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 Spotlight On: Sciens Buy and Build Playbook |
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Sciens Building Solutions CEO Terry Heath (center) with technicians Tim Larkin and Larry Brugh.
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2/12/21By Larry BernsteinSecurity Info WatchThanks to a clear vision and philosophy, Sciens Building Solutions has quickly built and grown its fire and security services businessSuccessful businesses start with a clear vision and goal. In 2015, Huron Capital and industry veteran Terry Heath partnered to create a fire and security integration business built on a unique "buy-and-build" investment strategy. Instead of gobbling up entities, the strategy is more of a partnership approach, where employees and executives join the greater whole to share strategies and successfully grow the business as a team. This approach has paid dividends for Sciens Building Solutions, and this clear vision and goal has enabled the company to thrive and grow - even in the current challenging business environment. Read the full story here.
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Yale Library Fire Suppression System Will Not Kill You
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2/15/21
By Reuters Staff
Reuters
Posts are circulating on social media that claim that if there is a fire at one of the Yale University libraries, all of the oxygen is removed from the building killing everyone inside in order to protect the rare books. This claim is partly false: representatives for the library confirmed that fire suppressant gases, which reduce oxygen levels but are still safe for humans, would be released into the book stacks only.
Communications Director of the Beinecke Library Michael Morand told Reuters via email: "Like scores of cultural heritage institutions, this library uses a clean agent fire suppression system that safe for humans." Clean agents are gases that suppress the fire but are safe for humans.
In an interview with Yale News in 2010, Stephen Jones, the head of access services at the Beinecke Library at the time, explained this system in more detail. He said: "They do lower the percentage of oxygen, but not enough to kill any librarians," explaining that the fire safety system pumps a combination of the gases halon and Inergen into the book stacks to stop the combustion process and therefore the spread of the fire.
Click here to read more of this article. |
| Thomas Midgley: The Chemist Behind Leaded Gas and CFCs |
2/15/21
By Vicky Mandal
Phil Sports News
On April 24, 1935, the newspaper "La Libertad" informed its readers of "How man will live in a century, according to the prophecies of Dr. Thomas Midgley." So read the headline, which in its following paragraphs assured that "in a hundred years one will travel between the planets, one will work a maximum of two hours a day and human life can be prolonged indefinitely thanks to the elimination of epidemics and serious diseases". The report by this president of the American Chemical Society to which he referred was "Chemistry in the Next Century."
What this American engineer did not talk about in his report are the creations that gave him fame (and money) in the first half of the 20th century, but today they lead him to be considered by many environmental experts as one of the most important inventors. Dangerous in history. Responsible, among other things, for the acceleration of climate change and the hole in the ozone layer that today worries the main powers of the world.
Thomas Midgley was born in Pennsylvania (United States) in 1889 and it was not until 1911 that he graduated as a mechanical engineer from Cornell University. Five years later he was already working for General Motors, the company where he made his name with his first - and highly damaging - first discovery.
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| How JCI Will Cut $300 Million in Expenses |
2/17/21By Johnson Controls International plcCision PR NewswireCORK, Ireland -- Johnson Controls, the global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, today details multi-year SG&A actions designed to further optimize the overall cost structure, enhance operational efficiency and deliver meaningful margin expansion. These actions will deliver annualized savings of $300 million by fiscal year-end 2023 and are incremental to ongoing improvements in underlying fundamentals. The full story can be read here.
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| JCI Introduces Li-Ion Risk Prevention Solution for ESS |
2/18/21By Energy Storage & GridsAltenergymagMILWAUKEE -- Johnson Controls, the global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, announces the launch of its Lithium-Ion Risk Prevention System. The system is engineered to provide early-warning detection of battery failure in Lithium-Ion Energy Storage Systems (ESS) and other applications using Lithium-Ion batteries such as UPS systems in data centers and manufacturing facilities. By monitoring and mitigating battery failure before it presents a fire threat, this technology provides immense safety value for the Energy Storage industry, which is rapidly growing due to global emission reduction targets in renewable power generation - particularly solar and wind.
Read the full story here.
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| JCI Kansas Factory Powered Entirely by Wind |
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| | | Soldier Creek Wind Farm. Evergy | |
2/11/21
By WPED Staff
Windpower Engineering & Development
Johnson Controls, a manufacturer of smart, healthy and sustainable building solutions, is also employing sustainable manufacturing with its continued commitment to green energy. The company's 1.3 million sq-ft HVAC manufacturing plant in Wichita, Kansas, is now powered by 100% wind energy.
The plant manufactures residential heating and air conditioning equipment for the YORK, Luxaire, Coleman and Champion brands. With this switch to renewable energy, the plant's electricity is offset by zero-carbon electricity, which represents 19% of Johnson Controls U.S. manufacturing electricity consumption.
Click here to read the full story. |
| Honeywell to Move 200 Engineering Jobs from WA to AZ | 2/4/21
By Dominic Gates, Seattle Times aerospace reporter
The Seattle Times
Leading aerospace avionics supplier Honeywell will move about 200 highly paid engineering jobs over the next year from its Redmond facility to Phoenix, the company announced internally.
The planned shift will reduce Honeywell's already shrinking presence in Washington state - nearly 1,000-strong just 13 months ago - to between 300 and 350 people, the company said.
Read the rest of this article here.
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| 3M to Invest $1B to Accelerate Environmental Goals |
2/16/21
Yahoo!Finance
BRIAN SOZZI: So big news out from 3M this morning here. $1 billion investment over 20 years, and you hope to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and reduce water use by 25% at your facilities. Why did you make this announcement now? MIKE ROMAN: It was an exciting day for us to step out with these goals, goals that build on a legacy of leadership for us in sustainability. ESG is critical to 3M and 3M-ers. It's high expectations from our customers, our shareholders, the communities that we're part of with our operations around the world. Today's announcement, invest a billion dollars over the next 20 years to really step forward in our carbon goals, go carbon neutral by 2050, reduce the water usage in our manufacturing facilities by 25%, improve the quality of water that comes out of our factories.
Read the full story here. |
| Airbus Says Aviation May Not Recover Until 2025 |
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An Airbus A330 aircraft operated by Lufthansa. Airbus expects to deliver the same number of aircraft this year as it did in 2020. (Felix Schmitt for The New York Times)
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2/18/21By Liz AldermanThe New York TimesThe aerospace giant Airbus announced a 1.1 billion euro loss for 2020 and warned that the industry might not recover from the disruption caused by the pandemic for two to four years, as new virus variants delay a resumption of worldwide air travel. The world's largest planemaker eliminated its dividend for a second straight year and predicted a leveling off in deliveries of its popular commercial jets, the company's chief executive, Guillaume Faury, said.
Read the full article here. |
| Fire Suppression System Triggered at Peabody (MA) Gas Station |
2/19/21By Frank O'LaughlinNews 7 BostonPEABODY, MASS. -- A gas station in Peabody was blanketed in white powder after the fire suppression system was triggered. Firefighters responding to the gas station on Lowell Street found white power coating the ground near all of the gas pumps. Click here to finish reading this story.
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| Hilton Hotel Goes Up in Flames - Frozen Sprinkler System Partly to Blame |
2/20/21
By Celeste Houmard (6 News)KVUE ABCKILLEEN, Texas -- Killeen fire and police departments battled a large structure fire at the Hilton Garden Inn in Killeen. Fire crews arrived at the scene to find fire coming from the roof above the fourth floor of the four-story hotel. Firefighting efforts were hindered due to automatic sprinkler system being out of service because of frozen pipes.
To read this article in full, click here.
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Sprinkler System Mishap Shuts Down Restaurant
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Photo by: KJRH
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2/20/21By Jeanette Quezada2 TulsaTULSA, Okla. -- The Chalkboard reopened for business after a water line break caused serious damage to its kitchen and restaurant. Part of the ceiling in the kitchen of Chalkboard caved in when a fire suppression system pipe broke, causing major flooding throughout the restaurant's kitchen, dining room, and wine cellar. To continue reading this article, click here.
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Viking Forms Integrated Safety Division
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 2/17/21By Viking Group Inc.ThomasViking Integrated Safety provides pre-engineered & packaged application-specific fire protection systems with a simplified procurement process & rapid deployment to improve safety & reduce total system cost.Caledonia, MI -- Viking Group, Inc. has announced the creation of Viking Integrated Safety (VIS), an organization that will leverage the broad range of Minimax Viking products to provide fully-integrated, pre-engineered, and packaged fire prevention and life safety solutions for targeted applications. VIS solutions combine technologies from pull-stations, flame/smoke detectors, alarm panels, notification appliances, and extinguishment systems in seamless, dependable, and cost-effective kits.
Finish reading this article here. |
| Conception Dive Boat Captain Pleads Not Guilty to "Seaman's Manslaughter" |
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The 75-foot Conception, based in Santa Barbara Harbor, burns after catching fire early September 2, 2019 anchored off Santa Cruz Island, California. (Photo by Santa Barbara County Fire Department via Getty Images)
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2/16/21
By Lita Martinez
LAist
The captain of the Conception dive boat which broke out in a deadly fire in 2019 has pleaded not guilty to nearly three dozen federal charges. Federal prosecutors say he failed to properly train his crew on fire safety, and did not post a roving night watch.
Jerry Boylan was first indicted in December on what's known as "seaman's manslaughter." The Conception incident one of the deadliest maritime disasters in modern American history, killing 33 passengers and one crew member on board.
Click here to read the rest of this article.
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| Substation Fire Cuts Power |
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| | | The cause of the fire at the substation is not yet known. | |
2/14/21By Siphokazi ZamaSprings AdvertiserA Sixth Street substation caught alight, leaving many without power. City of Ekurhuleni DEMS firefighting teams from both Springs Central and Selection Park fire stations responded to the fire. DEMS spokesperson William Ntladi said when emergency services arrived on scene, they found the substation still had a live electrical current and they had to wait for council electricians to isolate the power before fire suppression could take place.
Read more of this article here. |
Chemours Creates New Division for Refrigerants and Fire Suppression
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| | | Alisha Bellezza has been named as president of Chemours' new Thermal & Specialized Solutions division | |
2/12/21Cooling PostChanges at Chemours sees the US chemical manufacturer's refrigerants business in a new product-focused division, led by Alisha Bellezza. In addition to its refrigerant interests, the new Thermal & Specialized Solutions (TSS) division (formerly Fluorochemicals) will also include fire suppressants, blowing agents, propellants and solvents. The other party in Chemours' former Fluoroproducts segment - Fluoropolymers - has been renamed Advanced Performance Materials (APM).
To read the rest of this story, click here. |
| Toppan Develops Fire Prevention Film for Lithium-ion Batteries |
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| | Graphic image provided by Toppan Printing |
2/10/21
By Brian Taylor
Waste Today
Tokyo-based Toppan Printing says it has developed a fire extinguishing film that responds to heat by emitting aerosol particles. The new film is available starting in February and is targeted toward manufacturers of batteries and electrical appliances.
Toppan says it has made the product in response to the increased risk of fire-related accidents, "not only during use but also after disposal." The waste and recycling industry has identified lithium-ion batteries as the source of numerous fires at material recovery facilities (MRFs), auto shredder yards and other recycling and waste workplaces.
Read the full article here.
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| Siemens to Shed 7,800 Jobs | |
2/2/21
By The Associated Press
Tech Xplore
Energy technology company Siemens Energy said that it plans to shed 7,800 jobs worldwide by 2025 as part of a drive to cut costs.
The company, which was spun off last year by German industrial conglomerate Siemens AG, currently has more than 90,000 employees around the world.
Click here to see the rest of this story. |
| Honeywell to Automate Systems at One of the World's Largest Shipyards |  2/9/21By TLME News ServiceTransport & Logistics Middle EastHoneywell has been awarded a major contract by SEPCO Electric Power Construction Corporation (SEPCO) to supply connected control, telecommunications, safety and security systems for the King Salman International Complex for Maritime Industries and Services shipyard being developed by Aramco in Ras Al-Khair, Saudi Arabia. When completed, the complex will be one of the largest shipyards in the world. Click here to read the full article. |
| Summit Fire & Security Announces the Purchase of Sound & Signal Systems of NM | 
2/3/21Summit CompaniesThe latest addition strengthens Summit Fire & Security's presence in Southwestern U.S. with expansion in New MexicoMENDOTA HEIGHTS, MINNESOTA -- SFP Holding, Inc. (Summit Companies) announced that Summit Fire & Security LLC, a subsidiary of SFP Holding, has completed the purchase of Sound & Signal Systems of NM, Inc. located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Read the rest of the article here.
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| Water Mist - Healing The World by Design |
February 2021
By Bettina McDowell, General Manager of the International Water Mist Association
Fire Safety Search Newsletter
In the 1980s the world acted to save the ozone layer. The news that chemicals found in many personal hygiene products had caused a hole which was getting bigger and bigger was dramatic and spurred the signing of the Montreal Protocol. One of the substances that was then banned was halon - a chemical used, amongst others, as a fire suppression agent that had done a good job, was effective, efficient, cheap and easy to install, but which had also caused ozone depletion. Regarding fire protection, the phasing-out of halon left a gap which was filled by the water mist technology.
What makes a water mist system a sustainable and eco-friendly system? The first two points here are - obviously - that a water mist system uses water and indeed less of it. We all know that water is pure and natural. And water is precious. Not only in the Middle East. "There, using less water means less water has to be drawn from drinking water resources", says Henrik Bygbjerg, Global Director R&D, Service, EHS&Q at Danfoss Fire Safety.
Continue reading this story here. |
| "Huge Concern" for Fire Safety Compliance - A Survey (UK) |  2/15/21Fire Safety MattersThe 2021 Fire Safety Accountability Report produced by JLA Fire has revealed that over 60% of those individuals questioned who are responsible for fire safety in the workplace or commercial environment believe they could be doing more to ensure that a given building is fire safe.The survey was conducted by JLA Fire in January and involved a sample size of 504 respondents consisting of participants from regions across the UK working in a variety of different industries. The findings show that 10% of respondents don't know how to perform a fire risk assessment despite being responsible for such a key task. Read the rest of this article here. |
| The Most Common Fire Code Violations |  2/19/21
Koorsen Fire & Security
Building owners are subject to a variety of local fire codes. These codes are enforced through inspections by the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), which can include the local fire marshal, building inspector, or other code official.
These inspections provide the backbone of fire prevention in your community and help to ensure public safety in your building and others. The purpose is to identify problems with your fire protection systems so they can be remedied before a fire occurs.
Keep reading this story here. |
Most Popular Stories from January 2021
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