Fire protection upgrades planned for 30 Edinburgh tower blocks under new contract

by Featured NewsPassiveProjectsSafety

City of Edinburgh Council awards £61 million fire protection contract to Harmony Fire

Council approves major fire protection investment

The City of Edinburgh Council has awarded a £61 million fire protection contract to Harmony Fire.

The contract covers 30 multi-storey residential buildings in the city centre.

Harmony Fire said the project forms part of a wide-ranging fire safety upgrade programme.

The company confirmed that the works will be delivered through the Prosper Passive Fire Safety Framework.

According to Harmony Fire, this makes it one of the largest internal fire safety upgrade schemes of its kind in the UK.

Programme to enhance fire safety across city housing

Harmony Fire will deliver a series of fire protection measures across the affected buildings.

The works will include upgrading entrance, communal and ancillary doorways.

The company will also carry out improvements to fire stopping, compartmentation and mechanical services.

The upgrades are part of the council’s wider effort to futureproof its residential property portfolio.

Partnership builds on existing collaboration

Harmony Fire said this latest contract builds on its established relationship with the City of Edinburgh Council.

Previous work included the installation of 60-minute (FD60) compliant fire-rated door sets in other residential sites.

Amos Thomas, Pre-Construction Director at Harmony Fire, commented on the council’s approach: “By embarking on one of the largest internal fire safety investment programmes of its type across the UK, the City of Edinburgh Council is making clear its commitment to providing safe and secure homes for residents.

“It also allows the council to fast-track this critical improvement scheme through the Prosper framework.

“This approach maximises procurement efficiencies, facilitating vital early contractor engagement and setting the conditions for best value and project success from the outset.”

Relevance for fire and safety professionals

This contract will be of particular relevance to fire-protection contractors, installation specialists and local authority housing officers.

The City of Edinburgh Council’s use of the Prosper Passive Fire Safety Framework provides a practical example of large-scale procurement and delivery of fire safety upgrades across residential properties.

For contractors and consultants, the project demonstrates the scope of coordinated fire-protection programmes that integrate multiple measures, including door upgrades, compartmentation and fire stopping.

For engineers and building services professionals, it illustrates how mechanical systems are being upgraded alongside passive fire protection to improve overall safety in multi-storey residential buildings.

Arthur’s Seat blaze disrupts Fringe festival weekend in Edinburgh

by Featured NewsIncidentsWildland Fire

Arthur’s Seat fire prompts overnight response in Edinburgh

BBC News has reported that firefighters worked overnight to control a large gorse blaze on Arthur’s Seat in central Edinburgh.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said the fire was reported at about 16:05 on Sunday, with four appliances and specialist resources sent to the scene.

It said two appliances remained at the location on Monday to ensure the fire was fully extinguished.

The SFRS confirmed that there were no reported casualties.

Police Scotland urged members of the public to avoid the area while the fire was being tackled.

Area closures and public safety measures

According to BBC News, a large section of Holyrood Park was closed to pedestrians as the fire spread.

People on Arthur’s Seat were seen leaving the area, with others advised not to approach.

Supporters attending the Hibernian v Kilmarnock football match were told to avoid the Willowbrae, Duddingston and Holyrood areas when leaving Easter Road stadium.

The SFRS said its resources remained on site to monitor the situation and respond to any flare-ups.

Eyewitness account of fire spread

BBC News reported that Nick Brice from Brighton saw the fire spreading while descending Arthur’s Seat.

He told BBC Scotland News: “We could see this little plume of smoke on the ridge at the far side and it just got bigger and bigger.

“All of a sudden we could see these flames starting to come up and people noticed it spreading fast.

“The smoke started to really build and then these flames started to cover the ridge and we realised the wind was blowing it right towards us.

“We had to get down to the road fast because it was going to come across the whole area.”

Mr Brice, who is performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, said he passed people heading uphill and urged them to turn back.

He added: “Now the whole hillside is covered in flames and smoke coming down over the path we walked.”

Wider context and recent wildfire activity

BBC News noted that smoke was visible across Edinburgh during one of the city’s busiest weekends, with multiple festivals taking place and large concerts at Murrayfield.

The SFRS has issued multiple wildfire warnings this year amid a warm and dry summer.

Scottish Water has said the country recorded its driest start to the year since 1964, with all regions experiencing water scarcity in May.

Recent wildfires in the Highlands were described by the SFRS as the largest Scotland has experienced.

Historical fires on Arthur’s Seat

BBC News reported that in February 2019 firefighters tackled a large gorse blaze on Arthur’s Seat.

That fire burned about 800 square metres of gorse on the Salisbury Crags.

Similar fires have occurred periodically during dry weather in Edinburgh.

Arthur’s Seat fire prompts overnight response in Edinburgh: Summary

BBC News reported that a gorse fire broke out on Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh on Sunday afternoon.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said the fire was reported at about 16:05 and four appliances were sent to the scene.

Two appliances remained on site on Monday to ensure the fire was fully extinguished.

There were no reported casualties.

Police Scotland advised the public to avoid the area.

Holyrood Park was partially closed to pedestrians.

Football supporters leaving Easter Road stadium were asked to avoid affected areas.

An eyewitness described seeing flames spreading rapidly due to wind.

The fire occurred during one of Edinburgh’s busiest weekends.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has issued multiple wildfire warnings this year.

Scotland has experienced a warm and dry summer, with record low rainfall since 1964.

Large wildfires have also recently occurred in the Highlands.

Arthur’s Seat experienced a similar gorse fire in February 2019.

Zelim appoints Doug Baxter as new Chairman

by Featured NewsPeople

Zelim, the Edinburgh-based safety and survival systems innovator, has appointed Doug Baxter as its new Chairman.

Baxter, who brings over 30 years of executive leadership experience in the marine, energy, aerospace and defence industries, replaces current Chair Doug Duguid, who will remain on the Zelim Board as Investor Director.

Current Chair, Zelim, Doug Dubuid’s statement

Doug Duguid, current Chair of Zelim said: “We are delighted Doug has accepted the role as Zelim’s new Chair.

“The last few years have been hugely rewarding as Chairman of the Board at Zelim, seeing the business grow from a group of people with a good idea to selling market leading products globally has been an incredible journey.

“I’m looking forward to working with Doug and continuing to support Sam and the team in my role as Investor Director, as we scale the business.”

Founder and CEO, Zelim, Sam Mayall’s statement

Sam Mayall, Zelim’s founder and CEO, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Doug Baxter to the Zelim team as our new Chairman.

“Doug’s industry expertise and track record in growing successful international businesses will be invaluable as we progress from the research and development phase to accelerate the commercialisation of our cutting-edge technologies globally.”

Chairman, Zelim, Doug Baxter’s statement

New Chairman of Zelim, Doug Baxter commented: “Zelim has created new technologies that address the safety challenges across myriad industries in a way that no other companies currently do.”

“The next phase of our growth journey is about educating these markets, driving adoption and securing a dominant position across multiple geographies for products that save lives.

“My role as Chairman will be to help the company capitalise on its game-changing innovations and support the executive team in strategy, execution, and investor relations.”

Doug Baxter announced as Zelim’s new Chairman: Summary

Zelim has announced that Doug Baxter has been appointed as its new Chairman. Baxter brings over 30 years of executive leadership experience to the role.

Sam Mayall, Zelim’s Founder and CEO said they are thrilled to welcome Doug to the team.

New fire system installed in high-end Edinburgh store

by Featured NewsFire DetectionProjects

A new fire detection system from Hochiki Europe has been installed in a luxury retail store in Edinburgh’s St James’ Quarter. The retail centre recently extended one of their luxury stores, with a critical element of the new infrastructure being a fire detection system from Hochiki Europe.

Luxury in-store experience

High-end retailers often feature meticulously designed interiors with clean lines and minimal distractions, meaning any visible fire detection devices can disrupt the desired ambiance and detract from the overall shopping experience. They may therefore chooses to prioritise discreet fire detection systems to maintain their brand’s aesthetic appeal.

By opting for discreet systems, these retailers ensure that fire safety remains a top priority without compromising the store’s intended atmosphere.

GB Integrated Systems (GBIS), specialise in providing fire detection and security system solutions for commercial properties. Having worked with Hochiki products for several years, trusting their reliability in retail environments, they knew the global fire manufacturer’s ESP range would provide the perfect answer.

Technical Director, GBIS, Mike Gray’s statement

Mike Gray, Technical Director of the GBIS spoke on the collaboration: “We chose Hochiki as it offered a comprehensive solution for this project with a broad selection of devices, including smoke detectors, heat detectors, manual call points, base sounders and air sampling system.”

Features of the fire system

The project comprised over 40 analogue addressable devices and an air sampling system, ensuring the highest standards in fire safety design. The air sampling system, integrated into the fire detection loop, was a crucial component of the installation, according to Hochiki.

Air sampling enables precise detection in hard-to-reach areas like ceiling voids, ensuring comprehensive coverage throughout a retail environment. The Hochiki devices respond accurately to real fire conditions while minimising false alarms through multi-sensor technology, environmental adjustments, and filtering mechanisms.

With these features the fire alarm system is designed to effectively differentiate between non-threatening signals and actual fire hazards, thereby improving safety, reducing false alarms, and enhancing operational efficiency within the store.

One of the reported challenges during the installation was interfacing the fire alarm system with the shopping centre’s security control centre. This complex integration required careful planning and execution to ensure that the system would respond appropriately to different fire scenarios.

In the event of a fire within the store, the system is designed to trigger specific alarms and notifications, while a fire in the shopping centre would activate different alerts, minimising disruption to the store’s operations.

Luxury retail store in Multrees Walk reopens with upgraded fire system: Summary

A luxury retailer based in St James’ Quarter, Edinburgh, have installed a fire system upgrade. By combining innovation, reliability, and aesthetic appeal, Hochiki Europe has helped to create a safe and secure space for customers to obtain a luxury shopping experience.

SFPE Fire Safety Engineering Conference set for April 2025 in the UK

by Featured NewsFire EngineeringSafety

The Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE), the professional society for fire protection and fire safety engineering, has announced the 2025 SFPE European Conference & Expo in Fire Safety Engineering. This year, the event will be held in Edinburgh, UK, from 9-10 April 2025.

Hosted every other year, the conference features two days of technical content from the fire safety experts where current and future trends in fire safety engineering will be discussed.

Featured presentations at the conference

The conference will feature over 40 presentations, structured around the topics of; fire protection, the safety regulatory frameworks, structural fire engineering, electric vehicles, parking structures, building envelopes, sustainability, digitization, human behaviour, wildland fires, timber construction, fire testing, fire modelling and smoke control, plus additional poster presentations

The opening keynote of the conference will be `Michelin Stars and Golden Arches’, presented by Luke Bisby, PEng, PhD, MSFPE, FREng, FRSE, FIFireE, FIStructE, Chartered Structural Engineer.

Co-Chair, 2025 SFPE Conference, Karl Wallasch’s statement

The conference is being co-chaired by Karl Wallasch, past President of the SFPE UK Chapter, and Dr. Rory Hadden. Wallasch noted: “The 2025 SFPE European Conference & Expo in Fire Safety Engineering is shaping up to be a landmark event.

“With an exceptional lineup of European but also global industry leaders, groundbreaking technical content, and the support of leading companies at the expo, this conference promises unparalleled depth and breadth in fire safety engineering. An event you don’t want to miss!”    

Co-Chair, 2025 SFPE Conference, Dr. Rory Hadden’s statement

Dr. Rory Hadden, SFPE’s 2025 co-chair shared his perspective on the event saying: “This year’s conference in Edinburgh offers a rare opportunity for the fire safety engineering community to connect globally while focusing on challenges and advancements critical to Europe and beyond.

“From a robust technical program to a vibrant social agenda exploring Edinburgh’s rich history, this event is designed to engage and inspire.”    

Additional seminars

In addition, two conference seminars have been planned and are available at a discounted rate when bundled with conference registration.

2025 European Conference & Expo on Fire Safety Engineering announced by SFPE: Summary

The Society of Fire Protection Engineers has announced their 2025 European Conference & Expo on Fire Safety Engineering. The conference will be held over the 9-10 April 2025 in Edinburgh, UK.

Major fire in Edinburgh leads to mass evacuation and firefighter injury

by Featured News

Early morning blaze in Edinburgh

In the early hours of the morning, approximately 100 residents were evacuated from a residential building in Breadalbane Street, Bonnington, Edinburgh, due to a significant fire.

Around 70 firefighters, aided by 12 fire engines and specialist vehicles, responded to the emergency after the alert at 04:10.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) reported that one firefighter sustained minor injuries and received on-site treatment from the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Importantly, there were no reported casualties among the public.

Resident Harry Williams described the scene: “The fire alarm went off at about 04:00 and the fire brigade turned up.

It was initially a small fire contained to one small flat, however, that has spread to other flats.

We’ve got residents out on the streets looking at their properties burning.” Mr.

Williams also noted that approximately 150 people were on the street or sheltering at the nearby Leith Community Centre.

Impact on residents and properties

The fire rapidly spread, impacting several flats in the building.

Williams, an engineer, observed that five flats seemed heavily damaged by flames, with another 15 to 20 properties potentially affected by smoke.

Describing the emotional toll, he said: “People are pretty shaken and tired and upset. To be honest I am feeling a little bit numb.”

Graham Simpson, Conservative MSP for Central Scotland, who has a property in the affected block, was among those evacuated.

He remarked: “I have seen people in tears because they have potentially lost their homes. Everyone was evacuated and everyone is safe, so that’s the main thing.”

He also raised concerns about the building’s design, which he suggested hindered the firefighters’ efforts.

Response and support measures

Police Scotland confirmed the evacuation of approximately 100 local residents, with a police cordon established around the scene.

Edinburgh City Council stated that health and social care officers were aiding residents, and a rest centre had been set up at Leith Community Centre.

Council leader Cammy Day commended the emergency services for their swift response and confirmed ongoing support for affected residents and the exploration of temporary accommodation options.

IFSJ Comment

This incident in Edinburgh underscores the importance of effective emergency response and community support in the face of unexpected disasters.

The quick action of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Police Scotland, coupled with the community’s resilience, exemplifies the critical role of preparedness and cooperation in crisis situations.

It also highlights the importance of building design considerations in fire safety.

Evolution installs fire system at Edinburgh’s JWPS

by Featured NewsFire DetectionProductsProjects

Evolution has installed a customised fire and security solution the at Johnnie Walker Princes Street (JWPS) in the heart of Edinburgh, Scotland.

The Princess Street is frequented by several hundred thousand visitors annually on an immersive journey through the 200-year history. The street is known for its food and beverage, pubs, and bars. The JWPS experience is hosted across eight floors of the transformed landmark building in the Scottish capital. It features the 1820 rooftop bar, with views across the city and The Label Studio, which hosts a number of live events and performances throughout the year.

JWPS is owned by Diageo a global firm in beverage alcohol with more than 200 brands. Diageo appointed FES Group to tender for the fire and security system, and FES in turn recommended and appointed Evolution to manage the bespoke system’s design and installation.

Evolution’s solution comprises a complete fire detection and alarm system, including disabled refuge systems for emergency evacuation. The security system includes access control, CCTV, intrusion detection and an intelligent International Communications (InterComms) system which enables live communications with an infinite number of doors/master stations with no distance limitations, and can be fully integrated with other IP-based systems.

The fire and security systems are fully networked and integrated into a front-end graphics system that enables Diageo’s on-site security staff to monitor and manage all system components in a single platform. The platform has been specifically designed to protect against cyber-threats. This solution has archiving and failover technologies that provide business continuity across a variety of outages.

John Baillie, head of UK sales, Evolution, said: “JWPS is one of Edinburgh’s most popular attractions, located in a prestigious location and its status as a listed building meant we had to be mindful of a number of potential risks and structural restrictions. From the initial drawings and design phase, through to the commissioning of the new systems, we are proud to have been involved in this project, delivering a complete fire and security system tailored to meet the specific needs of the client.”