Fire Protection Engineering

Fire protection engineering (also known as fire engineering or fire safety engineering) is the application of science and engineering principles to protect people and their environments from the destructive effects of fire and smoke.

The discipline of fire protection engineering includes, but is not exclusive to:

* Active fire protection - fire suppression systems, and fire alarm.
* Passive fire protection - fire and smoke barriers, space separation
* Smoke control and management
* Building design, layout, and space planning
* Fire prevention programs
* Fire dynamics and modeling
* Human behavior during fire events
* Risk analysis, including economic factors

Full Article at Wikipedia

Live Fire Training - The Missing Link

The recent death of an apprentice firefighter in Baltimore, Maryland (Linskey, 2007b) during live fire training has many people asking questions. The preliminary investigation conducted by the Baltimore City Fire Department determined that this training exercise was not conducted in compliance with 1403 Standard on Live Fire Training in Structures (National Fire Protection Association, 2002). But does this answer the question of how this happened or why this young mother died? I would contend that lack of compliance with existing standards provides only a partial answer.

Read Full Article At: Fire House

New Fire Safety & Fire Risk Assessment Courses Available

The UK’s leading independent fire safety consultancy, Lawrence Webster Forrest (LWF) are offering Fire Safety & Fire Risk Assessment courses in line with the new Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. These courses will help individuals in England and Wales understand the major implications that the radical changes to Fire Safety Law will have for all businesses. This new law, which came into effect on October 1 2006, simplifies previous fire safety law by consolidating over 100 separate pieces of fire safety legislation.

Most significantly, the new law repeals both the Fire Precautions Act 1971 and the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1999, as amended, placing responsibility for fire safety firmly with the employer or ‘responsible person’ for a building. This ‘person’ is now required by law to assess the fire risk within a building using an acceptable means of risk assessment.

The one day courses are designed to help businesses understand the full implications of the new changes in fire safety as well as provide them with all the practical skills to carry out, record and monitor fire risk assessments within your workplace. The course will also include how to deal with a full range of fire safety issues encountered in the workplace, as well as how to identify fire hazards and risks.

As with all courses delivered by LWF, comprehensive course notes will be provided as well as a signed certificate of attendance, and the course instructor will be available throughout. For more information visit www.lwf.co.uk.

Source: Freshinfo, UK

Fire Risk Assessment Report

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Fire Types & Fire Extinguishers

In accordance with British Standard EN 2 fires are classified into 6 types:

Class 1 => Fires involving solid materials. (Usually organic matter such as paper, wood etc. This type of fire can be dealt with foam, water or extinguishers.)

Class 2 => Fires involving liquids or liquefiable solids.(Liquids or liquefiable solids such as oils, paints and fats. This type of fire can be dealt with extinguishers of foam. Carbon dioxide extinguishers are also best suitable for a fire involving electrical equipment.)

Class 3 => Fires involving gases. (Gases. Dry powder extinguishers can be used on Class 3 fires.)

Class 4 => Fires involving metals.(Metals such as aluminium, sodium, magnesium or potassium. Only specially trained personnel using special equipment can tackle such fires, fire extinguishers are not effective in this type of fires)

Class 5 => Fires involving cooking oils or fats.(Involving cooking fats and oils. Special extinguishers are available but it's best if specially trained people handles this type of fire.)

United Kingdom: Fire Departments

Fire Departments in UK.

1. Avon Fire and Rescue Service
2. Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service
3. Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service
4. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service
5. Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service
6. Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service
7. Cleveland Fire Brigade
8. Cornwall County Fire Brigade (CCFB)
9. County Durham and Darlington Fire Rescue Service
10. Cumbria Fire Rescue Service
11. Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service
12. Devon Fire and Rescue Service (DFRS)
13. Dorset Fire and Rescue Service
14. Dumfries and Galloway Fire and Rescue Service
15. East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (ESFRS)
16. Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS)
17. Fife Fire and Rescue Service
18. Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service (GFRS)
19. Grampian Fire and Rescue Service (GFRS)
20. Greater Manchester County Fire Service (GMCFS)
21. Guernsey Fire and Rescue Service
22. Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS)
23. Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service
24. Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS)
25. Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service (HIFB)
26. Humberside Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS)
27. Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service
28. Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service
29. Isles of Scilly Fire and Rescue Service
30. Jerseys Fire and Rescue Service
31. Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS)
32. Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS)
33. Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service
34. Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service
35. London Fire Brigade (LFB)
36. Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service (LBFRS)
37. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service
38. Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service
39. Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service
40. North Wales Fire and Rescue Service
41. North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (NYFRS)
42. Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS)
43. Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS)
44. Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS)
45. Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service
46. Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
47. Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS)
48. Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS)
49. Somerset Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS)
50. South Wales Fire and Rescue Service
51. South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
52. Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service
53. Strathclyde Fire and Rescue (SFR)
54. Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service
55. Surrey Fire and Rescue Service
56. Tayside Fire and Rescue
57. Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service
58. Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service
59. West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS)
60. West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (WSFRS)
61. West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
62. Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

New Fire Safety Rules

New fire safety rules, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 will be enforced in England and Wales on October 1st 2006

Employers should start thinking about new fire safety responsibilities which come into force in October or face the risk of prosecution.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 means any employer responsible for "any premises in England and Wales where people gather" will have a duty to ensure the safety of everyone who uses their premises and those in the immediate vicinity who may be at risk if there is a fire.

The legislation covers nearly every type of building, structure and open space except for private homes and individual flats in a block or house, although communal areas will be affected.

Anyone responsible for premises must carry out a fire safety risk assessment by 1 October 2006. The Fire and Rescue Service will carry out inspections and failing to comply with the order may lead to a fine or up to two years imprisonment.