London Fire Brigade Commissioner Andy Roe made a statement to kick off 2021, in which he recaps his experiences and outlines plans for the year ahead.  No one day is the same. You’ll hear that a lot if you speak to London Fire Brigade staff. It’s something that draws us to the job we do. Well, no year has been quite like 2020 and as I end my first 12 months as London Fire Commissioner I can categorically say it has been a whirlwind. But I couldn’t be prouder. The dedication, professionalism and courage shown by all of our staff has been immense. We have a history of stepping up when being called upon to do so and we have adapted to meet every challenge thrown our way with a humility and willingness to serve that has been the hallmark of London Fire Brigade for over 150 years. More than 450 Brigade staff stepped forward to drive ambulances for the London Ambulance Service. We also saw nearly 100 members of staff volunteer to recover the bodies of Londoners who sadly died from Covid-19 in their homes. An incredibly difficult job with risks but carried out respectfully and with dignity. The formal agreements between London’s emergency services that allowed all this to happen show what we can do together when the chips are down and the strength of the capital’s blue light partnership. And it didn’t stop there. We stepped up with our logistical skills to help deliver over 20 million items of Personal Protective Equipment to those in the community who needed it. Firefighters also made over 40,000 face shields for hospital staff and across London, fire crews delivered food and medicine to vulnerable residents. Away from the frontline, staff were equally quick to rise to the challenges of 2020 and take on extra responsibilities. Community safety staff called hundreds of vulnerable residents who had taken part in fire, safe and well visits to check and see if they were ok during the lockdown. During one of these calls the resident became unresponsive. Community Safety Health Team member Cindy Roberts called for an ambulance and got the lady the medical attention she needed. The pandemic arrived at a time when the Brigade is undergoing some important and significant changes, but it hasn’t prevented us from making progress on the improvements we need to make. I am committed to implementing all of the recommendations made by Phase 1 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. This year I was able to meet with some of the Grenfell community group and I was humbled by their unwavering commitment to find the truth and seek justice for the terrible losses they have suffered. This Christmas, sadly too many families are still living in buildings with flammable cladding and those residents won’t feel safe until the urgent remedial works that are required are carried out. We will continue to strive for better fire safety in buildings in 2021. It is now also a year since we were reviewed by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services. We have listened to their findings and we will forge ahead in 2021 to carry on building an even better Brigade. This year will bring both opportunities and challenges, with the formation of our new four-year plan and the completion of ambitious changes in how we deliver our service, set within significant budgetary challenges facing many public sector organisations. We continue to work hard to encourage people to see the fire service as a career for everyone. In March, we helped launch the book ‘My Mummy is a Firefighter’. This would not have been possible had it not been for the dedication of Principal Fire Engineer Lynsey Seal, who has worked hard to change attitudes towards women in the fire service. A book like this is long overdue but we still have a long way to go so more people feel like they are truly accepted and valued in the fire service. Lynsey richly deserved her Queen’s Fire Service Medal that she received in the New Years honours. I was also delighted to hear that Harry Aquilina from Orpington Fire Station, Lisa Barker from West Norwood and Ashley Gordon from Lambeth Fire Station were awarded British Empire Medals (BEM) for their services to the community during the Covid-19 response. We are not at the end of this pandemic but hopefully there are brighter days ahead. My kids will undoubtedly interrupt more of my virtual meetings this year but 2020 has made me think about what is important in life and of those who are less fortunate. So as we move into a new year, let’s put kindness and understanding at the forefront of our minds in everything that we do and I’m sure our resilient city will thrive once again.

REV Fire Group have announced that Hendrickson Fire Rescue Equipment is expanding its product portfolio and will represent Ferrara Fire Apparatus and E-ONE. Hendrickson Fire Rescue Equipment has been a longtime, successful Spartan Emergency Response dealer providing its New York Metro area customers with best-in-class sales and service. “We are thrilled to expand our portfolio of product offerings to meet our customers’ fire apparatus needs,” said Craig Probst, President of Hendrickson Fire Rescue Equipment. “We look forward to growing the Ferrara and E-ONE customer base in New York by providing our next generation customer support strategy.” Located in Islandia, NY, Hendrickson Fire operates out of a state-of-the-art 20,000 square foot facility, which includes a collision center featuring a 55’ spray booth and an expansive parts inventory.  The Hendrickson team of 65 leverages their knowledge and facilities to provide complete fire apparatus service.  Hendrickson is also a comprehensive and authorized service center for Cummins. “Hendrickson has made significant investments into its dealership with people, facilities and aftermarket support capabilities in order to provide customers with a premium experience. We look forward to their contribution in growing the Ferrara and E-ONE brands,” said Mike Virnig, Vice President of Sales for REV Fire Group. REV Group are also a manufacturer of industry-leading fire apparatus brands including E-ONE, KME, Ferrara, Spartan Emergency Response, Smeal and Ladder Tower.

Phil Hurley is the new Chairman of the Heat Pump Association (HPA), replacing Graham Wright who has finished his two-year term and now steps down from the role. Replacing Phil Hurley as Vice-Chairman is Max Halliwell of Mitsubishi Electric. During his tenure Graham Wright oversaw some major breakthroughs for the heat pump industry and has steered the HPA into a strong position in helping to push the UK towards a carbon neutral future. Graham said: “It has been a real honour and a privilege to Chair such a forward thinking and hard working group. I am proud to see heat pumps at the forefront of Government strategy in the decarbonisation of heat.” Phil Hurley has been HPA Vice-Chairman since April 2019 and is Managing Director of NIBE Energy Systems. He said: “With the Government’s announcement of its Green Industrial Revolution the heat pump industry now finds itself on the crest of a wave. I would like to thank Graham for his tireless work and leadership which has brought significant results. I look forward to building on Graham’s achievements and ensuring the heat pump industry is ready to step up and deliver on its promises.” The Heat Pump Association (HPA) is a UK authority on the use and benefits of heat pump technology and includes the country’s leading manufacturers of heat pumps, components and associated equipment. Proposals put forward by the HPA are developed closely with a membership base that represents around 95% of the heat pump market manufacturing share, including all of the large multinational companies providing product to the UK market, ensuring that the proposals are workable and credible.

First Due have recently announced a partnership with BRYCER TCE (The Compliance Engine), who specialise and excel in system tracking and testing code compliance. The partnership will enable agencies to access critical fire protection system, backflows, and elevator inspection data recorded using The Compliance Engine, within First Due – before, during and after an incident. “A major First Due feature is gathering information on every structure in a response area and empowering operations and prevention personnel with the data they need to make better decisions,” explains COO and Head of Product Rami El-Choufani. “The ability to know when critical fire protection systems are deficient or inoperable, helps agencies respond more effectively and reduce risk within the community.” TCE information collected by service providers, will allow inspectors to access system details, inventory information and statuses at the time of an inspection – driving compliance and allowing prioritization of prevention activities. For Operations, crews with be able to easily drag-and-drop systems information onto the map within First Due’s pre-plan tool and more importantly, access critical system information alerts at the time of response. “When crews are dispatched, knowing a fire pump is red-tagged and inoperable, will make a massive difference in how they approach the incident – reducing risk to first responders and the communities they serve” El-Choufani continues. Users of TCE will be looking forward to adding a completely new dimension in the way they utilize system and compliance information. BRYCER Vice President of Innovation Bryan Schultz elaborates, “Fire protection system reliability is a vital component of all fire department’s community risk reduction strategies. Putting the fire protection system compliance information into first responders’ hands is a giant step forward in BRYCER’s goal of ensuring safe communities by reducing fire risk. We are excited to partner with First Due on this project as our complimentary solutions will provide enormous benefits to any Fire Department.” For more information about the First Due and TCE Partnership and to get-in-touch with both the First Due and BRYCER TCE teams, please visit https://www.firstduesizeup.com/partnerships/tce.

Anthony Morgan has been appointed to the role of Technical Director at Baldwin Boxall, with Dave Boxall still very much involved in the business and with his new title of Founding Director. Morgan has been with the company for over six years now and leads a strong R&D team, alongside Boxall at the company. Speaking about the appointment, Morgan expressed his enjoyment working at the company and believes that this is down to the team that he works with, who he cannot speak highly enough of. “I thoroughly enjoy coming to work every single day,” Morgan said. “It is the people at Baldwin Boxall that make it so great, we truly have a fantastic, friendly and professional team.” As an active member of many board committees in the industry, Morgan is well versed in the multitude of aspects of life safety and is well placed to continue Dave Boxall’s hard work. Adding further comment, Sales and Marketing Director, Nick Baldwin, said that the company is delighted to be able to have Morgan in that position and they believe that he is the best person for the job. “We are very pleased to welcome Anthony to the board of directors and we know he is the perfect fit for this role,” he commented.

Bull Products has been selected to supply its Cygnus Wireless Alarm System to around 50 Covid-19 standalone test sites across the UK. Premier Modular is the modular building specialist responsible for installing 50 self-contained Covid test sites across the UK, from Inverness to Portsmouth as part of the national effort to support the NHS in increasing testing capacity. Within six hours of the initial order, Bull installed its Fire Call Point Alarms and Smoke Detectors to the first test site delivered by Premier which was located in Bolton. Matthew Trigwell, Sales Director at Bull Products, says: “It’s a privilege to work alongside Premier Modular to provide fire safety equipment to these vital test sites. The Cygnus alarm system provides an ideal solution to projects that require a quick turnaround thanks to the speed of installation and ease of use of this temporary fire detection and alarm system. “It’s another example of how the Cygnus wireless system is ideal for all temporary sites to protect both people and property.” Elgan Roberts, Contracts Manager at Premier Modular, adds: “We have worked with Bull for many years, and so we were confident they were the perfect partner to supply the Cygnus alarm system. The wireless alarm system is reliable and flexible, and we have no doubt it will provide enhanced fire safety across all of the Covid-19 test sites that we are installing around the UK.”

Fire-Dex have announced the expansion of their product development team with the hiring of two Product Managers, Matt Colatruglio and Matt Shurtz. “As a result of our tremendous growth over the last decade, we’re able to invest in unique talent with diverse skillsets and experiences,” states Todd Herring, Director of Marketing. “This expansion is also a testament to the commitment from our leadership to continue providing innovative solutions to firefighters and first responders around the world.” With 14 years of technical flame-resistant textile experience and 5 years in business development and sales, Matt Colatruglio is responsible for executing and overseeing the latest turnout gear development initiatives across multiple product lines, including the implementation of new product development processes. His diverse background offers a unique ability to analyze complex market environments and apply strategic solutions. Matt Shurtz brings 15 years of innovative product development and design experience to his role where he will take on accessory product planning and execution, oversee product development initiatives, and assist with implementing strategic marketing plans. Matt brings a keen eye to product design planning and demonstrates a results-oriented drive to achieve extraordinary outcomes. Being one of the fastest-growing businesses in Northeast Ohio, Fire-Dex continues to invest in its award-winning team, acquire new companies, and design health-conscious innovations for the fire service industry. As Fire-Dex has grown through expansion and acquisition, it’s expanded job opportunities throughout the U.S. in areas including sales, administration, marketing, customer service and production support. You can discover current openings at firedex.com/employment.