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. ...
Pioneering’s Safe-T-element cooking fire prevention technology is now ready for the general public
Temperature limiting control technology has been installed on over 100,000 stovetops without a single stovetop cooking fire reported. There is now an easy to install consumer version that can be installed simply by taking the existing element out and sliding the new...
Ottawa Fire sets standard for new breathing apparatus
The City of Ottawa received $5-million spread between the 2013 and 2014 budgets to replace breathing apparatus for hundreds of their firefighters.
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
Evaluation of dermal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in firefighters
The Health Hazard Evaluation Program carried out a study at a fire service training facility to determine if airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other aromatic hydrocarbons generated during live fire training contaminate and pass through the skin...
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
Mayday called after firefighters trapped
Three Chicago firefighters searching a burning basement became trapped when flames quickly moved around them, cutting off their exit....
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...
Irish firefighters raise concerns after breathing equipment ‘collapses’
Since the Dublin fire department purchased new breathing equipment there have been a total of six unexplained occurrences while firefighters were wearing the sets. The face mask collapses in on the firefighter leaving them without an oxygen supply.
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
Safety questions at forefront after fiery oil train derailment in North Dakota
A fiery oil train derailment's near-miss of a small North Dakota town had its mayor angrily calling for federal officials to do more to guarantee the safety of the growing shipment of oil by rail. Can Canada be far behind?...