The bill would cut both the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (also known as the ‘FIRE Grant’) and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programme by $10m each from President Biden’s request of $370 million to $360 million for each programme, IAFC’s director of government relations and policy Ken LaSala reported.
Bronto Skylift launches North America’s tallest fire fighting aerial
While the industrial access has been using large truck-mounted aerial platforms for wind turbines and such for a long time, the fire and rescue aerials have been limited to the heights of about 100-135ft.
North America fire services commonly use aerial ladders, that tend to have lower heights than the articulated aerial platforms with a solid steel boom as the main structure. Another limiting factor has perhaps been the size of larger, over 200-foot aerials, that can be bulky and difficult to navigate through ordinary city streets.
Bronto Skylift 230-foot articulated aerial platform, the Bronto F230RPX, is set to shakeup the aerial access market. The 230ft-working height is equivalent to 20 floors, and the aerial is compactly mounted on a Mack chassis. The previous maximum height of North American aerials, 135ft, corresponds to about 11 floors. In other words, the F230RPX enables nine floors more vertical reach for fire departments all over North America.
While there is a big increase to the operational rescue height, the reach can be seen in many different ways. Also the horizontal reach and so called up-and-over are much improved from what has traditionally been offered. Maximum horizontal reach is 105ft, while most of previous models offer less than 90ft. The capability to reach up and over for example the parapet walls and lower roofs is 34ft. Reach below grade from river banks and bridges is about 20ft.
The first unit was developed, designed, built and delivered in collaboration with 1200 Degrees, an experienced Bronto Skylift partner in Canada. 1200 Degrees will be the local service provider making sure the unit remains safe and ready to serve during the years to come
C-TEC launches BS 5839-1 fire detection courses
Life-safety systems manufacturer, C-TEC, has launched a new series of BS 5839-1 fire detection and fire alarm system compliance courses.
Delivered at C-TEC’s training centre in the north west of England, the courses include both theoretical and practical activities. Thoroughly covering BS 5839-1 Foundation, Design, Installation & Commissioning and Maintenance, the courses can culminate in a regulated qualification in BS 5839-1 through FireQual, the specialist awarding body for the fire protection sector in the UK.
Brian Foster, UK sales manager, C-TEC said: “C-TEC is on a mission to lift industry standards and the quality of fire installations across the UK. We’ve always provided free educational CPD-certified seminars and product training to promote best practice and raise awareness, but the launch of our BS 5839-1 ‘Train-to-Gain’ courses signals our intention to take it to a new level.
“We’re confident the courses will attract a high level of interest as they’re reasonably-priced, centrally-located and specifically designed to encourage people working in the fire industry to embark on a journey to boost their competency, expertise and professional performance – and achieve an industry-recognised qualification in the process.”
Each course will be delivered by experienced and qualified trainers in line with the technical requirements of the awarding body. Delegates will undergo hands-on practical assessments to ensure they understand the subject matter and display the necessary competence to attain the regulated qualification. Successful delegates will be issued with CPD certificates for each module and those who pass a final exam will be awarded a regulated qualification certificate from FireQual.
Brian added: “High-quality training is vital in the fire industry. Whether you’re an industry newcomer or an established company looking to educate new personnel, our new BS 5839-1 courses are designed to equip delegates with the knowledge, expertise and confidence they need to be among the best in the business.”
Bookable over multiple weeks or as an intensive week-long cluster, the courses will prepare delegates for the FireQual regulated qualification examination to allow them to design, install, commission, and maintain fire detection and fire alarm systems to BS 5839-1 and confidently sign fire certificates where necessary.
C-TEC is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of world-class life-safety systems. The company’s latest innovations include its new CAST protocol fire detection and fire alarm systems; Hush, a revolutionary new BS 5839-6 Grade C domestic fire alarm system and Evac-Alert, a new evacuation alert system to BS 8629.
FireQual is the specialist awarding body for qualifications within the fire protection sector within the UK. Established by BAFE, FireQual works through a network of Approved Training Centres to provide competency-based qualifications to support the further development of knowledge and skills within the industry.
New NFPA certification launched for suppression technicians
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has launched a new Water Based Inspection Testing and Maintenance (WBITM) Online Learning Path to help sprinkler technicians, contractors, and others grasp the content in a new Water-Based Fire Protection Systems Inspection Testing and Maintenance (ITM) Certification Program.
Properly maintained water-based fire protection systems are critical for building and life safety and ensure that suppression technology will adequately contain a fire in case of an emergency and allow occupants the precious time needed to escape, if necessary.
The online learning and credentialing opportunities have been developed to help those who are charged with independently managing the full spectrum of inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM) duties.
The fully digital Water Based Inspection Testing and Maintenance Online Learning Path provides certification candidates with flexible, self-paced studying options so they can better understand the current edition of NFPA 25, Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems against the blueprint of the certification exam.
NFPA offers a complete range of NFPA 25 and WBITM certification-related content with the flexibility for practitioners to choose a single training module or put together a variety of modules to suit their skill set or aspirational goals.
Learning Paths feature interactive exercises, case studies, knowledge checks with ITM benchmarks, as well as instructional videos on when and how to test water-based systems. Learners receive one year of access to exclusive online content and lessons developed by NFPA experts who have an intimate understanding of codes and standards and how they work together to support professional credentialing.
Each NFPA Learning Path program has its own set of strategies for helping students understand the subject matter and includes a practice exam component as well as a final Capstone activity to test knowledge and core responsibilities.
“We spoke with a variety of stakeholders, including international facilities management personnel and authorities having jurisdiction, about the difficulty of identifying qualified contractors who can competently perform necessary ITM tasks for water-based fire suppression systems,” said Dan Pickel, NFPA director of certification and accreditation.
“We then worked with a group of subject matter experts to identify the tasks, knowledge, and skills needed for this role so that we could create effective content and context for this new certification offering. The result is a certification program that helps professionals demonstrate their knowledge and skills so that facility managers and code enforcers can feel confident in their capabilities and so that certification achievers can stand out among their peers in the industry.”
ERSI USA finds dangers of emergency warning lights on drivers
A new research study from US body, the Emergency Responder Safety Institute (ERSI), investigated the impact of lighting colour, intensity, modulation, and flash rate on driver behaviour while approaching and passing a traffic incident scene at night.
The report is titled “Effects of Emergency Vehicle Lighting Characteristics on Driver Perception and Behavior: Study Report.” The impact of retroreflective chevron markings in combination with emergency lighting configurations, as well as the measurement of “moth-to-flame” effects of emergency lighting on drivers was also investigated.
The research was conducted by Dr. John D. Bullogh (formerly with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and currently with the Light and Health Research Center in the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai) and Dr. Scott Parr of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in partnership with ERSI.
Under different emergency lighting setups volunteer civilians drove a closed course traffic incident scene at night consisting of a simulated fire apparatus in center-block position with a cone taper.
Two SAE-compliant, commercially available blue, white, yellow, and red lights were mounted vertically on two tripods spaced apart at a distance approximating the left and right edge of the rear of a fire truck.
A silhouette cutout of a firefighter wearing a high visibility safety vest was positioned adjacent to the lights. For some of the tests, researchers placed a panel of retroreflective red/yellow chevrons constructed with ASTM Type V sheeting materials directly behind each flashing light tripod.
The researchers tested 14 combinations of lamp colour, lamp intensity, pattern, flash rate, and presence of reflective markings next to the lights. Researchers measured vehicle distance to the lights and the distance at which drivers could distinguish the silhouette of a firefighter. They also administered a survey after the driver completed the course. Twenty drivers completed the testing.
Intensity
Study participants consistently judged higher intensity lights as more glaring but only marginally more visible than lights of lower intensity. Lower intensity lights remained highly visible. Using lower intensities at night will reduce discomfort glare without reducing the lights’ visibility. This finding indicates that stationary vehicles in nighttime blocking mode should be sufficiently visible with lower intensity lights.
Color
Drivers’ rated visibility of lights appeared to be related to the perceived saturation of their color. Blue and red lights have the greatest perceived saturation and were judged to be brighter than white and yellow lights of the same intensity. Blue and white lights were rated as most glaring. Yellow and red lights were least glaring. This data suggests that red lights for stationary blocking operations may offer the best combination of better visibility with less glare.
“Moth to Flame”
None of the variables tested caused drivers to move their vehicles either toward or away from the lights. Therefore, the data in this test did not support or disprove the “moth to flame” effect.
High Visibility Markings
This study raises the possibility that combining high intensity lights with high visibility markings may make it more difficult for drivers to see responders on foot at night, even when the responders wear high visibility vests. Further research is planned to determine if lower grade retroreflective markings will help improve the conspicuity of emergency personnel operating near emergency vehicles and traffic.
This study was produced under a contract between the U.S. Fire Administration and the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen’s Association’s Emergency Responder Safety Institute, which subcontracted with the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to perform the research.
London fire: How Europe’s longest ladder and a fire escape hood helped
More than 125 firefighters locked horns with a blaze in East London as they successfully evacuated 60 people were from a tower block as a large fire broke out.
A fire broke out in the tower block of flats and offices on Whitechapel High Street in Aldgate East on Monday afternoon with large flames could be seen fanning out of the 17th floor of the building. Dramatic footage from onlookers showed falling burning had fallen to the ground.
In its aid firefighters deployed a 64m (210ft) ladder, which is being touted as Europe’s largest. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said a woman had to be given ‘fire survival advice’ until firefighters got to her as she was trapped on the 17th floor.
Chris Jenner, station commander, told the BBC: “Fire crews used a fire escape hood to help lead the woman to safety via the internal staircase.”
A fire escape hood offers up to 15 minutes protection from fire gases such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen chloride and acrolein. They do not provide oxygen but temporarily filter toxic smoke to make breathing easier, LFB said.
London Ambulance Service said two patients were taken to hospital while two others were checked over at the scene.
£90m Surrey golf club fire being investigated
Image © Surrey Golf Mag / Twitter
The Beaverbrook Golf Club suffered a massive fire over the weekend. The £90m facility was frequented by several celebrities including past and present England national team footballer Harry Kane and Peter Crouch.
The fire ripped through the facility as emergency services were alerted just before 10pm on Monday night after the fire was discovered.
Surrey Fire and Rescue Service rushed to the scene but little could be done to save the burning structure or its basement. Investigations are ongoing into what could have sparked the enormous blaze.
Specialist crew and eight fire engines got to the site within a few just minutes, but personnel working through the night to battle the blaze. Surrey Police said it was informed as a matter of protocol but did not need to attend.
Sources told the Daily Mail that the club house was significantly damaged, however no one was hurt or suffered any casualties. An adjoining hotel, spa, and restaurant remain operational as per normal.
New fire safety guides in Scotland focuses on life safety
Multiple new fire safety guides have been introduced in Scotland, including practical guidance for existing high-rise domestic buildings, existing non-residential premises, existing specialised housing and existing care homes.
APS: ‘Safety up front’ paramount for Building Safety Bill
The Association for Project Safety (APS) has proposed several suggestions for improvements to the proposed legislation for residents, other users, Government, and the construction industry.
The APS wants to see ‘safety up front’ with building safety made an explicit requirement in the Building Safety Bill. There’s also a desire to deliver government-backed professional indemnity insurance and clarify the principal designer roles.
Jonathan Moulam, president, APS said: “As it stands, the Building Safety Bill represents something of a wasted opportunity when it comes to making the built environment safer for everyone. The concentration on structural fire risk replays a disaster that should never have happened without looking ahead to how safety can be improved more generally.
“In its current state, the Building Safety Bill creates dangers of its own and is likely to make homes less affordable, while also pushing small firms out of business. Potential costs could make the existing skills crisis worse.”
According to the APS, if the management of building safety risk was to be made an explicit requirement of the Building Safety Bill, this would ensure residents will not be forced to bear the costs of managing building safety risks that could have been avoided, or otherwise reduced, during design or building works.
The APS believes this change would make a ‘second Grenfell Tower Tragedy’ less likely by removing any possible confusion over responsibility. Products would be cheaper as safety would be fully costed from the outset and residents would be financially better off.
The current version of the Building Safety Bill would allow developers to choose and install fire alarm systems and emergency lighting that may be inherently less safe and require physical testing with all the implicated costs, as well as all of the associated risks (such as tests not being done) rather than deploying self-testing systems that can be remotely monitored. Only the minimum requirements would be met, and residents would face hidden costs.
Irish firm Writech acquires Compco fire systems
Writech, an Ireland-based fire protection company, has made its first acquisition since securing a multimillion-euro investment last year.
The company has snapped up Compco Fire Systems, a British provider of automatic fire suppression systems. While no details surrounding the deal value have been disclosed, industry sources estimate Writech paid just over £16.6m (€20m) to acquire the company, Irish Times reported.
Writech managing director Ted Wright told the news outlet the deal would add £33.2m (€40m) to revenues and cement its position as one of Europe’s largest fire protection companies.
Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Worcester, Compco employs over 200 people across six offices. Wright, whose parents Mary and Thomas Wright founded Writech in 1981, said the deal for Compco was just one of a number of acquisitions the company was looking at as it looked to scale. Ted Wright and his brother Alan Wright took over the business in 2008.
The company expansion comes after private equity firm Waterland took a majority stake in Writech last year and signed off on plans for it to accelerate its UK and European growth strategy and double capacity at its design and innovation centre in Mullingar.
Wright said expansion was focused on acquisitions outside of the State, with a deal for a company in the Nordics expected to close shortly. “With expansion we’re creating 40 jobs now in Mullingar, 30 of which are design engineering roles,” he told Irish Times.
Among the projects the company has worked on include the Department of Heath’s headquarters in Mieseian Plaza in Dublin.