Oct 15, 2014
This TV news report and video demonstrates the rapid fire development of new synthetic materials versus old cotton and wool fabrics. The cubicle on the right is full of older or antique furniture, made of cotton, wool and down. The room on the left is a typical home with newer, synthetic furniture made with chemicals like polyurethane and hydro-carbons.
In one minute and thirty seconds the newer furnishings reached flashover. The old furniture took more than 13 minutes to reach flashover.
http://abc7chicago.com/home/faster-fires-why-your-home-could-burn-8x-faster/334723/
Oct 15, 2014
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing made changes to the Ontario Building Code this week to raise the height of wood frame buildings from four storeys to six storeys high. But Scott Marks with the International Association of Fire Fighters said firefighters are concerned the changes that allow Ontario builders to erect taller wood frame buildings will pose a greater safety risk.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/taller-wood-frame-buildings-raise-fire-risk-firefighter-group-says-1.2778608
Oct 15, 2014
The city’s assistant fire chief gives much of the credit to an education campaign boosted by a federal grant and money from the city. The department bought and distributed almost 8,000 DVDs on fire prevention. They came in four languages — English, Spanish, Somali and Russian — and were given to apartment-building managers to hand out to tenants.
There were also 5,400 “butt buckets,” a safe place to discard cigarette butts, and almost 1,000 StoveTop FireStops, a passive fire extinguisher that fastens with a magnet to a range hood and is activated by flames.
http://www.startribune.com/local/south/277535091.html
Oct 15, 2014
Edmonton’s Windermere condo development was still under construction in March when security cameras caught someone breaking into the building and setting fires inside. A 28-year-old construction framer has been charged with arson and numerous other offenses. He is also facing an unrelated arson charge in connection with a 2011 fire at a residential building site where he had been working.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/2-men-charged-6m-windermere-171428736.html
Oct 15, 2014
In May 2013, four Houston firefighters lost their lives while battling a massive hotel fire. Problems with radio communications are among the findings of a report by the Houston Fire Department that investigated the fatal fire that killed four firefighters. It was the deadliest accident in the history of the Houston Fire Department.
http://abc13.com/news/cause-of-deadly-hotel-fire-still-not-known/290137/
Oct 15, 2014
Since Yarnell, any measurable changes in the systems of wildland firefighting have been hard to grasp. Teams still train, operate and dispatch in the same ways. Equipment, from the national fleet of flying tankers down to the standard-issue foil fire shelters that could not save the Granite Mountain team from the fire, remains largely the same.
Officials at fires elsewhere are likely to offer the same answer. Although they will not forget the loss of the hotshot crew, they don’t make a direct connection between last year’s deaths and any actions this year.
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/2014/06/25/yarnell-hill-arizona-wildfire-crews/11344517/
Jun 27, 2014
Oregon’s Department of Forestry will get the chance this summer to use a small remote-controlled helicopter equipped with video, infrared cameras and a GPS locator to get a better look in tight smoky places before incident commanders send in fire crews.
“You are always looking for improved visibility of your fire,” said department fire prevention specialist Brian Ballou. “It just cuts down on the unknowns.”
http://www.mercurynews.com/nation-world/ci_26012086/oregon-use-radio-controlled-helicopter-fires
Jun 27, 2014
The Phoenix Fire Department’s elite fire investigations unit, once lauded as the most successful arson squad in the country, is being investigated for allegations of misconduct. The unit was making arrests in over half the city’s arson cases, a soaring statistic in a field where arrests are notoriously hard to come by.
http://abc11.com/news/phoenix-arson-squad-comes-under-fire/97675/
Jun 27, 2014
A survey of 580 small businesses highlighted a ‘staggering lack of awareness’ among the owners about their responsibility for fire safety. FireUK said, “Most of the companies were very honest and admitted they were unaware that they needed to undertake proper fire risk assessments. Commercial buildings, non-domestic and multi-occupancy premises in England and Wales are required to undertake a ‘suitable and sufficient’ fire risk assessment of their premises. If the fire risk assessment is deemed to have been carried out to an insufficient extent, the Appropriate Person can face an unlimited fine or a prison sentence of up to two years.
http://www.fia.uk.com/en/information/details/index.cfm/new-survey-highlights-lack-of-fire-safety-awareness-among-small-business-owners
Jun 27, 2014
Because solar systems are tied to the outside power grid fire crews must make sure that the outside grid connection is properly severed when trying to disconnect the power. Even then, the system is still live because the panels, powered by the sun, can’t be simply turned off. Safety precautions begin with securing utilities. Generally, this is a very simple procedure as the controls are clearly marked and firefighters know where to look for them. The challenge comes when the cutoff switch for the solar energy system is located inside the house, often in the garage. In the event that the fire was localized to, or had spread to, that area, it could present a considerable challenge.
