Marine Fire Suppression....No Worries with A-Gas

The Marine fire protection industry seems to bring lots of unease. Lots of factors play into the safety and sustainability of the systems on many vessels. This was an interesting article Marine Fire Protection: An Ungoverned Space. 

At A-Gas Americas you never have to wonder about the quality of product being filled into your Clean Agent marine cylinders. Each tank is shipped with a Certificate of Analysis, providing you and your customer with peace of mind. Contact us today for a quote!

Ozone Layer Healing!

Ozone Layer is healing! Click Here to read the story!

A-Gas Americas is proud to be HARC code of practice compliant. 

Replace. Reclaim. Contain. Protect! We are here to help you recycle all of your old Halons, CFCs, HFCs & HCFCs! Call us today to find out more! 1-800-372-1301

Purchase Clean Agents and get Recharges with Rebecca!

Rebecca Magers has joined the A-Gas Americas Fire Protection team! She is here to help you with all of your Clean Agent needs. Bulk, Recharges, whatever you need, she is ready to assist you!

FFEDA Schedule of training for 2016

FFEDA Events & Training for 2016

FFEDA Members,  We hope you had a wonderful holiday and new year! Please see below for upcoming events with FFEDA:

2016 FFEDA Events Calendar March 19, 2016        FFEDA Board Meeting and Educational Seminar Florida State Fire College - Ocala, FL No hotel affiliated with this seminar -  all events at College June 23-25, 2016       FFEDA Annual Conference & Trade Show Marriott Orlando World Center 8701 World Center Drive - Orlando, FL 32821                                       August 20, 2016       FFEDA Board Meeting and Educational Seminar Naples Grande Beach Resort 475 Seagate Drive - Naples, FL 34103                                     November 5, 2016    FFEDA Board Meeting and Educational Seminar Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa 4000 Sandestin Blvd South - Miramar Beach, FL 32550

 

Clean Agent Fire Suppression System

Thanks to The ARA GROUP in Australia for this great Video. Check out more info about their company here: http://www.aragroup.com.au/

NFPA Las Vegas, NV June 9-12

Register now for the premier event in fire and life safety, coming to Las Vegas this June!

Register now to attend NFPA Conference & Expo®

James Shannon announces that the 2014 NFPA Conference & Expo® is scheduled June 9-12, 2014 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Registration is open for Conference, Expo and the Association Technical Meeting. 

NJAFED News

NJAFED "News You Can Use"

NJAFED Winter Meeting February 26, 2014   Meeting Location: Holiday Inn 1000 Roosevelt Avenue Carteret, NJ 07008 Schedule of Events: 5:30-6:30pm - Reception 7:00pm - Buffet Dinner / Program Meeting Fees: NJAFED Members - $60.00 Non-Members - $70.00     REGISTRATION FORM Meeting Program:    Legislative Update provided by Paul Bent, Pathways Government Relations LLC    Meeting Presentation: The Real Cost of Contracts Glen Welch; President, Charter Partners    Today's business environment requires a contract for everything.   They are more complex and pushing more and more responsibility especially on contractors. It is important to understand the exposures you are   accepting and the real costs associated with those    decisions. We will also briefly share what goes into determining rates and premium calculation and how you can best position yourself with action and information to improve the underwriting process. About our Guest Speaker: Glen R. Welch Charter Partners  Co-Founder and President Glen Welch has focused most of his insurance career on providing tools for family business owners who have the determination to build successful independent businesses.  Today, he and the Charter Partners team, continue their commitment to advancing the American Family Business through Shared Knowledge. Glen is a co-founder with his brother Todd Welch and father Scott Welch of Charter Partners USA, Inc. Founded in 1996, Charter Partners has grown into an innovative business community of approximately 100 business owners in 18 states who work together in industry Pods to solve shared problems. Charter Partners was originally founded to seek property & casualty insurance alternatives to the rising costs and plummeting trust that were common for business owners. By 2003, Charter Partners had reached the $15 million mark in property/casualty insurance premiums -- and had expanded its business into other areas of support for entrepreneurs. The Charter Partners community now works together to address a range of other pressing business issues important to business owners: health insurance; recruiting and retention of good employees; perpetuating the family business; developing standard business practices; and training.  News & Events Upcoming Events of Interest to NJAFED Members    As a service to the NJAFED members we provide information on activities, training seminars and other events which are being held here in the State of New Jersey, which may be of interest to the membership.    Contact the event sponsor for event details and to determine if NJAFED Members are eligible for discounted member rates.  ======================================= NAFED Fire Extinguisher Training Seminar Date(s): February 26, 2014 Time: 9:00 AM EST - 4:00 PM EST Location: Middlesex County Fire Academy,  1001 Fire Academy Drive, Sayreville, NJ 08872 NAFED's Fire Extinguisher Training Seminar presents essential servicing, maintenance, and inspection of stored pressured dry chemical, clean agent, cartridge operated, and wheeled unit extinguishers. This presentation is hardware generic in nature and addresses many specific hands-on service related issues.  ======================================== NAFED Pre-Engineered Kitchen Systems Seminar Date(s): February 27, 2014 Time: 9:00 AM EST - 4:00 PM EST Location: Middlesex County Fire Academy,  1001 Fire Academy Drive, Sayreville, NJ 08872 This seminar goes beyond the basics of understanding the NFPA standards and manufacturers' manuals and deals with specific areas of NFPA 17A and 96 to provide a detailed visual and audio presentation on the problems and solutions faced by the kitchen fire extinguishing systems technician. You'll see first-hand visual substantiation of deficiencies encountered daily by technicians when they service commercial kitchen systems and you'll also see evidence of proper kitchen installations.   Registration forms for both seminars are available at www.NAFED.org      NJAFED  "Member Savings Program" Program provides additional value of membership... NJAFED's partnership with the Member Savings Program Inc. (MSP) offers discounted business savings programs to you and your business.  You now have access to 30 + programs designed to reduce your overhead costs and increase your profitability. All of these programs have been vetted and are held to the highest level of customer service. MSP supplier programs are negotiated and administered by a Buying Group Alliance which includes the Member Savings Program Inc. as well as several other buying groups including BizUnite. This Alliance represents over 250,000 businesses, creating significant buying leverage and discounts for you. Programs administered by the Member Savings Programs include: Office Depot - Office Supplies, Printing and Promotional Items World Pay - Credit Card Processing Member Savings Freight Program - LTL & FTL Shipping Member Savings Health Plans - Group & Individual Health Insurance Contact Mark Schiavone at 941-330-8050 or mark@membersavingsprogram.com if you would like to start saving with the above Member Savings Program offerings. Programs administered  by BizUnite include: Grainger - Operations  Tools & Supplies OfficeMax & Staples - Office Supplies, Printing and Promotional Items. ADP - Payroll Processing WEX - Fuel cards UniFirst & Aramark - Uniforms Contact Dan Pramis at 603-628-2333 or dpramis@bizunite.com if you would like to start saving with these BizUnite program offerings. We encourage you to register with these programs so you can save money and reduce your operational costs.  The only way to ensure you are setup with the discounts is to work through the  Member Savings Program and BizUnite directly. Please do not contact any of the vendors directly.  Registering is quick and easy: Online registration portal click HERE  Save money on products and services you are already purchasing because you are a member of the NJAFED... In This Issue Winter Meeting Information News & Events of Interest Member Savings Program Winter Meeting Sponsorship Opportunities NJAFED Scholarship Program Reminder Useful Industry Links: NJAFED NAFED FEMA NICET NFPA NJ Dept of Community Affairs ICC WINTER MEETING SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES The NJAFED Winter Meeting provides vendors and suppliers an opportunity to network with NJAFED members and display your products or services. Each sponsor receives: ●  6' display table for product      or literature ●  name on sponsor card at        each dinner table ●  name on emailed meeting      notices ●  admission (for one) to the        reception and dinner ●  networking opportunity             with the attendees         throughout the evening Vendor Sponsor Fee: $200.00   (limit of 3) Contact the NJAFED office to register as a Winter Meeting Sponsor... NJAFED Presidents Scholarship Program Reminder... Just a quick reminder that NJAFED offers annually a scholarship for children and grandchildren of NJAFED members graduating high school and continuing their education at a college or technical school. Individuals interested in applying for the scholarship are encouraged to visit the NJAFED website to download the application. Submission deadline for the 2014 program is April 1, 2014...

FFEDA offering Spring CE's

Continuing education is an important part of our industry.  Make sure you take every opportunity to expand your industry experience.  

Passing of James J. McSweeney

Passing of James J. McSweeney

FSSA regrets to inform you of the recent passing of JAMES J. McSWEENEY, beloved husband of Cindy (nee Binelli), after a long battle with cancer. Jim was the co-owner of Gemcom, Inc. with his nephew John Kelly.
He was the devoted father of Todd (Nikkie), Casey (Ning) & Jim (Kristina); loving grandfather of Jackie (Ed), Brittani, Phillipe, Porsha, Isabella, Dario, Gabriela & Kai; great-grandfather of Ivory; devoted son of Marion nee Hawks & the late Robert McSweeney; brother of Bob (Michele), Kathy (Bob) Kelly & Mike (Danette); brother-in-law of Kathie (Dave) Bass, Micki (Dave) Bohac & Chuck (Chris) Binelli; fond uncle of many nieces & nephews.  
"Big Jim" was a beloved friend of many & best buddy to Chewy & Snoopy. 
A Celebration of Jim's life will be held, tomorrow, January 31, 2014, 3-8 p.m. at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club, 12294 Archer Ave., Lemont, IL (630) 257-5872. For more information, click here or call (708) 839-8999. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made here to NextSteps Chicago in Willow Springs, IL.

Grow with us!

FSSA NEWS

DOT vs NFPA REQUIREMENTS FOR TESTING OF SYSTEM CYLINDERS Do DOT Regulations or NFPA Standards require fire system cylinders containing gaseous fire extinguishing agents to be periodically removed from service, emptied and hydrostatically tested? Please click here to download the White Paper* from the Fire Suppression Systems Association (FSSA) to help you answer that question. *This document provides general guidelines and is not intended to provide all information necessary to determine test requirements for all cylinders. Always refer to the most current equipment manufacturer’s instructions and recommendations, DOT regulations, NFPA Standards, along with other codes and regulations that may apply.*

FSSA HAS NAMED NEW VICE CHAIR OF MANUFACTURERS DIVISION The recently vacated Vice Chair of the Manufacturers Division  has been filled.  A vote was conducted by the principle Manufacturers and the results are in. The FSSA would like to congratulate and welcome Kevin Murray of Siemens Industry to the Board of Directors.

FSSA 2014 ANNUAL FORUM REGISTRATION IS OPEN The FSSA 32nd Annual Forum registration is now open.  Mark your calendar for February 22 - 25, 2014 in San Diego, CA. Click here to make your reservation now.  Sponsorship opportunities are still available. The forum agenda is currently being crafted by the Program Committee and may be viewed here.  Stay tuned for more updates!

PASSING OF CHARLES WILLMS Charles Fredrick Willms, 84, passed away September 14, 2013. Born in Hudson County, NJ, on June 28, 1929, he was the son of the late Sadie and Fredrick Willms. An award winning rifleman, Charles served in the US National Guard, and was honorably discharged with the rank of Master Sergeant. Charles attended NJ Institute of Technology where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering. A registered professional engineer, he was a member of the Tau Beta Phi National Engineering Honor Society, Phi Tau Sigma, ASME, CGA, IAC, US TAG, and served as technical director of the FSSA, and chairman of the NFPA. Charles worked as Director of Engineering for Fire Protections Systems for Walter Kidde, in NC, and was then self-employed as a Product Liability Consultant for fire protection products. He enjoyed playing the drums and spending time with his family. Charles was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 58 years, Maryann E. Willms. He is survived by his loving daughter, Beverly, of Raleigh, NC; son, Roger, and his wife, Melinda, of Charlotte; grandchildren, Dean and Madolyn, of Charlotte; brother, Fred Willms, of NJ; and several nieces and nephews.

FSSA TRAINING PROGRAM The FSSA Training program is live!  If you reserved a spot at the forum invoices were emailed in May. For questions regarding the training program or to reserve your space, please contact Vince Mullhausen at FSSA HQ.   Information was received via email from the FSSA publication "Annunciator." To join the distribution list please visit http://fssa.net/

Updated Green Team!!

Bulk, Recharge, Refurbish!

Clean Agent System Bottle Inventory

Recycling Center Fires Causing Huge Health Risk

Recycling Centre Fires Causing Huge Health Risk

Rob Ratcliff, Content & Community Manager
23/08/2013

A spate of blazes at recycling centres raises the question of whether our drive for sustainability comes at a price.

The night sky is painted orange, and a dark silhouette hovers on an aerial platform, spraying water into the light, tackling a blaze that has been burning for almost three days already. This isn’t a wildfire, or a building burning, but tonnes of waste waiting to be recycled.

The fire at Bredbury Recycling Centre, near Manchester, is one of at least five that IFSEC Global has been made aware of in August so far. It broke out on Tuesday night, and as of Friday afternoon shows little sign of abating. In his latest update, station manager Paul Whittaker speaks of meeting with the police, the environment agency, and the council "to develop a plan for the bank holiday weekend."

Meanwhile in Nottinghamshire, just yesterday, a fire broke out at another recycling centre for the second time in three weeks. The first blaze was sparked on Saturday, August 3, and took them over a week to bring under control. Then yesterday, a second fire broke out in another part of the recycling facility in Worksop.

So what is going on? Why are there so many fires, why do they last so long, and don’t they present a risk to public health and safety?

Difficult to tackle
The why is difficult to answer, but undoubtedly the vast amount of combustible waste, stored in close proximity and in tightly packed conditions, is a huge contributor and has a large amount to do with why the fires last so long.

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue’s Bryn Coleman explained the problem with the first fire at Worksop:

The fire is seated deep within a large amount of household waste therefore simply putting water onto it meant that only the top was being damped down, while the rest of it was still burning. The more water we put onto it, the more smoke there is, and clearly this is a concern for anyone living nearby.

In most cases firefighters are able to contain the fire and extinguish the majority of the visible flames, but the fire will continue to smoulder underneath the surface. The tactics that officers then use will be to turn the bales and damp them down gradually. Coleman explained on Friday, August 9:

At a meeting on site today, it was decided that the best way forward is to break down the burning rubbish into smaller chunks, damping it down as we go. The site owners will spend the weekend clearing enough space on site for us to do this, and our crews will return on Monday to continue the fire fighting operation.

For firefighters to leave the blaze, which is under control but still burning, is common in these incidents, but it shows how vast an operation this can often be.

Public health

Another significant problem with these blazes is the public health concerns. Many recycling centres are in central locations, unlike landfill sites, which are usually in an area with a lower population density. When these fires break out, Public Health England has to issue its usual advice. Indeed, we found this on each of the reports we read about recent blazes:

Smoke consists of a mixture of gases, liquid droplets and solid particles representing the decomposition and combustion products from fires. Any smoke can be an irritant and as such, if people have to be outdoors, they are advised to avoid outside areas affected by any smoke or ash or to limit the time that they spend in them.

Some of the substances present in smoke can irritate the lining of the air passages, the skin and the eyes. Respiratory symptoms include coughing and wheezing, breathlessness, sputum (phlegm) production and chest pain. If symptoms occur, people should seek medical advice or call NHS 111.

All of this means that firefighters have to work with scientists in order to test the air quality and the makeup of any smoke-carried debris. #smethwickfire

The scale of the problem facing fire services and public health officials was really underlined by a massive fire in Smethwick, near Birmingham, on June 30, believed to have been caused by a Chinese lantern. The incident was classed a “major incident” and saw 429 calls made to the emergency services -- more than three times the daily average. The fire could reportedly be seen over 40 miles away.

In the weeks following the incident, West Midlands Fire Service produced a remarkable video collating all of the data and information it had on the major incident. In response, the issue of Chinese Lanterns was debated in Parliament, and High Street shop Poundland stopped selling them. At the end of the video they make the point that there are 57 recycling centres in the West Midlands alone, which underlines the potential for incidents continuing to stretch fire service resources.

Around 20 fires have struck West Midlands recycling centres this year so far with another breaking out on Monday, August 5.

With so many recycling centres to protect from fire, how long will it be until firefighters are unable to contain the blaze within the confines of the site? With cuts facing fire services across the country, don’t we need to tackle the causes of these fires before serious harm is done to a community?

Click Here for the original Link : http://www.ifsecglobal.com/author.asp?section_id=414&doc_id=560952