FireWatch

Most fire service leaders agree that fire prevention is far cheaper in all aspects than fire suppression. A lot of resources are required for local governments to provide fire inspections. A recent study found the majority of public buildings inspected are compliant....

South Africa has 1.9 million people living in informal settlements. In these high population density communities, it is not uncommon for massive shack fires to erupt, spreading quickly and resulting in death and mass displacement. Lumkani, a South African based...

During the next three years, researchers at Case Western Reserve University will team with NASA Glenn Research Center and firefighters nationally, from Cleveland to Oregon, to design and test sensors aimed at protecting firefighters from respiratory damage and...

The owner of an illegal rooming house in Toronto’s west end has been slapped with a $60,000 fine after a fire at the home killed a tenant just under two years ago. The home’s owner will be on probation for 18 months and cannot possess or manage a rental...

FM-approved FireChek thermal shutoffs with resettable memory shape alloy can now be used to automatically shut down a pneumatic control system when a nearby fire occurs, or when the ambient temperature reaches 135, 150, or 165⁰ F. The testability and reset ability of...

Insitu, the Boeing Subsidiary that makes unmanned aircraft systems, is helping emergency responders in Washington State as they work to tame wildfires that have spread across the Pacific Northwest, destroying and threatening thousands of homes. The company recently...

A campaign from New Zealand came up with an interesting idea to remind people to check their smoke alarms are working. It stresses how smoke alarms are our “only voice”, in other words our sole warning, in the event of a danger at night, by giving them...

 Fuel Dispensing Stations – Checklist   Definition: Any premise where flammable or combustible liquids are dispensed from fixed equipment into the fuel tanks of motor vehicles, watercraft or floatplanes.  Above Ground Tanks The BC Fire Code limits the maximum...

It's been a year since a warehouse exploded nearly killed three Mississauga firefighters.  The trio were trying to enter a side door of the building when the explosion occurred and a cinder block wall came down on them.  After a lengthy investigation charges...

Victoria fire inspectors have discovered that fewer multi-unit buildings were compromised than originally thought after only six access keys were determined to be missing from the nearly 500 buildings lock boxes. The fire department said that 35 keys were missing from...

You would think the U.S. Forest Service would have a sophisticated fire-prevention network in place but apparently nothing beats a human being with a pair of binoculars and a healthy knowledge of the forest mountain tops for spotting a brush fire.  The U.S....

Canadians are making their communities safer as they participate in the first National Wildfire Preparedness Day in Canada. Twenty-four groups across the country received funding to support local mitigation projects aimed at reducing the risk of wildfire damage in...

In a bid to promote rail safety, the Canadian government has issued an emergency directive to ensure that trains which carry dangerous goods like crude oil and ethanol slowdown in urban areas.  The directive requires the trains not to operate at speeds more than...

Canada's Greater Vancouver is home to a bird species so polluted with chemicals, it is resistant to fire. A team of Canadian researchers identified Cooper's Hawk as the most polluted wild bird species in the world after analyzing liver samples from Vancouver's birds...