Blue News Spring Edition 2023
September has arrived without warning which means it’s almost Footy Finals time, hayfever season, spring bulbs, daylight savings, time to change batteries in your smoke detectors at home and of course, another newsletter from us.
BLUE TRAINING
Blue Fire Training Sessions
Training, training, and more training! It keeps on coming here at Blue Fire Systems. Here’s what we have been up to since the last instalment of Blue News.
Fault Skills
We have just completed the 2nd part of a 3-part training module that focuses on best practices for assessing and rectifying the most common fire system faults. The first two nights have been among the best-attended Blue Fire Systems training sessions to date. Big attendance numbers combined with a really engaged audience saw two fantastic nights of training led by three of our highly experienced technicians, Shane, Andrew and Rob together with Ian. Both evenings were a big success. We were also very pleased to welcome a representative of Melbourne Airport for night two and it is greatly appreciated that Andrew took some time out of his busy schedule to join us. He was also kind enough to stay for a bite to eat with the Blue team.
Session 3 is scheduled for the end of September and will provide a full report in the next edition of Blue News.
Administration and Microsoft Office Training
Blue Fire Systems Service Manager Rodney Veugelers covered various topics ranging from the use of Microsoft Outlook, Excel, Word, To Do/Tasks, SharePoint and One Drive to name a few. Kate then organised a yummy Thai dinner for all attendees. The evening was intended to provide us with a high level of awareness of the variety of office tools available to us, as well as ensure the administration team gets an opportunity to receive some training. It was also great to see a number of the field staff taking the opportunity to add some skills to their repertoire.
A big thank you to Rod and all who attended another successful evening developing our Blue people to be the best they can be.
Recruit Update
Blue Fire Systems has recently welcomed two outstanding additions to our team since our last update. We're delighted to introduce Emily Foley, who has joined our Melbourne Airport division as an ESM tester. Emily is currently undergoing comprehensive training on all aspects of Melbourne Airport operations and ESM testing, under the expert guidance of our exceptional Melbourne Airport service team comprising of Leo, Dan, Tolga and Najeeb.
Additionally, we're excited to introduce Thomas Lay, our latest member to join the airport team. Thomas will play a pivotal role in supporting Jody with the administrative aspects of the Terminal 2 Dry Fire Phase 2 project, as previously announced in our Winter Blue News.
These new team members bring a wealth of expertise and enthusiasm to our organisation, further strengthening our commitment to excellence in all our endeavours. We look forward to their contributions and continued success within our organisation.
Whilst talking about new recruits, BFS is on the lookout for more! If you know anyone who has a positive attitude, an eye for detail and a willingness to learn new skills, please feel free to reach out to us or send them in our direction.
Blue Social Club
The social club have done it again! In late July, the Blue Fire team braved the depths of winter to head to Fortress Melbourne for an afternoon of gaming, food and a few refreshments. Some of the senior members of the team may have been a bit concerned that an afternoon of gaming wasn’t for them, however, we should have known better, as the social club committee rarely never miss the mark and Fortress Melbourne was no exception. There was plenty on offer for all ages and experience levels. PCs for serious gamers, arcade machines and even Pacman and Pinball machines. The food was plentiful and very tasty, and the beverages helped make sure everyone was hydrated. By the time we departed, there had been winners and losers (Brett), but mostly there had been a lot of laughs and fun to go around. Rumours are starting to trickle out about another Social Club event. We can’t say too much at this stage, but there should be another great Blue Fire Social Club event to report on in the Summer edition.
FPAA News
National Fire Protection Month
September is National Fire Protection Month and is linked to the Great Fire of London which raged from 2-6 September 1666. It destroyed large parts of the northern bank of the city, causing £10,000,000 in damage (£1.72 billion in today’s terms), and displacing 200,000 people.
From that event has come much of what we recognise as fire protection, including building regulations, fire brigades, and insurance.
The Fire Protection Association of Australia (FPAA) are running a number of events across the month to recognise the important contribution the fire protection industry makes to our community. Further information can be found via the link below.
https://www.nationalfpmonth.com.au
INDUSTRY NEWS
VBA Releases 2 Updated Practice Notes
The Victorian Building Authority (VBA) have released the following two updated practice notes.
Essential Safety Measures ESM 01 | Fire safety systems for residential care or shared accommodation buildings
Essential Safety Measures | ESM 05 | Fire hydrant systems testing
These practice notes provide valuable guidance on the application of the relevant standards and regulations. ESM 05 particularly clarifies an often overlooked requirement with regard to the testing of hydrant systems, which is the disposal of wastewater. Specifically, the practice note states, in part:
Moreover, AS 2419.1, stipulates that test facility provision be made for the purpose of flow testing and for the provision for disposing of test water to a suitable drain. This is important when the system is subjected to full flow testing, nominally every 5 years in accordance with AS 1851 - 2012. Additionally, the Standard emphasises the need to dispose of water without damaging private or public property. Hydrants installed in buildings or on roofs are often difficult to test without discharging water onto adjacent properties. Fixed drainage systems reduce the possibility of flood damage.
The full practice notes can be viewed using the following links:
Essential Safety Measures | ESM 05 | Fire hydrant systems testing
Do you have any topics you would like to be covered in Blue News? Or any further questions about any elements of fire systems, your friendly Blue team member will be happy to assist.