Gregory Hayes, CEO of UTC, told CNBC that company shareholders drove its decision to spin off its Carrier and Otis divisions. (Photo: CNBC)

11/28/18

By Joe Cooper
Hartford Business Journal Online

Splitting United Technologies Corp., Farmington's 84-year-old conglomerate, into three separate companies was an arduous, yet easy decision, according to its chief executive.

In near unanimous support, UTC shareholders lobbied over the last year for the company to spin off its Otis elevator and Carrier building systems businesses.

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11/15/18

By Dinesh Nair, Aaron Kirchfeld, and Sarah Syed
Bloomberg

United Technologies Corp. is starting the final round of an auction for its fire safety and security business, people familiar with the matter said.

Offers from Apax Partners and PAI Partners, as well as a joint bid from Eurazeo SE and Rhone Capital, are being considered, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. The asset could fetch about $3 billion, one of the people said.

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HMCS Toronto practices high-speed maneuvers in the Indian Ocean off Somalia in this 2007 DND file photo. The ship experienced technical problems last month. (Master-Cpl. Kevin Paul/Canadian Forces Combat Camera)

11/7/18

By Michael Gorman
CBC News

A third navy vessel in a different class experienced technical problems this week

There's no reason to believe fires that broke out recently on two Halifax-based Royal Canadian Navy ships are sign of a widespread problem with the fleet, a senior military official said.

The Defence Department continues to investigate the incidents aboard HMCS Halifax and HMCS Toronto, which occurred within days of each other last month.

Navy Capt. Trevor MacLean, chief of staff for Maritime Component Command, said the navy is "extremely confident" the ships remain fit for service.

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10/9/18

MarineLink

A 479-foot asphalt tanker was towed into New York Harbor after an engine room fire left the vessel disabled off the U.S. East Coast.

Early on October 5, U.S. Coast Guard watchstanders in Woods Hole, Mass. received a report that the Hong Kong-flagged tanker Feng Huang AO loaded with asphalt and bound for New York Harbor suffered a fire in its engine room while transiting 57 miles southeast of Nantucket Island.

The flames were extinguished using the ship's installed carbon dioxide fire suppression system. The ship's electrical generators and main engine were disabled by the blaze.

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State investigators are looking for this man, who they say has stolen hundreds of fire extinguishers from businesses in Hialeah and Miami. Florida Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosives Investigations

11/9/18

By Monique O. Madan
Miami Herald

State investigators are looking for a man who they say has stolen hundreds of fire extinguishers from businesses in Hialeah and Miami.

The "scam artist's" modus operandi? Posing as a fire extinguisher dealer, according to Florida's fire marshal office.

For the last few months, the unidentified thief has gone door to door telling business owners that he's there to service their extinguishers. Most of the time, he takes off with the safety devices, which are worth $50 to $100 each, said Ruben Cantillo, an investigator with the state's Bureau of Fire Prevention.

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A sailor directs the pilot of an F/A-18C Hornet from the "Blue Blasters" of Strike Fighter Squadron 34 on the flight deck of the carrier Carl Vinson. The legacy Hornet completed its sundown cruise when the Vinson returned to San Diego eight months ago. (Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Sean M. Castellano/Navy)

11/15/18

By Geoff Ziezulewicz
NavyTimes

A fire suppression system was inadvertently activated at a Boeing facility in Florida earlier this month, dousing five F/A-18C Hornets in retardant foam, potentially causing more than $1 million in damage, according to company and Navy officials.

No one was injured in the Nov. 2 incident, according to Boeing spokeswoman Jessica Carlton.

Although the Naval Safety Center classified the dousing as a so-called "Class A" mishap because the initial damage estimate could surpass $1 million, the severity could be downgraded.

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11/5/18

By Paul Ragusa
Security Systems News

DAVENPORT, Iowa -- Per Mar Security Services, a family-owned, full-service security company, announced it has acquired ABC Fire & Burglar Company of Gary, Ind., a residential and commercial security services company with approximately 2,000 accounts.

"The customers and employees of ABC ... will really add to Per Mar's strength in the Northwestern Indiana, and help us have enough density to really become the preeminent provider in a large market," Brian Duffy, chief operating officer of Per Mar Security Services, told Security Systems News. "They provided great service and we look to expand upon that with our technology offerings."

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11/6/18

Compound Semiconductor

Most CO2 sensors work by measuring how much light is absorbed by CO2 molecules in the 4.2 to 4.4 microns range, known as Non-Dispersive Infra Red (NDIR) absorption. The amount of absorption indicates how much CO2 is present.

Scotland-based GSS has developed a range of proprietary LEDs specifically tuned to emit at these wavelengths. The LEDs use very little power and turn on almost instantly, enabling sensor readings to be made in a few seconds. As a result, GSS has pioneered the development of CO2 sensors that can be powered by batteries for long periods of up to ten years.

One of the most interesting applications for this technology is in monitoring cylinders of CO2 used for fire protection of switch rooms or control panels, and other confined space environments which house electrical components, computer or process equipment such as server farms.

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11/8/18

By Eddie Nsabimana
The New Times

A fire incident was reported in the building used by the body's logistics department where it gutted the electricity circuit board unit at the offices of one of the UN agencies in Kigali.

The incident was triggered by the continuous intermittent heat and sparks produced by the main circuit board due to the change-over system that was over heating hence busting into fumes and rendering the fire detection system censoring the fire hazard and automatically released the aerosol.

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11/25/18

By James Andrews
Farmers Weekly

Isolated in an air-conditioned capsule at the front of the machine, combine operators are usually completely unaware when there's an inferno slowly building behind them.

By the time they do get a whiff of smoke or catch a lick of flame in the mirror, it's usually far too late to do anything about it.

Even if they are early enough to attempt to tackle the blaze, the puny fire extinguishers fitted on most machines have little impact.

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11/8/18

NFPA Xchange

On the evening of November 7, 1918, at 6:30PM, a fire started in the vicinity of the wing coating building of the Burgess Aeroplane Factory in Marblehead, MA. The Fire quickly spread to all of the buildings at the facility and to a boat yard nearby. The loss was almost absolute.

The wing coating building or "Dope Shed" was where wings were coated in a nitro-cellulose compound called "dope". The wings were then left to dry in the open room. Ventilation was provided by a motor-driven airplane propeller that sucked "air from the main room and the space under the floor through registers directly out of doors."

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Thinkstock

11/1/18

By Bart Goeman, 3M
Data Center Dynamics

Choosing a fire protection system should not be considered something of an insurance box-ticking exercise, since the consequences of making the wrong decision can be devastating and costly

Fire protection in data centers has evolved significantly in recent years, with new technologies, plus changes to the regulations governing fire protection. Gone are the days of being able to use Halon-based systems. Now, there is a whole new generation of fire protection systems in play. This is a good time to review fire protection requirements.

Data center owners or managers may have specific industry challenges, such as protection of valuable server equipment. Downtime in the event of a fire outbreak can be catastrophic, and business continuity is a top priority. Plus, while personnel in data centers tends to be minimal, there may still be staff on-site who need to be protected, so use of fire suppression agents with a high margin of safety is critical.

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The Phillips Point office complex, located on Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach. [FILE PHOTO/palmbeachpost.com]

11/8/18

By Alexandra Clough
The Palm Beach Post

United Technologies Corp. has leased penthouse space in downtown West Palm Beach that will serve as the executive offices of the company's expanded aerospace division, further cementing UTC's growing presence in Palm Beach County, a UTC spokesman confirmed on Wednesday.

United Technologies Aerospace Systems of Charlotte, N.C., a division of UTC in Farmington, Connecticut, and Rockwell Collins Inc. of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, are set to complete a $30 billion merger shortly. Rockwell Collins specializes in avionics, flight controls and aircraft interiors.

United Technologies long has had a presence in Palm Beach County through its Pratt & Whitney jet engine division. But the newly created Collins Aerospace Systems office represents a new level of commitment to the county by the Fortune 500 company.

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11/8/18

By David Jenkins, Opinion Contributor
The Hill

Although he rarely gets the credit he deserves, President Ronald Reagan is responsible for pushing through the most successful environmental treaty of all time. That 1987 treaty, the Montreal Protocol, began phasing out the production and use of ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were harming our life-sustaining atmosphere.

Earlier this year, NASA scientists confirmed through satellite observations, that the Montreal Protocol is indeed healing the ozone hole over Antarctica. At its current rate of healing, the hole should completely vanish in about 50 years.

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Sam Ley (left) and Rob Cooper of AES provide a presentation on a proposed solar project outside Waikoloa Village Tuesday night. (Max Dible/West Hawaii Today)

11/15/18

By Max Dible
West Hawaii Today

KAILUA-KONA -- Representatives of AES Distributed Energy convened the first public meeting on a proposed solar-plus-storage project planned for an area roughly two miles southeast of Waikoloa Village.

Around 20 attendees took their seats at the Waikoloa Village Association Community Room, inquiring about aspects of the potential new solar venture including storm water runoff, wildfire precautions and a decommissioning process that's decades down the road.

"It's not the answer to everything," Kohala Councilman Tim Richards said of the solar project. "But we need power."

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• UTC Explores Sale of Chubb Fire and Security
• Halon Fire Extinguisher Saves Boating Family from Bear Attack
• Multidistrict Legislation Requested for Foam Lawsuits by Tyco and 3M
• Summit Purchases Multiple Fire Protection Companies in Michigan
• Sea Fire (Europe) to Discontinue Use of HFCs