London has been rocked by another deadly blaze after a woman died following a fire in a block of flats in Hampstead, which is located in north London. ​ Despite initially being rescued from the four-storey building in Daleham Garden, the woman – who has not been named – died at the scene in the early hours of the 21st of November. Speaking about the incident, the London Fire Brigade stated that around 20 people managed to successfully escape from the building before any fire crew arrived, while the cause of the fire is currently being investigated. It took 60 firefighters close to three hours in order to neutralise the fire and get it under control. Eight fire engines containing crews turned up to the scene, along with an aerial appliance, after the alarm went off just before 02:00. The London Fire Brigade also said that the fire caused immense destruction, with the second and third floors and roofs all being left completely destroyed, while the first floors of the building were also left badly damaged by the blaze.

London’s Firefighters is a wonderfully readable, lavishly illustrated anthology of articles, fiction and verse about the London Fire Brigade, most of it gathered from the Brigade’s house magazines London Fireman (1966-82) and London Firefighter (1982-2005). The book’s editor David C. Pike, himself a retired firefighter, has cleverly selected material that delivers a comprehensive history of the London Fire Brigade and a fascinating portrait of individual firemen and women, at work and (occasionally) at play. The book includes vivid, occasionally harrowing articles on important events involving the Brigade – the Sidney Street Siege of 1911, the London Blitz and the 1981 Brixton riots, to name just a few – as well as covering key figures within the Brigade like James Braidwood and Massey Shaw. The more personal sections provide a revealing insight into the bravery, commitment and camaraderie of ordinary working firefighters and their families. The numerous, often highly dramatic illustrations, many from the London Fire Brigade’s own collection, offer a lively commentary on the text. All the profits from this book will go to the Fire Service charity, Firemen Remembered. David Pike was a London firefighter for more than 30 years, retiring at senior rank in 1996. His first book, Beyond the Flames, was published by Austin Macauley Publishers™ in 2013. London’s Firefighters was the winner of the Bronze Medal for the Adult non-fiction category in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards, 2015. For more information visit www.austinmacauley.com/book/londons-firefighters

A number of residents were led to safety from a burning tower block and one person had to be rescued after a fire emerged at some high-rise flats in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland. At about 17:30 on the 15th November, firefighters were called out to Coolmoyne House in Dunmurry, which is located on the outskirts of Belfast, with both fire and smoke pounding multiple floors in the building. The NI Fire and Rescue Service said that as soon as fire crews got to the site, they had to deal with a “well-developed fire” that was running riot on the ninth floor of the building. Thankfully, all flats were successfully evacuated, with four people needing treatment from paramedics, while the firefighters managed to get the blaze extinguished by 18:10. According to Lagan Valley Hospital, two people – a man and a woman – were in stable condition after being admitted as a result of the fire. A group commander with the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, Geoff Somerville, revealed that firefighters had successfully rescued a man from the flat which the fire started from. Somerville also stated that the fire service believes that the fire was an accidental one, and had come while the man was “making toast at the time”. Local community worker Julie Ann Jackson told the BBC that the fire in question had damaged the ninth and tenth floors of the building before the fire crews managed to being it under control, and also said that safety drills had been carried out at the block following the Grenfell Tower tragedy in June. In total, 11 fire appliances and four ambulances were sent to Coolmoyne House, while the tower block itself – on the Seymour Hill housing estate – is both owned and operated by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

Simon Rooks, council member of the British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association (BASFSA) and general manager at Johnson Controls, has agreed with Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn’s calls for the Chancellor to allocate £1bn to retrofit sprinklers in all council high rises. Since the Grenfell Tower disaster in June, the safety of high rise buildings is of huge significance, and something which the leader of the opposition is keen to address. Speaking about Corbyn’s claims, Rooks agreed with what the Labour leader had to say, and thinks that a lack of action from Grenfell is of huge concern, while also calling on the government to step up their game and take action. ​“Retrofitting sprinklers in the UK’s aging tower blocks has to be a priority. Building owners, occupiers and stakeholders have been calling for better fire safety protection since June, yet we’ve not seen many actionable outcomes from the talks,” Rooks said. “Regulations already exist to ensure sprinklers are installed in new tower blocks taller than 30 metres, but what we urgently need right now are special measures to retrofit sprinklers into existing properties. There are still issues that need resolving, and a solution is available today. “The government can help by offering clearer guidance and financial support to local councils and building owners. Retrofitting sprinklers is cost effective and practical – building managers need to find the right supplier now and take action today.”

False fire alarms have long been a bane of the fire industry, costing the fire services millions of pounds and becoming a critical discussion point in the industry. IFSEC Global and FIREX International have teamed up with experts at C-Tec to bring the industry a free CPD accredited webinar on 22nd November between 11 am and 12 pm. With fire protection in flats, apartments and HMOs making the news for all the wrong reasons, this CPD-certified webinar provides an overview of the current solutions available for reducing false alarms in HMOs and other areas by using mixed, conventional and hush systems.

Workwear garment manufacturer Ballyclare Limited has confirmed the process used to manufacture life-saving workwear supplied to the fire, rail, general industrial and oil and gas sectors is accredited to Article 11B of the PPE Directive. This ensures Ballyclare is already well placed to meet the requirements of the regulatory changes covering complex PPE garments that will come into force in April next year. The regulation changes will require garment manufacturers such as Ballyclare to move from compliance with the current PPE Directive, and satisfy the more stringent requirements of the new and mandatory PPE Regulations. “Essentially, Article 11B is an externally-audited accreditation system which monitors the production of complex, life-saving PPE to ensure the quality of the finished garment,” explains Ballyclare Operations Director, Dawn Scott. “We have held Article 11B accreditation since 2011, and so we’re perfectly placed to satisfy the new regulations, and have been for a considerable time.” “Article 11B provides confidence that products such as our structural firefighter suits and other life-saving garments are produced under our strict quality controls. To achieve compliance, our various manufacturing, design and head office facilities are independently assessed by BSI.” adds Dawn. “These assessments cover many different aspects of our operations, such as the actual manufacturing processes and the quality control measures we use. Fortunately, our existing operating methods mean we’ll easily be able to provide the information required for next year’s assessment. The new regulations will also put a strong emphasis on the technical files which a manufacturer such as ourselves must provide for scrutiny, but we’re proud to say our own technical files already meet the requirements for the forthcoming changes.” “We are ahead of the game and fully prepared for the changes in the market. As a result, our customers know they can continue to purchase and use Ballyclare products, safe in the knowledge they are already and will continue to be, fully compliant.” For further information visit www.ballyclarelimited.com