Blue News Autumn Edition 2023
And in just a blink, it’s halfway through Autumn! It never feels like Autumn until the leaves start turning and we are getting ready for Easter. And here we are.
A lot has been happening in the first few months of the year so enjoy our latest newsletter and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need our assistance.
Blue Training
Blue Fire Training Sessions
Last year Blue Fire had a major focus on training for our service technicians. While that will continue unabated, this year there will be a big focus on installation skills training. In order to facilitate this, the Blue Centre of Excellence has received an upgrade with the addition of 4 training booths and the hardware required to enable the fit-out of a “mini” installation.
With the booths constructed, it was time to bring in the trainees. Over two full weeks, John, Toby, and Sunny were trained and tested in all aspects of fire detection system installation. Brilliantly led by the highly experienced Shane McGuirk, the boys were put through their paces and came through with flying colours. Due to the success of this targeted training, Blue’s training & development team have scheduled another 4 technicians to undertake this training early next month.
Blue News
New Projects
Melbourne Water, Eastern Treatment Plant - VESDA (Very Early Smoke Detection Apparatus) replacement
Amongst other projects, Blue Fire Systems were awarded the contract to replace 48 VESDA’s at Melbourne Water’s Eastern Treatment Plant. This replacement programme has been put in place to ensure compliance with Australian Standard 1851:12 Appendix G (see below for further information) as well as to ensure that the fire detection system is working at its optimum level as part of this critical infrastructure. Blue Fire Systems have been working through the significant supply chain issues currently being experienced by many and have managed to secure the required hardware. Works have commenced and we’re on track to ensure minimal disruption to Melbourne Waters critical infrastructure.
Recruit Update
In our last Blue News, we were very excited to announce that we added 5 new team members to the Blue family. I am very pleased to report that all have been on a very steep learning curve and are now fully-fledged members of the team settling into their respective roles.
Most recently, Charlie Beech has also joined Blue to assist our Monash crew service the ever-expanding maintenance contract. Charlie is a great addition to the team and fitting in perfectly.
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 touch base.
Blue Social Club
Whilst not strictly a Social Club event, the Blue Fire Christmas party was certainly very social. The team headed to the Parkdale Yacht Club for a morning of sailing, sailboarding, and beach cricket. The PYC members facilitated a great morning on the water, with the highlight being a match race between Geoff and Jeremy. Following a bit of trash-talking, the boys had to back it up with their sailing skills and despite a late charge from Jeremy, Geoff showed his nautical prowess and took the win - Jeremy may need some assistance finding his pockets!
After a great morning on the water and beach, the team headed upstairs to beautiful buffet lunch and a few refreshments accompanied by a great singer/guitarist. As the afternoon wore on games were played and Ian ran a great music quiz, while Jody’s trivia quiz was a much looser affair. The afternoon turned into evening, and pizzas arrived to keep everyone nourished. Some were starting the drift off, but many pushed on well into the evening. All in all, a great day was had by the team as we celebrated another busy and successful year.
In one of our most exciting events yet, Blue Fire invited a couple of our clients and a large number of our staff to attend the 2023 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park last weekend. It was our way of thanking these staff that had each contributed to the business in an exceptional way - some have been with us for over a decade, and some staff were being recognised for outstanding work.
It was a terrific day spent watching some incredible machines tearing up the race track. We had fantastic seats which meant we got to see all the action including a few spills! We all came away from the day with such respect for the men and women that make up the teams across all of the disciplines in the event. A lot of hard work, dedication and precision goes into making these cars race on the track and it was inspiring to watch.
INDUSTRY NEWS
Updates
Aspirating Smoke Detectors (ASD) Servicing, commonly referred to as VESDA
One element of routine servicing that can be easily overlooked is servicing of Aspirating Smoke Detectors (ASD). AS1851:2012 Appendix G10 states the following:
“After 10 years from the date of installation and then every 5 years thereafter, test and verify the sensitivity of each aspirating smoke detector.”
It is critical to perform this service to ensure the ASD is operating correctly, particularly as the ASD often provide protection to critical infrastructure or plant. However, as the current ASDs are required to be returned to the manufacturer to have the sensitivity tested, replacement is the only practical option. Many new ASDs have a replaceable sensitivity chamber, such as the VESDA VEP range. This will make future servicing a much more straightforward and cost-effective exercise.
FRV Cyber Attack
Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) advises that the cyber-attack it experienced in December may have resulted in third parties accessing or stealing information held by the agency.
Personal information of current and former employees, individual contractors and secondees of FRV and the former Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board, may be affected.
FPAA News
Fire Australia 2023 Conference and Tradeshow
Wednesday 3 May 2023 – Friday 5 May 2023.
One of the most important events in the fire protection industry calendar, Fire Australia will be returning to the International Convention Centre in Sydney in 2023. For more information, see below.
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.
If you are driving this Easter, please take care and remember, we are here for you when you need it most. Always.
Kind Regards
David Nuttall
Managing Director