FireWatch

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

Train disasters will be the new normal unless safety rules change

“Three years ago, there was almost no oil being moved by rail. It's been growing incredibly rapidly and its projected to keep growing that way and the safety standards in Canada simply have not kept up to the new ways to move new kinds of oil," a Greenpeace...

Molotov cocktails set police cars on fire

 A police vehicle was set on fire in New Brunswick as police began enforcing an injunction to end an ongoing demonstration against shale gas exploration.  http://www.castanet.net/news/Canada/100780/Cop-cars-set-on-fire-by-molotov-cocktails 

New York Court Rejects Computer Fire Modeling

A New York court held that a defendant had not presented sufficient evidence that computer fire modeling was generally accepted as reliable in the fire investigation community....

NIST Developing ‘Richter Scale’ for Fires

Researchers have been working on a system to measure and predict the destructiveness of wildfires - similar to the way officials use the magnitude scale for earthquakes. In the 1970s, wildfires destroyed about 400 homes across the US. Since 2000, wildfires have...

Sometimes it’s Better and Safer to Back Away from a Fire

Dude fire (1990) - six firefighters die.  Esperanza fire (2006) - five Forest Service firefighters die. Yarnell Hill (2013) - 19 firefighters die.  For what?  “It is OK to retreat from danger until conditions become more favourable for safe and successful...

Winnipeg Councillors Suspicious of Fire Chief’s Dismissal

The Winnipeg fire chief, who was named chief two years ago, had been embroiled in controversy over an unusual land swap and sale of fire halls. His dismissal comes shortly before the anticipated release of a detailed audit report on the land swap deal. ...

North Bay Fire dept. staffing under review due to FUS

North Bay Council has called for more study in response to a fire underwriter’s survey that suggests it would take an $8-million capital investment, including the construction of another reservoir to store more water, as well as the hiring of more fire fighters and...

Dehumidifiers recalled as potential fire hazard

Dehumidifiers produced by a number of different manufacturers have been recalled as potential fire hazards. There have been 165 incidents, including 46 fires and $2.15 million in property damage. No injuries have been reported....

New portable fire extinguisher training technology

This portable fire extinguisher training system, which utilizes propane gas, is much safer and more environmentally friendly than past methods. A trainer can control the intensity of the flames and utilize the emergency stop switch on a handheld controller at any time.

Modern homes burn eight times faster than 50 years ago

Even 30 years ago, a person had up to an estimated eight minutes to exit their home from the time their smoke detector went off. Today, a person has less than two minutes. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/modern-homes-burn-8-times-faster-than-50-years-ago-1.1700063

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