15% of Castlegar Fire Department calls made to homeless shelter area
More than 15 per cent of the Castlegar Fire Department’s calls during 2022 were made to the area in and around The Way Out Shelter at 1660 Columbia Avenue. Read More
Langford fire chief calls for change to end firefighter cancer deaths
Langford Fire Chief Chris Aubrey says changes are needed to stop firefighters from dying of cancer, as he paid tribute to Assistant Chief Lance Caven on Tuesday (March 21). The type of cancer Caven died from is one of 13 on the province’s list of presumptive...
Mayor calls for crackdown on illegal Airbnb rentals after deadly fire in Old Montreal
As firefighters continued their search Monday to find victims of a fatal fire in Old Montreal, the city's mayor, Valérie Plante, called on the Quebec government and Airbnb to work more closely with the municipality to crack down on illegal short-term rentals. The body...
Communities benefit from funding for firefighting equipment, training
More than 110 volunteer and composite fire departments throughout B.C. will receive their share of $6.3 million for equipment and training to bolster firefighting response to make people and communities safer. Read more
Lithium ion batteries have caused 4 times amount of fires than this time last year, FDNY says
Fire department inspectors are cracking down on people who violate rules on lithium ion batteries. These batteries are blamed for causing an increasing number of fires. The FDNY conducted a joint operation at five locations in Manhattan earlier this week where they...
Firefighters battle blaze at Hong Kong high-rise building site
Firefighters in Hong Kong are battling a huge blaze at a high-rise building under construction in the Kowloon district, which has forced the evacuation of some nearby apartment blocks. It eventually escalated to the fourth level of severity on a five-point scale and...
Multi-storey buildings being built ignoring fire safety
The risk of fire hazard is increasing by the day as buildings as tall as 10-12 storeys are being built without adhering to the Building Code while ignoring fire safety plans in all the urban centres across the country, including Dhaka. The high-rise structures around...
Lithium-ion battery blamed for yet another fast-moving fire, New York City officials say
A lithium-ion battery sparked yet another fast-moving fire, this one in New York City on Sunday, leveling a supermarket and neighboring laundromat, authorities said. Firefighters had water on five-minute-old flames inside Concourse Food Plaza, about 2 miles north of...
Caltech Expert Leads Presidential Report On Modernizing Wildland Firefighting
When firefighters battle a blaze in a rugged, mountainous region, one of their biggest challenges is simply staying in touch. Their handheld radios often don’t stay connected to each other, and many fire crews lack simple, off-the-shelf solutions, such as the portable...
10 Spirit Airlines passengers hospitalized after battery fire forces flight to make emergency landing in Florida
At least 10 passengers on a Spirit Airlines flight from Dallas to Orlando were taken to hospitals after a battery fire forced the pilot to make an emergency landing in Jacksonville on Wednesday, officials said. A battery had ignited in an overhead compartment, but...
Boreal forests could be a planet-warming ‘time bomb’ as wildfires expand says new study
The world’s most northerly forests could be a “time bomb” of planet-warming pollution as expanding wildfires have released record high levels of planet-heating pollution into the atmosphere, according to a new study. Read more
Getting Answers: air fryer recall and fire safety
Two million air fryers are being recalled due to faulty wires causing them to catch fire. Even if your air fryer is not among them, there are still ways it can become a fire hazard. Western Mass News is getting answers from the West Springfield Police Department which...
Aspen-based company announces new biodegradable fire-resistant foam
AspenGlo, in partnership with Multi-Inc., developed a new biodegradable fire-resistant foam that recently received federal patenting. The foam is meant to be used as a protective measure, keeping homes and other structures safe from fire damage, according to a Kent...
‘No partners willing’ to support fire codes on First Nations, Ottawa says
The federal government does not have a willing partner to find a way to introduce fire codes on First Nation reserves, a newly released document shows. The senior director for the Indigenous Fire Marshal Service, however, says there are steps Ottawa can take now to...
America’s First Responders Give NIST Their Communications Tech Wish Lists
Our first responders have spoken. An extensive research project conducted by experts at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) reveals what our country’s police, fire, emergency medical and 911 dispatch responders think about the communications...
Vine-like robot that ‘grows’ towards heat could put out fires
Charles Xiao and his colleagues have created a two-meter-long device with plenty of segments. Unlike vines, this tendril-like bot grows toward the direction of heat, reported New Scientist. Read more
iPhone 14’s Emergency SOS via satellite feature touted as a ‘game changer’ by search and rescue teams
Apple debuted its new Emergency SOS via satellite feature for iPhone 14 users back in November, and we’ve already seen multiple stories about the feature being used in the real world. A new story out of Canada today offers another example of Emergency SOS via...
Residents’ fire safety knowledge helps save Sare longhouse from destruction following short circuit
Basic fire safety knowledge and well-placed fire extinguishers saved Rumah Rasir in from being destroyed by a fire sparked by a short circuit last night. Read more