Latest news with #PaulHarvey
Daily Record
27-05-2025
- General
- Daily Record
False fire alarm call-outs in West Lothian area drop to zero for first time
There were zero false alarm calls in the last three months - almost two years after Scottish Fire and Rescue changed the rules to automatic response to fire alarms in a bid to save thousands of pounds and cut waste of resources. Livingston North has become the first area in West Lothian to have no false fire call-outs. There were zero false alarm calls in the last three months - almost two years after Scottish Fire and Rescue changed the rules to automatic response to fire alarms in a bid to save thousands of pounds and cut waste of resources. Watch Commander Paul Harvey told a meeting of Livingston North Local Area Committee that the number of call-outs had plummeted: 'I'm happy to report that in the last quarter that [number ] is zero. I think that is the first time we have had zero unwanted alarms in any quarter.' With a large number of industrial units, Northern Livingston once regularly had high numbers of call outs, with a minimum of two fire engines responding to automatically triggered alarm signals. At one point there were almost 50 call outs in a three month period. SFRS changed the rules in July 2023 and now only responds to automatic alarms in buildings where people sleep such as hotels, hospitals, care homes and student halls. Commander Harvey said: 'We will only attend where there is a back up call [to confirm] and there is a sleeping risk This has freed up staff for training and public engagement.' Chairing the meeting Councillor Anne McMillan said : 'Well done on the unwanted fire alarms. Could you say if this is an indication county wide on the reduction of call outs?' Cmdr Harvey said the plan estimated there would be an 57% reduction in the number of false alarm call-outs. He added: 'It has been a significant reduction in some wards, we have seen the call outs reduced by 90%. 'What we ask now is if the alarm goes off there is a back up call from the operator. If it is anywhere with sleeping accommodation we will always send an immediate response.' Councillor Alison Adamson said: ' Absolutely huge congratulations on the unwanted call-outs - you can see the numbers coming down from 2022-23.' The numbers of call-outs began dropping significantly in the months before the rule change came in July 2023. However in West Lothian the number of unwanted fire alarms still remained stubbornly higher than other parts of Scotland. Before the rule change Pre-Determined Attendance, or PDA as the policy is known, saw fire crews mobilised to an average 28,479 false alarms each year - equating to around 57,000 unnecessary blue light journeys in Scotland, posing potential road risks to the public and crews. The cost of each false call out to the service is around £2,000. Many unwanted call outs are triggered by faulty alarm settings but many more have been triggered by wholly innocent things such as cooking, and the use of deodorants and hairspray.
Edinburgh Live
27-05-2025
- General
- Edinburgh Live
False fire alarm call-outs in West Lothian area drop to zero for first time
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Livingston North has become the first area in West Lothian to have no false fire call-outs. There were zero false alarm calls in the last three months - almost two years after Scottish Fire and Rescue changed the rules to automatic response to fire alarms in a bid to save thousands of pounds and cut waste of resources. Watch Commander Paul Harvey told a meeting of Livingston North Local Area Committee that the number of call-outs had plummeted: 'I'm happy to report that in the last quarter that [number ] is zero. I think that is the first time we have had zero unwanted alarms in any quarter.' With a large number of industrial units, northern Livingston once regularly had high numbers of call outs, with a minimum of two fire engines responding to automatically triggered alarm signals. At one point there were almost 50 call outs in a three month period. SFRS changed the rules in July 2023 and now only responds to automatic alarms in buildings where people sleep such as hotels, hospitals, care homes and student halls. Commander Harvey said: 'We will only attend where there is a back up call [to confirm] and there is a sleeping risk This has freed up staff for training and public engagement.' Chairing the meeting Councillor Anne McMillan said : "Well done on the unwanted fire alarms. Could you say if this is an indication county wide on the reduction of call-outs?" Cmdr Harvey said the plan estimated there would be an 57% reduction in the number of false alarm call-outs. He added: 'It has been a significant reduction in some wards, we have seen the call-outs reduced by 90%. 'What we ask now is if the alarm goes off there is a back up call from the operator. If it is anywhere with sleeping accommodation we will always send an immediate response.' Councillor Alison Adamson said: ' Absolutely huge congratulations on the unwanted call-outs - you can see the numbers coming down from 2022-23.' The numbers of call-outs began dropping significantly in the months before the rule change came in July 2023. However in West Lothian the number of unwanted fire alarms still remained stubbornly higher than other parts of Scotland. Before the rule change Pre-Determined Attendance, or PDA as the policy is known, saw fire crews mobilised to an average 28,479 false alarms each year – equating to around 57,000 unnecessary blue light journeys in Scotland, posing potential road risks to the public and crews. The cost of each false call out to the service is around £2,000. Many unwanted call-outs are triggered by faulty alarm settings but many more have been triggered by wholly innocent things such as cooking, and the use of deodorants and hairspray.
7NEWS
21-05-2025
- Business
- 7NEWS
Coles facing backlash over conflicting plastic messages
Coles has come under scrutiny after a shopper posted photos online showing two conflicting in-store signs about plastic use positioned back-to-back in the fruit and vegetable section. One message encourages customers to forgo plastic bags — 'Do you really need a bag? Place your loose fruit & veg directly into the basket'. The other promotes individually plastic wrapped cucumbers — 'We wrap cucumbers to stay fresh longer'. headed to a local Coles, capturing the same signage. Critics joined the debate, calling out the supermarket's mixed messaging. 'They use plastic with pretty much every product, yet put the blame on us for using a plastic bag at checkout and to bag our fruit and veg. It's all crap. Plastic is the customer's fault? Look around, Coles, WE aren't the problem,' one Reddit user commented. 'Yes, we need bags. It's never been about the environment it's about control and money. If Coles and Woolworths regularly had their trolleys and baskets pressure cleaned... you wouldn't need bags,' said another. When asked Coles about the criticism, a spokesperson said Coles is 'committed to reducing unnecessary plastic and making our packaging easier to recycle'. 'We encourage our customers to purchase loose fruit and vegetables as just a way to help reduce the use of single-use plastic bags. 'Customers can now purchase grapes in bags that are recyclable in household recycling bins rather than single-use plastic. Last year we trialled fibre-based blueberry packaging in recyclable cardboard punnets and also introduced Coles' Unique Selection mandarins in a recyclable bag.' The sign also mentioned fighting food waste. However, experts say plastic wrappers usually offer little value to the product. 'I always ask, if a plastic package can extend the shelf life of a 'fresh' food item for days or weeks, then what is the nutritional value of that product?' environmental scientist Paul Harvey told 'The reality is, there is copious volumes of food waste each day, and this happens regardless of the item being wrapped in plastic. 'Often when the item has been on the shelf too long the item will get thrown into the garbage still wrapped in plastic, heading straight for one of those near-capacity landfills.' Companies like Coles and Woolworths have publicly committed to reducing plastic in their supply chains. 'We offer a range of reusable options such as tote, chiller and mesh fresh produce bags,' the Coles spokesperson said. A lot of the efforts made are often cosmetic, however. 'Supermarkets run a 'plastic free' campaign while at the same time have a giveaway that includes useless plastic figurines,' Harvey said. 'If the supermarkets used their market power to put pressure on manufacturers to reduce or remove plastic from packaging then we would begin to see a drastic decline in plastic and other waste management challenges.' Their promotion of sustainability is also often undercut by their ongoing dependence on plastic packaging, and the public's need for items, particularly produce, to look aesthetic and 'attractive', she continued. 'Most of the plastic packaging that is used in the fresh food departments has little to do with product quality control, and more to do with saleability of the product... or stock inventory control,' Harvey said. 'The products that big retailers sell are one of the largest contributors to the plastic pollution crisis.' With Australia using about 70 billion pieces of soft plastics like food wrappers every year amid mixed messaging like the Coles signs, shoppers are increasingly questioning whether supermarkets sustainability is backed by real change or simply wrapped in more plastic. 'Often the packages contain baseless claims about containing 'near ocean', 'ocean bound' or 'compostable' materials,' Harvey said. 'It is very difficult for consumers to actually know what is good and what is greenwashing.' The issue plays in to a far larger concern around climate change. 'We are at a point now where the plastic pollution crisis is no longer an issue that only impacts the rest of the world. Australia is drowning in plastic and other waste, and currently there is no realistic or plausible solution for how to manage the problem,' Harvey said. 'It is time that supermarkets were required by their regulators to act on waste reduction in a meaningful way.'
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russian control of Ukraine's vast grain agriculture would hurt American farmers
CHERNIHIV, UKRAINE — An agricultural worker unload cereals from a combine as workers harvest a large field of barley near the border with Russia in the Chernihiv region on August 30, 2023 in Chernihiv, Ukraine. Photo by. Any conversation concerning support for the people of Ukraine should be dominated by ethical, religious and humanitarian perspectives. In the long course of history, that is how our actions will be judged. Insofar as those values have become largely subservient to economic considerations, however, I'd like to point out that ceding the land of Ukraine to the Kremlin will result in economic damage to America's agricultural sector and threaten the long term food security of many nations. While many analysts have stated that Ukraine's land is not the target of Putin's attack, we must remember that the territory of Ukraine contains vast areas of productive farmland that form one of the major breadbaskets of the globe. The total productive capability of that region has only been partially realized. Political disasters have annihilated development for generations, before collective farming stifled incentives. The infrastructure of the region is insufficient for the vast distances involved. But things are changing fast, and technology, communication and education are bringing agriculture in the Ukraine into a new era, and some parts of the globe are now wholly dependent on agricultural production from that region. The commonly quoted statistic states that 15 African countries receive more than 50% of their wheat from Russia and Ukraine, but even that doesn't capture the big picture: Much of Africa, the Middle East and Asia receive Ukrainian wheat, barley and sunflower meal. Allowing Ukranian production to fall into Russian control would put the food security of many more nations into the hands of Russian influence, and Russia has shown many times that it is very adept at using that type of sway to their advantage. Let's also consider the long-range economic repercussions for America, especially in the agricultural sector. Our American farmers, their cooperatives — and the corporations that market grains and commodities — will be competing with a much stronger Russia, which has historically leveraged its controlled inventories to manipulate global markets. While Russia was blockading Ukranian grain exports, it offered free grain to six African nations to increase their dependence on Russian wheat. Ultimately, the first producers of free world grains and commodities — including our American farmers — will be competing against an even stronger Russia should it capture Ukraine's grain supply. When I was a student attempting to save money to start farming, I worked for many farmers; many of them I counted as friends. They often listened to and agreed with the conservative radio commentator Paul Harvey ,who promoted his version of America First with the slogan 'A Bushel of Wheat for a Barrel of Oil.' Their frustration about volatile and often inadequate commodity prices was being channeled against the Soviet bloc grain cartel, as well as the oil exporting countries of the time. They often complained that the American farmer could compete very successfully against other producers, but not against foreign governments like Russia. If we abandon the Ukraine breadbasket to Russia, we will be giving the Kremlin a powerful tool to manipulate and subvert our commodity markets for an indeterminate period of time. This is a cost that America can ill afford.
