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Agreement between West Midlands fire services in the UK prompts review

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Agreement between West Midlands fire services in the UK prompts review A review into two fire services within the West Midlands area of the UK will take place with the aim to build greater collaboration between the forces. The West Midlands Fire Service have signed an agreement with the Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service which sets out a “vision for closer working”. The combined forces claimed that the move made “perfect sense” and that this will improve services. Both forces highlighted that the agreement is not a merger between the two, but instead will be about collaboration, economic growth and better public safety. Phil Loach, Chief Fire Officer for WMFS said the partnership would be “efficient and effective”. Andy Hickmott, from WFRS, said he is “confident” the agreement is “a great opportunity to achieve reform and enhance the service we provide”.​

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$1m caused in damage following Kauai, Hawaii fires

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$1m caused in damage following Kauai, Hawaii fires Two homes in Kauai, Hawaii sustained a total damage cost of $1m in separate fires over the 17th/18th February weekend, according to firefighters. At 16:30 on the 17th, firefighters were called to a blaze that had managed to engulf a single-story home on Nunu Road, in Kapaa. Within minutes, firefighters brought the fire under control, however by the point, the home was destroyed. The total damage of the home and the contents inside was estimated at around $300,000. Firefighters are investigating the cause of the blaze, while no-one was home at the time. The following day, on the 18th, at 09:30, firefighters were then called two a fire at a two-story home on North Waiakalua Street in Kilauea. That fire seems to have started from an an unattended portable burner left on in a patio of the home. The fire caused around $700,000 in damage, but the occupants escaped without injury.

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Sacked fire chief at Essex Fire Service given payout

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Sacked fire chief at Essex Fire Service given payout A chief fire officer in Essex, UK, who was mysteriously sacked, has now been given a financial settlement, which remains undisclosed. Back in April 2015, David Johnson was suspended as Essex’s chief fire officer, and – despite no reason being given – was sacked in April 2017. Detailed figures haven’t been released thus far, but this dispute has cost the fire service over £500,000. Following a mediation hearing at the East London Employment Tribunal, the matter was settled. The office of Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex have stated that they won’t be revealing the financial elements of the settlement. Commissioner Roger Hirst said: “We are pleased that we have been able to reach a conclusion to this case, recognising that it has taken judicial mediation, and that there is now a way forward for Mr Johnson that both parties can accept.” In 2017, the fire service’s invoiced expenditure was revealed to show three entries in particular which raised eyebrows – one was for £365,480, one for £35,422 and the third for £15,000. All of these were paid to Essex County Council under “legal expenses”. Subsequently, the fire service stated that all three payments were in relation to Mr Johnson’s case. Previously, the service comforted that it had spent more than £100,000 on legal fees alone on the case between April 2015 and February 2016. At the time, the secretary of the Essex branch of the FBU, Alan Chin-Shaw, claimed that the £1m spent on legal fees in 2017 would’ve been more than enough to fund a “whole-time fire station for a year”. “My view is that if they have put themselves in a position where they need that much legal advice then chances are they are probably not doing right,” he said. Essex County Fire and Rescue gave no reason for their sacking of Mr Johnson, while the fire authority then claimed that his dismissal “followed a robust process in compliance with the law in relation to statutory officers”.

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Hotel in Cardiff, Wales failed cladding safety tests brought in post Grenfell Tower disaster

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Hotel in Cardiff, Wales failed cladding safety tests brought in post Grenfell Tower disaster Out of 12 buildings in South Wales which failed a cladding safety tests, the most notable of which was a hotel in the Welsh capital of Cardiff. As a direct result of the Grenfell Tower disaster in June 2017, which killed 71 people, 206 buildings were inspected, according to a report by the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service. The report concluded that there were “currently 12 buildings of six stories or more that have failed to meet the limited combustibility requirements of building 110 regulations guidance for their cladding systems”. However, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service refused to reveal which hotel in Cardiff failed the tests, but did say that improvements were ongoing. A spokeswoman for the service said: “The hotel in question has taken it upon themselves to remove the cladding. They started removing cladding last year and should be finished later on next year.” One of the reasons the tragic Grenfell Tower disaster was so costly was because the fire appeared to be accelerated by the exterior cladding on the building. Subsequent testing revealed that widespread use of aluminium composite materials (ACM), didn’t meet the limited combustibility requirements of building regulations guidance. Some of the buildings that had earlier failed cladding tests belonged to Newport City Homes. The report said they “were the first housing providers to announce a failure during cladding tests on three properties within Newport”, adding: “Newport City Homes have plans to remove and replace the existing cladding systems and install retro-fit sprinklers systems at the three premises and continue to work closely with South Wales Fire and Rescue Service.” According to the fire service all of the residents of affected buildings have been informed.

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Hugely sacred Lhasa Tibetan monastery hit by fire

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Hugely sacred Lhasa Tibetan monastery hit by fire The most important shrine in Tibetan Buddhism – the Jokhang Monastery in Lhasa – has been hit by a fire, which has sent shockwaves through the community. Footage that was posted online showed flames pouring out from the roof, while there also appears to new at least one pagoda that has been left gutted – however, there have been no casualties reported. State media in China claimed that the fire started on the 17th of February, and was put out soon after, and that no damage has been caused to cultural relics. That said, the extent of damage to the sprawling compound remains unclear. Tibet – the remote, mainly Buddhist territory, which is known as the “roof of the world” – is governed by as an autonomous region of China. The Jokhang monastery is over 1,000 years old, and is listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. Fires are always inconveniently timed to put it mildly, but the fire came just as the Tibetans were celebrating Losar, which is their traditional new year, and began on the 16th February.

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Scotland’s fire chief suffers no confidence vote by the Fire Brigades Union

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Scotland’s fire chief suffers no confidence vote by the Fire Brigades Union A vote of no confidence has been passed by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) in senior managers who work at the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SRFS). The two main concerns the union had regarded the dependence on overtime in order to maintain staffing levels, as well as the general availability of fire appliances. In addition, the FBU Scottish Regional Committee singled out fire chief Alasdair Hay and the rest of his senior leadership team. The FBU also claimed that the SFRS are still yet to address a host of issues that re in relation to the integration of regional fire services across Scotland. Back in 2013, these were merged into the national service, with it emerging recently that firefighters across Scotland were being offered a pay rise of up to 20%, should they agree to take on new responsibilities. As part of the deal, it is thought that between 200 and 300 jobs could be cut from the service. However, rather than a pay rise, this scheme was being described as a new reward package for a new expanded role, which provides emergency medical care and tackles terrorism. The Fire Brigades Union Scotland were less than happy with this, saying at the time that it was “wholly unacceptable” that members had been directly contacted about the offer. Kirsty Darwent, the chairwoman of the SFRS board, explained more about their proposal, and hope to reach a viable outcome. “We are offering to pay our firefighters more – but we are asking them to do a lot more, by taking on a completely new role to enhance the safety of the communities they serve,” Darwent said. “This is a proposal. We will now enter into formal negotiations with staff and unions, and believe we can reach the right outcome for our firefighters and the people of Scotland.”

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Dramatic fire at a building site in central London eventually brought under control

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Dramatic fire at a building site in central London eventually brought under control The West End of London endured a huge blaze at a building site on the 17th February, which subsequently prompted fears of an explosion, until it was eventually brought under control. 72 firefighters and officers were deployed by the London Fire Brigade (LFB) to head to the scene at Great Portland Street, after reports of a fire emerged at 12:45. The road in question is very close to Oxford Street, which is London’s busiest shopping street. From miles away, a column of black smoke was visible and could be seen rising from the flames in pictures that were subsequently posted on social media. After learning that gas cylinders were involved in the blaze, firefighters became concerned that an explosion was very much a possibility, so set up an emergency exclusion zone. The building itself was under refurbishment, according to the LFB, with it being reported by neighbours that developers were planning on converting it into flats. Scotland Yard confirmed that no-one was injured as a result of the blaze, while a spokesman for LFB stated that at 13:45, the fire was officially declared as under control LFB also stated that over 40 calls were made to 999, while Twitter users posted pictures of the smoke that was visible from as far as Peckham, some five miles away from Great Portland Street, over in south-east London.

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Toronto fire captain found in California after going missing in New York

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Toronto fire captain found in California after going missing in New York A Canadian fire captain has been found in California after going missing in New York State, but the fact he ended up close to 3,000 miles (4,800 km) across America is still very much a mystery. 49-year-old Constantinos Filippidis disappeared on the 14th of February in the afternoon during a skiing trip in Whiteface Mountain. The morning before, Filippidis rang up emergency services from the Sacramento airport and informed them that he was a missing person. New York State authorities – who had searched for the Toronto firefighter – revealed that they had found him and that he was “alive and in good health.” Sergeant Shaun Hampton of t he Sacramento Sheriff’s Department claimed that Filippidis said to the authorities that he believed that he sustained a head injury at some stage over the few days. Filippidis’ identity was confirmed by officers who were dispatched to the airport, and the Toronto fire captain appeared disorientated and occasionally confused. According to officers, Filippidis was still wearing his ski jacket and snow boots, while carrying his helmet. Filippidis had told police that he’d travelled across the country as a passenger on a big rig truck, however, he couldn’t remember anything else about the vehicle, and had no recollection of the driver. Hampton also stated that FIlippidis said to them that he could remember very little about the 48 hour spell. The police officier also said that Filippidis got a haircut and bought an iPhone while in California, before stating that there were a lot of unanswered questions “to say the least”. Filippidis faces no charges for this incident, and was brought to a local hospital not long after. Matthew Pegg, the Toronto Fire Services Chief, said in a statement that him and his colleagues were all very relieved to know that Filippidis is safe and well.

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Call for the International Aerial Firefighting Award 2018 nominations

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Call for the International Aerial Firefighting Award 2018 nominations The International Aerial Firefighting Award is presented annually to recognise a significant contribution by an individual or organisation to aerial firefighting. Aiming to honour diligence, dedication and conscientiousness in aerial firefighting, the Award was inaugurated in honour of the late Walt Darran, who was a pioneer and advocate for advances in aerial firefighting. Being a highly experienced S2-T air tanker pilot and former highly decorated US Navy aviator from California, USA, Walt was a constant and passionate advocate for safety and improvement in the international aerial firefighting community. Award Nomination Process The International Aerial Firefighting Award is a peer award, awarded by the global aerial firefighting community. The Award Committee now calls for nominations from the aerial firefighting community for the International Aerial Firefighting Award 2018. Nominations may be made by any individual or organisation who can reasonably be considered by the Committee to be a member of the global aerial firefighting or wildland firefighting communities. Individuals or organisations may not nominate themselves. Nominations must be accompanied by a clear statement outlining the reasons why the nominator considers the candidate to be eligible for the Award and describing the contribution made to aerial firefighting. Nominations must clearly identify the nominator. Contact details for the nominator must be provided. Nominations must be made to the person/organisation specified by the committee, in each call for nominations, to receive nominations on behalf of the committee. Nominations must be received by the closing date specified by the committee in each call for nominations. Award Committee The nominations and resultant winner are administered by the International Award Committee – an independent international consortium from the International Fire Aviation Working Group (IFAWG) and Associated Aerial Firefighters. The Award is sponsored by Tangent Link Ltd, who agreed to provide publicity and the stage setting for the global aerial firefighting community. Who Can Be Nominated? Any person who has made a significant contribution to furthering the safety and/or efficiency of aerial firefighting Any organisation that has made an outstanding contribution to furthering the safety and/or the efficiency of aerial firefighting About Aerial Firefighting North America 2018 Organised by Tangent Link Ltd, Aerial Firefighting North America 2018 returns to California for its 10th anniversary this year. Staging over three days between 12 and 14 March 2018 in Sacramento, this global event features the conference, exhibition, static display, live demonstrations, Award ceremony and live CBX exercise.

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Remote South Australia and Northern Territory attacked by gigantic outback fire

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Remote South Australia and Northern Territory attacked by gigantic outback fire Remote parts of South Australia and the Northern Territory are on the receiving end of a colossal bushfire, which has ripped through an area larger than some countries, however it appears minimal people have noticed. On the 8th February, the fire ignited near Ernabella in SA’s APY Lands, and has now gone through around 125,000 hectares – or 1,250 square kilometres – of scrub and pastoral land. To put that into perspective, that area size is four times bigger than the Maldives, and close to twice as big as Tonga, Bahrain or Singapore. After being driven by high temperatures and strong winds, the gigantic blaze has now crossed into the Northern Territory. Peter Ikonomopoulos, a Country Fire Service staff officer, claimed that despite the size of the fire, there have been no reports of property damage in the isolated outback region. Ikonomopoulos also said that Indigenous-led volunteer brigades were the first people on the scene. “CFS crews from Ernabella, Amata and Mimili responded to the fire near Kenmore Park,” Ikonomopoulos said. “Due to the ferocity and volume of the fire, more crews were called from Coober Pedy, Roxby Downs, Mintabie and Marla, to provide assistance.” Police stated that additional personnel from Port Augusta assisted to try and provide relief. Ikonomopoulos also said that contractors from the APY Lands and Ceduna had supplied machinery in order to put in earth breaks, which in turn will protect communities. The CFS are hoping that the possibility of rain and favourable winds will cause the fire to burn back on itself, which will significantly ease the threat. However, while the police are suggesting there is currently no danger to the Ernabella community, the CFS have claimed that firefighters were seriously battling hard ahead of a wind change, which could fan the fame’s in the direction of Ernabella.

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