FireWatch

FireWatch is a service that provides links to news stories from the fire community that have attracted our attention.

New NFPA videos available

Quality fire, life, and workplace safety instruction reduces injuries and deaths. NFPA can help you deliver high-quality instruction and enhance your public education programs.  They have several new videos focusing on the importance of smoke alarms....

Social media a key factor in catching young arsonists in Windsor

With two young offenders in custody and a warrant issued for a third suspect, Windsor Police are crediting social media with playing a key role in their investigation. Through a resident’s home security system and social media, police were able to identify three...

Recognition of heart disease in B.C. firefighters restored

The Government of British Columbia has tabled legislation under the Workers Compensation Act to restore heart disease in firefighters as a presumptive disease recognized by WorkSafeBC.  Under the proposed amendment, if a firefighter suffers from heart disease or a...

Fire crews to attend automatic fire alarms no longer

In a bid to lower how many calls there are to false alarms fire crews will no longer be sent to automatic fire alarms.  During 2012/13, Chesire crews responded to more than 2,500 alarms but only 29 of these calls involved a fire, which meant 98.7 per cent could...

ISO fire prevention ratings explained

To establish a municipality's Public Protection Classification, the ISO uses a comprehensive 105.5 point scoring system called the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule that analyzes data across three categories of a community's fire-fighting capabilities:  Emergency...

Recalled smoke alarm causes fire

The investigation into a house fire found the smoke detectors were originally installed in 2005 and that they had been recalled by General Electric in 2010 because a capacitor could overheat - which this unit did.  

Manitoba creates task force to look into sprinkler retrofits

The Manitoba government said it is looking at sprinkler retrofits in personal care homes if further improvements need to be made in hospitals, personal care homes and other facilities.  The province also said it is dedicating up to $7 million annually for...

Fire codes forcing elderly out of their homes

Fire codes in New Hampshire require residents of care facilities to be able to evacuate the building within thirteen minutes.  The president of the New Hampshire Association of Residential Care Homes said the problem of elderly residents being forced out of assisted...

Seven keys to fire safety with photovoltaic installations

To gain a greater understanding of PV technology UL sceintists constructed a functioning PV array to serve as a test fixture.  UL discovered seven new findings regarding roof-mounted photovoltaic systems that impact firefighter safety. ...

Highway to hazmat hell

A highway accident results in a spectacular and impressive series of explosions captured on video. http://contentdrivestraffic.com/highway-to-hazmat-hell

Designing fire systems for flammable, combustible liquids

Specifying fire protection for the storage of flammable and combustible liquids in containers is critical. http://www.plantengineering.com/single-article/designing-fire-systems-for-flammable-combustible-liquids/83f1894f452a6c1a80676a2b60b6acbd.html

Politicians fiddle with laws as buildings burn

The way Quebec politicians and others are carrying on, you’d think that the automatic sprinkler system was an untried, still slightly sketchy, cutting-edge technology and not one proven over and over again in the 142 years since they were invented. 

Fire safety on First Nations reserves a national problem

People living on a First Nations reserve in Canada are 10 times more likely to die in a house fire than people in the rest of Canada, according to a 2010 federal study on fire safety on reserves, a sombre figure highlighted by the deaths of two young boys in a...

Recieve our FireWatch Newsletters

* indicates required
Company/Department