wipes.

Emergency shelters are enforcing social distancing rules and mask wearing, and have even given individual tents to families to self-isolate. Some counties are seeking to set up separate shelters for sick evacuees or anyone who is found to have a high temperature.

Beirut explosion: Lebanon faces humanitarian emergency

by Middle East - Featured News Archives

The explosion in Beirut is further straining the health system and food supplies, as well as risking the country’s COVID-19 response. 

Lebanon faces a humanitarian emergency following the explosion on Aug 4, 2020, of more than 2000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored at Beirut’s port that has added severe strain to a health system already buckling under an economic crisis, civil unrest, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the hosting of some 1.5 million refugees in a country of about 6 million people.

The blast killed at least 200 people, injured more than 6,000, and left 300 000 homeless. On Aug 10, soon after rejecting an international inquiry into the explosion’s cause, the government resigned amid rising anger and protests demanding the removal of the political elite and an end to corruption, bad governance, and mismanagement.

International donors pledged 253 million euros in aid at a summit arranged by France on Aug 9, but they also called on the Lebanese Government to listen to demands for reform made by protesters.

WHO said three hospitals were non-functional and another two suffered substantial damage. In addition, 17 containers with essential medical supplies and a recently delivered shipment of personal protective equipment to tackle COVID-19 were destroyed at the port.

“WHO is deeply concerned about the hospital and health workforce capacity, supplies of medicine, and chemical fumes which might have a harmful impact on the health of people with underlying conditions”, the agency said in a donor alert issued on Aug 6.

Officials estimate that the explosion caused up to US$15 billion of damage. Damage to the port was expected to exacerbate the economic and food security situation because the port was a major entry point for aid, and Lebanon imports 80–85% of its food. According to the UN World Food Programme, even before the explosion, 50% of Lebanese people surveyed said that they were worried about not having enough to eat.

“It’s a catastrophe, it’s incomprehensible. Everyone is traumatised and there is a big mental health impact”, Iman Nuwayhid, dean of the faculty of health sciences at the American University of Beirut (Beirut, Lebanon).

Lebanon reportedly has enough doctors and nurses but is facing shortages of medical supplies, even before the blast, because of an economic crisis over the past few months, according to Karam Karam, a clinical professor of medicine at the American University of Beirut. A devaluation of about 80% in the Lebanese pound and bank controls on foreign currency meant that imports of medicines and equipment had become much more costly. “People are dying because they don’t have shelter or money to pay for health care”, he said. “Everyone blames the criminal and corrupt junta that rules us.”

Before the explosion, 75% of Lebanese people were in need of aid, 33% had lost their jobs, and 1 million people were living below the poverty line, and these numbers were considered likely to rise.

COVID-19 is posing a further burden – more than 6,000 cases and 78 deaths had been recorded by the health ministry as of Aug 8. There could be a spike in cases because many health and rescue workers responding to the explosion, as well as protesters, have not observed social distancing or worn masks.

While the resources of many hospitals were being directed towards the casualties of the explosion, the capacity to deal with COVID-19 should not be lost, urged Firass Abiad, the general manager of Beirut’s Rafik Hariri University Hospital (the main Lebanese Government hospital charged with managing the epidemic), in a tweet on Aug 6.

There was also concern about the impact on health caused by the chemicals released by the explosion. “The main long-term hazard is from combustion products such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are carcinogenic”, Roy Harrison, Professor of Environmental Health at the University of Birmingham. More immediately, the main health hazard was from the formation of particulate matter that causes reductions in lung function and symptom exacerbation in people with asthma, he said.