Hochiki Europe to launch series of life safety webinars Hochiki Europe is launching a new series of accredited webinars to support those working with life safety and moisture detection systems. The educational seminars will be CPD accredited and hosted by Hochiki experts, running from December 2019 until March 2020. They will cover a range of vitally important topics for specifiers, installers, facilities managers and consultants. The first webinar in the series will focus on the importance of moisture detection and the implicated costs this has for the insurance industry when properties go unprotected. Continuing to answer the industry’s most pressing subjects, future topics will discuss grey areas when it comes to current multi-sensor accreditation, as well as ensuring best practice for life safety in schools and hospitals. Paul Adams, Marketing Manager, Hochiki Europe said: “These sessions are free to attend and will offer technical guidance on the some of the most important challenges in life safety. Our last seminar, which focused on updates to emergency lighting legislation, proved extremely popular. There is limited space, so if you’re looking for support and expertise that will help you make more informed decisions when dealing with life safety systems, then get in touch as soon as possible”.

Voice Alarm System BIM Objects Announced by Baldwin Boxall Baldwin Boxall has announced the availability of BIM objects for their VIGIL3 and VIGIL2 voice alarm systems. These new files add to the company’s readily available library of BIM Objects. BIM (Building Information Modelling) increases efficiency, reduces costs and saves time for building and infrastructure projects. There are many benefits to this type of approach for the construction industry and because of this, it is being increasingly adopted by companies worldwide. Baldwin Boxall is a renowned, well-respected UK designer and manufacturer of voice alarm and emergency voice communication systems. It has a wide ranging project portfolio and customer survey responses to be proud of. The company strives to always understand the needs of the industry and its customers as well as end-users. The need for BIM Object files for voice alarm is clear and Baldwin Boxall is keen to ensure that these are available for all that require them. The company’s BIM Object files are downloadable both from their own website and also via the NBS National BIM Library, without charge. Commenting on the release of the latest BIM Objects, Nick Baldwin, Sales & Marketing Director, said “Our BIM Objects for our Omnicare and Care2 EVC systems have been downloaded multiple times – exceeding even our expectations! With the number of requests for voice alarm growing, we are certain that these will prove to be equally as popular. Any effort we can make to help our customers can only be for the good.” Baldwin Boxall is based in Sussex in England and all its products are designed and manufactured in the UK to a very high standard. The company has a very clear mission statement, which can easily be found on the website and is proud of its position in the industry, worldwide.

Promat SYSTEMGLAS mark 30 years in the fire industry This year marks the 30th anniversary of the first UK installations of SYSTEMGLAS, the complete fire rated glazing system from Promat UK, and demand is stronger than ever. The 30-year milestone is proving to be an important factor behind the increasing interest in SYSTEMGLAS from architects, specifiers, interior designers, clients and contractors who are seeking assured passive fire protection in their glazing, partitioning and building interiors. The market-leading system, which is supported by Promat UK’s ‘360° Wheel of Assurance’ encompassing full control and traceability through design, manufacture, installation and completion inspection, is suitable for a wide range of applications including offices, residential, retail spaces, public buildings and transport interchanges. Providing integrity and insulation (EI) protection from EI30 to EI120, SYSTEMGLAS has now been used in a vast number of projects in the UK and Ireland since 1989. Ian Cowley, Regional Director (UK and Scandinavia) at Promat says: “With three decades behind it, SYSTEMGLAS has proved itself in the market as a trusted solution for passive fire protection. In an era when supply chain traceability has risen up the agenda in specification decisions, the range is today offering an important differentiator, particularly now that the SYSTEMGLAS framing options have been expanded to cover steel, timber and PROMATECT H for concealing, painting or over-cladding. “When it comes to developing a fire rated glazing specification, all the components must work together to achieve the required performance level, which is what underpins our ‘Specified for a Reason’ campaign. SYSTEMGLAS takes away any supply chain ambiguity, specification misinterpretation or risk of product substitution as we have complete oversight from start to finish.” SYSTEMGLAS is suitable for all building applications with fire ratings of between 30 and 120 minutes. Promat’s technical experts provide guidance on the right approach at the design and specification stage and the system is manufactured in-house to ensure all cutting and processing is completed to the correct standard. Promat’s fire protection specialists then inspect SYSTEMGLAS on completion to ensure it has been installed in accordance with its recommendations and provides a certificate of conformity for installation.  

Hip-hop festival in Croatia forced to be evacuated following huge forest fire Fresh Island Festival in Croatia was put on hold after it had to be evacuated following a forest fire breaking out near the venue. The festival – which specialises in hip-hop and R&B and had Tyga, Torey Lanez and Stefflon Don pencilled in to perform – was thrown into disarray on July 15 when the nearby forest to the venue went up in flames. Initially, festivalgoers were evacuated via a number of shuttle buses that were leaving from another venue in the shape of Noa Club towards the town of Novalja, but according to attendees on social media, local police shut the road to Novalja, causing panic. Making a statement on the event, the festival organisers offered some advice on the situation and tried to encourage a sense of calm at a difficult time. “We advise everyone to remain close to Noa Club main road entrance and not to attempt to make their way back to the town until the emergency services have provided further information on the situation,” the statement read. “Once again we really appreciate everyone’s patience during this time.” The description of the fires seemed more than a cause for concern, with festival attendee Jess Storey claiming to Mirror Online that the wind helped carry the flames along. “The flames were at times double the height of the trees and the smoke cloud grew very quickly also,” Storey said. “The fire appeared to be spreading rapidly across the forest over the bay due to the high winds.”

Ronja Kemmer, member of the German parliament, visits Magirus Recently, Ronja Kemmer, member of the German parliament, visited the mutual Magirus and Iveco site in Ulm, Germany. During a personal conversation with Marc Diening, President and CEO of Magirus, she showed great interest in the Ulm-based company with its long-standing tradition and was duly impressed by the upcoming developments in the field of firefighting and disaster protection. Speaking about the things she saw, Kemmer claimed that she is very enthusiastic having seen some of the chances that appear for Magirus, not only in Germany, but all across the world in a number of different areas thanks to the way in which the world is growing. “The world of fire and rescue services is also in transition,” Kemmer said after she had finished looking around the very impressive site in Ulm. “Seeing the opportunities that arise for Magirus in Germany, but also worldwide, as a result of digitalisation, networking and alternative drive technologies are really exciting.” Subsequently, during the guided site tour, she gained a detailed insight into the far-reaching competences of both companies in Ulm, where more than 1400 people are employed. The focus was on Iveco’s most recent developments in future-oriented drive technologies for trucks and on the Defence Vehicles segment. The visit was rounded off with a tour of the production facility and the customer centre, with product demonstrations and a ride on the turntable ladder. Ronja Kemmer is a directly elected member of parliament and in December 2014, when elected, was the youngest member of the German Bundestag.