For the eighth year in a row Xtralis®, the pioneer of very early warning aspirating smoke detectors, continues to grow market share according to the latest IHS Technology report titled “The World Market for Fire Detection and Suppression Products – 2014 Edition.” The measure of fire detector manufacturers shows Xtralis rose from #7 in 2006 to #4 in 2013 with a 6.3% global market share, up from 5% in 2006. Xtralis continues to have a significant lead in the aspirating smoke detection (ASD) category of fire detectors, with an estimated 61.3% market share, up over 15% from 2006 levels. That share does not include China, where Xtralis believes its market share exceeds 80% from sales of its VESDA, ICAM, and FMST ASD products. To see the full report, please buy it at technology.ihs.com/438723/fire-detection-suppression-2014. Xtralis manufactures VESDA® and ICAM™ ASDs globally, and FMST™ ASDs in China. According to the IHS Technology report, the ASD market will see a 2013-2018 compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.7%, tops among all fire detector types. Xtralis offers ECO — a gas detection module for VESDA & ICAM detectors, enabling multi-sensor capabilities, and OSID — a dual wavelength beam detector designed for large open areas. IHS expects the world-wide Multi-Sensor and Beam markets to see 7.0% and 6.5% CAGR over the same period, positioning Xtralis ECO and OSID products for rapid growth.

CertAlarm again expands its partners network CertAlarm, an organization offering a pan-European quality mark in the fire protection and security systems industry, and ALTER TECHNOLOGY TÜV NORD (ATN), one of the leading companies in the world when it comes to the engineering, procurement, inspection, and certification of highly reliable electronic components for satellites, today announced a long-term partnership. By welcoming ATN on board as a Contracted Certification Body and Recognised Test Laboratory, CertAlarm again expands its partners network enabling its customers to co-operate with an increased number of renowned test laboratories and certification bodies. For Madrid based ATN, who is also offering services in the security, safety, aerospace and nuclear industries, the partnership will allow them to provide European-wide recognized certifications and open new markets in the fire and security sectors. Today, manufacturers who plan to sell their fire and security products in different European countries are frequently faced with uncertainty regarding the standards against which their products should be developed, tested and certified. Take security products where there are no harmonized EU-wide certification procedures and standards. Instead, there are some EN-standards plus a variety of country-specific requirements forcing manufacturers to prove compliance by having their product re-tested and re-certified by local test and certification bodies – a highly expensive and time-consuming process that needs to be repeated in each country. With CertAlarm, fire and security products need to be tested and certified only once. Manufacturers simply ask approved CertAlarm partners for a quote. The selected CertAlarm partner then tests and certifies the product according to the CertAlarm scheme. Once the product has successfully passed all tests, the partner issues a CertAlarm certificate, enabling the manufacturer to sell the product throughout Europe while having spent a fraction of what would normally have to be paid to obtain the various national marks. As a new CertAlarm partner, ATN will facilitate its customers the market entry and free movement of their security products within the European Union and contribute to the harmonization of these regulations. “The fact that certification standards and procedures are not harmonized within Europe has in the past made it hard for us to understand the differing local situations and to offer the respective services in other countries”, says Luis Gómez, CEO of ALTER TECHNOLOGY TÜV NORD. “We therefore strongly support the concept of a single, independent testing scheme recognised throughout Europe as offered by CertAlarm”, he adds. “We are more than pleased to welcome ATN as our new partner. With its wide spectrum of testing and certification services, more than 25 years’ experience in the space sector and integra¬tion in the renowned TÜV NORD GROUP we feel that ATN will contribute considerably to the know-how and expertise of our partners network”, adds Anja Kinsky, General Manager of CertAlarm.

Leading provider of mobile worker safety solutions pleased to announce they have registered their one millionth lone worker activity for this year. Guardian24, a leading provider of lone and mobile worker safety solutions, is pleased to announce that they have registered their one millionth lone worker activity for this year. Guardian24’s lone worker solutions provide two key features; the ability to easily raise a covert panic alarm on a chosen device should the user’s safety be compromised and the ability to log lone worker activities. By generating an activity lone workers are creating an extra safeguard by activating a welfare check. The user provides information such as who they are going to meet, where they are going and how long they expect to be. Should their activity overrun Guardian24 will then contact the lone worker to confirm their safety. If there is no response to the call, the overrun activity will then automatically escalate to a panic alert. At this stage the service will immediately notify a nominated respondent or a CATII BS5979 accredited Alarm Receiving Centre, log GPS location fixes and record live audio from the lone worker device. Monitoring the information logged from the activity, the GPS location fixes and the live audio provides a valuable amount of information to aid in locating and supporting the lone worker. The one millionth activity was logged at 10:02am on Tuesday 4th November 2014 by Linda Murray, a Befriending Volunteer with The Alzheimer’s Society in Wirral. To celebrate this achievement Guardian24 donated £200 to The Alzheimer’s Society charity who have been a customer of Guardian24’s for over five years. Linda from The Alzheimer’s Society comments on the benefits they receive by utilising Guardian24 saying, “Our lone working staff use Guardian24 as their personal safety solution to safeguard themselves from risks while working alone in the community. By logging our lone worker activities we can carry out our work with confidence knowing that should our safety be compromised help will be on hand. We are delighted to receive the £200 donation from Guardian24. This donation will assist in the work that The Alzheimer’s Society carry out to improve the quality of life of people affected by dementia in the UK.” Guardian24 have registered over one million activities so far this year indicating a rise in the amount of people working alone for periods throughout the day. Guardian24 is used to protect staff when lone working, traveling to and from work, visiting clients in their homes and businesses and when working in isolation on remote sites. The BS8484 certified service can be used via a mobile phone or specialist lone worker device to aid employers in meeting their duty of care to their lone working staff. For further information on Guardian24 please contact Leona Mills (Marketing Manager) on 0207 118 8247 or visit www.guardian24.co.uk Note: Guardian24 is a Belfast based company. Guardian24 supplies solutions to both the UK mobile and lone worker sectors and is the acknowledged market leader. The Guardian24 subscriber base now exceeds 30,000 UK users; with approximately 400 public and private sector organisations benefiting from their services. Among their customers are local authorities, healthcare services, housing associations, central government bodies, educational institutions, charities, banks, insurance and construction organisations. Guardian24 services are used via a wide range of devices including Blackberry, Android, iPhone, Windows or specialist Lone Worker devices.  

Holmatro introduces a new function on three pump models in its Spider range Holmatro introduces a new function on three pump models in its Spider range. The new Eco whisper mode minimises noise and fuel consumption. When operating a hydraulic rescue tool connected to one of these pumps, the engine speed automatically increases to maximum to ensure optimal equipment performance. After finishing operating, the engine reverts to Eco whisper mode, which keeps the pump running at a low idle speed. This not only reduces fuel consumption, but also extends operation time, while the noise level also goes down. A quieter pump causes less stress for victims and improves communication at the rescue scene. And because there’s no need to switch off the pump in between operations, it’s readily available for use again. How it works The Eco whisper mode works in combination with Core hoses up to a length of 15 m / 50 ft. With the equipment connected and the pump running, the operator simply presses the Eco button on the pump to activate and optimises this function for the right rescue set. Pump models The Holmatro Spider range petrol pumps are equipped with the new Eco whisper mode: SR 10 PC 1 E for single tool operation and SR 20 PC 2 E and SR 40 PC 2 E for simultaneous operation of two tools. Conversion sets to retrofit existing equivalent pumps with the Eco whisper mode are also available.  

Ecopol offer a reduced environmental impact and leading 3-dimensional properties When considering aircraft fire incidents or airport environment firefighting challenges, Ecopol is quickly becoming a best selling fluorine-free foam for the aviation industry. Available only in the UK from Terberg DTS Fire & Rescue Division, Ecopol aviation firefighting foam is acknowledged as one of the original fluorine-free firefighting foam concentrates in the world. Alisdair Couper, Managing Director at Terberg DTS explained: ‘Not only does Ecopol offer a reduced environmental impact, as it is readily biodegradable, its leading 3-dimensional properties allow airport firefighters the capability to protect and cool the airplane fuselage. This drastically reduces the potential for internal fires to break out whilst affording the fire crews valuable time during the critical phase of passenger evacuation.’ With an increasing demand on airport firefighters to tackle incidents away from aircraft, and the introduction of alternative hybrid vehicle technologies airside and around the airfield site, fire services have to consider the diversity of risk that they now manage. ‘The proven and effective capabilities of Ecopol aviation firefighting foam allow a single product to be used not only for aircraft firefighting, but also throughout many of the airport infrastructures, environments, fuel farms and terminals as well as maintenance and engineering facilities,’ said Alisdair. Ecopol has been developed as a 3% fluorine free foam, which is certificated to: Aviation: CAA ICAO Performance Level B European Standards: EN 1568 1-2-3-4 Oil Industry: GESIP-LASTFIRE Marine: Veritas High Expansion: APSAD R12 The use of a 3% foam product affords the end-user the ability to reduce costs, whilst delivering a higher capability, more efficient and an extremely flexible strategic firefighting resource. It is clear by the recommendation of the CAA that fluorine-free foams should be considered as the future. Ecopol meets all the required specifications for the aviation and domestic sectors, and when combined with our proven unrivalled national 24 hour service and support, we believe that Terberg DTS is the number one choice for fluorine-free foams in all critical airport firefighting environments,’ added Alisdair Couper. Firefighting foams are now a key part of the current Terberg DTS product range and Terberg DTS Fire & Rescue is now the sole distributor for the complete range of traditional FFF and environmentally friendly Firefighting foams from Bio-Ex, including the market leading aviation firefighting foam, Ecopol.  

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Burns apartment complex; 2 other buildings damaged  (From the LA Times) A massive fire in downtown Los Angeles early Monday destroyed an apartment tower under construction, damaged two other buildings and left two major freeways closed. The California Highway Patrol said the 110 Freeway is closed between the 10 and 101, and the 101 southbound is closed at Alvarado Street. The CHP urged motorists to avoid the area. More than 250 firefighters are battling the blaze at an apartment tower under construction 909 W. Temple St., Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman David Ortiz said. The LAFD said two other buildings along Figueroa Street were also damaged by the fire. A building at 331 N. Figueroa St. suffered "external damage from radiant heat" while fire damaged several floors of an office tower at 221 N. Figueroa St. “It’s huge," he said. Ortiz said the cause and extent of the fire were not yet known. There were no immediate reports of injuries. A series of dense, upscale apartment complexes have been built over the last decade around the 110-110 freeway interchange, and another one, known as the DaVinci, was currently under construction. "Experience urban-style elegance and European living in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. The Da Vinci, the newest member of the Renaissance collection, will offer fifteen unique floor plans to match your lifestyle," the projects website said. "Indulge in world-class amenities, such as a state of the art fitness facility, a full size indoor basketball court, a residential lounge, a library, a theater and a business center." The building had been in the news earlier this year when the developer sought a pedestrian bridge that would liken the DaVinci to other complexes in the area and offer residents a direct route into the downtown attractions. Images show the apartment complex fully engulfed. When the fire broke out at about 1:20 a.m., flames could be seen for miles, with some people on social media capture shots from as far away as the Hollywood Hills. Photos and video capture flames racing into the air as motorists drove by. As of 2:30 a.m., photos showed the the flames at the apartment complex had died down somewhat. At the corner of Hope and Temple streets, fire engines were stacked deep, parked diagonally.

Label: Marine Title: The Royal Swedish Navy and the Cutting Extinguisher Teaser: ColdCut explain how their ground-breaking cutting extinguisher works Label: Wildfires Label: Pumps Label: Training Title: Live fire training systems provide numerous opportunities Teaser: The latest developments in fire pump testing Teaser: Furthering fire fighter education

Gary Handwerk and Alan Saulsbury tell International fire Buyer about the latest developments in fire pump testing, and the ongoing push for a global testing standard As the world becomes smaller, in the fire apparatus industry all of us are looking to improve and standardise testing, along with third party certification of new and in-service emergency vehicles on a global basis. Presently, we basically have an EN standard, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) #1901 Standard for new Automotive Fire Apparatus, and various individual country-specific standards in place – none of which are ‘harmonised’ with common testing standards, third party certified test sites or testing equipment, nor common testing protocols. Since the last Intershutz conference, the Americans have adopted most of the fire apparatus operating ‘symbols’ used by European manufacturers. However, we really have no global fire apparatus testing standard in place.The NFPA #1901 standard is utilised extensively for designing, building, and testing new fire apparatus in North America, and is commonly ‘referenced’ in many other parts of the world. A separate NFPA #1911 standard is used for testing, inspection, maintenance, and replacement of In-Service fire apparatus. This standard requires testing of apparatus on an annual basis. Background One of the unique aspects of the NFPA #1901 fire Apparatus standard is that it encompasses all aspects of a fire apparatus including the fire pump and all related aerial, electrical and foam system testing. Part of the testing in the NFPA #1901 standard includes the requirement for a third party witnessed pump system testing on all apparatus with a fire pumps that are 2800LPM or larger. This is typically known as Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or Mistras Testing. This is in addition to the NFPA #1901 requirement for a fire pump manufacturer’s certification that the pump meets the performance stipulated in the standard. The pump certification is provided by the only fire pump manufacturer with the data collected form a series of factory tests performed on each individual pump. While ‘Type Testing’, common in European standards, is not utilised in the NFPA #1901 standard, each individual pump is tested and self-certified by the pump manufacturer. The completed fire apparatus pump system test is a third party-witnessed certification, conducted to specific NFPA #1901 requirements. The NFPA #1901 fire apparatus test is designed to test the entire pumping system in the ‘completed’ apparatus; it is not a re-certification of the fire pump itself; since the fire pump was previously tested and certified by the pump manufacturer before the apparatus was assembled. The key to the NFPA pump system test is to use the fire pump to load and stress everything related to a successful pumping operation at a large fire for many hours of continuous usage. This testing regiment has helped the North American apparatus builders, over the years, ‘hone their designs’ and build quality to the point that high performance and system reliability is common placed. Another aspect to the certification process includes the NFPA #1901 requirement for the test site and the equipment used during the test, these are surveyed and approved by the third party testing organisation, before any testing is conducted. History The history of the test process shows how fragile fire trucks were in the 1970s. Failing the third party test was common, the failures where usually not caused by the pump itself but, to a great extent, things related to the chassis, engine or electrical system, such as engine or transmission over heating, the engine exhaust melting down, the throttle cable melted and locked up, the engine bent a push rod and started blowing smoke, fire started under the truck, fuel vapour lock, the electric fuel pump failed, PTO failed, or a drive shaft failed. By the late 1980s many of these common failure problems were solved: Since every fire pump (over 2800LPM) mounted on a fire apparatus is tested so the Fire Department knows that their particular apparatus will hold up even during severe duty, extended running time, applications. What does a complete pumping system test consist of? Data is collected at specific timed intervals during the testing; additionally, all the apparatus electrical loads are “activated” during the testing to stress the electrical system. It requires pumping at a specific set of lift condition at: a) Pumping for two continuous hours at 100% of the rated capacity at 10 Bar (150psi) b) Pumping for 30 minutes at 70% of the rated capacity at 14 Bar (200psi) c) Pumping for 30 minutes at 50% capacity at 17 Bar (250psi) d) Pumping for ten minutes at 100% capacity at 11.38 Bars (165psi) e) Pressure control device (discharge side relief valve or pressure governor) f) Hydro-static pressure test of plumbing system (17Bar for 10 minutes with no pressure loss) g) Priming system test to reach 22 inches of Hg and not losing more than ten inches in five minutes h) Tank-to-pump line flow test performance i) On fire apparatus equipped with a line voltage generator system (120 or higher volts) a specific load/output test at 100% of rating simultaneously with the pumping test for two hours The down-side to #1901 testing is it does add cost to the apparatus, however, the cost is manageable because there is an existing infrastructure to support this on-gong testing process on every fire apparatus. Fire Departments have fully accepted this nominal cost, because of the reliability it has brought to the fire apparatus being purchased. Third party testing and certification The two most common organisations which provide the third party witnessing and certification, are Mistras and Underwriters Laboratories, UL being the largest. When third party tests are conducted outside of North America, travel and labour costs become very high. NFPA updating The current 2009 edition of NFPA #1901 standard in the process of revision and updating. The NFPA regularly updates all standards every three to five years. Some deadlines are extended to allow for significant changes and alignment with other standards. NFPA #1901 has just finished one of these extended time periods. Among the many

ColdCut explain how their ground-breaking cutting extinguisher has revolutionised the potentially extremely hazardous world of on-board marine fire-fighting Funding for solving the military assignments and duties has been steadily decreasing over the past decades. At the same time new international missions have emerged into the arena. Robert Averin, Project Manager for Naval Damage Control at FMV, the Swedish Defence Material Administration, says that in order for the Royal Swedish Navy to maintain fast responses to new missions, it has implied doing more for less: Including more efficient strategies and tactics, bilateral procurement initiatives, life cycle extension, etc. Social changes have introduced a more uniform legal situation, comparing civilian and military sectors of the community. Among other things, change in the recruitment process, going from a draft organisation to professional sailors and soldiers, more civilian regulations were brought in to the military organisations. Civilian work environment regulations and other jurisdictions were to be enforced throughout all military levels. The change in global politics and Sweden’s membership in the European Community introduced new joint missions to be completed at virtually any place around the globe. These brought forth yet new challenges for crew and equipment. As more sophisticated equipment had been introduced onboard Swedish naval vessels, the Royal Swedish Navy has found itself spending a larger fraction of resources on training. Sticking to traditional crew intensive solutions were not an option. Requirements like ‘more for less’ and ‘thinking outside the box’ permeated the whole organisation, including the Naval Procurement Command and the Sea Safety Training School. As Robert Averin puts it: “The Swedish navy is one of the leanest manned naval forces in the world. Our troops on-board are not full time fire-fighters, they are sailors. Of course they are trained in fire-fighting, but they are first and foremost sailors. Every new product and method we accept on-board must add efficiency to the mission.” Cutting extinguisher traced In 2001, the Royal Swedish Navy sought methods for offensive and efficient fire-fighting from a safe defensive position, to meet the demands of fire-fighting on-board composite vessels. In addition, the main target was to find systems supplementing and adding redundancy to traditional onboard systems; with high efficiency in suppressing fires, water usage and crew staffing. The system should also be easy to use, understand and train. Numbers of tests and evaluations were conducted and the results pointed out the Cutting Extinguisher as a reasonable candidate for fire-fighting on-board composite vessels as well as adding enhancing features to shipboard fire-fighting on traditional steel hull vessel. The cutting extinguisher was found to fill the gap of time between the initial attack and the BA-attack, providing the shipboard fire-fighting crew to: Reach the fire without adding oxygen Rapidly lowering the temperature in the fire room Minimising the water use, hence minimising collateral damages and stability issues Reducing the number of crew occupied with fire-fighting Enabling the crew to fight the fire efficiently from a relatively safe position Providing the a method to get an overall faster incident control Robert Averin concludes: “We found that the cutting extinguisher was extremely efficient and supported a method to combat shipboard fires with minimal risk of the crews’ safety and health.” Atalanta Operation In December 2008, the Swedish Government appointed three Swedish naval vessels under the disposal of the EU Atalanta Operation in Aden Bay. Since the appointed vessels were corvettes, they had to undergo fire zone classification according to the Naval Ship Code prior to introduction to the operation fleet at open sea. Compared to insulating zones and retrofitting fixed installed automatic fire suppression systems, the most cost effective way to obtain classification was to install cutting extinguishers as equivalents. In May 2009, a set of naval engineered cutting extinguishers was delivered prior to the ships’ commissioning in Djibouti. The units were also equipped with CBRN wash nozzles and auxiliary submersible pumps, supplied with power from the unit. Robert Averin states that “the crew [participating in Operation Atalanta] felt much safer to be able to do a Cobra attack, prior to getting involved in a BA-attack, at a possible shipboard fire incident.” Visby Class Stealth Corvettes By 2009, FMV and the Royal Swedish Navy had specified the requirements for the cutting extinguisher to be installed onboard the Visby Stealth Corvette Class. The 73 metre corvettes were equipped with dual cutting extinguishers for redundancy; one installed at the bow and one aft. The systems are driven by hydraulic motors, supplied with power from the onboard hydraulic system. Each of the system reaches to all areas of the ship, thus the redundancy. To complete the systems, a cutting frame unit, with the ability to cut man holes in the composite construction material within two minutes, was installed on-board. Royal Swedish Navy Shipboard Fire-Fighting Adding the cutting extinguishing method to the standard shipboard fire-fighting procedure, some extra preparations had to be made. To eliminate risks of aiming the hand lance at places on the deck or bulkheads which have obstacles on the opposite side, Cutting extinguisher Attack Points (CAPs) were marked at pre-defined places: A bright red ‘S’ on a white field. Hatches and doors are also considered pre-defined attack points, but are not marked – since they open, they usually don’t have obstacles on opposite side. When it comes to procedures, the third action encompasses the cutting extinguisher attack, thus called Second Attack: Early Detection – Alarm, First Attack, Second Attack, BA-Attack – Safe Re-entry Procedure. The initial two actions are the same as in standard shipboard fire-fighting procedures, they are also the same independently whether it is an incident on-board a composite vessel or a steel hull vessel. The third step has the cutting extinguishing method included as a first choice or as a complement to fixed installed fire suppressive systems – depending on the assessment of the situation. On-board a steel hull vessel, using the cutting extinguisher at pre-designated attack points might well make external boundary cooling and fixed fire suppression systems redundant – making the incident handling less crew