to reduce fire deaths among the over 65’s Fire Minister Brandon Lewis has called for joint working across government to reduce the number of fire deaths among the over 65s. In a wide-ranging speech to the Local Government Association (13 March 2013), the minister spoke about the main issues facing fire and rescue authorities in the year ahead and the importance of preventative work. While acknowledging that the work by fire and rescue authorities has had a huge impact in reducing accidental deaths, the over 65s still account for almost 50% of all fire-related fatalities. He said that data sharing across government – and working more closely with other parts of government such as the Department for Work and Pensions – would ensure that resources could be more effectively targeted at the most vulnerable in society. The minister highlighted the vital role of fire prevention and the fact that deaths from fire are at an all-time low and continuing to fall. Praising the work of fire and rescue authorities he said that “prevention is the frontline” and drew attention to the latest phase of the award-winning ‘Fire Kills’ campaign which launched this week. Mr Lewis also mentioned funding, emphasising that fire and rescue authorities could still do to more to reduce costs, such as better procurement and joint working. To help with this, the Efficiency Review being led by Sir Ken Knight will examine how the fire and rescue authorities can pinpoint further savings while still protecting frontline service quality. The minister went on to discuss the possibility of mutuals in the fire and rescue sector, making it clear that this was not privatisation by the back door. He said: “Our aim is to give fire and rescue authorities the flexibility to deliver their services in the best way for their communities, and support those who want to explore a mutual model. “Any measures would be optional – It would be wholly up to individual fire and rescue authorities as to whether they want to set up a mutual. The funding and accountability for the provision of such services would remain in the public sector; ultimately fire and rescue authorities are statutorily responsible for delivering this important public service.” Mr Lewis also welcomed the recent appointment of Peter Holland as the incoming Chief Fire and Rescue Advisor and paid tribute to the work done by his predecessor Sir Ken Knight, thanking him for the valuable contribution he had made during his time in the post.  

With flexible boom mike for professional fire service use Use the high-quality helmet type-independent hearing protection with swan-neck mike for professional fire service use and say goodbye to expensive helmet adapters. Thanks to the ingenious mechanical clamp mechanism, the durable headset can be easily attached to any popular fire service helmet. Without a special helmet adapter. Yet the features are not limited to the unique clamp mechanism – which makes it a simpler matter to ensure the loudspeaker is positioned perfectly next to the ear. The flexible boom arm does not spring back when released and is of course long enough to be brought into position next to the speaking diaphragm on a respirator. The system is perfectly complemented by a powerful loudspeaker and a waterproof, noise-compensating electret swan-mike microphone. CT-FlexCom is more than a match for any challenge met during professional fire service missions and is certified to the stringent IP66/67 protection classes. For day-to-day use, this means that neither water jets nor dusts have any chance of adversely affecting its operation. If the communication system becomes soiled or contaminated, it can be cleaned in a water bath (IP67). This means the system is always ready for the next mission. And it’s not just the fixing mechanism that makes the flexible CT-FlexCom system a unique fire service product. The system is also connected to the new CT-HR PTT: this unit is designed for up to million key presses and can be used with both analog and digital radios. Please note: the helmet communication system is certification-ready for the EN 443 (flame engulfment) standards. This can be implemented jointly with the helmet manufacturer. CeoTronics also offers a guarantee of 3 years on this product and its cabling, etc. An ATEX version of CT-FlexCom is in development. With this single fixing clamp, suitable e.g. for the following fire service helmets: Schuberth: F110, F120 pro, F130, F220 Rosenbauer: XT, Smart Dräger: HPS4300, HPS3100 Casco: PF112, PF100, PF1000SH Bullard: H1500, H3000 MSA Auer: FUEGO, F” XTREME  

Allows excellent situational awareness FLIR Systems, the world leader in portable thermal imaging, has introduced a brand new range of uncooled radiometric cameras, specifically for firefighting. The new FLIR K-Series enhances the company’s established presence in this sector by factoring in camera features developed for harsh industrial environments.   A typical example is the torch-style grip of this new model that has been proven in the industrial market. It is ideal for single handed operation and, unlike a monocular or binocular thermal imaging camera, can be used when the operator is moving. It provides a clear crisp image at arms length whilst allowing good situational awareness.   The FLIR K-Series is designed to meet the toughest operating conditions. For example it will withstand a drop of two metres onto a concrete floor. It is also water resistant to IP67 and suitable for operation in temperatures up to 85◦C.   FLIR Systems markets more thermal imaging cameras than any other manufacturer. As a result, it has been able to introduce the FLIR K-Series at an extremely affordable price thanks to the manufacturing economies.   Two models complete the series. The FLIR K50 produces thermal images up to 320 x 240 pixels. For those who do not require this high image quality, the FLIR K40 has a 240 x 180 pixels array.    Both versions feature a bright 4” display and provide a choice of colour palettes to suit the application. Control is via three large buttons on top of the camera that are designed to be easily operated when the firefighter is wearing gloves.    The FLIR K-Series cameras not only provide thermal images in total darkness but are also able to ‘see’ through smoke, rain and fog. They are therefore ideal for helping firefighters navigate through smoke-filled buildings and for locating victims.            The camera’s ability to measure temperature provides the firefighter with an important sixth-sense. For example the FLIR K-Series is able to show if a fire is burning behind a wall. Such information can be lifesaving as it warns the operator not to risk a back draft by opening a door or breaking a window.   A quick thermal profile of the scene also highlights areas that remain in danger of re-combustion and enables the operator to confirm when the fire has been successfully extinguished.   Although primarily designed for use at the scene of a fire, the FLIR K-Series is also eminently suitable for use in any search and rescue situation. Thermal images can be stored in-camera and later used to enhance a post-incident report.   In common with all FLIR portable thermal imaging cameras, every FLIR K-Series thermal imaging camera carries a two year product warranty that complements its ten year detector warranty.

teaser: Thermal imaging for fire fighters video:

The names ‘Nova’ & ‘Starflex’ have become synonymous with firefighters the world over  The names ‘Nova’ & ‘Starflex’ have become synonymous with firefighters the world over as a benchmark of quality, reliability and performance within the demanding world of front line firefighting. UK Fire Fighting Equipment manufacturers, Delta Fire, now boast amongst the biggest stockholding of top quality fire hose in the country catering for everything from Water Delivery and Washdown hose to Premium Grade Professional Firefighter hose. Delta Fire have seen a rapid growth in their sales of Fire Hose in the last few years and now supply numerous prestigious customers from a diversity of Industries around the world including clients within the Defence, Fire & Rescue, Marine, Aviation, Petrochemical, Oil & Gas, Water and Utilities industries to name a few. The top of the range Delta Nova is a type 3 layflat fire hose (Red, Blue or Yellow) exceeding the requirements of BS6391 and is M.E.D. (Ship’s Wheel) approved for marine use. Nova is also Lloyds Register approved. Manufactured with an all synthetic woven textile reinforcement encased in high tensile PVC / Nitrile Rubber forming a unified lining and cover this hose is suitable for use in the most demanding environmental situations and boasts superb heat, abrasion, oil and chemical resistance whilst remaining maintenance free. The Delta Starflex brand encompasses both Type 1 and Type 2 options. Starflex Type 1 (White) is an uncoated layflat fire hose that is perfectly suited to general purpose firefighting, water transfer and washdown use and is an extremely hard wearing, competitive product. The Starflex Type 2 hose (Red or Blue) is a coated layflat fire hose widely favoured by Fire Brigades and Industrial users. Manufactured with an all synthetic, woven polyester jacket for a lightweight yet highly durable finish that remains flexible and easy to handle. Delta also supplies Starflex Water Potable (Type 2 Blue) Drinking Water hose in 64mm. All Delta Fire Hoses are available in a variety of diameters and can be supplied fitted with any British or International couplings. For all enquiries or to request the 2013 Delta Fire Product Portfolio, contact: UK Sales: sales@deltafire.co.uk Export Sales: export@delta.co.uk Website: www.deltafire.co.uk Telephone: 01603 735000 Fax: 01603 735009  

For the manufacture of flanges Delta Fire , the UK’s main manufacturer of Fire Fighting Nozzles announces the building of a second factory to accommodate a full new suite of state of the art CNC machines proving that UK manufacturing is very much alive and well.   The new factory will be built adjacent to their existing factory and offices in Norwich, UK and will facilitate an increased output in the manufacturing of Delta Fire’s Premium Quality Fire Nozzles and Foam Equipment. This is all part of a 1.6 million US dollar investment program to ensure Delta Fire products stay ahead of the field in terms of quality, reliability and long term value for money. The new factory will see increased manufacturing in Fire Nozzles, Foam Equipment, Flanges and Hose Fittings ensuring continuity of supply to their customers around the world. Many essential Marine and Industrial Fire Fittings such as fire hose couplings and adaptors will also be manufactured ‘in house’. Delta Fire has become synonymous with unsurpassed quality and reliability amongst professional Fire Fighters with the Delta Fire Nozzles now in service with over 60% of the UK Fire and Rescue Services. A dedicated Technical Support team is on hand to assist with technical advice and product support. Delta Fire operates within a diverse global customer base supplying the Defence, Aviation, Marine, Petrochemical, Oil & Gas and Major Industrial sectors. The new expansion programme will see an increase in product development to ensure that Delta Fire continue to offer their customers the very latest in Front Line Fire Protection. For all enquiries or to request the 2013 Delta Fire Product Portfolio, contact: UK Sales: sales@deltafire.co.uk Export Sales: export@delta.co.uk Website: www.deltafire.co.uk Telephone: 01603 735000 Fax: 01603 735009  

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Skyscraper fires are a dangerous and ever-increasing problem for firefighters Over recent years, the number of skyscrapers catching fire has been rising at an alarming rate. According to the National Fire Protection Association, during the seventeen-year period ending in 2002, 1600 civilians died and over 20,000 were injured in the approximate 385,000 high-rise building fires in the United States, excluding the MGM Grand Hotel and the Las Vegas Hilton fires in the early 80’s, and the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001. A brief history of skyscraper fires: • November 21st, 1980 – The MGM Grand Hotel fire in Las Vegas resulted in the death of 84 people and 600 injuries. Hundreds of occupants were seen clinging to their balconies pleading for help. Some tragically attempted to escape by tying bed sheets together. If it wasn’t for the heroic efforts of the military helicopters retrieving occupants off the uppermost balconies and roof of the 26-storey hotel, there is little doubt the casualties would have been much higher. • December 31st 1980 – The Dupont Plaza Hotel fire in San Juan, Puerto Rico, resulted in the death of 86 people and 140 injuries. Many were trapped in the upper floors of the 17-storey hotel. Three died in the elevators. The majority of the fatalities occurred when fleeing guests were trapped inside the casino area. • February 10th 1981 – The Las Vegas Hilton Hotel fire resulted in the death of 8 people and 350 injuries. Smoke and flames spread vertically on the exterior walls until it reached the top floor of the 30-storey hotel. It was ruled, the presence of highly combustible carpet on the walls and ceilings contributed to the rapid spread of the fire. • May 4th 1988 – The 62-storey First Interstate Bank building in downtown Los Angeles proved to be one of the most challenging and difficult high-rise fires in the city’s history. The fire, which continued unabated for 24 hours, destroyed four floors, claimed one life, and injured 35 occupants and 14 firefighters. • February 23rd, 1991 – A twelve-alarm fire gutted eight floors of the 38-storey One Meridian Plaza building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The fire raged for 18 hours. Three firefighters were trapped on a fully engulfed floor, and efforts to rescue them failed. Fire officials called off the attack and allowed the fire to ‘free burn’, concentrating their efforts instead on containment. • February 26th, 1993 – A 1,500-pound bomb created a 4-storey deep crater in the sub-ground level of the North Tower of the World Trade Centre in New York City, causing a fire that spewed smoke into the upper levels of the 110-storey building. Six people were killed and 1042 people were injured, mostly from smoke inhalation. • November 21st, 1996 – The worst fire in Hong Kong’s history occurred in an office building on Nathan Street. People were seen leaping from the windows to escape the flames. The fire was so intense it turned the entire skyscraper into a towering inferno, killing 40 people and injuring 81. • February 23rd, 1997 – The Bangkok President Tower, a 36-floor complex on Ploenchit Road, Bangkok, caught fire, destroying the seventh to tenth floors, leaving three dead. • December 8th, 1997 – At least 14 people died in a fire that engulfed the top floors of a new tower block in Indonesia’s central bank complex in Jakarta. • September 11th 2001 – Over two thousand people lost their lives in the World Trade Centre complex in New York City following the crashing of two hijacked commercial jets into the Twin Towers. Following brief fires, both steel-framed towers collapsed. Hours later, the 47-storey World Trade Centre # 7, a steel-framed building built in the mid-1980’s and designated as ‘fireproof’, collapsed from fire even though it was not hit by the hijacked planes. • October 18th, 2004 – Parque Central, a 56-storey office tower in Caracas, Venezuela, was engulfed in flames. For more than 17 hours, the fire raged. Two floors in the skyscraper, and several staircases, collapsed as the fire spread through 26 of the skyscraper’s 56 floors, forcing the evacuation of neighboring buildings. The temperatures were so intense the firefighters ceased operations, fearing a collapse similar to what occurred on September 11, 2001, at the World Trade Centre. Though the fire was much larger and burned many hours longer than the World Trade Centre fires, the building remained standing. • February 14th, 2005 – The Windsor Building in Madrid, Spain, burned like a Roman candle for two days. At one point, the entire 32-storey skyscraper was engulfed in flames. Several of the top floors collapsed onto the lower ones and it was feared the entire structure would collapse. However, like the Parque Central fire, the skyscraper remained standing. • February 9th 2009 – Fire in the newly constructed 44-storey Mandarin Oriental hotel in downtown Beijing turned the building into a towering inferno. However, like Madrid’s Windsor Building, the skyscraper remained standing. One firefighter died, six others were injured. Common denominators The first and most obvious fact is that skyscrapers have the potential of becoming towering infernos. In the book, High-Rise Security and Fire Line Safety, Geoff Craighead illustrates how modern high-rise buildings are less fire resistant than the previous generation, such as the Empire State Building, because of their lightweight steel construction and their potential for larger fires due to open floor designs. The second and most alarming fact is that they all occurred beyond the reach of fire department ladders. Architects and developers are constructing skyscrapers even taller, acting as if 9/11 never happened. The 2,717-foot-tall Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the 2,000-foot Chicago Spire (construction temporarily halted), and the 1,776 foot One World Trade Centre (currently under construction), are three cases in point. Knowing what we know about the extraordinary challenges firefighters face in towering skyscrapers, there is a growing consensus that the methods used to fight fires in the upper floors need to be radically modified. Time factor As Einstein

By Dr. Fathi Tarada: Co-Chairman, World Road Association Working Group on ‘Air Quality, Fire and Ventilation’ and Managing Director, Mosen Ltd The lorry fire that broke out on 26th July 2011 in the Brynglas Tunnel in South Wales caused severe traffic disruption for four days, and this has underscored the potential damage associated with tunnel fires. Could better design reduce the risks? Last year, the World Road Association (PIARC) published a new report on design fires for tunnels, which goes some way towards clarifying how the tunnel fire risks can be assessed and managed. In particular, the report provides updated information on fire heat release rates and the time development of vehicle fires, based on experimental tests. However, for those seeking instant answers to design fires in tunnels, the report delivers some rather sobering conclusions: A universal design fire cannot be specified, because the probability and size of any fire is inherently unknown. The choice of design fire therefore needs to be made with some care – and there will always be a residual risk that a real fire will be greater than the design fire. The PIARC report limits itself to considering design fires for the sizing of equipment in tunnels (e.g. ventilation) and the development of scenarios when developing emergency response plans. The report therefore does not consider structural fire protection issues, which are left to other standard-setting bodies such as the International Tunnelling Association. The key parameter used in the report to describe fire size is the heat release rate, typically measured in megawatts (MW). The fire sizes adopted in different countries are presented in the PIARC report. The comparison indicates that several countries adopt different fire sizes depending on the type of vehicle admitted to a tunnel, recognising the risk of larger fires with heavy goods vehicles and dangerous goods. It is also clear that countries that only utilise longitudinal ventilation allow for higher design fires, since this mode of ventilation can generally be designed to deal with larger fires at reasonable expense, while the same consideration with transverse ventilation systems (e.g. in Alpine tunnels) would require a significant increase in the costs of tunnel structure and equipment. In its previous report on design fires, published in 1999, PIARC recommended a tunnel design fire size of 30 MW. However, that report acknowledged that significantly higher heat release rates from heavy goods vehicles and vehicles with dangerous goods are possible based on the experimental measurements undertaken during the EUREKA fire tests. These indicated peak fire heat release rates of up to 120MW. The heat release rates from fires arising from petrol tanker fuel spills were considered to depend on the leakage rate and drainage, in the range of 200 to 300 MW. In the meantime, a number of experimental test programmes were undertaken with fires in tunnels, which seemed to indicate that very high fire heat release rates are possible, even with conventional goods. These included a series of fire tests at the disused 1,600m-long Runehamar tunnel in Norway, funded by the EU’s UPTUN project. The Runehamar tests showed that heat release rates of between 66 MW to 202 MW are possible due to fires in heavy goods vehicles loaded with a combination of wood pallets (80% of mass) and plastic (20% of mass). Recognition of these experimental results has been made by a number of standard-setting bodies, including the National Fire Protection Association, whose latest 2011 edition of the NFPA 502 code recommends a range of 70 to 200 MW for the peak fire heat release rates from heavy goods vehicles. While recognising that high heat release rates are indeed possible due to fires in heavy good vehicles, the PIARC report counsels caution in applying the UPTUN experimental data directly for design purposes. It points out that the experimental design of the Runehamar tunnel itself may have promoted large fire sizes. For example, the combustible load was covered with tarpaulin, which burnt away readily, and hence allowed an unimpeded flow of oxygen into the fire. In order to protect the Runehamar tunnel structure, an ‘inner tunnel’ comprising fire protection boards had been built. Because of this, the combustible load was close to tunnel walls and ceiling, which promoted radiative heating, and also meant that high ceiling temperatures were measured. Based on considerations of all the fire tests undertaken to date. The table below presents typical peak fire heat release rates for different road vehicles. Another issue highlighted by the PIARC report is the effect of air velocity on heat release rates. Although the control of smoke movement in a tunnel through the application of a longitudinal airflow is generally recommended, particularly for unidirectional tunnels, it is acknowledged that increasing air velocities may have the effect of enhancing the heat release rates of open fires. This is because more oxygen is transported to the fuel, increasing the combustion rate, and the deflection of the flame increases fire spread and consequently the fire growth rate. However, fires in enclosed vehicles are less sensitive to tunnel air velocities. In the event of a major tunnel fire, the ultimate responsibility for rescuing motorists and extinguishing the fire almost invariably falls on the fire brigade. Fire fighters themselves need to be protected from the effects of smoke and heat radiation, and tunnel safety-related equipment should therefore be designed to provide such protection, as far as possible. However, the Runehamar and other fire tests have shown that heat radiation in fires over 50-100 MW may be too high for the fire brigade to approach and extinguish the fire. Such limitations need to be considered in setting the design fire size for tunnel equipment. While the required fire heat release rate for tunnel equipment design is prescribed in some countries’ standards, other countries allow for at least a certain amount of flexibility in the design approach for fire protection. Such a ‘performance-based’ approach allows alternative solutions to fire protection to be considered, which may allow design and construction costs to be reduced.