FireWatch

FireWatch is a service that provides links to news stories from the fire community that have attracted our attention.

Pickering couple fined $30,000 for illegal seniors’ home

A Pickering couple has been fined $30,000 for operating an illegal seniors’ home out of their house.  According to court documents Murney Brook and his wife Jane Brook both pleaded guilty to fire code violations and were fined $15,000 each. This isn’t the first...

Lithium-ion batteries that won’t catch fire

Scientists have discovered a new way to create high-output lithium ion batteries that do not pose a fire risk as the world continues to make greater use of the technology. These batteries are the first of their kind to have both high output and high life-span despite...

What not to do if there is a grease fire in your home

This is a graphic video of the danger of putting water on a grease fire.  You may want to add it to your fire prevention video collection. The article says the previous advice from fire prevention personnel to throw a damp tea-towel over a pan on fire was...

Fireside protest: Toronto union’s alarmism tries to scare the public

Members of the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association went to the site of a warehouse fire to hand out flyers warning of the peril Toronto residents would face when the city proceeded with a plan to save money by closing one fire station and taking four fire...

Worcester fire fighters dying at an alarming rate, not from fires

New statistical information highlights firefighter work-related illnesses that present later in life. The report, which was prepared by the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and MassCOSH, states that 19 percent of worker deaths that occurred in Massachusetts in 2013 were...

Another reminder for fire apparatus drivers

Fourteen people, including five firefighters, were injured when two fire trucks collided sending one careening across a sidewalk and into a restaurant. One of the victims is in critical condition, officials said....

Fire department seeks new inspection fees, increase in fines

Public safety may be priceless, but the same probably can't be said for long about fire inspections intended to protect it. “We were charged (by council) to look at what other municipalities are doing, and more often than not they charge for inspections,” Fire Chief...

Phoenix Fire Department can’t account for 850 keys

More than half of the keys that Phoenix Fire Department uses to access commercial buildings throughout the city have gone missing, officials said. The keys open lock boxes attached to the exterior walls of retail businesses, office buildings, apartment complexes,...

State of the art technology helping firefighters on the front lines

A team of experts holed up in trailers set up at a wildfire base camp in Arizona helped the fire managers and crews on the front lines.  They were the actual "intelligence" behind the fire.  Computers inside the mobile command post were giving officials...

Cost of new fire truck could go up by $65,000 due to US exchange rate

Recent changes in the US exchange rate have increased the price of American apparatus significantly.  The value of the Canadian dollar has gone down which has caused a significant price increase on top of the normal manufacturer’s price which purchasers now have...

Volunteer Fire Department Cost Savings Calculator

The US National Volunteer Fire Council Foundation's Volunteer Fire Department Cost Savings Calculator will help you determine your department's contribution to the community and provide data for municipalities who fund those departments.   A 2013 report by the...

Titanium alloy golf clubs pose brush fire risk

Titanium alloy golf clubs can potentially ignite dry brush when the lightweight metal is swung and struck against a rock, researchers said Wednesday. The study conducted by scientists at the University of California, Irvine, found that under the right conditions,...

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