Sherwin-Williams has supplied FIRETEX intumescent fire protective coatings to the Brunel Building, a 22,500 sqm workspace in London. The 16-floor construction features a 3.5m high column-free space throughout, due to its unique structural design.
Passive fire protection experts from Sherwin-Williams worked with the contractor Laing O’Rourke, structural engineers Arup and in collaboration with specialist structural steel supplier Severfield to ensure the interior and exterior steelwork was fire-protected for up to 60 minutes.
For the interior steelwork, FIRETEX C69 primer, FIRETEX FX2003 intumescent coating and FIRETEX M71V2 decorative topcoat was chosen. For the exterior steelwork, the solution was Macropoxy 400 primer, FIRETEX FX6000 intumescent coating and Acrolon C237 topcoat. The epoxy zinc phosphate primer and Certifire-approved intumescent coat were applied in shop, allowing the contractor to benefit from its fast-drying properties. The fire-tested and fully-approved acrylic urethane topcoat also offered strong colour retention to help maintain the Brunel Building’s striking aesthetic appearance.
Andy Luter, Senior Project Manager, Severfield said: “The architectural features and design required a fabricated steel which could be protected off-site and installed with minimum damage. The team at Sherwin-Williams offered a technical solution which allowed the exposed interior steel and exoskeleton to meet the desired fire protection levels without compromising on design or delivery.”
Rick Perkins, Global Technical Manager, at Sherwin-Williams, said: “The FIRETEX range of products allows us to coat steelwork off-site where relevant with fast drying times, resulting in minimal damage, as well as cost and time savings to help steel fabricators to meet their requirements for fire protection.”
This year marks 50 years of fire testing for Warringtonfire. It was in 1972 that the first commercial fire test was undertaken at a newly completed fire testing laboratory in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. 50 years later, what is believed to be the UK’s oldest existing fire resistance testing laboratory, continues to operate. Today, it is one of Warringtonfire’s main sites and is a centre of excellence for the testing of timber fire doors.
In addition to being an early pioneer in fire testing, Warringtonfire has remained at the forefront of the industry. Through its collaboration with trade associations and standards committees, including ASFP, BSI, CEN and FTSG, Warringtonfire’s team of technical experts continue to play a pivotal role in raising standards in the fire protection industry.
Recognising how much customers rely on specialist technical knowledge to support them through the testing process, Warringtonfire has continued to invest in building a world class team of technical experts and has one of the largest global teams in the industry.
Leigh Hill, Division Director for Warringtonfire said: “I’m immensely proud in reaching this key milestone and of the contribution we have made to raising standards in the fire protection industry over the past 50 years. Many of our customers and even some of our colleagues have been with us on our incredible journey and I’d like to thank them for their continued support. Looking ahead, we remain committed to carrying on the important work we do, helping to ensure we are making tomorrow safer than today.”
Jason Traynor, general manager, Global Fire Service and integration leader for MSA Bristol took some time out to discuss the importance of the Middle East market for the business.
Traynor also talked about the company’s strategic partnership with Fotokite, and the company’s forecasts for 2022.
Luminite has appointed Laura Grainger as Director of Sales and Marketing. Laura has earned a promotion from within the company after she joined nine years ago and has played a key role in building relationships with distributors and end users, contributing to the wider growth of the business.
Graham Creek MD said “Laura is a vital member of the team and has proven to be a strategic Sales and Marketing Manager. Our future plans for growth with the addition and development of our wireless security range will entail a larger team which Laura will head and oversee.”
Commenting on the new appointment, Laura said “This opportunity comes at an exciting time for Luminite. Our increasingly diverse product range is opening up new and challenging avenues for the Company and I look forward to driving our sales and marketing plans forward.
Luminite manufactures PIR detection, wireless switching, IP connectivity and wireless alert systems. The North London based company has been around for more than 37 years operating in both the security and home automation markets.
Entering the Darley stand at Intersec 2022, we are greeted by a wide smile, and a warm handshake. It’s Ryan Darley. It was his great grandfather who founded the company 114 years ago. Darley is there to greet the International Fire and Safety Journal team. We sit at a table, and engage in conversation about the grey Dubai skies, an anomaly for the Gulf state. Just then he is visited by another gentleman. “They are one of our customers from Saudi Arabia,” Ryan says to me after they leave. The Kingdom is one of the 100-odd countries Darley operates in.
Ryan has been heading the international sales unit for more than 11 years. Business is in his blood; Ryan has been connected to Darley since he was a young boy playing baseball in the parks. “My father would pick me up from a ball game and we would drive to the office where he continued work late into the night. I would mow the lawn, sweep the floors, or do other odd jobs around the factory,” he recalls.
Through his college years, Ryan spent his summer breaks assembling pumps and working in different parts of the business. “From assembly to crating, I spent a lot of time in the factory and understood what it took to make fire pumps.”
As a company policy, a Darley family member usually spends some time outside of the company, to gain valuable work experience in different working environments before they begin working at Darley. For Ryan, it was a three-year stint after finishing his education before he returned to the family business.
The roots
“My great grandfather was an inventor. He developed quite a few products which he sold to the fire and the oil and gas industry. He then went on to build fire trucks and fire pumps, 100 years later we are still owned and operated by the Darley family.”
The Darley family is in its fourth generation of business.
Now in its fourth generation, Ryan says the family has done a lot of due diligence and created a company culture that has kept them successful. The company is part of different family business groups, and works closely with a university in Chicago, Illinois that is dedicated to studying family-run businesses.
“We are involved in, and constantly looking into succession planning, equipping the next generation to take the business to the next level. If you are not growing, you are dying. We want to make sure we are ready (for changes in the market). It’s important to gauge whether the next generation can take over the business. It’s a constant process of looking inwards and aligning with best practices, and what can be done to improve.
Corporate governance and IPO
The company has been operating under an outside board of directors for over 25 years. “One member has been on the board for almost 20 years.”
As the company grew, Darley has incorporated different board structures within the company that have helped it scale – fire advisory board, military division board, and the latest is a cyber security unit. “These boards have industry experts from their fields. They advise us on best practices and future trends. The board helps us better serve different industries.”
I naturally had to ask Darley whether an IPO has crossed their minds.
From the outside looking in, it seems like a natural progression. Right? “No,” Darley says, as he smiles and explains the group’s rationale.
“We take pride in being family owned and operated. It (an IPO) doesn’t even come up. We have seen how things can dramatically change when family businesses go public. We like the family ownership model; it’s what we take forward as a philosophy. The Darley family is not just the bloodline; it’s our employees and our customers. We have no plans for an IPO, that’s for sure.”
Ryan Darley, International Sales Manager, Darley
Investment and market segment diversification
“We invest almost all our profits back into the company. If we have a good year, they have a good year, and so does our research and development division. We need to diversify, change, and be the leader or we will be the dinosaur that goes extinct,” he says.
Over the last 20 years, a major share of Darley’s business came from the fire market. Today fire accounts for 20% or less of its total business. “The military division has taken over as the largest in our company. In addition, we are experimenting with different technologies and trialing them in the market.
“Kyle Darley is currently working on an electrification project where our fire pumps will be driven with electric motors,” Darley notes. “Around 12 years ago, we introduced drones to the fire service industry and showcased it to the industry at our stand in a tradeshow. People laughed at us for having a helicopter in our stand. ‘There is no place for drones in the fire service,’ was the popular myth then. Today, every major fire service has a drone in their armory.”
Darley also introduced a water purification system to the fire service market which has been integrated into fire trucks. “The fire pump enables a fire truck to have an on-board water purification system. If there is a natural disaster, for example, and people are scarce of drinking water these trucks can plug the gap. Alternately, it is also capable of drawing groundwater, purify it, and supply it to the public,” he informs.
The innovations do not end there, Darley says. Ten years ago, the company offered decontamination units using reverse osmosis and ozone technology. “We were way ahead of our time… Today, there are different systems that have come up to clean fire trucks, gear, and cabins. Cancer within the fire industry has also gained widespread attention, everyone is looking at decontamination and proper hygiene methods. It used to be cool to have a dirty helmet and coat, but that’s simply not acceptable today.”
“Software and technology will dictate the future of the fire industry. We are not too far from running a fire truck via our smartphones that will be able to control pumps, aerial devices, and so forth. We are already looking at those technologies to stay ahead of the curve.”
Robotics and future technology
Darley started making its own drones a decade ago before it realized that the task was best left to specialized companies. “We decided to partner with drone specialists while adding fire technologies on its framework, like a thermal imagining camera that could help in search and rescue operations. The goal is to use their expertise, research, and development in drone technology, and kit it out with our products. There isn’t a purpose-built drone for the fire industry just yet,” he notes.
Darley is pioneering new technologies, and pushing boundaries of the norms within the fire and rescue service industry.
The company is also testing the waters with decontamination robots which will substitute fire fighters to go into hot zones to decontaminate other fire fighters. “It’s better to expose a mechanical robot to the carcinogens.”
All these developments are tied into Darley’s new division that will investigate future technologies. “This division is set to play a crucial role in the future of Darley… drones and UAVs are going to be part of everyday life.
“We are researching electric car fires as well. A typical gasoline vehicle that catches fire is easy to put out, however, it’s not the same with electric vehicles. We are currently researching whether the addition of a chemical to car battery packs can help put out the fire sooner. Our R&D team is also constantly researching with different materials and components across all our business divisions. We are working on driving efficiencies, increasing safety, and improving the lifecycle of our products.
Markets
In terms of markets and global presence the company is well stacked. Ryan says the United States accounts for 90% of its business “including the work we do with the US military”. Although it has been difficult to crack into foreign militaries, it remains a key focus for the future.
“40% of our fire business comes from export sales. Following the Second World War a market opportunity developed to service pumps that were left behind by the US military. Back then, we used to get contacted from France or Germany asking for parts and service support. That’s how it started”
Ryan Darley, International Sales Manager, Darley
Business took a slight dip during the pandemic, sales were down 20%, whereas profits fell below that, Ryan tells IFSJ poignantly. “2021 was a difficult year but we improvised and sold Covid-related equipment such as gloves, face masks, and trailers to the military.
“We will bounce back but we must remember that budgets were re-allocated to make room to fight the virus. Medical equipment was prioritized over fire, emergency response, military. We are on track to make up for last year’s dip. We had plenty of momentum going into the pandemic, and it seems to be returning. Prior to the pandemic, we kept registering record sales and profits every year.
Although an IPO is not on the cards Ryan says the company is constantly assessing the possibilities of mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships. The group currently manufactures 10% of its sales volumes, a number it wants to significantly improve.
“We look at four or five different companies every week, but there aren’t any immediate acquisition plans. We bought Fire Boy seven years ago but sold it last year because we weren’t adding as much value as we envisaged. The company grew under our ownership, and we found some suitable partners who we were comfortable selling it to. We knew the buyers, they were going to sustain the staff, which reassured us,” Darley says stating that the welfare and security of all its employees is of paramount importance, all 270 of them.
Looking ahead, the groundwork to keep the business successful for the next 100 years is being put in place today. “If the fire market goes away, we have the military market. Maybe a few decades down the line we will be known as a major player in robotics or drones. We are a forward-thinking family business, and we want to keep pushing the envelope of innovation just as our founder did over 100 years ago,” Ryan concludes.
Following more than 25 wildfires last weekend alone, the National Fire Chiefs Council is urging the public to take additional precautions. And there is now a large-scale wildfire in Devon and Somerset which has ten fire appliances in attendance, with alerts out for similar fires in both South Wales and Lancashire.
In additon, a six hectare wildfire in East Sussex has also been reported earlier this week. To date in 2022, there have already been more than 70 significant wildfires across England and Wales – showing how serious the issue is this early into the year.
Over the last weekend, firefighters tackled wildfires which broke out in Cornwall, Wales, Cumbria and areas of the Pennines, with incidents in Derbyshire, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and Lancashire. With the additional incidents reported today, firefighters across the UK will be battling these over the coming days.
According to NFCC, the dry weather conditions the UK is currently experiencing – combined with strong winds and dead vegetation which has built up over the winter can lead to spate conditions for such fires – and makes fighting and controlling wildfires incredibly difficult.
Wildfires often result in sustained and prolonged operations by UK fire & rescue services and other partner agencies.
Often, firefighters from across the country will be deployed to deal with just one in a different part of the country, depending on its severity. This includes specialist equipment, tools and vehicles, as well as national tactical advisers to give expert help and assistance on how to tackle them.
As the weather improves and temperatures rise, NFCC is calling on the public to ensure they are not putting our green spaces and natural habitat at risk. While encouraging people to enjoy the countryside, simple measures can help prevent wildfires.
Fire chiefs and fire services across the UK are urging the public to enjoy the countryside responsibly; asking them not to have barbeques or campfires and to ensure cigarettes are fully extinguished before disposing of them.
Paul Hedley, NFCC’s wildfire lead points out: “We have seen over 20 wildfires in just one weekend; these can take hold incredibly quickly, destroying land and habitats, while impacting on local communities. They also create one of the most challenging incidents for firefighters as they not only battle with the fire itself, but also the weather conditions.
“We want the public to enjoy our wonderful green spaces, but the use of portable barbecues and campfires can be catastrophic for our countryside. Even a poorly discarded cigarette or a glass bottle can spark a wildfire, leading to a major incident.”
Changes in guidelines and recommendations made by the inquiry committee following the Grenfell disaster are yet to be acted on, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has stated.
The guidelines for large-scale evacuations, published in October 2019, have been “failed to complete a single recommendation” from the first phase of a public inquiry into the devastating Grenfell Tower fire.
The inquiry, which looked at where the June 2017 fire originated and how it spread to kill 72 residents in the north Kensington tower block, published its findings in a report in October 2019, The Guardian reported.
The report recommends vital changes that require the owners of high-rise residential building to carry out regular inspections of lifts, share floorplan details, and cladding materials with their local fire and rescue service. It also urged the development of national guidelines for large-scale evacuations.
To date, none of these recommendations has been implemented, and no deadline has been provided by the government for when they will be, according to the mayor’s office, it was reported.
A spokesperson for the Justice4Grenfell campaign said: “From the day of the fire, there has been no real political will for accountability or action. It is in the gift of the government to grant an inquiry; they agree the terms of reference; they appoint the judge; yet there is no legal requirement for them to take on board recommendations and findings of [the] inquiries.”
Khan said he was “extremely concerned” by the lack of progress made by the government since the first phase of the inquiry was published more than two years ago. On the other hand, Khan said, the London fire brigade had completed 26 out of 29 recommendations directed towards them and other fire and rescue services. Various safety regulations have been introduced by the brigade, such as the use of smoke hoods to aid in the rescue of civilians in smoke-filled environments, and the use of 32-metre and 64-metre ladders to help tackle fires in high-rise buildings. It has also, the mayor said, rolled out an extensive training programme specifically for the brigade’s updated response to high-rise fires.
FireAngel will be exhibiting on Stand 3A/E50 at this year’s Fire & Safety Event, showcasing its social housing IoT solution, FireAngel Connected, to a network of fire safety managers, health and safety officers, risk assessors and consultants.
Continuing to fulfil its mission to protect and save lives with innovative, cutting-edge home safety technology, FireAngel Connected is the most technologically advanced fire safety solution for social housing in the fire safety market.
FireAngel Connected offers a cloud and IoT-based solution to help social housing landlords monitor fire risk, gas safety, water leaks and electrical appliances throughout their properties from a single remote platform.
Data monitored in real-time can alert social landlords to the status of heat, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in a property if triggered or in need of maintenance, in turn, eliminating wasteful visits, staff time and administration fees.
With the unique automated AI capabilities of FireAngel Predict built in – the only solution of its kind in the market – an instant, real-time fire risk level unique to each property is provided, enabling active intervention before a fire starts.
As housing associations navigate the Fire Safety Act 2021, rising maintenance costs and the government’s White Paper on social housing, there has never been a greater need for solutions that can unlock cost savings, accelerate operational efficiencies and, ultimately, protect tenant safety.
Nick Rutter, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, FireAngel said: “IoT and AI advancements are driving technological innovation in housing associations and strengthening the golden thread of information for buildings.” FireAngel will be located at stand 3A/E50.
Faelsafe Life Safety, a UK-based fire and life safety company, has transformed its business using BigChange Field Service Management Software. Since implementing the cloud-based platform, Faelsafe has reduced its administrative resource, eliminated paper from its mobile operation and improved the efficiency of engineers working across mainland UK.
TBA Firefly is set to display a wide array of products at the 2022 FIREX show in London’s Excel Centre. The company is looking to building on its success of 2021 in terms of winning new business and the scale of the contracts the company was involved in delivering.
Among its products the company will display its recent launches such as Penowrap and the FR120 Access Panel, as well as its versatile Athena fire barrier, suited for timber lofts.
The new 600 x 600mm, IFC certified panel has been developed to facilitate regular maintenance access to roof spaces and other fire compartments, created using the Firefly barriers and offers two hours fire resistance.
Penowrap, meanwhile, is a lightweight and flexible wrap which complements other TBA Firefly flexible fire barrier systems: intended to protect steel or timber structural members up to 300mm beyond the main barrier, giving additional protection.
Simon James, marketing manager, Firefly’s said: “Firex gives us an ideal opportunity to showcase our product range to key players in the industry, including existing clients and those companies not yet familiar with the products we offer. We serve a specialist part of the passive fire protection market, offering some unique solutions, all supported by the relevant accreditations and full technical back-up.”
