An Interview with Todd Stevens, Immediate Past President of the FSSA
Did Boeing Find a Replacement for Halon 1301?
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Passenger Strikes Seatmate with Cellphone Causing Fire; Flight Diverted
EPA to Phase Down HFC Production/Imports by 85%
Regulators Warn of Risks to Firefighters from Electrical Vehicles
Contaminated Fuel Causes Engine Fire and Emergency Landing
Firefighters Dodge 10,000 Exploding Propane Tanks
Insufficient Cleaning of Grease Vent Likely Cause of Fire
Why Firefighters Stopped Putting Water on Rockton Plant Fire
Inspect Point Hires Industry Veteran Chris Sharp
Virginia Phases Out HFCs Ahead of EPA
Danish MP’s Agree to New Investigation into Deadly 1990 Ferry Fire
The Hiller Companies Announces New CEO/President
Obituary for Robert T. "Bob" Wickham, Former President of Kidde-Fenwal
Most Popular Stories from April 2021
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Jensen Hughes Acquires Belgium-based FESG
EFS Group Announces Acquisition of Guardian Safety and Security (UAE)
Pye-Barker Acquires Total LifeSafety (Florida)
Summit Acquires Sierra Fire and Communications
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Protecting Cultural Heritage from Fire
When Fire Sprinklers Fail
Managing Electrical Fires
Tools and Technology for Dust, Fire and Explosion Mitigation
How Do Flight Crews Handle Fires in Passenger Cabin?
Final HRC Code of Practice for Halon Recycling Companies
Discussion of Fire at OVHCloud Data Center
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Constant Contact has recently changed their platform to no longer allow the headlines in the left sidebar to be linked to the actual stories. So we apologize but you can no longer click on a story headline in the sidebar to jump right to that story. |
1. What is your role at your company?
Operations Manager at Industrial Fire Protection (IFP)
2. Tell us about your family.
I have been married for over twenty years to my wife Kelly. We have had multiple dogs over the years. Currently, we have two fur kids. My parents, sister and brothers are all very important in my life. We are all very close. I would not be where I am today if it were not for each one of them. Being the youngest, they have all provided me with guidance over the years.
3. What was your dream job growing up?
Not sure I had a “dream” job. I did have a magazine when I was real young, with photos of very expensive sailboats. I used to pretend that it was a sales brochure, and I would try to sell the boats to customers. I made sure that I pointed out the technical specs with each one. I guess I always liked the idea of technical sales but did not know it.
4. What was your first job?
I started working for a wholesale greenhouse next door to my house when I was in junior high. I learned a lot about plants/flowers and had the opportunity to meet some great people. I worked there on and off till I was in my mid 20s.
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An Alaska Airlines 737-9 is serving as the flying test lab for Boeing's 2021 ecoDemonstrator program, which will evaluate about 20 technology projects. (Boeing rendering) |
6/3/21
By Boeing
Cision PR Newswire
SEATTLE -- Boeing and Alaska Airlines announced they are partnering on the latest Boeing ecoDemonstrator program and will flight test about 20 technologies on a new 737-9 to enhance the safety and sustainability of air travel.
In flights beginning this summer, Boeing and Alaska will test a new halon-free fire-extinguishing agent that significantly reduces effects on the ozone layer, evaluate an engine nacelle designed to reduce noise and assess cabin sidewalls made from recycled material, among other projects.
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Check Out the Fire Protection Podcast! |
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The Fire Protection Podcast dives deep into topics of the fire protection industry. Fire alarm, sprinkler, suppression, extinguishers and other life safety systems are discussed. Leaders from all over the world talk about new technologies and processes that are helping improve the fire safety community. |
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Passenger Strikes Seatmate with Cellphone Causing Fire; Flight Diverted |
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The aircraft landed safely in Fort Lauderdale, but one subsequent flight was also delayed due to the incident. Photo: Southwest Airlines |
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6/13/21
By Pranjal Pande
Simple Flying
Following a bizarre onboard situation, a Southwest Airlines flight from Dallas to Fort Lauderdale was diverted to Pensacola. The flight made an emergency landing after two passengers began arguing and one of them slapped the other with a cellphone, causing it to smolder and raise fire risks. The aircraft landed safely with no injuries.
The incident occurred on Southwest flight WN-4699 from Dallas Love Field to Fort Lauderdale Airport on June 9th. However, the usual 2 hours and 55-minute flight took a dramatic turn after two passengers onboard got into a fight which quickly escalated to a physical confrontation.
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EPA to Phase Down HFC Production/Imports by 85% |
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5/14/21
By Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
JD Supra
The Biden-Harris administration took action -- with some bipartisan backing from Capitol Hill -- to reduce the production and use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). These highly potent greenhouse gases (GHGs) are commonly found in refrigerants, building insulation, aerosols, fire suppressants, and other materials and consumer products. Late last year, Congress directed the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop the rule as part of an omnibus spending bill. The draft rule marks an important early step in the administration’s efforts to combat climate pollutants such as HFCs in furtherance of its nationally determined contribution recently submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) under the Paris Agreement, as well as the country’s commitments made under the Montreal Protocol.
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Regulators Warn of Risks to Firefighters from Electrical Vehicles |
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The Orange County Fire Authority battles a fire from a burning Tesla after it crashed into a garage in Lake Forest, Calif., on Aug. 25, 2017. When firefighters removed the SUV from the garage to assess the fire, they identified the fuel source as the SUV's high-voltage battery pack. (Orange County Sheriff's Department via AP) |
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6/20/21
By Cyrus Farivar
NBC News
It’s the kind of blaze that veteran Chief Palmer Buck of The Woodlands Township Fire Department in suburban Houston compared to “a trick birthday candle.”
On April 17, when firefighters responded to a 911 call at around 9:30 p.m., they came upon a Tesla Model S that had crashed, killing two people, and was now on fire.
They extinguished it, but then a small flare shot out of the bottom of the charred hulk. Firefighters quickly put out those flames. Not long after, the car reignited for a third time.
“What the heck? How do we make this stop?’” Buck asked his team. They quickly consulted Tesla’s first responder guide and realized that it would take far more personnel and water than they could have imagined. Eight firefighters ultimately spent seven hours putting out the fire.
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Contaminated Fuel Causes Engine Fire and Emergency Landing |
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The excess quantity of Kathon treatment contaminated the fuel and caused the partial failure of the jet's engines due to the build up of residues, the report concluded. |
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5/5/21
By Tom Pyman
Daily Mail
A Titan Airways jet made an emergency landing at Gatwick when one of its engines caught fire and the other stalled after fuel was contaminated by a mechanic, a report has revealed.
Investigators found disaster may only have been averted near the Sussex airport as it was flying light with no passengers and just seven crew, in quiet airspace and in clear conditions on February 26 last year.
The report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch said that an engineer had added 38 times too much biocide, an anti-bacterial chemical, to fuel tanks before the flight because he did not understand that 'ppm' meant 'parts per million.'
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Firefighters Dodge 10,000 Exploding Propane Tanks |
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Firefighters evaded 10,000 exploding propane tanks as they battled a massive fire at a gas plant that started outside of the facility, investigators said. (Kameleon007/Getty Images/iStockphoto) |
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5/15/21
By Jared Leone, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
FOX 23 News
MARSHFIELD, Mo. — Firefighters evaded 10,000 exploding propane tanks as they battled a massive fire Thursday at a gas plant that started outside of the facility, investigators said.
Marshfield Fire Protection said firefighters arrived at the Kosan Crisplant around 5 p.m. to find thousands of 20-pound propane tanks exploding into the air from the flames, KY3 reported.
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Insufficient Cleaning of Grease Vent Likely Cause of Fire |
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Ann Arbor Fire Department firefighters battle a fire above NeoPapalis Pizza, 500 E. William St. in Ann Arbor on Thursday, June 17, 2021. The fire, which originated on the shared lower level roof of NeoPapalis and Z West Apartments, led to the evacuation of the restaurant, apartment building and neighboring Cottage Inn Restaurant. |
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6/18/21
By Nathan Clark
MLive
ANN ARBOR, MI -- Insufficient routine cleaning to remove grease from ductwork at a downtown Ann Arbor pizza place, combined with a partial power outage, likely led to a multiple-alarm fire, officials said.
Fire fighters responding to a fire called in at 12:53 p.m., June 17, at Z West Apartments, 401 Thompson St. determined the fire stared inside a duct at the adjacent business, NeoPapalis Pizza, Ann Arbor Fire Department Chief Mike Kennedy said. The fire grew and set the two buildings’ shared roof on fire, Kennedy said.
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Why Firefighters Stopped Putting Water on Rockton Plant Fire |
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Health officials in Winnebago County were asking everyone within three miles of the fire at Chemtool in Rockton to put their masks back on because of particulate matter in the air. |
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6/14/21
5 Chicago
As a fire continued to burn at a chemical plant in suburban Rockton, officials say that they stopped putting water on the fire, fearing that run-off could make its way into a nearby river and threaten drinking water supplies.
Kirk Wilson, chief of the Rockton Fire Protection District, says that firefighters stopped putting water on the fire, fearing that water run-off could carry chemicals into the nearby Rock River.
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Inspect Point Hires Industry Veteran Chris Sharp |
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5/13/21
By Joanne Brown, Inspect Point
EIN Presswire
TROY, NEW YORK -- Inspect Point is pleased to announce the addition of fire protection industry veteran, Chris Sharp, to their Business Development team. Chris brings over 20 years of sales and business development leadership experience working in product manufacturing and distribution roles with both Viking Group, Inc. and Tyco Fire Protection Products. Chris’ Inspect Point title is VP of Business Development.
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Virginia Phases Out HFCs Ahead of EPA |
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4/27/21
By Citizen Staff
Henrico Citizen
During its regular quarterly meeting April 23, the Virginia State Air Pollution Control Board unanimously approved a final regulation prohibiting the use of certain hydrofluorocarbons in specific uses.
Approved by the Board following Virginia Department of Environmental Quality staff recommendations, public comment and discussion, the regulation became effective June 1. The production and use of HFCs in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in most applications, must be discontinued by Jan. 1, 2022.
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Danish MPs Agree to New Investigation into Deadly 1990 Ferry Fire |
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The ferry was towed to Lysekil harbour after a fire broke out while crossing from Norway to Denmark. (Copyright AP Photo/Torbjorn Gustafsson, FILE) |
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5/12/21
By Matthew Holroyd
Euronews
Danish MPs have agreed to set up a new independent task force to investigate a deadly 1990 ferry fire. A total of 159 people were killed when the Scandinavian Star was engulfed in flames over a voyage from Norway to Denmark.
Norwegian police initially believed that the fire was a result of arson, but a later investigation ruled out the main suspect. The new probe could lead to a new police investigation into one of Scandinavia's worst peacetime maritime disasters.
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The Hiller Companies Announces New CEO/President |
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5/10/21
The Hiller Companies
The Hiller Companies, Inc., a division of Pon Holdings, welcomes Jeff Birch as our new President & CEO effective June 2021.
Jeff comes to Hiller from Setpoint Integrated Solutions, also a division of the Pon Holdings, where he currently serves as President & CEO. Jeff has been with Setpoint since 2015 where he also served as the company’s CFO. Prior to joining the Setpoint team, Jeff was Vice President of Commercial Finance for the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group and was based out of Northlake, Illinois. He earned a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, is a licensed C.P.A., and has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
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Obituary for Robert T. "Bob" Wickham, Former President of Kidde-Fenwal |
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Legacy
Robert T. Wickham, 81, of Stratham, New Hampshire passed away at home after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis on March 27, 2021 surrounded by his family. Upon leaving the Army in 1966, Bob began his career in the fire protection field as a development engineer with The Ansul Company and moved up the ranks of Ansul and its successors Wormald and Tyco. He finished his work with fire equipment manufacturers serving as the president of Kidde-Fenwal in Ashland, MA from which he retired in 1995. He was a registered professional engineer in Wisconsin, Texas and New Hampshire. In 1995 he began work as a freelance expert identifying and bringing to market alternatives to ozone layer depleting fire extinguishing agents.
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Jensen Hughes Acquires Belgium-based FESG |
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6/14/21
By Jensen Hughes
Cision PR Newswire
Strategic acquisition of FES Ghent (FESG) expands Jensen Hughes' global market leadership via strengthening its ability to serve clients in Belgium and Continental Europe.
BALTIMORE -- Jensen Hughes, a global leader in safety, security and risk-based engineering and consulting, announced its acquisition of FES Ghent (FESG). The market leader in fire protection engineering in Belgium, FESG specializes in code compliance, risk assessment, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), evacuation analysis and performance-based design in complex commercial, infrastructure, transportation and tunnel projects.
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EFS Group Announces Acquisition of Guardian Safety and Security (UAE) |
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6/20/21
By Kasun Illankoon
Construction Business News
EFS Facilities Services Group, the regional FM leader with over AED 5.2 Billion in contract backlog and operations in 21 countries, acquires Guardian, a company operating for over 12 years in the UAE providing best-in-class Fire Protection Systems and Services. This move was facilitated by an official signing ceremony between the entities at EFS Group Head Office in Dubai, UAE.
Guardian offers Total Fire Protection and Maintenance solutions ranging from sprinkler systems, fire pumps, fire alarm systems, clean agent systems, and many others as part of their installation and maintenance contract services. These turnkey service offerings are following NFPA standards and Civil Defense requirements with around 400 clients across the UAE.
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Pye-Barker Acquires Total LifeSafety (Florida) |
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Total LifeSafety Mascot and Community Fire Safety Education Advocate Diesel the Fire Dog |
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4/30/21
By Pye-Barker Fire & Safety
Cision PR Newswire
ALPHARETTA, Ga. -- Pye-Barker Fire & Safety is proud to announce the acquisition of Total LifeSafety Corporation, located in Jensen Beach, Florida. The purchase was finalized in April. Financial details have not been disclosed.
Total LifeSafety was founded by Bryan Polhemus in 2012. This was the second fire protection company Polhemus owned and operated. He is the former owner of John W. Polhemus, Inc., which was sold to United Technologies in 2007.
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Summit Acquires Sierra Fire and Communications |
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5/17/21
Summit Fire Protection
SFP Holding, Inc. (Summit Companies) announced that Summit Fire Protection Co., a subsidiary of SFP Holding, has completed the purchase of Corbon Services, Inc. d/b/a “Sierra Fire & Communications” in Phoenix, AZ.
Sierra Fire specializes in fire alarms, sprinkler systems and fire extinguishers and has been proudly serving local businesses in Phoenix and the surrounding areas for more than 20 years. With a solid reputation for providing superior products and services, the Sierra Fire team brings strengths and capabilities well-aligned with Summit Fire Protection. Their commitment to creating long-lasting relationships with customers will only strengthen our team and capabilities as they join the existing Summit Fire Protection operations in Phoenix.
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Protecting Cultural Heritage from Fire |
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A section of the University of Cape Town's library was left in ruins after a wildfire destroyed the facility on April 19, 2021 in Cape Town, South Africa. It is reported that the fire started on Sunday on the slopes of Table Mountain. (Photo by Gallo Images/Die Burger/Jaco Marais) |
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5/25/21
By Devaksha Vallabhjee
Maverick Life
What can we learn from the rare artefacts, artworks and irreplaceable volumes we have lost in the fire? The answer is, partly, to do with architecture.
“The firefighters were heroic, they were smashing away the wall between the two buildings, standing on the roof, doing their utmost to keep our building from the worst of the fire. We had to make fast calls. We had little time to scour the building and make decisions before the fire department entered and began the process of hosing it down.”
Sara de Beer describes the fire that almost burned down Cape Town’s A4 Arts Foundation in December 2020. The space housed irreplaceable work by artists from across southern Africa.
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When Fire Sprinklers Fail |
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By Diana Rodriguez-Zaba
TheBigRedGuide.com
The fire sprinkler system in your building is a critical safety measure and, when needed, it can save lives. Still, even the best systems can malfunction, and sprinklers do occasionally fail. When they do, they can drench the interior of your building, damaging everything from furniture and personal belongings to drywall and building materials.
As a property manager, dealing with fire sprinkler failure can feel overwhelming. What do you do next? Where do you start? And why did the sprinkler system fail in the first place?
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Managing Electrical Fires |
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Fire Safety Search
How Do Industrial Electrical Fires Start and What Steps to Take in the Event One Occurs
According to the National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®), electrical fires are the fifth leading cause of fires in commercial buildings. One of the biggest problems with electrical fires is that they rarely provide the owner/occupant with any advance warning that a fire is imminent. Wiring, equipment, and appliances which have worked perfectly for years can fail and cause a fire.
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Tools and Technology for Dust, Fire and Explosion Mitigation |
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CV Technology's Interceptor-HRD bottles are NFPA-compliant, high-rate discharge suppression bottles that contain pressurized nitrogen and dry chemical suppressant to suppress a deflagration as it develops. PHOTO: CV TECHNOLOGY |
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5/15/21
By Luke Leroy
Biomass Magazine
Industry experts weigh in on one of the wood pellet industry’s most pressing matters.
In the expansive scope of airborne combustibles, wood dust is typically a lower explosion severity dust as compared to others, particularly when compared to those produced in the pharmaceutical industry. Even though wood dust is considered moderate, the processes utilized in wood pellet production are intrinsic to creating a highly combustible fuel source. Unchecked, it could equate to a recipe for disaster.
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How Do Flight Crews Handle Fires in Passenger Cabin? |
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Shown here is a flight attendant-in-training battling a fire onboard a plane during a training session. This particular photo, taken in 2016, was taken at Aeroflot.
Photo: Getty Images
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4/18/21
By Chris Loh
Simple Flying
More important than ensuring passengers are fed and comfortable, the role of flight attendants, first and foremost, is to ensure the safety of everyone onboard. Part of this responsibility is, naturally, dealing with rare situations where something inside the cabin is on fire. Here is how flight crews handle fires in the passenger cabin.
When it comes to dealing with fires -- and everything else related to inflight safety --policies and procedures are established by the civil aviation authority of the country of the airline. Rather than having every airline come up with their own policies, having it come from a well-established authority like the FAA, EASA, or CAA, will ensure a uniform standard for all airlines within the country.
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Final HRC Code of Practice for Halon Recycling Companies |
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June 2021
Halon Recycling Corporation
This voluntary code of practice is intended to provide basic guidelines for companies engaged in the recovery and recycling of halons in order to:
- Adhere to US EPA regulations and NFPA standard requirements.
- Ensure the quality of recycled halons.
- Promote safe handling of recycled halons.
- Prevent contamination of available supplies of recycled halons.
- Minimize emissions to the atmosphere during recovery of halons.
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Discussion of Fire at OVHCloud Data Center |
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Source: https://regmedia.co.uk/2021/03/22/ovh_strasbourg_fire_shutterstock_editorial_only.jpg |
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6/7/21
By Lee Kaiser
ORR Protection
Fires in data centers and server rooms are of particular interest to ORR Protection due to our specialization in protecting mission critical spaces. On March 10, 2021, OVHcloud (formerly OVH, a cloud computing company in France) had a major fire at their Strasbourg data center. When large enough, data center fires make the news. The coverage is often due to the data outage caused, rarely it's because flames are shooting out of the building.
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Most Popular Stories from April 2021 |
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