Events

E v e n t s – 2 0 1 8

19-20 September, International Compressed Air Foam Symposium, Novotel Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, The Netherlands

The International Compressed Air Foam Symposium will bring together international specialists in the field to discuss a wide range of topics including CAFS usage, implementation, and application, and the latest scientific research.

Speakers include Mark A Cummins, the inventor of the first compressed air foam system in the 1980s, and Dr Niall Ramsden from Lastfire, who will discuss the results of Lastfire’s large-scale tank fire testing that has shown the potential for CAFS in major incidents.

Other speakers include Rijk van den Dikkenberg, Fire Chief and senior researcher for the Dutch Fire Service Academy, who will discuss techniques for the offensive exterior attack in fighting ventilation-controlled structure fires, and Dr George B Braga who will tell delegates about the CAFS journey of the Federal District Fire Department, Brazil, from testing to fire truck implementation.

The potential environmental and occupational health benefits of CAFS will also be covered at the event. Gary Baum, deputy chief at the Milford Fire Protection District of Greater Chicago and field staff instructor at the Illinois Fire Service Institute, will talk about the potential of CAFS to reduce firefighters’ exposure to carbon-based carcinogens in structure fires, while environmental toxicologist Dr John Gorrie will touch on the environmental considerations for CAFS use.

Other topics will include the use of CAFS in rural and urban operations, presented by Leon Smith from the Australian fire and emergency services, and the use of CAFS in industrial fires, presented by Luca Parisi, the deputy crew commander of Trento Fire and Rescue Service.

‘The iCAFS seminar will be a great opportunity for delegates to share good practice and gain a better understanding of the capabilities and practical applications of compressed air foam systems,’ said Graeme Day, fire service regulation and oversight manager at Heathrow, who will cover CAFS from an aviation perspective at the event.

Ritchie Trompert, manager emergency response for Schiphol Group, will chair the event. The full programme, including an index of presentations, can be found on www.icafs.com/programma.

19-20 September, The Emergency Services Show, Hall 5, NEC, Birmingham, UK

The Manchester Arena bombing and a nuclear emergency training exercise in Denmark are among the case studies set to be presented at the upcoming Emergency Services Show on 19-20 September 2018 in Birmingham, UK.

This year’s free seminar programme covers a number of themes including lessons learnt, collaboration, health and wellbeing, and communications. The expert-led line up includes speakers from the Federation of European Fire Associations (FEU), The Resilience Advisors Network (RAN), International Fire Chiefs, and UKISAR, the UK's international search and rescue team. Key focus areas across the two days include collaboration and the efficiencies through data sharing and technology and the health, safety and psychological needs of individual fire, rescue, and call centre staff when responding to incidents.

Other health and wellbeing topics up for discussion include protecting against the dangers of smoke contamination and supporting female firefighter colleagues working through the menopause.

The morning session on both days will feature international collaboration case studies from Canada, the US, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Slovakia. European CBRN developments, psychological support for call handlers, and opportunities for UK experts to work within the European Civil Protection Mechanism are among the scheduled topics.

The event itself also offers a valuable opportunity to network with other blue light services, enabling vital collaborations and effective co-response.

This year’s Collaboration Zone features 80 partner agencies, voluntary groups, charities, and NGOs, which will share details of the support they can offer the fire and rescue services. The British Cave Rescue Council, which played a key role in the Thailand cave rescue operation, is set to exhibit in the UK SAR Zone alongside Mountain Rescue England and Wales, the Association of Lowland Search and Rescue, NSARDA Search Dogs, and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

The exhibition and seminars are free to attend. To register, visit www.emergencyuk.com.

NESM meets emergency responders at ESS 2017

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