Fire and Rescue International Newsletter

A-OSH and Firexpo held at Gallagher Estate, Midrand

The A-OSH EXPO and Firexpo South Africa successfully concluded their 2026 editions at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Johannesburg, running from 2 to 4 June 2026. With fire protection becoming an increasingly important component of organisational resilience, Firexpo 2026 formed part of Africa’s Integrated Protection Marketplace at Gallagher Convention Centre. Alongside Securex South Africa, A-OSH EXPO, Facilities Management Expo and the inaugural RE+ South Africa, the event enabled fire protection professionals to engage not only with fire safety solutions but also with the wider security, occupational safety, facilities management and energy sectors that increasingly influence risk management and resilience strategies.

Firexpo hosted its Fire Theatre Seminar with the following presentations:
• Safe use of glass in buildings and testing of materials and systems by Firelab’s Kobus Strydom
• SAIDSA Fire: Advancing skills, enabling opportunities in fire installations and design by Johan Booysen of SAIDSA
• Lithium-ion battery fires and the realities of modern fire response by CFO Wynand Engelbrecht of Fire Ops SA
• Understanding wireless fire detection in the built environment by Clinton Hodgson of Technoswitch
• Case study on failure and negligence with regards to fire and life safety systems by Kevin Govender of African Business Development and Consulting Enterprises
• Management of explosion protection equipment by Nirmal Narotam of PAS Automation Services South Africa
• When the smoke clears: Who holds the liability? by Chris Coetzee of OHSS Consulting
• Introduction to the key legislation and regulations for fire protection and life safety systems by Kevin Govender of African Business Development and Consulting Enterprises
• Assessing flame detector performance in real-world hazard scenarios by Iain Evans of Fire and Gas Detection Technologies Middle East Branch and VP Sales Global
• The role of private fire services in shaping fire protection strategies in South Africa by De Wet Engelbrecht, Fire Ops SA
• Fire and smoke detection using AI via CCTV cameras by Derick Neethling of Actuate and Verify Faces
• Managing hazardous risks: protecting people and businesses by Lizanne Boshoff of Lasec
• Approach to fire risk in battery energy storage systems by Hendrik Cloete of Technoswitch
• Fire safety in mining by Kobus Strydom of Firelab
• Tools, techniques and systems for contractors and clients in understanding life cycle of fire and life safety systems by Kevin Govender of African Business Development and Consulting Enterprises

Upcoming 2027 dates
The upcoming editions are officially locked in for 1 to 3 June 2027 at the same venue. Organisations wishing to exhibit at Firexpo 2027 and A-OSH 2027 can contact the A-OSH and Firexpo team on johan.vanheerden@montgomerygroup.com to book a space or capitalise on a sponsorship opportunity

We will have a more indepth overview in the Fire and Rescue International magazine.

Quote of the week
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Saldanha Bay Municipality’s Central Fire Station became a place of reflection, remembrance and unity on Friday, 15 May 2026, as firefighters, municipal leadership, emergency services personnel and community members gathered for the Fire Services Day Commemorative Event. Held in observance of International Firefighters’ Day, the occasion honoured firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty, while also remembering the 22 individuals who lost their lives in emergency incidents within the municipal area during 2025. The commemorative event brought together representatives from across government, emergency services and the broader community in a moving programme that highlighted the courage, dedication and humanity that define the fire and rescue profession.

On 24 June 2026, two large strike-slip earthquakes affected northwestern and central Venezuela. The epicentres of both earthquakes were in San Felipe, Yaracuy. The first earthquake, which measured Mw 7.2, occurred at 18:04 VET and was classified as a foreshock. It was followed 39 seconds later by a Mw 7.5 mainshock. The two earthquakes caused widespread damage across the country, particularly in La Guaira and Caracas. Over 1 943 people were killed (to date), over 10 500 were injured and over 43 200 were reported missing.

Police in Northern Cape are investigating the circumstances surrounding the drowning of six people after they reportedly fell off a vessel in the Vaal River on Thursday, 18 June 2026. The makeshift boat, carrying 20 people, was ferrying them across the Vaal River from Vaallus Farm to Olierivier Farm.

On Saturday, 27 June 2026, a group of five federal wildland firefighters assigned to the Rifle Helitack Base were trapped in a rapidly deteriorating burnover situation while fighting a wildfire along the Utah/Colorado border in Mesa County CO. Helitack crews are similar to smoke jumpers except they deploy via helicopter instead of parachutes. These crews are trained to land near fires or rappel from hovering helicopters to access areas that are difficult to reach by ground vehicles.

An official memorial service was held on 18 June 2026 in honour of the three Kuruman firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty. The Ga-Segonyana Local Municipality, alongside community members, colleagues and families, gathered to pay their last respects and lay the three fallen firefighters to rest. The official final farewell and funeral services for the fallen Kuruman firefighters followed a few days later in two separate events held by the Ga-Segonyana Local Municipality. The three Kuruman firefighters—Baleseng Masilo, Obakeng Thakadu and Tshepo Mokhutsane— tragically lost their lives on 12 June 2026, when their municipal fire truck crashed into a stationary bus on the TM Tlhabane Road while responding to a veld fire.

A massive five-alarm fire that engulfed the Medline Industries medical supply distribution warehouse in Tracy, California, on 11 June 2026 prompted one of the region’s largest industrial fire responses in recent years, drawing more than 100 firefighters, multiple fire agencies, law enforcement, hazardous materials specialists and emergency medical personnel as crews battled a fast-moving blaze that ultimately destroyed the approximately one-million-square-foot facility. The fire started on the roof and rapidly consumed the facility. There were heavy apparatus presence with mutual aid responses being provided by Stockton Fire, DLA, Mountain House Fire, Lathrop-Manteca Fire, Manteca Fire, Manteca Fire. Tracy Police Department was also on scene, as well as AMR and PGE.

A massive structural fire broke out at the China Square warehouse complex located next to China Mall on Production Road, Amalgam in Johannesburg during the early hours of Saturday, 13 June 2026. City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (CoJEMS) firefighters responded to the incident at approximately 2am after receiving reports of a warehouse on fire.

Andy Starnes is a highly experienced and dedicated firefighter, emergency services entrepreneur, husband, father and leader in our industry. With Christian values applied to a Servant Leadership mentality, he has changed the fire service and influenced firefighters as well as chief officers across the nation. His efforts actively improve fire house culture and lead others to foster professional development advantageous to ethically sound success.

An industrial fire started on Friday, 19 June 2026 at approximately 16h50 at Elwin Manufacturers, a facility that manufactures new and refurbishes oil transformers, situated in Great North Road, Brentwood Park, Ekurhuleni. City of Ekurhuleni firefighters responded immediately to the scene after a distress call was received.

On the evening of June 21, 2026, an explosion and fire tore through the Barzan gas plant inside Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City. Thirteen workers were killed and 66 injured and the blast was felt across Doha, about 70km away. It happened during start-up, as crews brought the plant back online after an extended maintenance shutdown. The explosion was one of the deadliest gas industry accidents in more than two decades.

Twelve people died after a skydiving aircraft crashed and burst into flames shortly after taking off from an airport in Missouri, United States, authorities have confirmed. The crash occurred at around 11:30am on Sunday near Butler Memorial Airport in Bates County. The aircraft, a single-engine turboprop Pacific Aerospace P750 XL carrying one pilot and 11 passengers on a skydiving outing, went down within moments of departure, killing everyone on board. Emergency crews responded to the scene, where officials declared a mass casualty incident. Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched an investigation into what caused the fatal crash.

This week’s featured Fire and Rescue International magazine article is: Post-traumatic stress disorder – what is it? written by Mark Webber (FRI Vol 4 no 1). We will be sharing more technical/research/tactical articles from Fire and Rescue International magazine on a weekly basis with our readers to assist in technology transfer. This will hopefully create an increased awareness, providing you with hands-on advice and guidance. All our magazines are available free of charge in PDF format on our website and online at ISSUU. We also provide all technical articles as a free download in our article archive on our website.

The Holiday Farm Fire, one of Oregon’s most devastating 2020 wildfires, destroyed the entire town of Blue River and its surrounding communities, including more than 700 structures. One person died. Among the structures destroyed in the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire was the Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Protection District’s Blue River station and all its equipment, including an apparatus. The main goals of the project were for the station to be a “beacon of hope” in the area and be designed for fire resiliency using class A, fire-rated materials and California wildfire research specifics. With the station’s design, UMRFPD wanted to acknowledge the past and reflect the future of what Blue River will become. They UMRFPD sought an identity that was distinguished from its residential surroundings while remaining inviting and warm—but most importantly fire resilient.

AIKO has announced a new collaboration with Solar Team Eindhoven, bringing its high-efficiency ABC (All Back Contact) solar cells to power Stella Juva, the world’s first solar-powered ambulance designed to operate entirely on solar energy while supporting onboard medical equipment. Developed by students from Eindhoven University of Technology, Stella Juva aims to enable healthcare delivery in remote or infrastructure-limited regions. Expected to hit the road in July 2026, the project represents a significant step in redefining the role of solar-powered mobility, from transport solutions to mobile energy systems supporting essential services.

Join me for a post-shift pull-focused functional workout to show you what a session looks like after a long night on the job. I’ll walk you through my warm-up, starting with five minutes on the assault bike to get the heart rate up and the body primed—especially in this chilly -5°C garage! After that, we focus on mobilising the thoracic spine with foam rolling, cat-cows and rotational drills to ensure optimal movement and reduce low back strain. Once we’re prepped, we ease into our first movements, including lat pulldowns to activate the lats and a suitcase march for core stability with added band resistance. This workout is all about maintaining functional strength, building resilience and priming the nervous system after a tough shift. Stick with me, and let’s get after it!

Source: Mitch Gourley

This video demonstrates how to properly search furniture, giving the firefighter the best chance to find a victim. All furniture must be hand searched and not rely solely on a TIC.

Source: Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Training Division

A great old-timey training video from the East Coast, official location unknown but ‘Hartford’ can be clearly seen on the side of the responding rig. Much of the video’s narration still applies to firefighting today… except the end part about applying the nozzle stream into the window. But it’s ok, they did it because it was pre-SCBA, not post-UL studies.

Source: Stockton Fire History