Smoke and flame detection using video analytics has been around for about 14 years, during which time the technology has found a useful niche in aircraft hangars, turbine halls, and road tunnels. Jose Maria Sanchez de Muniain talks to the man often dubbed by others in the industry as “the father of video smoke detection”, and to a company that is poised to take the technology to a whole new level of applications and ease of installation, where VSD will be available off-the-shelf and without the need for specialist cameras – or indeed specialist installation personnel.

Ultrasonic pressurised gas leak detection technology is now widely recognised in the oil and gas industry. A leader in this technology is Groveley Detection who recently launched the unique GDU-Incus, which incorporates four independent sensing heads. Jose Sanchez de Muniain talked to Managing Director Robert Bennet about latest developments in this sector.

Rowland Davies, Marketing Services Manager at Apollo Fire Detectors, explores how sounders and beacons have developed and their application as early warning devices in modern fire detection systems.

John frame has created and delivered LNG Fire Response training courses and also produced the original book LNG Fire Protection & Emergency Response (IChemE). In this part two of his LNG series he focuses on rollover; international standards; and likely incident scenarios including refrigeration; jetties cargo operations; and tankage/piping.

In many countries the use of ethanol has increased significantly as a means to fulfil climate goals by replacing fossil fuels with renewable fuels. However, although ethanol is a well known product, it poses new fire-related challenges to the oil/fuel industry and first responders. Even if the industry and first responders are aware of these problems there is a lack of experience or regulatory guidance, in particular with regard to ethanol tank fires. This article describes what we know today and gives some suggestions concerning necessary research project to ensure safe implementation of ethanol on a broad basis. Such a research project is best suited to an international effort, both due to the magnitude of the work needed and to ensure that different national safety issues are dealt with appropriately and challenges solved. Henry Persson, from the SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, writes.

Encapsulating volatile substances, hydrocarbons and dust to prevent a fire’s devastating effects on the ecosystem is the new frontier of scientific research into new applications on the fire safety field. A new low pressure watermist system has been launched that happens to do just that.

The following safety alert has been released by the UK’s Health and Safety Executive and is primarily for the attention of those companies operating oil/fuel storage facilities. However, it may also be relevant to other sites storing hazardous substances in large tanks where level gauges are used.

The UK’s Health and Safety Executive has issued a safety notice highlights the need to ensure suitable and sufficient assessment of the adequacy of venting arrangements for cargo oil tanks on FPSO and FSU installations.

The YouTube posting comes in a week that saw the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) issue guidance to UK architects on incorporating anti-terrorism measures into their designs, and comes in the wake of further recent terrorist atrocities in Moscow and amid continuing uncertainty worldwide.

Groupe Eurotunnel has taken a significant step towards the implementation of new firefighting stations in the Channel Tunnel designed to combat fires using detection and aspersion.

International Leadership Speaker Jim Bennett explores the area of Human Factors in Major Accident prevention and response. Many organisations are very good at understanding the technical causes of major accidents but struggle to gain a deeper understanding of why the people involved behaved as they did, he suggests that a deeper understanding of an organisation’s safety maturity is a core indicator of their effectiveness and gives a good insight on how it influences future behaviours.

John Frame has created and delivered LNG Fire Response training courses and also produced the original book LNG Fire Protection & Emergency Response, available from the IChemE. In this article, he focuses on LNG incident hazards and likely scenarios with a view to assisting emergency responders who may be called upon to react to incidents at LNG facilities.  

As a result of the NTSB investigation into the February 6, 2006, aviation accident (UPS Flt. 1307) at Philadelphia International Airport, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued Safety Recommendation A-07-110. The recommendation called for the industry to band together “to develop and disseminate accurate and complete airplane Emergency Response diagrams for ARFF personnel at airports with cargo operations.”

The UK Government has published its response to the ICL Inquiry Report on the explosion at Grovepark Mills, Maryhill, Glasgow, 11 May 2004.

After 10 years of operating the COMAH regime (Control of Major Accident Hazard regulations) the COMAH Competent Authority* (CA) is about to introduce a series of changes during April. The changes follow a fundamental review that started in 2008, on the CA’s approach to regulating onshore major hazards in the UK. So what do the changes actually mean? Industrial Fire Journal places under the spotlight Gordon MacDonald, Director Hazardous Installations Directorate, Health and Safety Executive.

Nine new control centres for the entire English Fire Service are due to open in the next two years – Industrial Fire Journal experienced first hand the extensive fire protection systems in place.

Spain’s 28km-long Guadarrama Tunnel (the fourth longest rail tunnel in the world) and the 8.5km San Pedro Tunnel together form part of the recently-opened Madrid-Valladolid high speed rail link.

Chiltern International Fire’s Head of Fire Resistance Mark Cummings and Principal Test Engineer Ross Newman highlight some of the market trends affecting fire testing.

With an increasing demand for E5 petrol and B5 diesel it is important to be aware of the differences when it comes to an emergency. The Energy Institute’s Guidance for the storage and handling of fuel grade ethanol at petroleum distribution installations contains a highly useful firefighting section – IFJ reproduces some of the highlights here.

Head of L’Oreal Corporate Fire Security Eric Issartel and MD of Ai Group Pierre Christophorov talk to IFJ about the challenges of aerosol spray fires, and how high expansion foam offers an effective alternative to traditional extinguishing systems.

In recent years, the Angus Emergency Foam Service has mobilised its emergency foam services for incidents in the UK, Japan, Turkey and Spain, and most recently in Libya. Indeed, since its inception in the late 1970s, it has responded to customer requests for large quantities of firefighting foam and equipment by road or air within 24 hours. Depending on the scale and location of the emergency, Angus Fire says that up to 40,000 litres of foam concentrate can be deployed within two hours, with additional stocks following rapidly. 

Chemguard has recently introduced Ecoguard 3% and 6% fluorine-free synthetic firefighting foam concentrate – the first and only UL Listed fluorine-free foam for multiple applications, Ecoguard is an effective and eco-friendly training foam.

Airport operations are extraordinarily complex and every aspect of operations, safety and security needs to be seamlessly integrated.  Assets have to be accurately logged and monitored, legislative compliance must be assured, and responsibilities need to be clear-cut.  Colin Simpson, Chairman of the International Aviation Fire Protection Association, outlines a new initiative that the IAFPA is pioneering with the airside team at one of the largest airports in the world.

In recent years, the Angus Emergency Foam Service has mobilised its emergency foam services for incidents in the UK, Japan, Turkey and Spain, and most recently in Libya. Indeed, since its inception in the late 1970s, it has responded to customer requests for large quantities of firefighting foam and equipment by road or air within 24 hours. Depending on the scale and location of the emergency, Angus Fire says that up to 40,000 litres of foam concentrate can be deployed within two hours, with additional stocks following rapidly.

Is your site up to the latest standards? Jonathan Gilbert of Tyco Safety Products explains the jargon and offers some solutions for dust protection

By implementing an integrated fire and gas strategy based on the latest automation technology, plants can meet their plant safety and critical infrastructure protection requirements while ensuring operational and business readiness at project start-up, writes
Kees Kemps, Senior Safety Consultant at Honeywell.

Cranes, access platforms, forklift trucks and numerous other types of mobile equipment are used every day in refinery and petrochemical operations.
Malcolm Davis from safety company Pyroban explains that explosion prevention is possible and financially viable – even for short term use.

Justin Clift of Hazard Control Technologies and John Astad, Head of the Combustible Dust Policy Institute in Texas, on why complacency is not an option with dust.

David O’Riley, Business Development Manager with ProjectFire, writes about sustainability in fire suppression. Not only is it possible, he argues, but it can save time and money for all parties.

David Owen, Business Development Manager for fire protection specialist Firemain Engineering, outlines a specific scenario and a best-practice approach for dealing with special hazard risk assessments.

Hollywood certainly hasn’t helped promote the use of sprinklers among many building owners and developers. Images of the “hero” escaping some villainous pursuer by setting off the sprinkler system throughout a building after applying a cigarette lighter to a sprinkler head are not only misleading, but help perpetuate the myths that these systems are unreliable and damaging to business. Pat Cox gets tough on some prevailing misconceptions.

Would you like to know what the fire conditions are behind that closed door? Who wouldn’t want better situational awareness? Jonathan Gilbert, Business Development Manager at Tyco Safety Products, introduces IFJ to a new range of intelligent addressable panels.

For First Hydro Company (a joint venture between International Power plc & Mitsui & Co), operators of Dinorwig Power Station in North Wales, there was an additional factor to take into account when they needed to upgrade the existing conventional fire detection system to meet current safety requirements. Known to thousands of visitors as Electric Mountain, Dinorwig Power Station is situated deep underground, inside Elidir Mountain close to Snowdonia National Park.

The term “passive fire protection” is used to describe a number of materials and systems of construction intended to delay the passage of fire from one part of a building to another. It is also true to say that it tends to be a “fit and forget” issue – largely because the occupiers and users of the building don’t fully appreciate its importance to the overall fire protection of the structure, its contents and its occupants.

Much has been written and reported about the effects of fire water run-off from large scale fire incidents. The problem isn’t new and there have been several landmark fires over the years to remind us that without careful planning disaster can strike – Allied Colloids, Bradford 1992, Sandoz, Basel 1986 and Buncefield, 2005 are seen as the worst case benchmarks for such incidents. Of course, Buncefield didn’t just force a reappraisal of groundwater contamination, it also highlighted the need to reappraise the risk assessments underpinning the approach to firefighting in storage depots. This article will focus on how foam proportioning itself can become part of the review process so that foam discharge is kept to the minimum whilst maximizing firefighting capability and cost effectiveness.

Brian Jones, UK manager for Norwegian fire detection company Autronica has noticed that the trend within the offshore industry has moved from infrared point gas detectors towards open path detectors.

High-pressure water mist systems are now widely accepted as an excellent alternative to the controversial CO2 or other gas-based systems for fire fighting in engine rooms, including total flooding and local application systems.

There are many factors which should be taken into consideration when determining the most suitable location for sensors, and site location is one of them. Indoor and outdoor site monitoring present different problems due to mechanical ventilation, building structure or the wind direction/speed.

There are many factors which should be taken into consideration when determining the most suitable location for sensors, and site location is one of them. Indoor and outdoor site monitoring present different problems due to mechanical ventilation, building structure or the wind direction/speed.

According to David Owen of Firemain Engineering, a fire engineering company based in St Helens UK, the Hi Ex Foam system is used for special applications such as aircraft hangars and warehouses. The company recently designed, supplied and commissioned the low expansion foam systems for Virgin Atlantic’s Airbus A380 hangar at Heathrow. Its High Expansion systems were also installed by Argus Fire at RAF Fairford.

Expectations from safety design engineers and operators for technology to increase not only the safety of a facility but also design and installation has lead to several new developments from manufacturers such as Tyco Safety Products.

While water mist continues to find new industrial applications it still faces a safety culture reluctant to change.
Dan Worth reports.

Specifying fire resistant glazing systems can be an opaque process, Ann-Marie Knegt learned. A long list of requirements have to be fulfilled before achieving safety and fire

It is a pleasure to visit an industrial facility and find an emergency response team that is utterly convinced that its level of readiness for the unexpected is world class – and after visiting SembCorp Utilities’ 2000-acre facilities in Teesside, northeast UK, it is possible to see where this confidence comes from.

In one of Europe’s most prestigious airport glazing contracts, leading vertical access equipment manufacturer, Hek Manufacturing BV and a glass specialist, Lindner-Schmidlin Facade Ltd, have provided specialist fire - and in some sensitive areas ‘blast-resistant’ - glazing for London Heathrow Airport’s major Terminal 5 structure.

Fire is just one of the possible service interruptions which can affect a data or communications network. However, the consequences - such as material damage or, more importantly, human loss of life - can be extremely dire.

In such a hostile and challenging climate as the marine environment, it is imperative that the most appropriate fire detection system is chosen and that it is fit for purpose. 

President of Durasystems Barriers Inc, Craig Pickering, definitely feels his company has the answer with DuraSteel.

Insulfrax Blanket products manufactured by the Unifrax Corporation have been designed to provide passive fire protection, reports IFJ.

Protective coatings are designed to provide a degree of tolerance of tolerance to the steelwork of industrial structures whilst a fire is brought under control.

There are many reasons why fire departments maintain pre-plans for commercial buildings.  Firefighter safety, building familiarisation, code compliance, and regulatory requirements are some of the most common reasons pre-plans are completed.  While each of these reasons is important on their own merit, one question begs to be asked.  If a pre-plan can address all these issues, why isn’t every fire department completing them?

London Fire Brigade is investing £1.7 million in additional training resources for its operational staff over the next two years. Sir Ken Knight, Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade, believes that the traditional role of firefighters has changed and has become even more challenging. Because of this the LFB is making the major investment to counteract the increasing pressures on personnel.

Lithuania, October 12th, 2006: Like blasts from giant cannons a series of huge explosions shattered the peace of Lithuania’s coastal city, Mazeikiu.

The first section of the A86 West tunnel, the missing link in the Paris ‘super-ringroad’ is to be opened in October 2007. Built, financed and operated by Cofiroute, this 10km tunnel linking Rueil-Malmaison and Versailles will revolutionise traffic flow in the West Paris region.

Tyco Fire and Integrated Solutions is promoting three major products as environmentally-friendly alternatives for Halon, as Industrial Fire Journal noted when its team visited ExpoProtection in Paris. At the show, Yann Boutin, Communication and IT Infrastructure Director for the company in France, took the time to explain more about these special products.

Relative to other sectors, for example, commercial office developments, the basis for industrial design with respect to fire safety tends to be  far more exacting. Here, severe fires occur in surroundings where continuous operations, and possibly a high level of cleanliness, is absolutely essential.

Safety Managers in high-risk locations have wide-ranging responsibilities,” points out Steve Taylor. “In relation to fire protection, they need to understand not only the principles and technologies associated with fire detection, explosion protection and fire extinguishing, but also the vital role that portable fire extinguishers continue to play in preventing a ‘small’ fire from becoming a major conflagration.

President of Durasystems Barriers Inc, Craig Pickering, definitely feels his company has the answer to fire  blast resistance problems with a material called DuraSteel. He spoke to Aidan Turnbull while exhibiting this key product at the NFPA Show in Orlando, Florida in June:

Brian Cummins is the MD of Proline, a company which has developed its UK manufactured range of FM-approved and UL listed linear detection cables, accessories -including optional interface units - which can be simply integrated with all central fire alarm control panels and building management systems.

In use for well over a century now, sprinklers are required in all new highrise and underground buildings generally 75 feet (23 m) above or below fire department access, where the ability of firefighters to provide adequate hose streams to fires is limited.

Whichever way you look at it, the A380 is huge. The structural dimensions surpass those of all previous commercial aircraft. With two levels inside, the wide-bodied aircraft can accommodate an incredible 555 passengers in the standard seating configuration.

Virtual reality can create tension and immersion levels that accurately mimic real life. Many Municipal Fire Services are already deploying synthetic environments for training purposes, but now the industry as a whole is realising the advantages of training in a synthetic environment.

In the USA, New York’s Freedom Tower is set to rise 1,776 feet from ashes of the World Trade Center now that the final designs have been agreed and the ‘ground breaking’ inauguration ceremony is over.

X-Suppress is a new concept in explosion protection and is the first passive system using water mist at ambient temperature and pressure, says Graeme Hitchen, Business Manager for UK-based Sheffield University Enterprises Limited.

Let’s begin with a brief look at the role of the Angus Fire Emergency Service which swung into action after being notified by Hertfordshire F&RS at 07.05am on Sunday, December 11. Within a few hours the company despatched emergency foam stocks from its facility at Bentham, North Yorkshire, by road tanker under full police escort.

Current road tunnel safety is seriously limited by the traditional approach to risk assessment and intervention that are not in actual time, non-dynamic and non interactive.

Jan Crucq comments: “Since halon-based systems have been decommissioned, the shipping industry has been looking at suitable alternatives. At the moment there are several replacement systems that have worldwide recognition within the maritime sector.

Serious petrochemical incidents are a rare occurrence; even those brigades who provide cover for fire and emergencies within the petrochemical industry have a limited opportunity to build up experience of such incidents.

From the fire detection point of view, a high risk environment such as an oil or gas plant provides a number of different challenges.  Such facilities are generally large and spread out, with both internal and external areas requiring fire detection and protection.

Semco Maritime’s Pelle Madspjerg told IFJ: “The risk of fire in wind turbines has always been considered very small but now there have been several cases fire protection has become more relevant through increased demands from authorities, insurance companies and owners, “ he comments.

In July 2002 AQUASYS from Linz, Austria, developed Europe’s first Tunnel Fire Suppression System  based on watermist technology.  A relatively new, efficient firefighting technology involving minimal water use, water mist increases the surface area of water more than 1000 times, giving an enormous cooling effect and producing a highly-efficient oxygen depletion effect.

Virtually every industrial or commercial building contains rooms classified as machinery spaces. These may contain machinery as diverse as generators, pumps, hydraulic power packs, incinerators or transformers, writes Jukka Nieminen.

With the deregulation of the airline industry, outsourcing of aircraft maintenance and an aging aircraft fleet, there are very real concerns about international aviation safety, especially in less developed countries.

Explains Arnie Arnold: “Firewater is the key to what can be done and it depends on the supply available. At Coryton the resource is sufficient for the worst case scenario but is continually seeking to improve.

The new PDX Firemist technology is most certainly in the ‘exciting innovation’ category and one could argue that such advances in the field of fire suppression, brought by Pursuit Dynamics plc, will finally establish water-mist as the obvious and natural replacement for the now ‘outlawed’ Halon systems.

Once upon a time, the halon gases used to knock out fires in computer rooms were equally hazardous to any human beings exposed to the extinguishing atmosphere. Almost 20 years on, however, a solution has been developed which offers an environment in which people can work and in which it is impossible for a fire to burn.