Fire / Life Safety


DARPA Demonstrates New Fire-Suppression Method

Using electromagnetic fields and acoustics techniques to destabilize flame plasma worked on small flames, but large-scale suppression has yet to be demonstrated, the program manager said.

London Fire Brigade Backs Sprinklers in Schools

According to new figures the brigade released Jan. 10, 36 arson attacks and 113 accidental fires occurred in London’s schools, colleges, and nursery buildings in 2011.

When Clean Isn't Clean Enough

Some solutions are just no-brainers. Take medical backboards, for example, those hard plastic boards used to stabilize patients during emergencies before the patient is lifted onto the gurney and hurried into the ambulance.

vivint

TV Show Features Home Automation System from Vivint

The company was recently featured on an episode of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition as it helped make a family’s home more secure.

Infrared Technology for Measuring The Effect of Fire on Materials

Researchers at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid are developing an infrared measuring method to analyze the thermal properties and resistance to fire of composite materials.

Stress Response in Police Officers May Indicate Risk for PTSD

Stress-related disorders are often linked to people working in the line of fire.

Wildland-Urban Interface Fires are Costly Natural Disasters

One of America's most costly natural disasters are wildland fires, and wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires rank among the worst of these. WUI is the threshold where wildfires consume not only the landscape, but also infrastructure. Once that threshold is crossed, flames can spread – well, like wildfire.

Bosch Launches Website for Security Specifiers

The new site features product specifications, CAD drawings and vertical market information, including proven installation examples.



Comark Announces Availability of 19-inch In-wall, Building Alarm Touch PC

The UL 864 ninth edition specification meets the NFPA requirement for equipment installed in life safety applications, such as fire alarms, smoke control and mass notification systems.

Tyco to Separate Into Three Independent, Publicly Traded Companies

Tyco International Ltd. announced today that its board of directors has unanimously approved a plan to separate the company into three independent, publicly traded companies.

How to Choose a Mass Notification System

Given the myriad options businesses have when choosing mass notification systems, we set out to find what factors system managers should take into account when they select a solution.

Trendy Protection

Trendy Protection

Beverly Hills, Calif., has been glamorized in countless film and television depictions as the home of the wealthy and famous. Beyond the glamour, though, it has municipal management issues much like those any city faces.

Got Intelligibility?

For the life safety community, mass notification is a relatively new concept. It arose from emergency management personnel’s inability to communicate with and direct building occupants during emergencies. Since the publication of the Unified Facilities Criteria, many U.S. military facilities throughout the world have installed mass notification systems. The criteria outlined the design, operation and interfaces required for mass notification in military facilities, and the Defense Department approved the final version for mass notification in 2008.

PSA Security Network Announces VES Fire Detection Systems as Newest Vendor Partner

As a PSA vendor partner, both member companies and distribution customers are able to purchase VES products and become certified on Elite networked systems.

Here's the Know-How

The term mass notification originated with the Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) document 4-021-01, titled Design and O&M: Mass Notification Systems, created by the Department of Defense (DoD). The UFC outlines the design, operation and maintenance of mass notification systems (MNSs) required on all DoD properties, including posts for the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Navy.

Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies Makes BOMA Commitments

The company will serve as BOMA 360 ambassador and on the building codes and voluntary standards committee.

Silent Knight Continues Fire Alarm Technology and Code Seminar Tour

Half-day seminars for fire alarm specifiers and designers offer Continuing Professional Development units.

Security Products 2011 New Product of the Year Award Winners Announced

The Security Products New Product of the Year Award honors the outstanding product development achievements of security equipment manufacturers whose products are considered to be particularly noteworthy in their ability to improve security.

USFA Releases University Housing Fires Report

FEMA’s United States Fire Administration (USFA) has issued a special report focusing on the causes and characteristics of fires in college and university residential buildings that include dormitories and fraternity and sorority houses.

Bosch's Safe & Sound Tour Truck Wins 2011 Event Design Award

Featuring video surveillance, access control, intrusion and fire detection, critical communications and audio systems, the 53-feet long, double-expandable trailer features 1,000 square feet of product display space.

Featured

  • Security Today Announces 2025 CyberSecured Award Winners

    Security Today is pleased to announce the 2025 CyberSecured Awards winners. Sixteen companies are being recognized this year for their network products and other cybersecurity initiatives that secure our world today. Read Now

  • Empowering and Securing a Mobile Workforce

    What happens when technology lets you work anywhere – but exposes you to security threats everywhere? This is the reality of modern work. No longer tethered to desks, work happens everywhere – in the office, from home, on the road, and in countless locations in between. Read Now

  • TSA Introduces New $45 Fee Option for Travelers Without REAL ID Starting February 1

    The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced today that it will refer all passengers who do not present an acceptable form of ID and still want to fly an option to pay a $45 fee to use a modernized alternative identity verification system, TSA Confirm.ID, to establish identity at security checkpoints beginning on February 1, 2026. Read Now

  • The Evolution of IP Camera Intelligence

    As the 30th anniversary of the IP camera approaches in 2026, it is worth reflecting on how far we have come. The first network camera, launched in 1996, delivered one frame every 17 seconds—not impressive by today’s standards, but groundbreaking at the time. It did something that no analog system could: transmit video over a standard IP network. Read Now

  • From Surveillance to Intelligence

    Years ago, it would have been significantly more expensive to run an analytic like that — requiring a custom-built solution with burdensome infrastructure demands — but modern edge devices have made it accessible to everyone. It also saves time, which is a critical factor if a missing child is involved. Video compression technology has played a critical role as well. Over the years, significant advancements have been made in video coding standards — including H.263, MPEG formats, and H.264—alongside compression optimization technologies developed by IP video manufacturers to improve efficiency without sacrificing quality. The open-source AV1 codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media—a consortium including Google, Netflix, Microsoft, Amazon and others — is already the preferred decoder for cloud-based applications, and is quickly becoming the standard for video compression of all types. Read Now

New Products

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction.