12/20/16

ACHR News

FARMINGTON, Conn. -- UTC Climate, Controls & Security has announced that its India affiliate has entered into an agreement with Wipro Limited, a global information technology, consulting, and business process services company, to acquire EcoEnergy, Wipro's energy services business division. EcoEnergy, based in Bengaluru, India, is a provider of energy management services for commercial customers in North America, Europe, and Asia.

"We believe EcoEnergy's energy management platform and services, along with the expertise of its team, will enable UTC Climate, Controls & Security to further develop its remote monitoring and building analytics capabilities and bring enhanced services and solutions to UTC Climate, Controls & Security's broad, global customer base," said Ross Shuster, president, international operations, UTC Climate, Controls & Security. "Our industry-leading brands, including Carrier, Riello, Chubb, Edwards, Onity, Automated Logic, Lenel, Interlogix, and Kidde, along with their channel businesses, will be able to offer EcoEnergy service options to our customers, leveraging EcoEnergy's talented staff of professionals. This will provide our customers with another way in which UTC Climate, Controls & Security is helping to meet their sustainability goals throughout the entire building lifecycle."

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12/2/16

Insurance Journal

Warehouses, served by increasingly powerful automated materials-handling equipment, are steadily getting taller, posing new fire risks and stressing traditional fire protection systems like heat-triggered ceiling sprinklers.

That's why Rhode Island-based FM Global, one of the world's largest commercial property insurers, has pioneered research on next-generation sprinklers that, if brought to market, are designed to activate earlier and in batches, better suppressing highly challenging fires.

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Steve Ulmer, chief executive officer of Davis-Ulmer Sprinkler Co. Photographer: Jim Courtney

12/6/16

By James Fink, Reporter
Buffalo Business First

In a move designed to increase its still-expanding footprint, Davis-Ulmer Sprinkler Co. has acquired a Boston-based competitor, giving the Amherst-headquartered company entry into the Massachusetts market.

Davis-Ulmer has purchased Ellis Fire Suppression, a firm whose annual revenues top $6 million and has 20 employees in the immediate Boston area. Terms were not disclosed.

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12/15/16

By Laurence Kilgannon, Assistant Digital News Editor
Insider Media Limited

Checkmate Fire Solutions, a fire protection installation and survey company with operations in Yorkshire and Essex, has been acquired in a management buyout.

The deal was led by managing director Mark Williams and Pat Murphy, southern operations and technical director, with funding for the deal structured by the Royal Bank of Scotland's corporate transactions team.

Williams and Murphy have acquired the existing shares of Alan Oliver, director of the compliance division, who will remain within the business. Simon Moate advised the team on this arrangement and has now joined the business as a non-executive director.

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12/14/16

Staff Writer
REJournals.com

United States Alliance Fire Protection recently received the 2016 X-Cup trophy award from its parent organization, The API Group.

This award is given to the company within the API Group that shows the most improvement in safety matters. USA FP has logged more than 4 million (and counting) work hours without a lost-time incident and 2,600 work days without a lost-time accident, demonstrating why the company ranks as one of the safest fire sprinkler contractors in Wisconsin, Illinois and Northern Indiana.

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12/1/16

By Kennedy Maize
Power

The Tennessee Valley Authority said it will pay a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) proposed $140,000 fine for security violations at its Browns Ferry nuclear station near Athens, Ala.

According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Steve Bono, Browns Ferry site director, said that the giant regional power agency "accepts full responsibility" for the violations and will pay the fine.

The NRC proposed the fine Tuesday after investigations found that in May 2015 "five of TVA's contract fire watch workers deliberately failed to conduct roving fire watch patrols as required by NRC regulations." There were no safety consequences as no fires occurred during the time the patrols were to have taken place, the NRC said.

 

11/23/16

By Debi Boucher Stetson
The Barnstable Patriot

Barnstable's water contamination issue has grown more complex with the town's recent filing of a lawsuit against 3M and other manufacturers of fire extinguishing chemical foams.

The federal lawsuit comes on the heels of a state Department of Environmental Protection notice of responsibility regarding Barnstable Municipal Airport as a possible source of well contamination.

Earlier this year, the town filed suit against Barnstable County, alleging that the county's fire training academy caused the town's nearby Mary Dunn wells to be contaminated by two contaminants, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), chemicals used in fire-suppression foams.

 

11/30/16

By Daniel K. Eisenbud
The Jerusalem Post

Less than one week after brush fires engulfed large swaths of the country, Israel on Thursday is launching its first National Fire Protection Association, based on a successful American model created to teach fire safety and minimize fatalities and damages.

Shmuel Netanel, who served as Israel's first fire protection engineer, is the chairman of the newly formed Israeli Fire Protection Association, which is partnering with the Building Engineer's Association, and seeking to work with the National Association of Builders.

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11/24/16

By MDM Publishing Ltd
Gulf Fire

Saudi Arabia has remained one of the most promising fire safety markets in entire GCC region. In last few years, the market has enjoyed strong growth owing to growing construction market in the areas such as residential, retail, hospitality, public infrastructure, healthcare, and education. Also, with recent fire incidences and emergence of high rise buildings the need for advanced fire safety systems have surged in the country.

The newly constructed buildings or ongoing construction would be equipped with advanced fire safety systems, however, immense opportunities exist for the players in retrofit buildings segment which have traditional fire safety systems.

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11/6/16

GEO TV

GADANI: Three more workers succumbed to their injuries inflicted by the fire at an oil tanker in Gadani ship-breaking yard, taking the death toll to 25.

Laborers identified as Abbas, Alam Babul and Hasan Karim were pronounced dead. The workers had been under treatment at Karachi's Civil Hospital burns ward.

Family of deceased Alam took to the streets in Hub in protest and held a sit-in, blocking traffic flow.

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11/24/16

By MDM Publishing Ltd
Gulf Fire

Iran is one of the most untapped markets in entire Middle-East region. The country is second largest economy in Middle-East and North Africa region after Saudi Arabia and is home to second largest population. Over the years, Iranian economy has been adversely affected due to UN sanctions.

Further, since the country's economy is dependent on the export of hydrocarbons, with recent oil prices turmoil, the market conditions are expected to remain challenging. However, with the ease in imposed sanctions, the country is anticipated to witness new business opportunities owing to flow of fresh investments.

 

H.J. Patterson Hall seen on the University of Maryland campus. (Ornelle Chimi/The Diamondback)

11/10/16
The Diamondback

Fire protection engineers are in hot demand all over the world. Fire protection engineers must test and understand every building, vehicle and industrial or consumer product to guarantee human and environmental safety. Everyone needs fire protection engineering, but most people don't know it exists.

There are typically two open positions for every student who graduates from the University of Maryland's fire protection engineering program, said Jim Milke, chair of the fire protection engineering department.

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A firefighter trapped in a hopper flash fire. (Photo courtesy of OSHA.gov)

12/15/16

By Brian Ward
Fire Engineering

Recently, several incidents involving combustible dust emergencies have made national news because of the devastation they caused or because they were videotaped and shared through social media. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board released a study in 2006 that identified 261 dust-related fires between 1980 and 2005 that caused 119 fatalities and 718 injuries. Furthermore, there have been nine major incidents since 2003 that have caused 36 deaths and 120 injuries. These numbers are exponentially increased if you include modernized countries outside of the United States.

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12/14/16

Claims Journal

Lithium-ion batteries, so useful in smartphones, electric cars and energy storage systems, can catch fire and explode. The risk is magnified in warehouse settings where hundreds of thousands of batteries could be stored.

Because of the fire risk, FM Global, a global commercial property insurer, conducted research to refine fire protection guidance for lithium-ion batteries stored in warehouses. The research included large-scale fire tests at the FM Global Research Campus in West Glocester, R.I., home of the largest fire technology lab in the world (108,000 square feet and six stories high).

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

• Fire Suppression Foam Fill Streets 
• FSSA Mourns the Loss of Bernie Bischoff 
• Five Emerging Fire Protection Technologies 
• A Few Words About Bernie Bishchoff - From some of those who knew him best 
• Wind Turbine Fires - Industry Searches for Solution