Can firefighters trust compartmentation?
Lighting for the market
As lighting technology continues to evolve, firefighting professionals worldwide rely on new advances in portable lighting. From enhancements in brightness, run times, distance capability and features, developments over the years have meant firefighters can carry out their jobs faster, more…
How to find a good watermist system manufacturer
Dräger’s ‘Health for the Firefighter’ survey results: what are firefighters’ primary health concerns?
As you’ll have seen hosted on the UK Fire website, Dräger, an international leader in medical and safety technology, has conducted a survey into the health concerns of serving firefighters. This is a follow up to Dräger’s 2020 ‘Health for…
The benefits of passive fire protection
Devising a firestopping strategy that can help contain and control the spread of fire is an essential part of most construction projects and one that can greatly benefit from collaboration with specialist product manufacturers. In this feature we look at…
The future of fighting wildfires is drones
From California to Turkey to Australia, wildfires, also known as bushfires, are everywhere – and they’re increasing in both frequency and intensity. In 2020, over 10.2 million acres of land were affected by wildfires in the United States alone, compared…
London Fire Brigade drone capability – from inception to the future
From December 2017 to September 2018 the London Fire Brigade investigated and implemented a drone capability mainly from recommendations after the tragic events of the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017. In this time the team and capability was built…
One rule for one, and one for another
A fire that tore through the Cube high-rise student accommodation in 2019 is a stark reminder that our new 11m sprinkler threshold for high-rise residential buildings does not apply to student accommodation. The requirement, which took effect last November, also…
Promotions in the FRS – a blueprint for success
The HMICFRS inspections of the last four years have highlighted areas that many fire and rescue services (FRS) have known for decades: that creating a successful promotions process can be a minefield. VCA Ltd has developed The Career Progression Gateway…
Counting on accountability
Accountability is considered in a broad range of contexts relating to firefighter safety. In this article we are discussing technology systems that provide an understanding of key elements of the incident environment firefighters are attending, and their personal wellbeing. The…
Carriage and storage of ADR Class 3 within the dangerous goods supply chain
This feature provides an updated insight into probably the largest ADR category of packaged (and bulk) dangerous goods carried on the British road network – flammable liquids; and, crucially for firefighters, it explains what measures must be in place at…
Selecting and using a thermal imaging camera for wildfire – Part 2
A thermal imaging camera (TIC) like any other item of firefighting equipment has limitations. This together with the misinterpretation of the displayed image and the failure to follow standard practices and procedures could result in the inability to identify and…
AI and the cloud: digital transformation in public safety
Public safety is a high-pressure sector, and digital transformation can yield the dynamism needed to tackle the scale, complexity and unpredictability of fluid, multi-dimensional incidents, as well as complex legislative demands. Collaboration between public-safety agencies is vital to keeping the…
Determining the optimum replacement periods of optical smoke detectors and alarms
Selecting and using a thermal imaging camera for wildfire – Part 1
For wildfire, the use of a thermal imaging camera (TIC) can have significant benefits. However, like any other item of firefighting equipment it also has limitations and standard practices and procedures must still be followed. Incorrectly interpreting displayed images could…
Principle and application of aspirating smoke detectors (ASDs) with an innovative method for very early fire alarms – Part 2
In Part 2 of the article, the smoke detection performance of the particle-charging method is demonstrated. All three commonly used materials, including ABS, tinned copper and PVC, are subjected to the pyrolysis test presenting highly reliable detection performance for various…
Why effective digital transformation is critical for emergency healthcare services in the post-pandemic world
The pandemic has reinforced the indispensable role that healthcare organisations like the National Health Service (NHS) play in our daily lives. In this special report Paul Waddilove, Managing Director, UK & Nordics at Getac looks at how it’s also highlighted…
Don’t just specify, verify third-party certification
The BAFE Fire Safety Register campaign discusses the importance of evidencing competency for fire safety work. There are multiple areas of the built environment where you would categorically not want an unregulated, potentially unsafe contractor working on your building. This…