Protection by design
Bristol Uniforms has been at the forefront of firefighter PPE design for more than 60 years. Working closely with the world’s leading fabric and fibre manufacturers, such as WL Gore, Hainsworth and…
How precision imaging systems are improving efficiency
Every year, thousands of first responders are deployed to fires all over the world with little or no precise location knowledge of the fire. Fighting fires can become a guessing game as well as a perilous race against time. This…
Investigating the technical rescue variations between the UK and US
Between 2017 and 2018 I was fortunate to be awarded the Winston Churchill Fellowship allowing me to travel to areas in North America known for their technical and challenging terrain both in the urban and geological arenas. The emergency services…
A new approach to extinguishing fires on combustible-liquid storage tanks
One of the trickiest challenges a fire fighter will ever face is a full-surface blaze at a storage tank containing flammable fluid. Any grade-school student can deduce that water is useless in suppressing such fires because its higher density causes…
Is it time for a global approach to vehicle extrication?
Since the arrival of social media and the almost instantaneous exchange of thoughts, values and ideas, is it time to adopt a more global approach to the subject of vehicle extrication? Surely it should be the same all over the…
Battery safety
Love them or hate them, batteries are an integral part of modern living. However, recent incidents have raised their profile from help to hindrance – this article will discuss the considerations that should be made when responding to an incident…
SAR in action: Deep cave rescue
A caver, who has suffered multiple injuries after a fall, is trapped approximately 300 metres deep in the Ellis Basin cave system on Mount Arthur. A full-scale cave search and rescue is launched, with cave teams tasked to locate the…
Disasters in the developed world
Spending much of the last 30 years involved directly or indirectly in the rescue-equipment business has provided an interesting perspective from which to view disaster events occurring around the world. Regardless of one’s personal views on climate change or global…
Communicating in a crisis
Best practice communications are essential to major incident management. This article from Tony Gray, Chief Executive of global critical communications organisation TCCA, looks at first responder behaviours in Finland and the US, and highlights the importance of training and discipline.…
Advanced control systems for remote controlled monitors and robotic nozzles
At Unifire AB of Sweden (Unifire.com), technology is rapidly progressing in terms of controlling its robotic nozzle (remote controlled monitor) systems for fire fighting and numerous other applications. The Swedish robotic nozzle manufacturer now offers systems that can be controlled…
Improving the standards and competency of fire investigators
Fire investigation can be one of the most complex forensic evidence types. The destructive forces involved create difficulties in interpreting the fire scene and the evidence recovered from it. Improving the standards of training and competency of fire investigators is…
LNG in your port – Part 2
In the first part of this article, which appeared in the June 2018 issue, we discussed how LNG is not only being transported on ocean-going ships it is now fueling those same ships and now also some smaller vessels. In…
Bristol in Europe
Richard Cranham, International Sales Manager at Bristol Uniforms, looks back on 40 years of supplying firefighting PPE across Europe, and the strong relationships it has formed with its European distributors. Bristol Uniforms is a company with a rich history, dating…
The evolution of SCBA
The biggest barrier to firefighters trying to extinguish a blaze, or attempt a rescue within a building, is smoke. The need to provide crews with the ability to breath, manoeuvre within a building freely and interact with colleagues has shaped…
Understanding class ‘B’ obstacle fire hazard situations
Fires occurring within industrial and commercial applications are commonly controlled and extinguished with portable fire extinguishers, provided those fires are caught early enough and the proper extinguisher is used. That’s why it’s important to understand the various characteristics associated with…
Remote-controlled fire monitors for fixed firefighting systems
The requirement for automated firefighting is continuously increasing. Remote-controlled monitors, especially in combination with automated fire detection, allow a targeted but flexible firefighting operation in limited areas. The technical development in the field of drive engineering, sensor technology and control…
Airbag deployment during extrication
I have made a point of asking the question: ‘What is the most likely thing to cause us harm at the scene of any road traffic collision?’ and I would estimate that well over 90% of the time the answer…
The heart of your water pump: Impeller 101
A pump is the workhouse of an apparatus. Within this complex mechanism are many critical parts that work in tandem to ensure consistency, accuracy and reliability. One of the most important mechanics within that pump is the impeller. The impeller…
Versatility in ventilation
When it comes to fire ventilation, there’s no one-size-fits-all tactic — simply because there’s no one-size-fits-all fire. Every fire ground is different. Compound that with the ever-changing dynamics of the structures being protected — building size, room geometry, interior contents…
Improvement of preventive fire protection at a tank farm
Tank farms are used for the storage of highly flammable and explosive substances; Consequently, preventive fire protection is of major importance. When rehabilitation of such a tank farm is planned, contractors often recommend extensive – and thus costly – measures. A fire-protection solution developed by TÜV SÜD demonstrates that an equivalent level of safety can also be reached with a far more cost-effective solution. A central role in damage limitation is played by early fire detection using thermographic cameras.
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