FIREX International 2013 was a roaring success by any measure. In case you missed it, we wanted to share the most popular news of the season.
According to the initial count, the FIREX and IFSEC shows drew nearly 29,000 visitors — one-third of them end users and two-thirds trade visitors. The Protection and Management Week also featured the collocated shows, the Facilities Show, and the Safety and Health Expo.
The FIREX and IFSEC staff were on site to share all the sights and sounds with you. As an first stop on this virtual show tour, we recommend you stop by the FIREX International 2013 Live blog to see the tradeshow floor, speakers, and festivities captured as they happened by community manager Rob Ratcliff.
This year brought some big changes. For example, the FIREX and IFSEC awards were gathered under one roof, allowing everyone to celebrate together. Our coverage of the black-tie event proved some of our most popular posts.
On the show floor, real-world stories of technology and trends proved compelling for attendees. David Crowder, business group manager for fire investigation at BRE Global, shared an extensive set of reconstructions of the Lakanal House that was brought to the ground by fire in 2009. The 3D model reconstructions led investigators to conclude that no single factor was responsible for the deaths of six people in that fire. Alterations and neglect of fire safety techniques were among the factors that led to the lethal spread of fire and smoke. (See: BRE Global Present Lakanal 3D Models at FIREX.)
In an industry like fire investigation, evolution is more of a watchword than revolution. However, the growing popularity of commercial fire services did create comment. Ratcliff put it this way in a blog post:
The big topic for the FIA and many of the manufacturers attending FIREX International seems to be the creeping remit of the fire services. Squeezed budgets have left UK fire services scratching their heads to try and find enough money to maintain service quality. Those making the cuts, of course, assure us that they won’t damage the effectiveness of firefighters in the communities they serve, and that response times will be maintained — while the average target seems to creep on from the often-quoted six minutes.
Graham Ellicott, chief executive officer of the FIA, echoed these fears in a video interview with us.
In the midst of work and celebration at FIREX, there was also time for some mirth. Twitter users helped add a note of whimsy by submitting a wealth of #FireSongs that captured the fire industry in the form of music. Take a look, and let us know what songs you’d add to the FIREX play list.
Now there’s nothing left to do but start the countdown to FIREX 2014. We’ll be gathering in London. Hope to see you there.
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I think this is a great initiative for creating awareness among people not to neglect fire safety technique. People do not install fire safety alarm in home or office sometimes for cost reduction. To avoid fire, public awareness is the main factor.