2005, issue 2 the catalyst - joiffjoiff.com/catalyst/2005/june.pdf · the views and opinions...

Disclaimer:The views and opinions expressed in The Catalyst are not necessarily the views of JOIFF or of its Secretariat, Fulcrum Consultants neither of which are in any way responsible or legally liable for any statements, reports or technical anomalies made by authors in The Catalyst.

The CatalystThe Official Newsletter of JOIFF

FROM THE EDITORS

JOIFF, the Joint OccupationalIndustrial Fire Forum, theOrganisation for Emergency

Services Management in ProcessIndustry, is a grouping ofCompanies, represented by theirEmergency Services Manager - orequivalent position - and nominatedDeputies.For the purposes of JOIFFMembership, a Process Industry isconsidered to be any Industrial /

Commercial Organisation that isengaged in processing, storage,handling and/or transport of highrisk materials and that hasnominated personnel asOccupational Firefighters/Emergency Responders. Associate Members of JOIFF areOrganisations or Individuals who donot comply with the requirementsfor Full Membership but who sharethe same interests.

JOIFF provides a forum fordiscussion amongst peers,accredited training, informationdissemination and technical advice. JOIFF welcomes interest fromsuitable Organisations who wish tobecome Members or AssociateMembers - contact the JOIFFSecretariat, details on the backpage.

JOIFF Ltd. Registration number 362542.

ABOUT JOIFF

2005, Issue 2

www.joiff.com

June 2005

This is the second edition of The Catalyst for2005 and we welcome our growing numbersof Readers. Our policy is to bring you high

quality articles on new developments and otherhappenings in the area of Emergency ServicesManagement. In addition to The Catalyst, currentinformation relevant to Emergency ServicesManagement is posted on the JOIFF website.As always, we thank those JOIFF Sponsors whohave contributed articles - for this edition, TenCate Protect and DuPont Personal Protection. TenCate announce the launch of an exciting newmaterial to be used as an outer shell for ProtectiveFirefighting garments for Firefighters and theyprovide detailed information on this in an articlefrom Bill Marrs. JOIFF Member Dave Cox from New Zealand

provides interesting detail on a Project in which hehas been engaged in India and we provide detailsof NRIFD Japan. In the last edition of The Catalystwe announced a meeting which was an attempt torevitalise the Institute of Fire Safety Managers andwe are pleased to publish a report on thissuccessful meeting. We are delighted to tell Readers that TommyClarke of JOIFF Member BP Sullom Voe OilTerminal, Shetland, Scotland has recently receivedthe award for Fire Manager of the Year and wepublish a report from Tommy on this. Some of our regular features are also included inthis edition and once again we sincerely thank ouradvertisers / sponsors without whom we could notfunction. We look forward to your continuing support.

NEW MEMBERS

During March, April and May the Executive of JOIFFwere delighted to welcome the following newMembers:

MembersChevronTexaco Products Company/GlobalMarketing Solutions, Florida, USA represented byLindsay Hamilton. ChevronTexaco ProductsCompany/Global Marketing Solutions is a globalgroup looking after safety issues including fire.Lindsey was previously based in New Zealand asNational Fire and Safety Officer for Caltex NewZealand.

Saudi Aramco Shell Refinery, Kingdom of SaudiArabia represented by Mansour Sadgah Al-Sulaimani, Manager Industrial Security andGovernments Relations with Hadi Saleh Al-dehor,Fire prevention suppression superintendent, asDeputy. Saudi Aramco are one of the World's majorRefining and Petrochemical Operations and theyhave a large Emergency Response facility.

Wray Park Training Centre , Surrey, Englandrepresented by Malcolm Styles, Divisional Officer,Head of Learning and Development, with MartinGarrod, Operational Training Manager as Deputy.

The Catalyst The Official Newsletter of Joiff

page 2

The Wray Park Centre is anInternational Training Centreoffering a divers range of Coursesfor Local Authority Fire Services,Commerce and Industry andOverseas Fire Services.

Members - Associate / Corporate:Knowsley SK Ltd, Manchester, England, representedby Ian Korny, Operations Manager, with TonyMorrissey, Area Sales Manager - UK and Ireland asDeputy. Knowsley SK are designers andmanufacturers of Firefighting equipment and systems.More information about Knowsley can be found ontheir website at www.knowsleysk.com

Tyco Safety Products , Great Yarmouth, England,represented by Andy Shiner, Director of Marketing andKarla Scriven-Supple, Marketing Co-ordinator. TycoSafety Products are Manufacturers and Suppliers ofFirefighting and Fire Suppression products. More

information about Tyco Safety Products can be foundon their website at www.macron-safety.com

Members - Associate / Individual:John Nicholson, Middlesex , England. John iscurrently the Fire and Safety Manager at the newTerminal Five Project in London Heathrow Airport andis currently in the process of formulating a number ofEmergency Response Teams for the Project. He is aMember of IAFPA and was amongst the first people toreceive JOIFF accredited Certificates of Competencewhen he successfully completed the very first JOIFFaccredited BA Wearer, Auxiliary Firefighter andPractical Firefighting Courses that were held in IFTCTeesside in December 2000.

We look forward to the involvement of our new andexisting Members in the continuing development ofJOIFF.

MEMBERS SECTION

JOIFF Members Meeting

The recent JOIFF Members' meeting, which tookplace on Tuesday 17th May at the FireExpoExhibition in the National Exhibition Centre,Birmingham, England was well attended byrepresentatives of United Kingdom Members. Themeeting was very kindly hosted by JOIFF's newestCorporate Member, Tyco Safety Products, whoseDirector of Marketing Andrew (Andy) Shinerwelcomed participants to the event.

JOIFF Secretary Kevin Westwood said that thePFOS/Foam issue was now with the EuropeanCommission who were expected to report towardsthe end of this year and until then, no action couldor would be taken by any EU Member State. This isan area of great interest to many JOIFF Membersand Kevin said that he would keep JOIFF up-dated ofany developments advised to him.

A report was presented on the outcomes of therecent meeting of the JOIFF Executive at whichimportant decisions were taken on the way thatJOIFF would be structured in the future.

Gerry Johnson, Chairman of the JOIFF TrainingStandards Committee, discussed the need forMembers to be aware of Health and SafetyLegislation in relation to Training and distributed therequirements for Employers to ensure thecompetence of Staff. He stated that there was aneed for Organisations to ensure that their TrainingProgrammes were at least equivalent to the latest

National Occupational Standards for EmergencyResponders and suggested that achieving NationalVocational Qualifications was one way ofdemonstrating such competence. The need for this islinked to various Fire Service Integrated RiskManagement Plans (IRMP) with most Sitesexperiencing a decrease in pre-determinedattendances, Most of those present agreed that thiswas the case. Gerry Johnson stressed theimportance of Sites obtaining copies of their LocalFire Service IRMP which must be made available tothem.

Alec Feldman of the JOIFF Secretariat, whorepresents JOIFF on the United Kingdom Fire,Rescue and Safety Vocational Standards Group,gave an up-date on current activities of thisCommittee. There was some discussion on theproposed new "Cluster Awards", which are beingregarded as a "half-way house" on the way to thefull National Vocational Qualification. Of particularinterest to JOIFF Members was the proposedinclusion of a Unit on driving, manoeuvring anddeploying Fire Service vehicles, with the stipulationthat where people are required to drive fireappliances and other vehicles as part of theiremployment, then it is expected that they would berequired to be assessed against this Unit.

It was reported that the JOIFF website is continuallybeing updated and plans for a facelift for the site ingeneral and for the rapidly growing archive of JOIFFShared Learning and other pages in the MembersArea in the not too distant future were mentioned.

The CatalystThe Official Newsletter of Joiff

page 3

After the meeting, Tyco Safety Products provided anexcellent lunch for all attendees.

Fire, Rescue and Safety Vocational StandardsGroupIn July 2004, JOIFF was invited to become a Memberof what was then called the Emergency Fire ServicesVocational Standards Group (EFSVSG) and has sincethen been participating in its work. Some monthsago, the name of the EFSVSG was changed to theFire, Rescue and Safety Vocational Standards Group(FRSVSG) to more correctly reflect the growingscope of its activities. It is an important policy of theJOIFF Executive that Members are aware of JOIFF'saffiliations and activities and we set out below detailof FRSVSG.

FRSVSG, working under the auspices of the UnitedKingdom Employers' Organisation for LocalGovernment is responsible for defining, maintainingand improving National Occupation Standards (NOS)for the fire and rescue sector. These NOS are usedto develop Vocational Qualifications (VQs) for thesector. The group is also responsible for developingthe Vocational Qualification structures andassociated assessment strategies.

The NOS are statements of the skills, knowledge andunderstanding needed in the workplace and areexpressed as outcomes of competent performance.In other words, they define good practice in theperformance of individuals in the workplace, basedon the functions they perform. They may beregarded as quality standards for people.

Competence is defined by the Qualifications andCurriculum Authority as "the ability to perform to thestandard required in employment across a range ofcircumstances and to meet changing needs."

The FRSVSG is responsible for developing theassessment strategy used by the awarding bodies.The assessment strategy defines the scope and thequalification structure of the award, the Assessor,Verifier and Quality control requirements and theperformance evidence requirements. Eachqualification consists of a number of units basedaround functional roles. The qualifications areachieved through training and assessment in theworkplace with Candidates being signed off by aQualified Assessor when they reach the requiredlevel of competence in each unit. This is thenverified by a qualified Verifier.

The NOS covering the Operations in the Community,Control Operations and Watch Managementfunctional roles were completed in 2001. Level 3S/NVQs for these roles were made available to theindustry in 2002.

The NOS covering Fire Safetyfunctional roles were completedand approved by the UK Co-ordinating Group in 2004. Theassessment strategy has alsobeen developed and the FireSafety S/NVQs were submitted to UKCG for approvalin January 2005.

It has been identified that several specialistoperational support roles will not be provided for byexisting NOS and will have to be defined. Theseroles include Fire Hydrant Maintenance, EmergencyPlanning (in a fire/flood or civil defence context),Fire Ground Technician and Maintenance ofSpecialist Fire Fighting Equipment.

The development of fire and rescue sector NOS hasconcentrated on operational roles, however FRSVSGwould like to develop NOS for all roles within the fireand rescue services including non-operationalsupport roles such as clerical and administrativestaff and HR practitioners and managers, so thatqualifications can be offered to all staff. Work isbeing done by CFOA (People and OrganisationalDevelopment Group) on developing role maps forsupport roles within the fire and rescue sector. Themajority of these NOS will be drawn from existingjob descriptions and documents held by a range ofcross-sector bodies. Appropriate VQs will then beavailable to support staff within the sector.

The Organisations that constitute the FRSVSG aredrawn from a broad range of Fire and RescueServices so that it is representative of the industryas a whole. As well as JOIFF, the members include:- Chief Fire Officers Association, Fire BrigadesUnion, Local Government Association, London Fireand Emergency Planning Authority, RetainedFirefighters Union, Airport Operators Association(AOA) Ops and Safety Committee, British FireServices Association, Civil Aviation Authority,Ministry of Defence, Fire Service College, FireProtection Association, Institution of Fire Engineers,Department for Education and Skills, EmploymentOrganisation for Local Government, Fire ServicesAwarding Bodies (Edexcel, SQA), Office of theDeputy Prime Minister (ODPM), Qualifications andCurriculum Authority (QCA).

Members take note….Annual General MeetingThe Annual General Meeting of JOIFF Ltd. will beheld on Tuesday 20th September in Dublin Ireland.For further information, please contact the JOIFFSecretariat.

The Catalyst

page 4

Advertisment

Note from the Editors: We are delighted to advise readers that TommyClark, Emergency Response Team Leader in JOIFFMember BP Exploration Co. Ltd., Sullom Voe,received the Fire Industry Award 2005 as Fire SafetyManager of the Year. These Awards are to recogniseand celebrate excellence, achievement andinnovation among Fire Industry professionals andFire Service staff over the previous 12 months. Ajudging panel of 22 experts selected the Awardwinners from an outstanding short-list of nominees,which in the category Fire Safety Manager of theYear included as well as Tommy, Michael Hamilton,Cheshire Fire Service; Chris Blake, Hereford andWorcester Fire and Rescue Service; Ian Evans, HMFire Service Inspectorate; Alan Patmore, Luton andDunstable NHS Trust and Rory Campbell, SandwellEducation Department. The Editors extendcongratulations to all excellent final nominees but inparticular to Tommy Clarke, Member of the JOIFFTraining Standards Committee and to his colleaguesin the Emergency Response Team and to theManagement of the Terminal for their support toTommy and his Team.

---------------

Report on the Award by Tommy Clark, BP Exploration Operating Company Ltd.Sullom Voe

I had the great pleasure in receiving the Fire SafetyManager of the Year award on the 17th of May 2005at the Fire Service Awards in Birmingham during theFire Expo. I was made aware of this new category byone of the JOIFF Shared Learning emails from JOIFFSecretary Kevin Westwood, in which he encouragedJOIFF members to apply, thanks Kevin.

The submission for the award had to cover thefollowing different areas:l Staff Training l On-going fire risk assessment, Improvementsl Improvements made in the fire safety provisionsand maintenance procedures.l Leadershipl Effective communication with senior managementl Personal development

This did seem to be very comprehensive list to saythe least, but as an Emergency Response TeamLeader working in the private sector, these are areaswhich we all have to address during our normalworking year, to varying degrees.

The Emergency Response team at BP's operatedSullom Voe Terminal (SVT) has been through arecent re-organisation, this resulted in there being a

redistribution of skill andtherefore a need for training.Training is always a difficult area to get right for yourindividual requirements, thankfully the JOIFFtraining standards assisted. The training developedfor our teams was submitted to the TrainingStandards committee and received approval forJOIFF accreditation, meeting BP's requirements thatall training should be accredited.

The Control of Major Accident Hazard Regulations(CoMAH) has made all Sites covered by theregulations in the UK, review their individualhazards. This is a very positive aspect of theregulation, as far as I am concerned.

At SVT we decided to review all of our potentialscenarios to ensure we could respond in a safe andeffective manner, identifying gaps in both equipmentand procedures. The gaps in our equipment havebeen partially addressed by some lateral thinking,utilising tried and tested agriculture equipment. Thishas given us cost effective user friendly equipment,an article in last months Industrial Fire Journalcovers this in more depth.

The gaps in procedures has been addressed by thedevelopment of specific Emergency Response Plans(ERP's), which give guidance to our On-SceneCommander, ER teams, Operations Controlroom,Incident Controlroom and the Local Authority FireBrigade. The key to these new ERP's, was to makethem as users friendly as possible, providing theinformation to the responders involved in theincident, whether they are on-scene or in thecontrolroom. Each ERP's is specific to the processunits involved and covers all scenarios from the


page 5

FIRE SAFETY MANAGER OF THE YEAR

Tommy Clark, 2nd from the left, receiving the award

small to the large. They are allone page documents providingonly the important relevantinformation with process unitlocation maps highlighting firehazard information and location

of fire safety equipment.

The changes I have mentioned have not been easy,particularly when I informed my ER teams that wewere going to buy a Tractor, as part of ER responsecapabilities.

BP's Terminal Management has been supportive inthe development of ER at Sullom Voe andappreciates our individual requirements.

It can be seen that by carrying out my role asEmergency Response Team Leader the criteria forthe submission was already in progress. I wouldencourage you all to submit for this award andothers like it to highlight the good work being carriedthroughout Industrial Emergency Response.

-------------------

Further Note from the Editors:Sullom Voe Terminal (SVT) is located on theShetland Islands, around 350 kilometres north ofAberdeen. The Terminal is operated by BP and isowned by a consortium of companies.

The SVT was constructed in the 1970's to storeNorth Sea crude from the Brent & Ninian pipelines.The Terminal now also receives crude oil from theSchiehallion field via shuttle tanker and Clair field viapipeline. The Magnus Enhance Oil Recover pipelineoperating at a maximum pressure of 235 bargoperates through the Terminal.

Tommy Clark, is the Emergency Response TeamLeader at SVT, he manages an emergency responseteam of 60 personnel who respond to all Terminalemergencies including fire, gas leak, security andpollution. The team carry out maintenance on all ERequipment and carry out all Jetty operations. Mr. T L Clark, Emergency Response Team Leader.Sullom Voe Oil TerminalTelephone: 44 - (0)1806-243506 Fax: 44 - (0)1806-243650e-mail: [email protected]


page 6

PRESS RELEASE

MILLENIA LIGHT® OPTIMUM SOLUTIONIN FIRE PROTECTION

FOR FIRE FIGHTERS.

Millenia Light® optimum solutionin fire protection for Fire Fighters.

The introduction of MILLENIALIGHT® by Ten Cate Protect is ahighly significant stepping stonein the ongoing development ofhigh-tech fire protective fabrics.Advanced engineering, usingsuper-strength fibres hasdelivered a new material withexceptional properties.

Millenia Light® is the lightest andtoughest outer shell material: tearresistance, cut resistance, wearresistance and tensile strengthare unsurpassed. Even moreexciting is the strength retentionin extreme exposure to heat. Afterexposures such as a simulatedflash fire similar to thosedescribed in EN 469 (test methodsEN366/367) Millenia Light® fabric

is almost 100% greater than anyother outer shell used world wide.Millenia Light® is the lightestouter shell material. At 180 g/m2this fabric is 10-30% lighter than any otherouter shell fabrics. This givesfreedom of movement and lessweight on fire fighters' backs tokeep them going longer.

This new development is truly amajor milestone for Fire FighterGear:l The lightest outer shellpresently in usel Improved comfort andpotential for lower heat stressl The lightest and mostbreathable components l Excellent thermal protectionl Extremely durable indangerous and demanding workenvironments

A detailed article on MilleniaLight® is published in this editionof The Catalyst.

For more information on MilleniaLight® contact:Esther BrummelhuisMarketing Support Manager. TenCate Protect Tel +31 (0)548 633623 / +31(0)6 288 76 999.Email:[email protected] Http://www.tencateprotect.com

The Catalyst

page 7

Advertisment

Why rely on Tyvek®, Kevlar®, Nomex®, and Tychem®? Because someone’s life may depend on it.

www.dpp-europe.com

The DuPont Oval, DuPontTM, The miracles of scienceTM, Tyvek® , Kevlar® , Nomex® , and Tychem ®are registered trademarks or trademarks of DuPont or its affiliates.

BECAUSE millions ofexposures a year

make Tyvek® one ofthe worlds mosttrusted chemicalProtection suits

BECAUSE 5 timesstronger than steeland 4 times more cutresistant than leather

makes Kevlar® glovesessential mechanicalprotection

BECAUSE Nomex® is agenuine heat and flameprotection partner forleading corporations inpetroleum, chemicalmetal, transportationutilities and electricalindustries

BECAUSE Tychem®

suits offer superiorbarrier protection atminimum weight.

BECAUSE DuPontPersonal Protectionoffers unparalleledinnovation, quality anddesign to cover all yoursafety needs. To talk to arepresentative pleasecall +352 3666 5664


INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TRAINING IN INDIA

Report submitted by JOIFF Member Dave Cox.

Emergency Response Solutions, a New Zealandbased company, was recently contracted to anewly commissioned petrochemical plant in the

North West of India to provide them with thetheoretical basics of Incident Management.

We believe the essence to effective IncidentManagement is regular exercising. When there existrecognised potential risk areas within a site,planning an exercise based on a range of eventtypes gives credibility to the exercise scenario.During the exercise all groups who would normallybe involved in the managing of the Incident musttake part. Systems, equipment and manpower mustall be used during the exercise for an accuratereview process to take place.

The training we delivered consisted of threemodules; they were:

l Pre-Incident Planningl Size Up l Structured Incident Management Model

Pre-Incident Planning is one of two key elements tosuccessful Incident Management. The training wasbased around a computerised programme thatcalculated heat flux contours as well as vapour clouddispersion for a wide range of product types andincident types. After a basic introduction to thevalues of pre-plans and an outline of the keyinformation they should include, each of the groupswere taken through the stages on how to prepareand write pre-plans. By the time of our departure 3pre-plans had been completed ready for the first

review stage and exercising.

The second key element to Incident Management isto have a structured Incident Management Systemsuitable for that site. The system chosen by ERS isbased on the New Zealand Coordinated IncidentManagement System. This system has been in usefor many years in various countries and is assuitable for multi response agencies and equally aswell for a single industrial or commercial site. Itnominates one person or agency as the IncidentController and allows a cascading managementstructure to be formed from there, depending on thesize and duration of the incident.

Another important factor in incident management isSize Up. Size Up is based on the initial actions andreactions that are taken in a logical and sequentialmanner based on the first impressions of theincident by the initial senior person. These actionsare the basis on which further decisions are made bythe Incident Controller and Incident Managementteam to control the incident.

The training method we used was group critique. Weused actual incidents that had occurred inpetrochemical sites over a number of yearssupported with newsreel footage and reports of theincidents as they occurred.

For further information contact Dave Cox at e-mailaddress [email protected]

MOBILES DON'T CAUSE EXPLOSIONS !!

UK Researchers say the idea that switching ona mobile phone on a petrol station can causean explosion is a myth. Dr. Adam Burgess of

the University of Kent said that out of 243 petrolstation fires attributed to mobile phones around theworld in the last 11 years, not one was caused by ahandset. In fact BP's International Group Fire OfficerRichard Coates found that many incidents happenedafter discharge of static from the body ignited petrolfumes.

"The petrol station / mobile phone story crosses intothe realm of humour and urban legend" Dr. Burgesscomments. "Even on an oil rig, the only real reasonnot to use a mobile is because of the issue o fdistraction." He suggests that bans on mobiles inservice stations were the result of "a relativelyinstinctive precautionary response."

Reproduced from the April 2005 edition of IndustrialFire Journal (with thanks).


page 9

AIRPORT FIRE CHIEFS VISIT THE DUPONTTECHNICAL CENTRE IN GENEVA

The recently formed AirportClothing Standards Group(CSG) was off to a flying

start with a visit to the DuPontTechnical Centre (Geneva) in earlyMarch. The object of the visit wasto gain an appreciation of whatmakes good Personal ProtectionEquipment (PPE) work.

"If we are going to do this we aregoing to do it right" said SymonClifford Chief Fire Officer of BristolAirport who headed thedelegation. "We are looking at PPEand how it works, especially inrelation to the clothing wornunderneath, and not only whenaircraft fire fighting but also whenother Emergency Response workis being carried out by airport firefighters". What better place tostart, than with witnessingdifferent clothing systems anddesigns that will be tested to thelimit on the DuPont Thermo-Man.

"This has opened up a whole newthought process, which issomething that I very muchencourage. It has also made us

think outside the box", said PaulHardiman, Senior Airport FireOfficer at Inverness Airport.

The Integrated Clothing Project(ICP) for public brigades has beena catalyst for the CSG to lookclosely at what they are currentlyproviding for their fire fighterswho are in danger of being leftbehind after the ICP has specifiedits clothing system. There areover 2500 airport fire fighters inthe UK and Ireland who, if theybuy one design as a standard,would be a very sizable contractfor any manufacturer to win.

Symon Clifford went on to say "it'stime we got together and drovethe market along rather thanfollowing along and taking what'sleft on the shelf".

There is now a genuinecommitment amongst airport fireofficers to come together andform a buying consortium notunlike the ICP The immediateadvantages are commonality ofdesign and colour which wouldhelp with cost, stockholding andmaintenance. But moreimportantly they can have aclothing system that fulfils theirspecific needs.

Hopefully the knowledge gainedwill aid us in working downthrough the layers of clothing.Heat stress is a great concern toall fire fighters and themanagement of sweat with highwicking fabrics is a provenadvantage. However, there is notone easy answer for as soon asprotection is increased in one areawe are likely to cause problems inanother. This knock on effectusually manifests itself in the formof heat stress. It may be time tore-visit designs and see if theadvantages gained by theprovision of certain layers are in

fact real.

Studies into Fire-fighter fatalitiesand injuries in the US wouldsuggest that heat stress is themain contributory factor. So arewe protecting our Fire-fightersfrom extremely low risks or eventheoretical risks, yet increasingtheir exposure to the known andtangible dangers of Heat Stress, It is expected that the group willvisit a weaver during or shortlyafter their next meeting and thenmove on to visit garmentmanufacturers. The CSG arerapidly becoming some of the bestinformed purchasers in the firemarket. Once a disparate groupwho were picked off one at a timeand even ignored by somesections of the industry, they arenow becoming a force to bereckoned with.

Back row: (from L to R) Tom MacKerrell, RobertHolmes, Symon Clifford, Kevin Hornett, AndyHaworth, John Curran. Front row: (From L to R)Paul Hardiman, Richard Lynn, Mike Onda, PaulMacDonald, George Farendon

The DuPont Thermo-Man®- a life size mannequin

The Catalyst

page 10

Advertisment


page 11

PPE CORNER

The Fourth Symposium of the Japanese NationalResearch Institute for Fire and Disaster (NRIFD)tookplace in Tokyo, Japan from 9th - 11th March 2005.The subject matter for this Symposium was"Protective Clothing for Firefighting Activity" and itwas addressed by more than 20 key Speakers fromaround the World, all specialists in their ownparticular sphere of activity relating to PersonalProtective Equipment. The well attended eventwhich was conducted through simultaneoustranslation, took place in the Headquarters of theJapan National Research Institute of Fire andDisaster (NRIFD) - further details of NRIFD in anarticle in this edition of The Catalyst.

The Programme for the 2 day meeting was dividedinto 7 Sessions:

l Session 1, "Implications for Firefighters PersonalProtective Equipment (PPE) and their ErgonomicProperties";l Session 2, "Effects of Clothing Layers, Moisture,Moisture Barrier on Thermal Protective Performanceof Firefighters Clothing";l Session 3, "Evaluation of Heat Protection and

Comfort performance ofFirefighters Protective Clothing";l Session4, "Development and Performance ofFirefighters Protective Equipment";l Session 5, "Instrumented Manikin Test";l Session 6, International Standards" and l Session 7 "Specification, Standard, Presentsituation and Future Trend of Firefighters ProtectiveClothing in Foreign Countries"

The Symposium was organised by NRIFD andsupported by the Fire and Disaster ManagementAgency (Japan), Japan Association for Fire Scienceand Engineering, Japan Ergonomics Society, JapanSociety for Occupational Health, Japan Society ofPhysiological Anthropology, Japanese Society ofBiometeorology, Firechiefs' Association of Japan andthe Japan Fire Retardant Association. The purpose ofthe Symposium was to contribute to theimprovement of safety and performance ofFirefighters Protective Clothing by learning what ishappening in this field both in Japan andInternationally.

SVT Demo236Valtra Tractor fitted with hose recovery reel.

BP Sullom Voe Oil Terminal

SVT Demo2038,400 litre Foam Tanker with POK monitor in operation.

BP Sullom Voe Oil Terminal


page 12

Firefighters clothing is designed to meet a varietyof hazards and within Europe this clothing orPersonal Protective Equipment (PPE) must meet

a minimum set of requirements and performancelevels as defined in the norm EN 469.This norm is currently under revision and the revisionrecognises that different operating conditions mayrequire modified garment constructions byintroducing a second set of performance levels. Inessence this provides for different climatic conditionsand acknowledges the need for lighter weightgarments in hotter climates whilst still maintaining agood level of protection.

However the need for lighter weight garments is notsimply confined to hotter climates as it is widelyrecognised that firefighters throughout the Europeanindustry are often subjected to conditions in whichheat stress can be a real problem. This can lead to aloss of performance and can prove lethal in extremes.

Hence the constant drive is to try to reduce potentialheat stress by garment design or fabric design andreduced weight, whilst maintaining the requiredperformance levels.

Firefighters garments are usually multi-layerassemblies, designed to combat a number of hazardsand consist of :

l Outer shell fabric l Moisture barrier l Thermal barrier (sometimes combined withmoisture barrier)l Lining fabric

All of these layers provide elements of protection andall contribute to the weight of a garment andtherefore can have an effect on potential heat stress.

Outer shell fabrics are the first line of defence andthere are many excellent fabrics which garmentmakers may choose from. The evolution from wool tometa- and para-aramid, blends such as NomexDeltaT, achieved the goal of reducing weight and theburden on firefighters and giving very goodprotection. The introduction of fibres such aspolybenzimidazole (PBI) continued this evolution andnow a new fibre PBO (poly p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxalate) has given garment makers andspecifiers an opportunity to enjoy an entirely newlevel of performance. A comparison of fibres is shownin Table1.

The Limited Oxygen Index (LOI), which is the amountof oxygen needed in the atmosphere to support amaterials combustion, shows PBO's exceptional fireresistance and its decomposition temperature is thehighest of the commonly used fibres used for makingfirefighters fabrics. Similarly, comparison of physicalproperties shows the exceptional strength of PBO, farsuperior to meta-aramids and PBI and double that ofpara-aramids.

In fabric form these fibres are generally blendedtogether to give a balance of properties and PBO is noexception being blended with para-aramid in a 40/60ratio. This blend was first introduced by Southern Millsinto the North American market as "Millenia" andsubsequently into the European market by SouthernMills parent company Ten Cate under the nameMillenia Light.

Table 1

Table 2

NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN OUTER - SHELL FABRICSTOUGHEST AND LIGHTEST YET

by Bill Marrs

Millenia Light is the lightest weight fabric currentlyavailable as an outer shell and has in comparison toother outer shell materials some outstandingproperties.

Table 2 shows the weight of fabrics tested and evenat this comparatively light weight it is the strongestand toughest as shown by tensile and tear strengthsafter laundering in Tables 3 and 4.PBO also has outstanding abrasion resistance and as

Millenia Light it far exceeds meta- / para-aramidblends.

However, exceptional as its physical properties are itis when Millenia Light is exposed to heat that it reallydifferentiates from the competition. Tables 5 - 7 showthe physical properties of outer shell fabrics afterexposure to a combined source of radiant andconvective heat of 2 cal/cm2/sec for 17.5 seconds inthe Thermal Protective Performance ( TPP ) test.Here the tensile, tear and burst strengths of the PBO

/ para-aramid blend is far superiorto any of the other fabrics, somuch so that the figures for meta-/ para-aramid blends werenegligible and it is only thereinforced para-aramid / PBI blend that even


page 13

Table 3

Table 4

Table 5

Table 6

Table 7


page 14

approaches the performance ofMillenia Light.The performance of PBO / para-aramid blends as seen in thesefigures is truly exceptional,however as Millenia Light it also

conforms to the requirements and performance levelsof EN 469 in combination with commonly usedmoisture and thermal barriers.

PBO fibre has given fabric manufacturers the ability toproduce outer shell fabrics for firefighters at

comparatively very light weights and to outperform allother fabrics currently available in terms of durability,strength and heat and flame resistance. Such fabricsgive garment makers the opportunity to produce evenlighter weight and more comfortable garments whichmust be to the benefit of the firefighter.

Bill Marrs has specialised in technical fabrics, with anemphasis on flame retardant behaviour, for over 20years. During that time he has held both technical andcommercial roles and is currently Sales Manager, UKand Ireland for Ten Cate Protect.

INSTITUTE OF FIRE SAFETY MANAGERS Report by

Gary DN Whitworth, FIFSM, FIFireE, FIMgt, MIFPO, MIIRSM, IFSM Vice President & IFSM Public Relations Officer

'An excellent meeting' was how onemember described the Institute ofFire Safety Managers (IFSM)Special General Meeting held atArmstrong Priestley's offices atBeeston, Leeds, on Wednesday13th April 2005. The specialmeeting called to discuss measuresto improve facilities for IFSMmembers and to help the Instituteto recruit more fire safetyprofessionals, took some importantand exciting decisions including :

(a) Amending the IFSM'sMembership Constitution to reflectrecent introduction of the'Advanced' CFPA Diploma.(b) Taking a decision toregularise the Institute's status byforming a company limited byguarantee.(c) Setting up a registrationsystem for those who undertakefire risk assessments, and(d) Agreeing to hold at leasttwo major events for members inthe coming year

Changes to the management of theInstitute included some importantnew personalities including a newSecretary General - Dr BobDocherty (MD of Flamerisk SafetySolutions Ltd and former Presidentof the IFE) and a new Chairman -John Williamson, former ACO withLancashire Fire and Rescue Service(MD of UK FireSkills Ltd).

Stewart Kidd, the former Directorof the FPA and a well known figure

in fire circles, was re-elected asIFSM President, and GaryWhitworth former CFO Kent (MD ofFire-Stat International Ltd) was re-elected Vice-President. BobDocherty was also elected as anadditional IFSM Vice President.

The Meeting also heard twoextremely interesting presentationsfrom Peter Armstrong (Chairman,BASA) who gave an excellentupdate on 'Fixed Fire SuppressionSystems' and the keynotepresentation by the ImmediatePast President of the IFE - AssistantCounty Fire Officer John Judd, whoexplained how Manchester Fire andRescue Service coped with lastyears major fire incident in a BTcable tunnel in Manchester.

The Institute of Fire SafetyManagers was formed in 1993 asan organisation that would providea professional 'haven' for thosepeople who were involved directlywith fire safety management inindustry and commerce. Up to thatpoint, there was no realprofessional institute, organisationor association that leant primarilytowards this speciality and thatcould cater for those coming intothis arm of the profession. On topof that there was a push in theindustry, especially via the UKbased Fire Protection Association(FPA), to provide a practical as wellas an academic base to theindustry by providing arecognisable diploma in fire safety.

This they did with the FPA Diplomain Fire Prevention followed quicklyby the Confederation of EuropeanFire Protection Associations (CFPA)European Diploma in FirePrevention which is a recognisedqualification throughout Europe.

Membership of the Institute wasinitially based around thesequalifications althoughConstitutional amendments nowmean that those people who areworking in the sphere of fire safetymanagement in all its forms andguises can apply to join at eitherone of the three levels ofmembership grade i.e. Student(SIFSM), Associate (AIFSM) andMember (MIFSM). There is also aFellow grade by election to thosepersons who has made anoutstanding contribution infurthering the aims and objectivesof the Institute. The grade systemis progressive and is set torecognise both the academicachievement of the individualmember as well as the differentlevels at which they will beoperating at within the world of firesafety management.

The aims and objectives of theInstitute can be summarised bystating that it is there to facilitateand represent the views andaspirations of members, and toliaise, encourage and exchange theflow of information, ideas andconcepts of fire safetymanagement.

NATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE

OF FIRE AND DISASTER, JAPAN

In 2001, the National Legislature of Japan passeda law establishing the National ResearchInstitute of Fire and Disaster (NRFID) as an

independent administrative institution. The work ofNRIFD is based on the principal that in order to dealwith the type of disasters that happen in today'sWorld, simply relying on past experiences does notallow them to be effectively dealt with - NRIFD isworking to utilise the latest Information Technologyin the most effective manner in firefighting, rescueand disaster prevention. Japan's experiences of disasters such asearthquakes and subsequent multiple point fires andother resultant extensive damage has taught themthat it is difficult to control such situations simply bymeans of the fire brigades in the effected areas, nomatter how well trained and equipped they mightbe. At such times it is necessary to mobilise andoperate every resource available for disaster controlin the best possible way to minimise damage. One of the major research projects of NRIFD hasresulted in the development of a simplifiedearthquake damage prediction system which can

predict the damage of an earthquake in any part ofthe Country and of a detailed earthquake damageprediction system for particular cities, towns andvillages. This information is stored in a centrallocation and can be communicated by a mobilewireless system developed exclusively for FireDefence use and from mobile terminals. Informationon fire outbreak points in particular will be utilisedfor fire prediction based on building distributiondatabases to give detail such as how far fires willspread in for example two or three hours time. The state of a disaster taking place at ground levelcan be captured by remote sensing equipment suchas cameras mounted on a satellite or an airplane.Monitoring disaster situations covering an extensivearea at ground level from high above without theneed of entering the area where the disaster isoccurring provides an effective means ofunderstanding what is happening at the early stagesof a disaster and allows building damage situationsto be identified from afar. NRIFD has instigated aresearch project utilising Synthetic Aperture Radar(SAR) data to identify building damage situations,


page 16

since SAR, which producesimages from reflected andscattering microwaves, allowsobservation free of cloud and foginterference whether at night orduring daytime. Fundamental

research is also taking place into a technique ofidentifying seismic soil amplification by extractingtopographical information from numerical altitudedata obtained by remote sensing. Approximately 3,000 forest fires of varying scaletake place in Japan each year causing enormousdamage to property and the environment. Theyspread quickly and devastate extensive areas andnecessitate tremendous efforts in terms of time,labour and cost to bring them under control. Anotherresearch project of NRIFD is to study a method ofpredicting the risks of a forest fire and its spread,incorporating real time forest fire risk indices,calculated on the basis of past fire databases andonline meteorological information. The ultimate goalof this project is to produce a countrywide forest firerisk index map in real time. Research into landslides is also taking place inNRIFD. When a landslide occurs, the slope has apotential risk of slipping again even if the surfaceappears to be held stationary. NRIFD is working toestablish a technique to predict the time intervalbefore a secondary fall takes place by deducing whatis happening underground. NRIFD is also developing prevention systems suchas fire detectors and new alarm notification systemstaking into account the needs of "disaster vulnerablepeople" e.g. the elderly and handicapped. Researchis being carried out on warning techniques for hard-of-hearing persons utilising odours, vibrating beds orpillows, blinking flash lamps etc. Utilising the latest Information technology, NRIFDare also working on ways of preparing data obtainedfrom fire experiments and the investigation of fireinto databases and converting these into visual datasuch as picture images. These can then be madeavailable on a website for information disseminationor further research and also used to develop fireexperience simulators using VR technology. Thismeans that people wearing anaglyphic glasses in asimulator can be exposed to real life fire scenes.Such simulation models have already been preparedand NRIFD are studying a methodology to utilisethese data in evaluation of evacuation guidance andto develop more effective techniques. The work of NRIFD encompasses many otherresearch areas to assist in the reduction of deathsand injuries during disasters and fire including:l prevention of the upward spread of fire in highrise apartment buildings, l investigating ways of more effectively utilisinglimited resources in an emergency, l ensuring the safe use of new extinguishing agentsand systems by elucidating such phenomena as

ignition and flame extinction and processes ofcombustion emission generation particular to them,by employing advanced numerical simulations etc., l developing a greater understanding of fireinvolving products that require very special actione.g. sodium, lithium, l studying the safety of various new types ofenergy e.g. safety assessment of fuel-cell cars, l fire prevention and firefighting techniques atwaste treatment facilities, l measuring and analysing firefighters protectivegarments for their performance in terms of heatresistance, comfort, functionality etc., with theobject of proposing comprehensive performancestandards, l development of rescue aid robots -to developrescue robots able to go to the aid of fallen personswhen an accident occurs in a nuclear facility etc. Theresearch objective is to develop compact, light-weight, self-running robots that can link together tobecome a protective barrier to shield the victim fromradiation or to rescue a victim by gathering aroundhim/her and changing the position of his/her bodyfor easier transport and removal to a safe place.Robots are being developed which can climb abuilding by moving from one balcony to another of ahigh rise block and others are being developed todetect persons buried under debris and rubble,l examining the causes of serous fires andexplosions,l risk level prediction and risk management of oilstorage tanks. This Project was introduced primarilyas a result of serious damage to such tanks in theKobe earthquake in 1995. Damage caused to an oilstorage tank in an earthquake is a complexphenomenon involving the characteristics of seismicmotions, the tank structure, the characteristics ofthe ground, the properties of the substancecontained etc. all interacting with each other,l promoting a study to utilise the acoustic emissionmethod in assessing the soundness of an oil storagetank bottom and making efforts to establish a safetyevaluation procedure analysing the condition of oilstorage tanks with computer simulations usingforecast seismic motions. Most oil storage tankdamage is attributable to age deterioration andseismic motions. While factors affecting tankcorrosion are complicated such tanks deterioratewith the passage of time due to rust, fatigue orcracks and they are generally subject to harshenvironments because of where they are installed,e.g. near a sea shore, and cyclic load upon chargingand discharging of the contents. Accordingly, it isimportant to assess the safety of oil storage tanksindividually.

National Research Institute of Fire and Disaster,14-1 Nakahara 3-Chome,Mitaka,Tokyo 181-8633, Japan.

Please contact the JOIFF Secretariat with details of any event that you think that JOIFF Members mightbe interested in attending.

Note: The Catalyst is not responsible for the accuracy of dates and / or venues announced. This is based on information given to the Editors and is published in good faith.


page 17

PRESS RELEASE - FIRESA Editor's note: We are pleased to publish thefollowing Press Release:

A new trade association is becoming established forthe fire and rescue suppliers industry, withsecretarial support provided by the Association ofBritish Fire Trades (ABFT). Following a foundationmeeting in October 2004, a Steering Committeecomprising fourteen companies in the sector hasbeen established to take responsibility forinaugurating the new association. A Prospectus isavailable for prospective members which presentsthe case for the inauguration of FIRESA and detailsissues of Constitution.Chairman of the Steering Committee is DaveChisnall of AS Fire and Rescue Equipment Ltd whocomments as follows:"The changing market conditions and the ODPMNational Procurement initiative have highlighted theneed for a coherent trade body for the fire andrescue supply industry. I am pleased that FIRESA isto be established to meet this need. Over the pastfew months, I have been encouraged by thecooperation displayed by many representatives fromthe industry and I am pleased to assist with theformation of FIRESA by Chairing the Steering Groupuntil membership is established and election ofofficers can take place. Its success will be

determined by its membership. Itwill allow us to speak with a voicethat will be finally heard!"The Steering Committee is delighted to reportsignificant support not only from prospectivemembers but from across a range of fire and rescuestakeholders. Ken Knight, Commissioner of theLondon Fire and Emergency Planning Authority(LFEPA) comments:"I am delighted that the UK equipment suppliers tothe Fire and Rescue Service have taken theopportunity to establish a trade association at suchan important time. This innovative step will allow UKindustry to meet the challenges and opportunities ofthe newly created national procurement agency'FiReBuY' which commences in April this year andwill greatly assist in the modernisation of the Fireand Rescue Service. The potential of a single voicefor this important sector of industry which isresponsible for safety critical equipment for both thepublic and fire fighters is extremely welcome."FIRESA will join the Fire Industry Confederation(FTC), the umbrella organisation which alreadycomprises the British Fire Protection SystemsAssociation (BFPSA), the Fire Extinguishing TradesAssociation (FETA), the British Automatic SprinklerAssociation (BASA) and the Industry Committee forEmergency Lighting (ICEL).

DIARY OF EVENTS 2005/20062005July 19th - 21st National Fire Protection Association Security and Fire Expo Miami Beach,

Florida, USA.20th - 22nd Institution of Fire Engineers Annual meeting, Conference and

Exhibition.University of Birmingham, England.Aug 11th - 13th International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Fire Rescue International.

Denver, Colorado, USA.Oct 16th - 18th Advanced Personal Protective Equipment: Challenges on protecting First

Responders. Virginia USA,18th - 19th Republic of Ireland Branch Institution of Fire Engineers Meeting/Exhibition

Maritime College, Cork.24th - 27th A + A 2005 - International Congress for Safety and Health at Work.

Düsseldorf, Germany.Nov 2nd - 3rd FIRE 2005 G-Mex Manchester

2006Feb 21st - 24th SICUR International Security, Safety and Fire Exhibition. Madrid Spain.April 24th - 29th Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.

The Catalyst

The Catalyst is published by ABCom. www.abcom.ie

JOIFF in Partnership with

JOIFF Secretariat:Fulcrum ConsultantsGD House, Tallaght Business ParkDublin 24, IrelandTelephone: + 353-1-4137300; Fax: +353-1-4137301 Website: www.joiff.com Email: [email protected]

IFTC Teesside also provide the following JOIFF accredited Courses and subject to numbers andavailability of places will be pleased to discuss possible dates with interested Organisations.

l 5 day BA Wearer Course. l Breathing Apparatus Instructor (BAI) Coursel Breathing Apparatus Instructor Refresher Course

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

For further information about the JOIFF accredited Competency Based Training Programmes, the newrange of Fire Service NVQs and any other aspect of JOIFF Training, please contact the JOIFF Secretariatcontact details below.

3 day Occupational Firefighter (Part Time)

3rd - 5th August Serco IFTC Teesside 10th - 12th October Serco IFTC Teesside FULL2nd - 4th November Serco IFTC Teesside14th - 15th November Serco IFTC Teesside FULL21st - 22nd November Serco IFTC Teesside FULL28th - 29th November Serco IFTC Teesside FULL5th - 6th December Serco IFTC Teesside FULL12th - 13th December Serco IFTC Teesside FULL19th - 20th December Serco IFTC Teesside FULL

5 day Team Leader

22nd - 26th August Serco IFTC Teesside17th -21st October Serco IFTC Teesside12th - 16th December Serco IFTC Teesside

The following dates have been provided by the UK based JOIFF accredited Training Establishments. Ifyour own specific Training requirements are not listed below, contact Fulcrum Consultants who will behappy to try to facilitate you..

JOIFF TRAINING 2005

2005, issue 2 the catalyst - joiffjoiff.com/catalyst/2005/june.pdf · the views and opinions...

Documents