Halon Herald Header

www.ushalonbank.com   1.800.433.1751                                             July 2017 - Vol 3, Issue 6
                            
News
Price Fixing Cartel Broken Up by Commission (South Africa)
Paint Booth Explosion Sends Two Honeywell Aerospace Workers to Hospital
Military, Other Agencies, Knew of Foam Dangers in 2001
Halon System Extinguishes Library Fire
Could a Grenfell Tower Fire Happen in the U.S.?
NFPA to Develop High-Rise Fire Risk Assessment Tool
Goss and O'Neil Win Siemens Fire and Life Safety Design Award
Jet Engine Fire Causes Aborted Landing
Most Popular Stories from June 2017
People In The News 
Companies in the News
Video of the Month
Price Fixing Cartel Broken Up by Commission (South Africa)

6/26/17


By Staff Reporter
Business Report

Johannesburg -- The Competition Commission said two of the seven fire companies prosecuted for price fixing companies have admitted to having engaged in cartel conduct. They agreed to pay penalties and have undertaken to assist the Commission in the prosecution of the rest.

Fireco Gauteng (Fireco Gauteng) and Afrion Property Services CC (Afrion), specializing in supplying, installing and maintaining fire control and protection systems in South Africa and the continent, have reached a settlement with the Commission.

In a statement, the Commission states that part of several fire control and protection systems companies that were referred by the Commission to the Competition Tribunal for prosecution in March this year. The companies had fixed prices, divided markets and tendered collusively when bidding for tenders to install fire control and protection systems in new and existing buildings.

Click here to read the rest of this article.


Anti-Competition Fear Halts Merger (South Africa)

7/2/17

Fin21

Cape Town -- South Africa's competition watchdog has prohibited the proposed intermediate merger whereby Jasco Electronics intends to acquire Cross Fire due to concerns of price-fixing and potential collusion.

Jasco Electronics is a smart technology company which provides information and communication technology services across a number of sectors.

Jasco Fire, a subsidiary of Jasco Electronics, operates in the fire protection industry and manufactures pipes used in fire protection systems. Jasco designs, supplies and installs the full fire protection system based on the particular needs of a customer.

Read the rest of this story here.

Paint Booth Explosion Sends Two Honeywell Aerospace Workers to Hospital

7/4/17

By Harrison Grimwood
Tulsa World

Emergency responders transported two people from a north Tulsa industrial plant following an explosion.

The injured people, employees of Honeywell Aerospace, were taken to a hospital in unknown conditions.

A paint booth in the plant, located in the 6900 block of North Lakewood Avenue, exploded about 7 a.m., Tulsa Fire Capt. Stan May said.

Read the entire article here.

Military, Other Agencies, Knew of Foam Dangers in 2001
Erich Weiss, of Bets-Weston Services, takes water samples to test for PFOS and PFOA at the Lakehurst section of the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in December. Tests on private wells around the base have begun.
Carl Kosola/Photojournalist
7/15/17

By Kyle Bagenstose, staff writer
Bucks County Courier Times

By 2001, the U.S. military knew firefighting foams used at bases across the country could break down into toxic chemicals, that the chemicals had entered streams and groundwater at several military bases, and that they could potentially be polluting drinking water wells.

But despite one Department of Defense employee's prediction that phasing out the foams could be an environmental task rivaling the magnitude of asbestos removal, the military continued to use the foams -- without investigating whether anyone on or off the bases had been sickened, according to military records and emails.

Finish reading this article here.

Halon System Extinguishes Library Fire
7/6/17

By Neal McNamara (Patch Staff)
Gigi Harbot Patch

The fire happened July 4 at the library along Point Fosdick Drive.

GIG HARBOR, WA -- A fire broke out inside the book drop at the Gig Harbor Library on July 4, according to the fire department. And it appears the fire was set by someone shooting fireworks into the book drop. Luckily, the library's fire-suppression system was able to extinguish the blaze before it spread farther into the building.

According to Gig Harbor Fire and Rescue, the library, which is part of the Pierce County Library system, is equipped with a halon suppression system. When a fire is detected, that system sprays halon gas, which stops the fire from spreading. The system worked in this case.

To read the rest of this story, click here.
 
Could a Grenfell Tower Fire Happen in the U.S.?
AP Photo/Matt Dunham
6/26/17

By Brian Meacham
The Conversation

The Grenfell Tower fire in London has triggered questions about how the tragedy could have happened, whether it could happen elsewhere, and what might be learned from it to prevent future disasters. As a professor of fire protection engineering, I know that the answers are not simple, and the fixes not quick.

Investigations into what actually happened at Grenfell Tower are still ongoing. While some factors have been identified, completing the picture could take years. As details emerge, though, it may not be easy to translate them to other situations. Buildings differ widely, based on when each was constructed and any renovations or other modifications since. And then there are the different rules, design concepts and construction practices that vary from country to country, and, in the U.S., sometimes from state to state.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

shambaughShambaugh (Div. of Emcor) Promotes Rob Vincent to COO
Rob Vincent
6/27/17

Contractor

Over the last three years, the Fire Protection Division at Shambaugh & Son has grown as a result of both organic and acquisition growth.

FORT WAYNE, IND. -- Specialty contractor Shambaugh & Son, a subsidiary of EMCOR Group Inc., promoted Rob Vincent to the new position of chief operating officer, Fire Protection Group. Over the last three years, the Fire Protection Division at Shambaugh & Son has grown, as a result of both organic and acquisition growth, to be the second-largest fire protection company in the country.

Click here to read the entire story.

tillAECOM's Bernie Till Gets Top DOE Honors for Fire Suppression
Till
6/26/17

Special to The T&D
T&D

William "Bernie" Till has received the highest award presented by the U.S. Department of Energy for fire protection.

In addition to being chief of the Pine Hill Fire Department, Till is a fire-protection engineer and fire-protection technical lead with AECOM supporting DOE sites and developing fire-protection solutions.

He received the Walter W. Maybee Award in May in Las Vegas.

Read the rest of the story by clicking here.
 
sciensSciens Building Solutions Names Michael Dawid CFO
7/13/17

PR Newswire

Fire Detection and Security Services Business Appoints Chief Financial Officer

SAN FRANCISCO -- Sciens Building Solutions, a provider of fire detection and security services, announced it has appointed Michael Dawid as its Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Dawid will report directly to Sciens CEO, Terry Heath.    

"We are thrilled to welcome Michael to the Sciens family. His experience, leadership, and ability to take businesses to the next level financially are the perfect fit for our vision of a national platform focused on fire protection and safety. I'm sincerely looking forward to partnering with Michael on this endeavor and continuing to grow Sciens across North America, all while having fun doing it," said Terry Heath, Sciens CEO.

Click here to read the rest of this story.
 
mountainMountain Alarm Opens New Hdq. In Utah
6/21/17

By Paul Ragusa
Security Systems News

DIY business seeing strong growth, now company's largest branch

OGDEN, Utah -- Mountain Alarm, a national fire protection, security and home automation company, recently opened a new headquarters here that will serve the company's 14 branches in six western states as well as its rapidly growing national DIY business.

"This new facility is a giant leap forward-we went from about 8,000 square feet in our old facility to 40,000 square feet in this new one," Rod Garner, CEO and president of Mountain Alarm, told Security Systems News, noting that the company needed more space both inside and outside for parking, which was severely lacking.

Read the full article here.
 

red_hawkRed Hawk Acquires Tele-Tector (Maryland)
7/11/17

SecurityInfoWatch

Boca Raton, Fla. -- Red Hawk Fire & Security LLC, a leader in fire, life safety and security services, has announced the acquisition of highly respected security systems integrator Tele-Tector of Maryland (TTM), further establishing Red Hawk's place as a major player in the fire, life safety and security industry.

TTM has been in business since 1967 in the Baltimore, suburban Maryland and Washington D.C. areas building a culture of long-term client relationships and a reputation for the engineering, design, installation and service of integrated security systems to some of the leading world-class health systems, corporations, local and county government agencies and universities. Headquartered in Columbus, MD, TTM has more than 40 tenured team members, many of whom have been with the organization for 10 years or more with deep experience delivering innovative security services and solutions to customers.

Finish reading this story here.

NFPA to Develop High-Rise Fire Risk Assessment Tool
nfpa 6/27/17

National Fire Protection Association

In light of a recent series of fires in high-rise buildings with combustible facades, including the Grenfell tower fire, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has initiated a project to develop a fire risk assessment tool for these types of buildings to assist local authorities globally with fire safety in their communities. This project builds on previous NFPA work begun over the past few years, related to growing concerns about fire risks associated with combustible wall insulation components.

"NFPA is committed to helping communities respond to current fire threats," said Jim Pauley, NFPA president. "Given several recent tragic high-rise fires, this resource couldn't be more needed or timely."

The risk assessment tool will help authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs) prioritize mitigation by incorporating a methodology that identifies key variables (such as wall materials, building fire protection systems, etc.). The risk assessment tool helps characterize those variables in terms of risk or mitigation potential, and incorporates them into an engineering-based risk model. The project will be conducted by a global engineering team whose work will be overseen by an advisory panel of global stakeholders and experts. It is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.

Click here to read more about this.
 
Goss and O'Neil Win Siemens Fire and Life Safety Design Award
Tom Goss, EKU student and winner of the 2017 Siemens Engineering Innovation Award for fire and life safety design
6/23/17

PRWeb

Richmond, KY -- Tom Goss, an EKU Online fire protection and safety engineering technology student, was among the winners of the fourth annual Siemens Engineering Innovation Award for fire and life safety design. He accepted the honor June 5 at Fenway Park in Boston during the National Fire Protection Association's annual conference.

"This is the proudest moment of my fire protection career," said Goss. "I am over the moon."

Goss works as a design specialist for the fire safety group at O'Neal, Inc. in Greenville, SC. The company was selected for their innovative design approach incorporating Siemens' Firefinder XLS fire panel into an existing specialty polymers site for Solvay in Augusta, GA. The design allows first responders to quickly take control if a fire occurs while conserving the amount of water used to extinguish it.

Click here to see the full article.
 
Jet Engine Fire Causes Aborted Landing
(Flight Aware graphic)
7/24/17

By Caribbean monitoring
WIC News

A Caribbean Airlines plane flying from Port of Spain in Trinidad to St Lucia with 68 people on board had to divert to a different airport after crew believed there was an engine fire.

The ATR-72 aircraft was on its approach to George FL Charles Airport, the smaller of St Lucia's airports, when the crew decided to divert to Hewanorra Airport, the larger international airport.

The crew shut the engine down, activated the fire suppression and landed safely at Hewanorra about 20 minutes after aborting the approach to SLU, the Aviation Herald reported.

Read the fully story here.
 
air_forceNorthrop and Pratt & Whitney Awarded Potential Air Force Contract
7/12/17

By Ross Wilkers
Washington Technology

The Air Force has made a second round of awards on a potential seven-year, $409 million contract to build thermal, power and control technologies for use on air platforms and engines.

Northrop Grumman and United Technologies Corp. subsidiary Pratt & Whitney join Lockheed Martin as participants in the Next Generation Thermal, Power, and Controls effort.

Read the rest of this story here.
 
johnson_controlsJohnson Controls More Profitable After Merger with Tyco
The Johnson Controls Inc. operational headquarters in Glendale.
7/27/17

By Arthur Thomas
BizTimes

Earnings up 16%, revenues up just 1% in Q3

Johnson Controls International plc reported a 16 percent jump in earnings during the third quarter even as sales were up just 1 percent.

The company, which is run from Glendale but based in Ireland for tax purposes, reported $7.67 billion in adjusted revenue during the quarter, up just 1 percent compared to the combined revenues of Tyco International and Johnson Controls before their merger last year.

Click here to finish reading this article.
 
utcUTC Posts Increases in Revenue and Profit
Visitors look over a Geared Turbofan engine built by Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies, on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, July 19, 2017 in Washington. (Kevin Wolf / AP)
7/25/17

By Stephen Singer, Contact Reporter
Hartford Courant

United Technologies Corp. posted increases in second-quarter revenue and profit and, offering an optimistic view of rising sales, boosted its guidance for sales and earnings for the remainder of the year.

The Farmington-based conglomerate reported higher revenue in three of its four businesses: jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney, Otis elevator and UTC Climate, Controls and Security. UTC Aerospace Systems reported a decline, with sales falling by 2 percent from the second quarter of 2016.

Continue reading this article here.
 
Most Popular Stories from June 2017

If you have any questions, comments, would like to be featured in a future Halon Herald, or would like to be added to our mailing list for this newsletter, please contact Kari Buser at
WESCO HMB
1.800.433.1751