No more are reported missing An explosion occurred at around 3.00pm on Tuesday 19th November at a refinery in Antwerp. The explosion resulted in the deaths of two contractor employees, working for French oil company, Total. No more are reported missing, said Total’s Production Director, Stanny Serrien. The tragedy occurred while maintenance work was being carried out on a steam generation system in a gasoline production unit. No fires resulted from the explosion, and according to Total the situation is now under control. Following the explosion the refinery’s emergency plan was activated resulting in the evacuation of the facilities and the shut down of part of the plant. The company has said that the blast occurred in the steam system of a unit producing petrol.  

At gala event in London  Xtralis today announced its next-generation Xtralis Everywhere (Xtralis-E) portfolio of converged safety and security solutions. This innovative portfolio provides early, reliable detection and remote visual verification of smoke, gas, and perimeter threats for businesses, governments, and critical infrastructure. All of the solutions were revealed at a gala event in London, featuring presentations from the City of London Fire Brigade, U.S. Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) directorate, and the Bank of England on 14 November 2013 in London, UK. Among the next-generation solutions released were VESDA-E and VESDA Laser Quantum (VLQ) aspirating smoke detectors (ASD), and the ADPRO FastTrace 2E Remotely Managed Multi-service Gateway (RMG) security platform. The new safety and security platforms can be enhanced with seamless hardware expansion modules and innovative, remotely downloadable software analytics, called Xapps. Using Xtralis Xchange, an online licensing portal with a downloadable PC application, Xapps can be quickly deployed to remotely manage, configure, and exchange licenses to Xtralis platforms. In addition, Xtralis revealed its comprehensive safety and security convergence strategy using these platforms to achieve 100% detection with 0% false alarm rates, a goal previously thought to be unattainable. VESDA-E is the next-generation of VESDA, the world’s leading ASD system. While current-generation VESDA was considered the benchmark for ASD systems, VESDA-E surpasses VESDA with 15 times greater sensitivity to smoke and double the longevity while maintaining sensitivity over its lifetime, all with 4% less power consumption. Xtralis will continue to offer VESDA as best-in-class ASD for a wide variety of applications, while initially targeting VESDA-E to retail, healthcare, education, and office building segments which comprise a large cross-section of the fire prevention market. VESDA-E also delivers a first in aspirating smoke detection — pin-point ASD addressability at up to 120 holes. This unprecedented capability brings the early, reliable detection of VESDA to main stream applications with a lower total cost of ownership advantage. VESDA-E can quickly add monitoring, servicing, and detection capabilities with the addition of bolt-on hardware modules called VESDA Stax, including a version of its award-winning ECO gas detection solution. The Stax do not require re-engineering of the smoke detection pipe network. VESDA-E brings superior setup, configuration, monitoring, and connectivity options, and features unique, innovative, downloadable Xapp software applications, which enable new, on-demand monitoring services. Available immediately are WireTrace Xapp, to isolate threats from overheating cables and electrical wires; DieselTrace Xapp, for monitoring diesel smoke trends to enable on-demand ventilation systems; and, DustTrace Xapp, for monitoring dust conditions and enabling corrective response to take place with ventilation. Monitoring of the VESDA-E detector is available on popular tablets using an iVESDA application. The ADPRO FastTrace 2E is a 4-to-20-channel next-generation version of the award-winning FastTrace 2, a Remotely Managed Multi-Service Gateway platform for video recording, bi-directional audio for deterrence, transmission over any network, and remotely downloadable software analytics to eliminate threats to a facility through automatic visual detection and verification. The FastTrace 2E provides superior detection capabilities and is up to 86% lower in total cost of ownership (TCO) than solutions combining discrete recording, transmission (for remote access over any network), and analytics capabilities. The ADPRO FastTrace 2E is packed with pay-as-you-grow features that can easily be upgraded in-the-field with minimum effort, and provides significant installation and operational cost savings versus traditional deployment methods. ADPRO FastTrace 2E allows users to add video channels or migrate between analogue and IP on-site with an upgrade package, and remotely download applications such as IntrusionTrace, an intrusion detection analytic that is i-LIDS® approved as a primary detection system for operational alert use in sterile zone monitoring applications; LoiterTrace, a detection analytic for unauthorized loitering in indoor & outdoor applications; and, SmokeTrace which allows monitoring sites to visually verify fire threats before calling the fire brigade, reducing false alarms and significantly lowering the large cost of responding to false fire alarms. VESDA Laser Quantum (VLQ) brings VESDA-quality value and very early warning (VEW) to compact areas where VEW was previously unaffordable. VLQ offers 4 Class-A VEW holes and quick and easy installation and commissioning, covering 1002 meters (1,000 sq-ft). Target applications include remote telecom exchanges, base stations, portable data centres, and other compact critical infrastructure applications. Xtralis unveiled its first converged safety & security solution, called SmokeTrace — a FastTrace 2E video analytic to provide remote visual verification of smoke threats to eliminate false alarms and provide real-time situational awareness to improve first responder efficiency and effectiveness. SmokeTrace PLUS uses the Xtralis OSID smoke detector to alarm on real smoke threats in existing installations where video cameras and traditional smoke detectors are already installed, providing certain visual verification and real-time situational awareness of a smoke threat. When used with VESDA-E, SmokeTrace provides real-time situational awareness to complement VESDA-E’s addressable pinpoint location identification.  More information on each of these solutions is available at www.xtralis.com/xtralis-e

After a spate of fires affecting the vehicles Federal investigators have started a probe into the fire risk for a Tesla Model S. The announcement comes after three fires in the last six weeks involving the electric car, which has gotten top safety ratings in crash tests performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Just last month, the agency said it was not planning to conduct a probe because "after reviewing all available data," it had not found evidence showing the fires were the result of a problem with the car. In congressional testimony Tuesday, NHTSA Administrator David Strickland said the agency decided to open the investigation because of similarities between the two fires that took place in the United States. "Two being a trend, we clearly saw some issues," he said during a hearing on an unrelated topic. Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk said Tuesday that the company’s vice president of regulatory affairs had requested the probe on Friday to combat any doubts or fears about the fire risk. "Given that the incidence of fires in the Model S is far lower than combustion cars and that there have been no resulting injuries, this did not at first seem like a good use of NHTSA’s time," the company said on its blog. "However … if a false perception about the safety of electric cars is allowed to linger, it will delay the advent of sustainable transport." But Strickland testified that NHTSA independently decided to start the probe without a request from Tesla. Tesla (TSLA) shares have lost about a third of their value since the first fire was reported. The stock, which fell 10% on Monday, was up 4% in midday Tuesday trading. Shares are still up 275% this year. Tesla also said it has updated the car’s software to change the car’s air suspension so that it will have greater ground clearance at highway speeds. The first and third fires occurred when the cars struck debris in the road. The company said another software update expected in January will give the driver direct control of the air suspension ride height. CEO Elon Musk has defended the safety record of the Model S, pointing out that no one has been hurt or killed in any accident, and that the fires occur about one-fourth as often as in the case of a traditional gasoline-powered car. There are about 19,000 Model S vehicles on the road, meaning that about one in 6,300 has had a fire. By comparison, there are about 250 million cars and trucks, virtually all of them gasoline powered. According to the latest figures from the National Fire Protection Association, there were about 172,500 vehicle fires in the United States last year, or about one for every 1,450 vehicles on the road. Those fires were associated with 300 deaths and 800 injuries. There was a fire involving gasoline powered cars about every three minutes on average last year. Last week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said "there’s no reason" for a recall. "If you read the headlines, it sounds like Teslas have a greater propensity to catch fires than other cars. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth." On Tuesday, he tweeted, "Why does a Tesla fire with no injury get more media headlines than 100,000 gas car fires that kill hundreds of people per year?" Musk said the fires were caused by the severity of the accidents they were involved in, not a problem with the car. He said if a recall could fix any problem, Tesla would be quick to order one. There have been two recalls of Tesla models in the past. The problems that were addressed did not cause any accidents or injuries.

For safety on offshore vessels & installations Class society ABS has released the ABS Guide for Enhanced Fire Protection Arrangements, as guidance for improved safety on offshore vessels and installations as well as oceangoing vessels. “Protection against fires on board vessels and offshore installations is critically important,” says ABS Chairman and CEO Christopher J Wiernicki. “This new Guide represents another significant step taken by ABS toward safer operations.” According to ABS Director of Marine Technology Christina Wang, one of the primary goals of the new guide is to provide criteria for notations that increase the level of protection against fires on board vessels, mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs), mobile offshore units (MOUs) and offshore installations. Another objective is to reduce the consequences of an onboard fire through specific measures for prevention, detection and fire extinguishing. “Current rules and regulations identify certain fire safety arrangements that must be provided on board a vessel, drilling unit or offshore installation,” Wang explains, noting even though the rules and regulations have mandated such ‘minimum’ requirements for many years, fire and explosion continue to remain one of the top safety hazards for any vessel and its crew. While other classification societies provide fire safety notations, ABS is the first to address the industrial portions of offshore units to this extent. The Guide for Enhanced Fire Protection Arrangements is the first such document to provide requirements to protect against the unique fire risks associated with the industrial areas of floating production, storage and offloading (FPSOs) units, Wang says. The optional Enhanced Fire Protection notations in the Guide include EFP-A and EFP-A+ for accommodation areas, EFP-M for machinery spaces, EFP-C for cargo areas and EFP-IA for industrial areas. “Combinations of these notations can be awarded as well,” Wang says.

Designed to combat fire outbreaks in the state As part of deliberate efforts aimed at combating fire outbreak in the state, Delta State Government says it would procure 17 brand new foreign customised fire fighting trucks to boost the operational activities of the State Fire Service. The Commissioner, Bureau for Special Duties, Dr Tony Nwaka disclosed this while presenting the mid-term report of the activities of the Bureau in the ongoing Ministerial Press Briefing at the Unity Hall, Government House, Asaba. Nwaka said that the fire fighting trucks which the state intends to procure in the next three years, would be distributed to each of the 17 functional fire service stations in the state. According to him, the Bureau intends to construct a befitting fire service headquarters at Asaba within the next two years "as the current headquarters of the service located at the old secretariat has been very un-conducive for effective fire fighting". He added that the Bureau also intends to purchase some fire fighting boats that would be deployed to the riverine areas of the state. While saying that government intends to renovate all the dilapidated fire service stations and construct some water hydrants across the state in the next two years, the commissioner disclosed that the Bureau hopes to facilitate the sponsorship of over 3,000 pilgrims to the Holy Land for Christians and Moslems in the next two years. He disclosed that the Bureau had sponsored a total number of 5,604 Christian pilgrims and 396 Moslem pilgrims to the Holy Land in Israel and Arabia respectively between 2007 and 2013 to enhance the spiritual edification of Deltans. However, Nwaka listed the challenges confronting the Bureau to include lack of conducive office accommodation for the fire service department and other agencies under the Bureau; inadequate fire fighting trucks, water tankers/boats and ambulances; insufficient fire service stations, manpower shortage, and inadequate budgetary problem.

A 55 million euro deal Cash-strapped German fire-fighting vehicles maker Albert Ziegler GmbH & Co has been sold to China International Marine Containers Group (CIMC) . Ziegler, which filed for insolvency in 2011, was bought for 55 million euros ($74 million), the company said on Friday, adding that all 1000 jobs will be preserved. "The Chinese CIMC group has extensive experience in the business of commercial and special vehicles and provides an ideal base for the expansion of Ziegler’s international business," said Bruno Kuebler, senior partner at insolvency lawfirm Kuebler said. Ziegler makes specialised fire trucks for airports as well as electrical tunnel rescue vehicles with driving cabs facing in both directions. CIMC produces, among others, transportation vehicles for liquids, cement and refrigerated goods. "Ziegler can now have access to a significant technical expertise and a vast international sales and distribution network, which none of the competitors can only begin to compare with", Kuebler said. Ziegler, based in Giegen an der Brenz, Germany, was put up for sale after it filed for insolvency following the imposition of an anti-trust fine for participating in a fire-truck procurement cartel. China has a five-year development plan that puts emphasis on industries such as high-end manufacturing equipment, information technology, alternative energy, biotechnology, advanced materials and environment-friendly technologies. In August last year, Shandong Heavy Industry Group took a 25 percent stake in Kion Group, giving China access to industrial technology from the world’s number two fork lift truck maker. In 2011, Sany Heavy Industry bought concrete pumps maker Putzmeister. It too kept German management in place and said Putzmeister would become a new international distribution hub outside China for concrete machinery. ($1 = 0.7472 euros) (Reporting by Edward Taylor; Editing by Greg Mahlich)

One of Georgia’s busiest fire department is a first time Pierce customer Pierce Manufacturing, an Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) company, received an order for nine Pierce® Arrow XT™ custom pumpers from the DeKalb County Fire and Rescue Department in Georgia. This is the department’s first purchase of Pierce apparatus. The vehicles will be delivered beginning in early 2014. “Through our regular competitive bid process, Pierce came in a little higher in terms of price, yet they fully met the specifications that we identified. Our Fleet Maintenance Division completed an assessment of the metro Atlanta area and found Pierce to have a lower overall cost to operate than other apparatus manufacturers,” said DeKalb County Fire Chief, Edward O’Brien. “Pierce’s 100-year history and ‘single source’ approach – matched with a certified local dealer to service and support these trucks – is hugely important. With Pierce, we’re not dealing with multiple companies.” “The opportunity to build these Pierce custom pumpers for one of the busiest fire departments in the country is an acknowledgement of our team’s ability to engineer and deliver state-of-the-art apparatus at a lower overall cost of ownership, and then back them with the industry’s best dealer network,” said Jim Johnson, Oshkosh Corporation executive vice president and president, Fire & Emergency. “For many years to come, these trucks will provide excellent service to the citizens and taxpayers of DeKalb County.” Each of the nine pumpers feature a 400 hp engine, a galvanneal steel body, a 10-inch raised roof cab, and seating for five firefighters. The apparatus also feature Pierce Command Zone® advanced electronics and control system, a 1000 gpm water pump, a 500-gallon water tank, a 30-gallon foam cell, and three crosslays. “We’re a very busy department, with some engine companies responding to 5,000 calls per year, and we need apparatus that are reliable and durable,” noted Chief O’Brien. “Our protection area includes high-rises, suburban communities, several college campuses, five hospitals, four large shopping malls and the second busiest airport in the state. We have a little bit of everything down here.” DeKalb is the third most populous county in the state and is located in the metro Atlanta area, with close to 700,000 residents. DeKalb County Fire and Rescue Department responded to more than 98,000 calls in 2012 providing the following services: fire suppression, emergency medical, community education, fire investigation, fire inspection, hazardous material mitigation, technical rescue, dive/swift water rescue, canine search and rescue, and fire prevention. Pierce dealer, Ten-8 Fire and Safety Equipment of Georgia, provides local service and support through its full service facilities in Forsyth, Georgia.

Now includes bladder tanks, proportioners and fire sprinklers The Solberg Company, the world’s foremost innovator of firefighting foam concentrates and systems hardware, announced today the company has achieved expanded Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL) certification Listings on the company’s RE-HEALING™ foam concentrate. RE-HEALING RF3, 3% foam concentrate is a high performance fluorine-free foam concentrate for use on Class B hydrocarbon fuel fires. RF3 is also used to prevent re-ignition of exposed fuels and provides vapour suppression. The expanded UL Listing for RE-HEALING RF3 now includes bladder tanks, proportioners, foam chambers, foam makers and fire sprinklers. The UL Listing with multiple standard automatic sprinklers includes RELIABLE F-1 upright and pendent style (5.6 and 8.0 K-Factors), RELIABLE Model G upright and pendent style (5.6 and 8.0 K-Factors), and the RELIABLE upright G XLO (11.2 K-Factor). Noteworthy of the expanded product certification for RE-HEALING RF3 foam concentrate with these fire sprinklers is the minimum UL Listed sprinkler pressure of 7.0 psi (0.5 bar). The same minimum pressure used for Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) concentrates. Skeptics in the foam industry have stated that fluorine-free foams would not be capable of achieving a UL Listing with standard sprinklers at equal system pressures to AFFF. While this may be true of other marginal fluorine-free foams, or those which contain fluoropolymer and are not fluorine-free, this is not the case with SOLBERG RE-HEALING foam. Equal system performance has been achieved with a completely fluorine-free concentrate that also happens to be a high performance firefighting foam. “AFFF was introduced in the early 1960’s, at a time when vacuum tubes, and black-and-white television was considered advanced technology and John F. Kennedy was President. This time period is considered the last innovation in firefighting foam. Through the hard work and dedication of our employees around the world, Solberg has redefined the firefighting foam industry. No longer will customers have to settle for old technology, selecting between firefighting performance or environmental responsibility. Only Solberg offers both features to the customer.” stated Dennis Kennedy, Executive Vice President of Amerex Corporation, the parent Company of Solberg. RE-HEALING RF3 foam concentrate is also UL Listed with the TYCO B-1 and STAR B-1 sprinkler in both upright and pendent styles, at the minimum sprinkler pressure of 30 psi (2.0 bar), the same system pressure as used with AFFF foam concentrates. In addition to the product certifications issued for RF3, Solberg also expanded UL Listings for fire sprinklers with ARCTIC™ 3% AFFF and ARCTIC 3×3 ATC™ (hydrocarbon and polar solvent fuels). ARCTIC foam concentrates are 2015 compliant to the U.S. EPA Stewardship Program on C6 fluorine chemistry. With obtaining UL Listings for RE-HEALING RF3, 3% foam concentrate, customers can now use the world’s finest firefighting foam, with a complete range of hardware Listings, backed up by the strength and confidence of the previously announced RE-HEALING Foam Environmental Warranty. “Solberg has achieved a true milestone in the History of the firefighting foam industry. Innovation in the foam industry is not replacing one set of long chain fluorinated surfactants with another fluorosurfactant. True innovation is taking off your blinders, not seeing the problem exactly the same as everyone else, and solving the problem from a completely different direction. Only Solberg saw the real issues regarding existing foam chemistry and decided to take this industry in a completely different direction.” said Steve Hansen, General Manager of Solberg. Based in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with operations in Bergen, Norway and Sydney, Australia, Solberg (an Amerex Corporation company) has been involved with the manufacture of firefighting foams since the mid-1970s. Solberg’s unique technology and foam systems hardware is preferred by customers in the aerospace, aviation, chemical, defense, energy, fire services, marine, mining, oil and gas, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, pipeline, solvent & coatings and utilities industries.