2/28/18

Environmental Protection Authority
SCOOP

The Environmental Protection Authority is urging airports that may have fire-fighting foams containing PFOS to begin immediate planning to phase them out.

"The EPA has served a Compliance Order on Nelson Airport, giving it until 16 March to submit a plan detailing steps it will take to ensure such foam is no longer being used, and will be disposed of safely," said EPA Chief Executive Dr Allan Freeth.

"This was done after samples of foam we took at Nelson Airport tested positive for PFOS. In the course of our wider investigation, we now believe that some other airports may have the same PFOS foams."

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2/28/18

By Maxx Chatsko
The Motley Fool

Both companies have come under fire for polluting waterways with a specific class of chemical.

At the end of February, materials science conglomerate 3M announced it had reached an $850 million settlement with the state of Minnesota to end what could have been the largest environmental lawsuit in United States history. While shareholders will be forced to swallow a one-time charge of $1.15 per share in the first quarter of 2018 as a result of the settlement, it could have been a lot worse. The state sued for $5 billion in environmental damages, namely the contamination of public and private drinking supplies, caused by the release of chemicals the company phased out of production in 2002.

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2/27/18

By Nicholas Malfitano
PennRecord

PHILADELPHIA -- An H&M store employee who claims to have suffered a traumatic brain injury after his head collided with a fire sprinkler and sprinkler cage at the Plymouth Meeting Mall is suing all of the entities allegedly responsible for his assortment of injuries.

Herman Achterhuis of Wyndmoor filed suit in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas on Feb. 13 versus PR Plymouth Meeting Limited Partnership, PREIT Associates, Oliver Fire Protection & Security, Grinnell Fire Protection Solutions and Johnson Controls Fire Protection, L.P., Tyco International (US), Johnson Controls, Simplex Time Recorder Co. and others.

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2/26/18

By Karen Kroll, Fire Safety/Protection
FacilitiesNet

Material selection and design play key roles in determining whether sustainability can complement or counter fire safety in commercial facilities.

Most facility managers strive both to keep occupants safe from fires and to limit their building's impact on the environment. While not always easy, it's usually possible to work toward both goals simultaneously. Indeed, some sustainability initiatives complement fire safety efforts, says Brian Koshley, global director of interior architecture with Carrier Johnson + CULTURE. For instance, cleaning substances that are environmentally responsible should emit fewer hazardous fumes, should a fire occur.

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3/9/18

By Malcolm Latarche
ShipInsight

One crewman dead, four seafarers missing and the 2017-built Maersk Honam and its cargo of over 7,000 containers in danger of being a total loss. Fires on container ships are fortunately an infrequent occurrence relative to the number of box ships in operation but each year adds more incidents to the growing list.

In the vast majority of cases, the official investigation finds that the likely cause of the fire was mis-declared hazardous cargo loaded in the cargo holds rather than being in a safer position on the open deck. In such cases, the safety measures required under SOLAS introduced two years ago in January 2016 are useless in preventing the initial spread of the fire in the holds of the ship.

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Image courtesy of DVA Architects

3/5/18

By Dean Ventola
The Data Center Journal

Undoubtedly, the most critical component in any mission-critical data center isn't the capacity of data servers or the types of UPS batteries; it's the life-safety measures. Smoke, not the flame itself, is the greatest threat to safe evacuation and survival during a fire event, so fire-suppression systems, means of egress, fire containment and fire-alarm systems are by far the most important ways to decrease the chance of injury or loss of life from a burning building.

But building codes may require additional life-safety instruments, or the building's owner or operator may add them to increase safety. The following is a brief overview of such measures.

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3/13/18

By Allen St. John
Consumer Reports

Experts suggest storing rechargeable devices in carry-on luggage

An airline disaster was narrowly averted on Tuesday when a fire in the cargo hold of a Delta airlines flight from Salt Lake City to Bozeman, Montana, was extinguished before the flight took off. The cause: an overheating lithium-ion (or Li-ion) battery in a passenger's checked luggage.

The incident highlights a hard-to-combat risk that threatens airline passengers with surprising frequency.

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Greg Hayes is the CEO of UTC. (Photo courtesy UTC/File photo)

3/21/18

By Stephen Singer
Security InfoWatch

United Technologies Corp. Chief Executive Officer Greg Hayes said he will likely step down in three to five years after the Farmington conglomerate absorbs aerospace manufacturer Rockwell Collins Inc., Bloomberg News reported.

But UTC said his remarks were misinterpreted and he intends to stay on the job "for years to come."

Bloomberg reported that Hayes said in an interview he has discussed a plan with the board to leave after the two companies are integrated, which could take about three years.

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The decision dismissed UTC and Honeywell from multidistrict litigation (MDL) containing 30 telemarketing cases.

3/23/18

By Rodney Bosch
Security Sales & Integration

Multidistrict lawsuits sought to hold both companies vicariously liable for calls made by other companies that were attempting to sell home monitoring systems made by UTC and Honeywell.

CLARKSBURG, Va. -- UTC Fire & Security Americas and Honeywell have defeated class-action litigation involving the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The litigation sought to hold both companies vicariously liable for telemarketing calls made by security dealers that attempted to sell alarm systems made by UTC and Honeywell.

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3/2/18

By Jake DesVergers, Rules of the Road
The Triton

Every vessel on the water, from the smallest runabout to the largest tanker, has some type of fire-extinguishing system on board. It may be a portable extinguisher, rolling foam applicator, or a major water sprinkler system. Many ships and yachts, especially those built in the 1980s and 1990s, use the fire-extinguishing medium halon.

Halon is a liquefied, compressed gas.  It leaves no residue and is remarkably safe for human exposure. Halon is rated for class "B" (flammable liquids) and "C" (electrical fires), but it is also effective on class "A" (common combustibles) fires. It has low toxicity, chemically stable compounds that, as long as they remain contained in cylinders, are recyclable.

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3/1/18

By Steve Banner
Transport Engineer

Traffic reports of delays caused by lorry fires on the motorway do not occur all that frequently. However, they are regular enough to prompt questions as to why such conflagrations break out, given that safety and compliance should be at the top of every operator's agenda.

A lack of attention to basic engine bay maintenance is often likely to be the cause, contends Malcolm Dodds, head of technical services at the Road Haulage Association.

"Technicians should be looking for signs of oil and fuel leaks," he says. If they seep on to hot areas of the engine then a fire may start. Cables may have worked loose or become frayed, causing an electrical short which may be a cause of ignition. So technicians should ensure that cables are clipped into position and wires are not exposed, Dodds advises.

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