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

Working in confined spaces can be one of the most dangerous tasks undertaken by industry firefighters. Confined space hazards can include problems with the atmosphere due to poor ventilation, access problems and poor light.

Costain Ltd., main contractor for the recently initiated M25 Holmesdale Tunnel near London, a widening and maintenance project, has placed what is believed to be the largest single order (2.7m Euros) for spray-applied passive fire protection materials in the UK.

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.

Valuable  as a forum in industry, it was not until JOIFF started to develop its Training Policy in 1999 and introduced Certificates of Competence to successful trainees that JOIFF grew into the major international organisation it is today. 

In conjunction with manufacturing conventional Halon alternatives such as argon, nitrogen, IG 55 or IG 541, Eusebi Impianti srl has developed two new firefighting systems: the NAF S 125 and the EI FOG Water Mist System.

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.

The use of CAFS (Compressed Air Foam Systems) as a primary fire attack tool has now caught on thanks to positive reports involving front-line fire engines equipped with the Schmitz GmbH ‘ONE SEVEN’ system – many fire brigades across Europe have been following this innovative approach. Now this innovative extinguishing procedure is being used to protect recycling plants, reveals IFJ.

It’s enough to make even the most hardened driver salivate. Imagine a top quality fire truck with a RENK 5-speed automatic transmission – with retarder and mechanical emergency shifting – a progressive coil spring suspension and EG brake system with ABS and 16.00 R 20 Michelin XZL tyres. 
It truly sounds the business, doesn’t it?

In April 2005, United Technologies Corporation acquired the Kidde plc group of companies for approximately $3b.  It then combined the non-aerospace companies with its Chubb operating segment as a new UTC Division, UTC Fire & Security. This Division employs some 52,000 people in total across 25 countries.

The French manufacturer R-PONS recently developed the ‘Compactor 2000’, a 6kg portable monitor with the ‘VSC’ safety valve.

We produce a whole range of synthetic AFFFs and alcohol-resistant foams and protein-based foams. Across the spectrum we can offer a very broad range of products.

Since 2000 and 3M’s announcement to phase out its PFOS-based fluorochemicals business, every year has brought its load of bad news over the fate of this peculiar class of compounds. But let’s get back to the past six years.

A recent session organised by the German Federal Environment Agency at the Annual Meeting of German State Public Health Institutes held in Berlin at the end of March 2006, was entitled “Fluorosurfactants - a Blessing for Consumers or an Unrecognised Risk?”.

Firmly established as a world leader in the manufacture of high pressure compressors designed for pressure  regulation, distribution, and filling systems  for breathing air, Lenhardt   &   Wagner   Kompressoren   (L&W Compressors) offers a number of reliable options for industry.

So what if a fire actually breaks out in a bulkhead or compartment and the fire team leaders decides on a ‘burnout’? How do you know that it is safe to enter?

Based in Montreal, Canada since 1985, Tornatech has been supplying electric and diesel-driven fire pump controllers built to the latest NFPA 20 standard, listed with UL and approved by FM.

MSA has announced the launch of two new products; a new rapid cylinder exchange coupling for breathing apparatus, and a high performance single-gas detector.

Did you know that there is a new European standard for firefighters’ boots?

The chance to extinguish conflagrations on a refinery replica with live fires are few and far between for many firefighters. However, the Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), a member of The Texas A&M University System, recently turned one of its fire training props into the most in-depth chemical complex emergency replication scenes available today.

Question
Recently, a rail road tank car containing a flammable liquid ignited while on a railroad siding (side track) at an industrial facility.  Several firefighters asked - which type of master stream nozzle/tip would be most appropriate for fighting this type of fire?

In a newsletter published in October 2006 from an American special interest group of foam manufacturers, the aquatic toxicity of firefighting foams is discussed.