3/10/16

By Jennifer Mcdermott, Associated Press
Philly Voice

The military is beginning to check whether chemicals from firefighting foam may have contaminated groundwater at hundreds of sites nationwide, including two former Navy facilities in Bucks and Montgomery counties, according to the Defense Department.

The checks are planned for 664 sites where the military has conducted fire or crash training, military officials told the Associated Press.

Since December, tests have been carried out at 28 naval sites in mostly coastal areas. Drinking water at a landing field in Virginia and groundwater at a site in New Jersey have been found to contain levels above the guidance given by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, the Navy said. Results of the other tests have either come up under federally acceptable levels or are pending.

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Quincy Emmons, FireRein president and CEO, demonstrates how quickly the company's new gel additive, Eco-Gel, can put out a heptane fire and not re-ignite during a demonstration at the Loyalist Township Emergency Services Fire Training Centre in Odessa. Students from St. Lawrence College competed scientific testing comparing the Eco-Gel to standard water and other fire suppression products on the market. (Julia McKay/The Whig-Standard)

4/29/16

By Julia McKay
Kingston Whig-Standard

A number of St. Lawrence College students were given the chance to get some hands-on applied research experience during the demonstration of a new and innovative life-saving product.

FireRein, a Napanee-based fire protection and suppression company, was testing its newly developed gel additive -- Eco-Gel -- Friday morning at the Loyalist Township Emergency Services Fire Training Centre on County Road 6 in Odessa.

The college students were involved in the project demonstration from the start: from designing and building the large wooden cubicles to house the tests to creating the testing systems and wiring it all with sensors and thermocouples for real-time data and video recording.

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3/15/16

By Brent Scher
The Washington Free Beacon

Hillary Clinton has spent the past few months going after Johnson Controls for moving its headquarters overseas, but during a campaign event recently, her husband Bill Clinton said that it is one of his "favorite companies."

The Clinton campaign first took aim at Johnson Controls in January, saying that its corporate inversion plan would "leave American taxpayers holding the bag" and that it was "outrageous." The Daily Beast labeled Johnson Controls as "Clinton's corporate villain." The Clinton campaign released an official ad directly targeting the company.

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5/18/16

By Nicholas A. Moriarty, PE, JBA Consulting Engineers, Las Vegas
Consulting-Specifying Engineer

Learning Objectives:

• Review codes that drive the design of special suppression systems in various building types.
• Assess the correct suppression system for the application.

Technology and innovation have shifted the way the world does business. The digital age that we live in dictates that we strive to improve efficiency and provide immediate access to information. The advent of the cloud means that information is stored remotely and the livelihood of businesses depend on it. How is all of that information protected? The answer may sound familiar to fire protection engineers (FPEs): it depends. One common method of protection is the use of clean agent fire protection systems.

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5/11/16

By James Morgan
Construction Week Online

BSI's Kitemark Fire Installer Scheme will allow regional firms involved in the design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of fire prevention and protection systems, the chance to become third-party certified.

The initiative aims to enable safety-conscious businesses across the Middle East to manage fire-related risks and gain a competitive edge in the market.

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5/16/16

By Arthur Thomas
BizTimes

Executives at Johnson Controls Inc. and Tyco International Ltd. believe ongoing productivity efforts and the combination of the two companies will result in $1 billion in savings.
Johnson Controls Inc. headquarters

The companies have said their combination will result in $650 million in operational and tax savings. Tyco chief executive George Oliver said today that productivity efforts at his company will result in another $100 million of savings and similar efforts at Johnson Controls will net $300 million in additional savings. The companies are targeting the addition of $1 in earnings per share as a result of the merger, Oliver said.

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4/22/16

By Austen Hufford
The Wall Street Journal

Honeywell International Inc. reported better-than-expected revenue and earnings in the first quarter, boosted in part by strength in China.

The latest results come seven weeks after the New Jersey-based company withdrew a $90 billion bid to buy fellow industrial giant United Technologies Corp. It backed down from the massive tie up after facing opposition from the target, antitrust regulators and major customers.

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4/29/16

PRNewswire

WILMINGTON, Del. -- The Chemours Company (Chemours), a global chemistry company with leading market positions in titanium technologies, fluoroproducts and chemical solutions, announced today that Thierry Vanlancker, president of its fluoroproducts business, is retiring. Paul Kirsch, senior vice president, supply chain and operations at Henkel AG & Company, will take over Vanlancker's role, relocating to Chemours global headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware. Vanlancker and Kirsch will work closely together to ensure a smooth transition for customers and other company stakeholders.

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5/4/16


Business Wire

BALTIMORE -- Jensen Hughes, the global market leader in fire protection engineering, fire code consulting and related life safety services, with specialized capabilities to provide risk informed analysis and consulting services for the nuclear power industry, announced that it has completed the acquisition of Stevenson & Associates. S&A is a leading provider of seismic and other risk and hazard engineering consulting services for the nuclear power industry and also offers structural, civil and mechanical engineering services for other high value and special performance facilities. Jensen Hughes is majority-owned by Gryphon Investors, a middle market private equity firm based in San Francisco, which purchased the Company in partnership with management in December 2015. Terms of this transaction were not disclosed.

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"This is a very exciting opportunity for us as it broadens our ability to truly be the contractor who can provide all the technology goods and services for a very wide range of clients," says LVC President and CEO Bob Hoertsch.

5/2/16

By Security, Sales & Integration Staff

MINNEAPOLIS -- Low Voltage Contractors (LVC), based here, has expanded its fire/life-safety product and service offerings with the acquisition of J.N. Johnson Fire and Safety. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The acquired company will continue to do business as J.N. Johnson, a Division of LVC. The acquisition includes the company's headquarters in Minneapolis, as well as offices in Hibbing, Minn., International Falls, Minn., and Lee Leasing, Minn.

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5/4/16

Area Development

UTC Aerospace Systems is expanding its production center in Foley, Alabama. The company is adding a new manufacturing and nacelle assembly facility that is expected to create 260 jobs in Baldwin County.

The new 80,000 square-foot building will house the assembly of nacelle components and propulsion system integration. The primary mission of the new facility will be to support the Airbus A320, initially the current engine option and eventually the new engine option. The nacelle system for the A320neo features a proprietary inlet acoustic treatment that reduces drag, which improves fuel efficiency.

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From left: John Theilst, vice president, managing principal of Coffman Engineers, Honolulu office; Robert Bigtas, formerly of S.S. Dannaway Associates and now a principal of Coffman Enginners; Samuel Dannaway, former founder and president of S.S. Dannaway Associates; Dave Coffman, founder and director of Coffman Engineers; Dave Gardner, CEO of Coffman Engineers; Jay Higashi, formerly of S.S. Dunaway Associations, now a principal of Coffman Engineers. COURTESY COFFMAN ENGINEERS

5/3/16

By Duane Shimogawa, Reporter
Pacific Business News

Coffman Engineers Inc. has acquired its second Hawaii company in as many years with its most recent acquisition of Honolulu-based S.S. Dannaway Associates Inc., one of the largest fire protection engineering firms in the Pacific Region, the two companies confirmed to PBN.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, although the addition of S.S. Dannaway's 14 employees brings Coffman Engineers' Honolulu presence to 42 employees.

S.S. Dannaway's employees will remain at the company's office on Sumner Street in Iwilei until Coffman Engineers consolidates its offices, tentatively scheduled to happen by 2019.

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5/3/16

Occupational Health & Safety

The Fire Protection Research Foundation has made nine presentations from its recent "Symposium on Fire Protection for a Changing World" available free online. The foundation hosted the symposium April 18 in Munich, Germany, hosting insurers, fire protection equipment manufacturers, engineers, academics, and fire service representatives to discuss the fire protection challenges of new hazards, big data for fire protection applications, and much more.

Presentations from the event can be found here at the foundation's website.

• "Trends Impacting Fire Protection," Dr. Guillermo Rein, Imperial College, United Kingdom
• "Emergency Responder Perspective for the 21st Century," Chief Albrecht Broemme, Federal Agency for Technical Relief, Germany
• "Economic and Environmental Impacts of Fire Events," Dr. Francine Amon, SP, Sweden
• "Intelligent Building Design for the 21st Century," Peter Weismantle, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture LLP, USA
• "Fire Protection for Tall Wood Buildings," Birgit Ã-stman, SP, Sweden
• "Wind Turbine Fire Protection," Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Henry Seifert, Hochschule Bremerhaven; University of Applied Sciences, Germany
• "Electrical Energy Storage: Lithium-Ion Batteries," Ben Ditch, FM Global, USA

Fire Rover Video

These are the stories in our last issue that got the most clicks. If you haven't already, check them out!

• Multiple System Failures Caused Engine Room Fire Aboard Bulk Carrier 
• What's Wrong With This Story? 
• Why are Super Yachts Catching Fire? 
• Keystone Fire Protection (PA) Acquires Marco 
• Fire Executives Charged With Negligence