FireWatch

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

Seven keys to fire safety with photovoltaic installations

To gain a greater understanding of PV technology UL sceintists constructed a functioning PV array to serve as a test fixture.  UL discovered seven new findings regarding roof-mounted photovoltaic systems that impact firefighter safety. ...

Highway to hazmat hell

A highway accident results in a spectacular and impressive series of explosions captured on video. http://contentdrivestraffic.com/highway-to-hazmat-hell

Designing fire systems for flammable, combustible liquids

Specifying fire protection for the storage of flammable and combustible liquids in containers is critical. http://www.plantengineering.com/single-article/designing-fire-systems-for-flammable-combustible-liquids/83f1894f452a6c1a80676a2b60b6acbd.html

Politicians fiddle with laws as buildings burn

The way Quebec politicians and others are carrying on, you’d think that the automatic sprinkler system was an untried, still slightly sketchy, cutting-edge technology and not one proven over and over again in the 142 years since they were invented. 

Fire safety on First Nations reserves a national problem

People living on a First Nations reserve in Canada are 10 times more likely to die in a house fire than people in the rest of Canada, according to a 2010 federal study on fire safety on reserves, a sombre figure highlighted by the deaths of two young boys in a...

Fire safety review overdue

A CBC investigation discovered more than half of 125 licensed personal care homes in Manitoba do not have full sprinkler systems; 37 had no sprinklers, while 55 had partial protection....

iPhone catches fire in student’s pants

A thirteen-year-old girl sat down in a classroom and heard a pop, and smoke began billowing from the back of her pants. http://www.wmtw.com/news/iphone-catches-fire-in-students-pants/24224410#mid=16319809

New vehicle safety products discussed at FDSOA conference

E-ONE, Task Force Tips and Zoll made presentations highlighting new items to keep firefighters safe and make their jobs easier.  The new products include Collision Mitigation Radar, Road Safety (a system that proactively gives drivers feedback) and monitor...

Fire Department spends $165K on smart tech

A new piece of Evidence Based Predictive Modelling computer software will help the Kelowna Fire Department evaluate existing day-to-day operations and determine the best use of staff deployment. The software can be used to support initiatives such as location,...

Fighting fires with the help of Google Glass

Firefighter Patrick Jackson has developed an app for Google Glass, Google's experimental head-mounted computer, which feeds important information directly to the eye-line of firefighters in an emergency.

Fire Service Appreciation Day Monday January 27th

State and local officials want to say thank you to neighborhood firefighters.  Monday January 27th is Fire Service Appreciation Day, established by the Oregon legislature in 2007 to recognize local and state efforts to keep the public safe in their homes and...

Bizarre causes of fires revealed

A pigeon dropping a discarded cigarette down a chimney and a dog turning on a toaster were among some of the most bizarre causes of fires in 2013. http://www.independent.ie/world-news/and-finally/bizarre-causes-of-fires-revealed-29868711.html

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