The threat of fire is always present. Environmental and mechanical factors can spark a fire when you least expect it. Particularly harrowing are industrial fires, where heavy equipment, large storage tanks or even entire facilities can catch fire, and escalate…
Issue 53 – March 2017
GORE® VARDE – The very latest in technical rescue protection from Bristol Uniforms
The role of a firefighter is constantly evolving. Today across the globe, firefighters are spending much less time actually fighting fires. Instead, in many countries the vast majority of call-outs are for a wide variety of other incidents including traffic…
LITH-EX Fire Extinguishers – A portable fire extinguisher designed for Lithium battery fires
The news is filled with ever more examples of fires caused by Lithium batteries, from e-cigarettes to mobile phones and even electric vehicles, the danger is ever present. Of course we all do not wish to do without our new…
Angus Fire – Fire protection products for storage tanks
Angus Fire has been designing and manufacturing fire protection products and foam concentrates aimed at storage tank operators for over forty years, and remains at the forefront of the design of cutting-edge fire equipment that meets the most stringent standards…
What’s inside those shipping containers?
The 17,800-gross ton container ship Sea Elegance had been lying at anchor off Durban awaiting a berth for less than 24 hours when an explosion rocked the vessel at 0730 hours on October 11, 2003. A fire rapidly spread around…
Post-collision fires in road vehicles
A recent study on post-collision fires published by SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden (now RISE Research Institutes of Sweden) in collaboration with Umeå University and other partners1, in which data from crashes occurred between 2002 and 2014 were investigated,…
New FIA research into fires in waste recycling centres
It perhaps happens a little more often than we’d like – it seems not a month goes by without switching on the television to find a news story about a fire in a middle of a town because someone’s scrapyard…
Technology and Innovation
Intelligent wearable technology is becoming an increasingly positive asset to the firefighting industry and is contributing to advancements in firefighter safety. By investing in innovative product design and development, companies can ensure that new and improved products make it to…
Protecting our firefighters 30 years after King’s Cross
This year is the 30th anniversary of the King’s Cross disaster, an event which was instrumental in prompting research and development into the safety of firefighters and the PPE they wear. The events of November 18th 1987, in which 31…
Solar panels and the DC danger zone – reducing risk factors – Part 1
The growth of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems has been exponential for the past two decades. In the last 10 years especially, the world has seen solar PV evolve from a pure niche market of small scale applications towards becoming a…
The importance of PPE in a water rescue situation
A drysuit can essentially save your life while you are working in cold water. During a water rescue situation, a rescuer can find themselves in the water for a prolonged period of time. Should you come into direct contact with…
CBRN forensics – Exploring new and innovative investigation technologies
There is no doubt that Europe is under an everyday threat of terrorism and the chance of that escalating into an attack from chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) agents also seems to be increasing. Fire brigades (and others) have…
Fire accelerant analysis: tracing an incident to its source
In the aftermath of a fire, once the police have ruled out foul play, fire scene investigators are often called in by insurers to help them understand the events surrounding the incident. The information gained from these investigations is an…
The 5 step discipline for overturns and underrides
Uprighting a loaded cement mixer, perhaps lifting the rear of a loaded van trailer is an everyday task for heavy recovery operators. Place someone who is injured and trapped in an auto underneath such a vehicle and the challenge begins.…
Canine assets
Since the first fire investigation dog in the UK appeared in west midlands fire service in 1996 dogs have increasingly become an integral part of the modern fire investigators tool box. Just as they would reach for a screwdriver the…
The Deadly Dozen: Twelve barriers that can impact situational awareness – Part 1
Flawed situational awareness is one of the leading contributing factors in first responder near-miss and casualty events. Complicating this problem is: Most first responders know very little about what situational awareness is, how they develop it, how it is impacted…
Bad parking and bizarre driving sparks new safety campaign
A campaign has been launched as fire chiefs say the number of incidents in which motorists hinder emergency service vehicles with erratic driving and poor parking is worse than ever before. The #INeedMySpace campaign from Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service…
Rapid intervention teams in the American paid-on-call and volunteer fire service
For firefighters, the threat of danger always looms. Many firefighters, from the youngest of rookies to the oldest of grey-haired veterans, spend countless hours pondering the many facets of the job. They sit alone in the quiet, and debate vigorously…
Firehouses – Can they breed a change in behavioral health?
As a retired fire captain from the suburbs of Chicago, a licensed counselor and founder of Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FBHA) I say absolutely! Why do I believe this? Because these are my brothers and sisters, men and women who…
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A French General and FDIC International
The fire service has many common interests internationally, among them the issues that affect our ability to complete our mission, the issues that affect our ability to protect our members, and the issues that affect our self-development and leadership. Addressing…