Ziegler delivers fire engines to two German fire departments

by Featured NewsProductsVehicles

ZIEGLER has delivered the second batch of the total of six LF 10 with ALPAS and Z-Control of the latest generation to the fire departments of the city of Kehl and the municipality of Meißenheim on 24 June.

ZIEGLER was awarded the contract within the scope of inter-municipal cooperation after the tender and the demonstration of the vehicle at the beginning of 2021. Four of these vehicles were delivered to the city of Kehl and two to the municipality of Meißenheim.

The six identical vehicles are built on a MAN new TG chassis. As a result, the fire departments are now in the possession of new compact and manoeuvrable vehicles with a low centre of gravity, favourable extraction height and extensive equipment. In addition, 2,500 litres of water are available for firefighting operations.

The control and pump operation works via Z-Control of the latest generation. The operation of the vehicles with the new operating concept of the ZIEGLER Group is simple and self-explanatory, which is why it is very popular with fire departments worldwide and has become indispensable for the operation of a firefighting vehicle.

This could also be seen in the reactions of the firefighters from Kehl and Meißenheim on site: Familiarisation with the operating concept was easy for everyone involved, and within one day the firefighters had been trained and were then able to transfer the vehicle to its new home.

Forest fire threatens ancient sequoia trees in Yosemite National Park

by ActiveAmericas - Featured NewsFeatured News

A grove of ancient sequoia trees in Yosemite National Park are in danger as the Washburn Fire grew to more than 2,300 acres the US Forest Service has said. Firefighters are working in difficult terrain to protect some of the largest and oldest redwood trees in the world.

Firefighters on scene have been using a 4-foot tall sprinkler system to tackle the fire and maintain air-moisture to prevent extensive damage to the area.

The fire, which started on 7 July, is threatening around 500 giant sequoias in the Mariposa Grove, including a famed ‘Grizzly Giant’ which is thought to be around 3,000 years old.

The Washburn Fire has already caused nearly 1,600 people to evacuate the area, including the Wawona community located inside the national park and hundreds of campers staying close to Wawona.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated. Fire officials have said that warm and dry weather conditions are making it difficult to control the flames.

Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley have been protected since President Abraham Lincoln signed legislation in 1864. It has a long history of prescribed burning to reduce the negative impacts of high-severity fires, the National Park Service said in a statement.

The fire was downgraded from 25% contained to 22% containted on Monday night. Stanley Bercovitz, a spokesman with the US Forest Service, said: “We don’t want to say everything’s fine and we’re getting a good handle on this fire and it’s downhill from here on out, because all it’s going to take is one hour of wind.”

Watford tower block evacuated in early hours as bin fire spreads

by Featured News

The Abbey View tower block on the Meriden estate in Watford caught alight after the fire started at around 5am, causing an evacuation from the building as fire and rescue teams attended to the blaze.

Herts Fire and Rescue have confirmed the fire started in a bin in the residential block’s bin store before spreading to the rest of the block, which is 16 storeys high.

Eight fire engines were called to put out the fire and firefighters evacuated floors 1-4 of the building. Other emergency services arrived, police closed the full stretch of Garsmouth Way, from Meriden Way to York Way, and asked people to avoid the area.

According to Evening Standard, building resident Andrew Carberry alerted his neighbours to the fire, and told the Standard he “didn’t want another Grenfell”.

Mr Carberry said he was in his front room when he became aware of the fire and then began alerting his neighbours in the tower block that there was a fire.

The ambulance service said that other than one person being treated for on-scene smoke inhalation, No casualties have been reported and the fire was put out at around 6.20am.

Union backlash as firefighters sent into fires with breathing equipment turned off

by Breathing ApparatusFeatured NewsProducts

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has reported two fire and rescue services to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and identified several others in relation to bringing in policy which would see firefighters sent into fires with their breathing equipment turned off, in a newly published letter.

The policy change involves instructing firefighters to go beyond the point of safe air with their breathing equipment turned off in high-rise building fires which the union say breaks health and safety law. The policy had previously been struck down in London by the fire service’s health and safety advisory panel due to being unsafe.  

The letter calls for the HSE to “investigate our complaint and use its statutory powers to bring an end” to this policy. Hampshire & Isle of Wight and Dorset & Wiltshire fire and rescue services have both brought in the change. 

Riccardo la Torre, Fire Brigades Union national officer, said: “This procedure is unsafe, unlawful and unprofessional, and puts firefighters and the public at greater risk. It tears up half a century of health and safety law, best practice guidance, manufacturers’ instructions, and firefighter training. It will not make living and working in high rise buildings safer or tackle the wider crisis in building safety. It simply puts firefighters and residents at greater risk.

“Those chiefs imposing this policy have worked harder to take the breathing masks off of firefighters’ faces than they have to get flammable cladding off of people’s homes. It is scarcely believable that the recent fire and rescue white paper appears to propose giving fire and rescue chiefs more power over decisions such as these, and reducing workers’ voices. Some fire and rescue chiefs simply cannot be trusted to get vital decisions like these right.

“The policy aims to push firefighters beyond the duration of a breathing set, let’s be clear that means placing firefighters beyond the point of rescue if they become injured or trapped. Fire Bosses would do well to remember that the safety procedures they are ripping up exist for a reason, they were borne from the death and injury of firefighters. The NFCC and local fire services need to do the right thing and turn their backs on this policy.

“Following the IARC categorisation of the profession as class 1 carcinogenic, the highest level of certainty, it’s nothing less than scandalous that the NFCC continue with attempts to remove the very PPE that helps protect firefighters from that risk. Firefighters aren’t cannon fodder and don’t deserve to be treated as such”.

The Fire Brigades Union, which represents firefighters across the UK, said the policy is dangerous because:

  • Rapid expansions of fire may mean that firefighters cannot turn on breathing equipment before they are overwhelmed
  • Breathing apparatus are designed to be started in clean air conditions, with manufacturer instructions and user manuals making this clear
  • Any faults with BA sets may only be discovered when they have been started and firefighters are in the middle of the fire
  • Firefighters may breathe in toxic gases that are difficult to detect, such as carbon monoxide
  • Changing conditions may mean firefighters with their breathing equipment off may end up beyond the point later firefighters (with their own breathing equipment time-limited) can reach to rescue them
  • The union is also concerned that its officer members who are made to implement the policy could be subject to criminal charges, due to health and safety law breaches

DripDrop donates oral rehydration solution to volunteer fire departments

by Featured News

DripDrop Hydration, an electrolyte powder company and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have teamed up for a third year to provide dehydration relief to volunteer firefighters.

DripDrop is donating 400,000 servings of its oral rehydration solution (ORS) to volunteer fire departments across the US so to help ensure firefighters stay hydrated as they battle wildfires and other strenuous response situations.

DripDrop is a fast, clinically-proven way to replace lost fluids and replenish electrolytes. Through the donation, volunteer firefighters can request up to two 80-count multi-flavor packages of DripDrop ORS to use in their department.

“We are very pleased to partner with DripDrop for a third year to promote the health and safety of our nation’s volunteer firefighters,” said NVFC chair Steve Hirsch. “Dehydration is a significant risk for firefighters and can cause decreased performance, weakness and muscle fatigue, dizziness, confusion, and even heat stroke or heart attack. This donation of DripDrop ORS will provide medical-grade dehydration relief to protect the health of firefighters as they do their jobs and keep them performing safely and effectively.”

“Dehydration should never impact firefighters’ ability to do their job or compromise their safety,” said Dr. Eduardo Dolhun, founder and creator of DripDrop. “Firefighters experience substantial electrolyte losses. I developed DripDrop ORS to work fast and efficiently, something water alone could never do.”

Active volunteer firefighters located in the U.S. can request a product donation at www.dripdrop.com/nvfc-2022. To help the most firefighters, only one order per department will be processed. In addition, firefighters can receive a 20% discount on their DripDrop ORS order at any time by using code NVFC20 at checkout on dripdrop.com.

Electra fire reaches over 4000 acres in Northern California

by ActiveFeatured News

The Electra fire in Northern California’s Amador and Calaveras counties reached 4,112 acres on Wednesday as firefighters increased containment to 40%, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The fire, which has been active for two days, was moderated by cool temperatures and higher humidity, but remained active where wind and slope aligned. Firefighters continue strengthening control lines and mopping-up hot spots.

The Electra fire is one of of the largest wildfires this season. It ignited on Monday afternoon near the North Fork of the Mokelumne River and spread quickly through dry brush and steep terrain, according to Cal Fire officials. The fire was active for the first half of the night, but humidity in the early morning hours helped limit its activity, officials said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

More than 1,300 firefighters continue to battle the blaze, as of Wednesday morning. Electra fire spokesperson Chris Dargan said on Wednesday morning that the biggest issue in fighting the fire is the terrain and topography.

Mandatory evacuation orders and warnings combined impacted 700 residents in Amador county and 300 to 400 people in Calaveras county, officials said. Evacuation centres have been set up for people and animals. CalFire said the number of threatened structures remained at 1,217 but there were no reports of structures destroyed or damaged. 8,000 Pacific Gas & Electric customers in Amador and Calaveras counties remained without power Wednesday due to the fire, and many were still under mandatory evacuation orders.

Why heat and overheat detectors are vital for industrial and hazardous areas

by Featured NewsPassive

Smoke and fire detectors are an industry standard when it comes to raising the alarm but often by the time they register an outbreak it might already be too late. This is why manufactures of active fire detection systems such as LICO have developed technology that can recognise heat and overheat before it becomes a bigger problem.

Avoiding ignition

Generally in the case of a smoke or fire, a fire security system will alarm any personnel in the proximity allowing them to act, whether this is to extinguish the fire or evacuate the premises and contact the local fire department. The situations in which fire teams are called out are normally, however, the worst-case scenario for when the fire has already taken hold. The preferable scenario is one in which more human lives are saved. The time it takes to mitigate any hazard can be vastly reduced if more focus is put into early heat and overheat detection to prevent a fire or explosion.

Excessive heat, even without the presence of smoke, can be a potential hazard of fire or explosion. The prevention of a potential fire, caused by excessive heat, allows corrective action to avoid igniting flames. Active fire protection expert and heat detector unit manufacturer LICO has several solutions in its wide range of fire prevention devices to ensure early detection.

HDL (Heat Detectors LICO) products are custom made with the customer and/or with the local system integrator. Its devices are designed to cover a wide range of industrial use including: engine rooms, transformer stations, wind generators, saunas, kitchens, painting rooms, gas turbines, off-shore platforms, oil refineries, and nuclear power plants. All HDLs have ATEX, EN 54-5, CE and ISO 9001 certificates to ensure they are the highest level of technical solutions.

A simple solution

“Our HDL heat- and overheat detectors are based on bimetallic, heat detector switches, free of electronics, to provide the best reliability in high temperature applications, also during harsh environmental conditions,” says Gergely Böde, Sales & Production Manager at LICO. “Simplicity goes through the product family to provide easy installation and a cost-effective maintenance. Various alarm temperature settings are available from 140°F(60°C) until even 950°F(510°C) in N/O or N/C potential free contacts, which makes fast system integration in practically every already existing or new systems. “

The sensors in the HDL units are designed with rate compensation, providing a unique advantage over both fixed temperature and rate-of-rise types of detectors. They can accurately sense the surrounding air temperature regardless of the fire growth rate in contrast with fixed temperature detectors which must be completely heated to alarm temperature and therefore a lag in response time may occur with a fast rate of fire.

Böde adds: “Rate-of-rise devices, on the other hand, are triggered by the rate of increase in ambient temperature and are subject to false alarms caused by harmless, transient thermal gradients, such as the rush of warm air from process ovens.”

This article was originally published in the June edition of IFSJ. To read your FREE digital copy, click here

Hong Kong launches public consultation into Fire Safety Ordinance

by Featured NewsSafety

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has announced the launch of a 10-week public consultation on the proposal to amend the Fire Safety (Buildings) Ordinance (Cap. 572) to empower the enforcement authorities (EAs) to carry out fire safety improvement works for owners of old composite and domestic buildings which have failed to comply with the requirements of the Ordinance, and to recover the relevant fees from them afterwards.

A Government spokesman said: “Fire safety hazards in old buildings are a matter of great concern to both the Government and the public. It has been the common goal of the Government, the Legislative Council and members of the public to provide residents and the community at large with better protection by enhancing fire safety in buildings, especially the old ones. This also led to the enactment of the Ordinance in the first place.

“The Government has been proactively providing various kinds of support to owners of old buildings with a view to assisting them in carrying out fire safety improvement works. Nevertheless, some owners may still have difficulties in complying with the requirements of the Ordinance due to the lack of co-ordination capability.

“Therefore, the Government agrees to take into account the Buildings Department’s experience in the work of building safety and the similar mechanism under the Buildings Ordinance (Cap. 123), improve the existing legal framework and amend the Ordinance in order to empower the EAs (namely, the Fire Services Department and the Buildings Department) to carry out fire safety improvement works for owners of target buildings who have failed to comply with the requirements of the Ordinance for enhancing fire protection of old buildings, and to recover the relevant fees from such owners upon completion of the default works.”

The spokesman added: “The Government would also like to take this opportunity to put forward other proposed initiatives for incentivising owners to shoulder their responsibilities and comply with the requirements of the Ordinance as soon as possible, with a view to further facilitating the implementation of the Ordinance.”

In Hong Kong it is the responsibility of owners to repair and properly maintain private buildings, including carrying out the required fire safety improvement works. It is the Government’s objective to assist owners to comply with the requirements of the Ordinance through the provision of different measures and support.

The consultation paper has been uploaded to the website of the Security Bureau. Members of the public can submit their views by mail (Security Bureau, 9/F, East Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong), fax (2868 9159) or email (fsbab_consultation@sb.gov.hk) on or before September 13.

C-TEC sheds light on the new evacuation systems in high rise buildings

by Breaking NewsBuilding ManagementIndustry Sectors

In June 2017, a fire broke out in a fourth floor flat in the 24 storey Grenfell Tower block of flats that spread quickly and claimed the lives of 72 people, injuring 70 others. Following this, the Scottish government formed an expert review panel to consider whether the Scottish Building Regulations or the Technical Handbooks supporting the building regulations required change.

The expert review panel recommended that for all new blocks of flats of more than 18 metres above ground, facilities should be provided for the use of the fire and rescue service to initiate an evacuate alert signal within flats. It was considered necessary that a standard be produced to allow the technical handbooks to refer to a specific document and this led to the publication of BS 8629 in 2019.

Andy Scott, Projects Director at C-TEC, a leading UK manufacturer of life-safety systems, discusses the recent changes to legislation and what it means for fire safety professionals.

In November 2019, BS 8629, a new British Standard, was published for evacuation alert systems in the UK. Can you explain how it came about?

After the Grenfell Tower fire, the Scottish government quickly brought in a law requiring manual evacuation systems to be installed in new residential buildings taller than 18 metres. This meant a standard was needed to ensure these systems would be effective, so BS 8629 was written quickly so it would be available when the law came into effect.

Following this, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry phase 1 report was published, and it recommended that evacuation systems should be installed in all new and existing high-rise residential buildings, which has led to much more interest than was originally expected.

What is an evacuation alert system?

An evacuation alert system is a manually controlled alarm that allows the fire service to set off evacuation alert sounders in groups of flats, usually a floor at a time.

Currently, the only way the fire service can evacuate a building that does not have a communal fire alarm is to knock on the door of each flat, which puts firefighters at risk and, in a serious fire, may not even be possible, leaving residents unsure of whether it is safer to stay put or leave.

The fire and rescue service will only use the evacuation alert system if they do not have enough resources to fight a fire effectively or if a fire is getting out of control, so it is a last resort that may be used hours after a fire first starts. This is in contrast to a normal fire alarm system, which incorporates automatic fire detectors and operates shortly after a fire starts.

Are fire alarms currently installed in purpose-built blocks of flats?

Many people think that fire alarms are installed because they can see smoke detectors in corridors. However, these are not normally linked to a fire alarm; rather they control ventilation systems that are used to clear smoke from corridors.

When modern high-rise blocks were first built, the BSI’s CP3 guidance said that, provided fire-resistant construction was used, people would be safe in their flats, but they should be able to leave safely if they wished. Later, automatic fire detection and fire alarms were installed in common areas of some blocks of flats, but problems occurred such as false alarms and vandalism.

After this, domestic smoke alarms were introduced, which warn occupants and give them the opportunity to leave their flat and call the fire service, which will normally extinguish the fire before it breaches compartmentation, although these alarms do not help people who are unable to call for help or self-evacuate.

Domestic fire alarms definitely save lives, but they do not warn anyone outside a flat that is on fire, or which flat it is, which they could if they were connected to a communal fire alarm. However, there are still concerns that false alarms from automatic fire alarms will cause unnecessary evacuations, which may be more dangerous than staying put, hence the introduction of the evacuation alert system.

What are the main benefits of having an evacuation alert system installed for landlords and their tenants?

It gives peace of mind that there is a Plan B if everything else goes wrong, not just for occupants, but also for the fire service. We have all heard about the problems with cladding, but other problems are being identified, mainly to do with poor fire compartmentation, and it may not be possible to fix all of them so there will be a continuing risk, which an evacuation alert system can help mitigate.

How will this system tie in with other active fire precautions? For example, can it be integrated with domestic fire alarms or with communal fire alarms?

The fire service is concerned that the fire alarm industry will not understand how an evacuation alert system differs from a normal fire alarm and may install systems that don’t work properly when needed, so BS 8629 says the evacuation alert system should be standalone.

From C-TEC’s perspective, the type of integration that would improve safety is important. For instance, certain types of domestic fire alarms could be connected to the evacuation alert system and their status could be monitored offsite and analysed, so that any potential risks can be identified.

Also, heat detectors in flats, which only trigger in a real fire, could be connected to the system, which could then signal to an alarm receiving centre, resulting in the fire service being called out sooner.

Andy Scott is Projects Director at C-TEC and sits on several BSI, CEN and ETSI committees and is currently working on projects to improve safety in high-rise residential buildings.

This article was originally published in the June edition of IFSJ. To read your FREE digital copy, click here

Major gas explosion at block of flats in Bedford

by ActiveFeatured News

Firefighters have been called out to attend what has been dubbed a ‘major gas explosion’ at a block of flats in Bedford resulting in two people being taken to hospital, one with serious injuries.

A statement from Bedfordshire Police said: “Emergency services have responded to an explosion at Redwood Grove, Bedford this morning.

“This resulted in a significant fire at a three storey block of 20 flats, which has engulfed the whole building and caused a large portion of the roof to collapse.

“There are two people who have been taken to hospital, one with serious injuries to Addenbrooke’s.

“Police, fire and the ambulance service all remain in attendance.”

A spokesperson for Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “We are currently in attendance at a major gas explosion on Redwood Grove, Bedford.

“There are currently six appliances, two water carriers, an incident command unit at the scene. Please avoid the area and keep windows and doors closed.”

Adrian Marz, who lives in a third floor flat in a block adjoining the residence where the explosion happened, said he saw two people jump from windows to escape the blaze.

He said: “I saw a couple of people jump out of the building and started helping them out… bringing them away from the fire, away from the danger, but it was a very, very serious and very big explosion.”

He added: “The walls [of the building] have just been completely cracked like a walnut – there’s been so much debris flying out of everywhere – ashes, smoke, dust, fire – just instantly everywhere – blazing out of the windows – and that’s why people started to jump out.”