Category: OTHERS

Miscellaneous

11785, 11784 In this action shot, two motorbikes are escorting a large load…



11785, 11784 In this action shot, two motorbikes are escorting a large load using red flashing lights. They are both Honda Deuvilles belonging to Guernsey Outriders (a division of St Peter Port Service Ltd) who have a contract with the Guernsey government to provide vehicle escort services.



A closer look at one of the escort motorbikes. The company operate three motorbikes and a marked-up van. All use red flashing lights all-round.



The rear view. The riders are all special constables, trained in the specific role they carry out only. This gives them the power to direct traffic on Guernsey narrow winding roads.



The pair of bikes ready to face another day’s service.

Miscellaneous

12452 A look at one of Guernsey Outriders’ Honda Deuvilles. Red flashing …



12452 A look at one of Guernsey Outriders’ Honda Deuvilles. Red flashing lights were chosen as the police weren’t keen on blues being used and ambers would not have the desired impact to stop oncoming traffic quickly. A change in law was implemented to make the front-facing red flashing lights legal.



The rear view, showing the high visibility jacket marked with ‘Special Constable’.

Search and Rescue

G-CIAS Channel Islands Air Search operate this 1982 Islander aircraft …



G-CIAS Channel Islands Air Search operate this 1982 Islander aircraft for Search and Rescue work (with personalised registration). CIAS is a 24/7 charity that assists in saving lives at sea and is supported entirely by volunteers. The Channel Islands are a distance away from government-funded French and English rescue helicopters and so created their own service in 1980.



The aircraft in its purpose built hanger on Guernsey. It was built in 1982 and came to the service in 1992 with many modifications made. These include extended nose housing for radar, extended wing tips and long range fuel tanks.



Another view of G-CIAS ready for action. With callsign ‘Airsearch One’, it can travel at up to 140 knots and can stay in the air for up to 4 hours 30 minutes. It carries out sea and land searches, including mainland France and England.



The rear view of the aircraft called Lions’ Pride. It can take off with just 100m visibility and the time from call to airborne is about 25 minutes. This includes the time taken for the volunteers to drive to the hanger – a journey that is helped by the use of green flashing lights on their private cars.



The Forward Looking Infa Red (FLIR) pod shown cost £200,000 to purchase and was a massive sum to pay out for a small charitable organisation. However the benefits of having this save lives.



The underside of the aircraft as seen from the sea. The charity use the tag line ‘The Lifeboats’ Eyes in the Sky’.



A close look at the four speakers used as a public address system or siren.



Inside the aircraft. This compact space is for five team members: a pilot, a search director and observers. There is no capability to rescue or transport casualties.



The rear observer seats. The windows are bulged outwards to allow the observers to look straight down. A small chute at the bottom of the photograph allows sea flares to be placed on the sea as markers. Behind the rear seats is an inflatable life raft that can the pushed out of the aircraft to be used by up to 11 people in the sea.



In this staged photograph, G-CIAS is in flight, joined by the Channel Islands’ other rescue services.

Railway Response

WX07 NWB This Mercedes truck is marked in British Transport Police livery…



WX07 NWB This Mercedes truck is marked in British Transport Police livery. It is actually a re-liveried railway response vehicle. This truck carries equipment to Underground stations to fix urgent track problems. The report into the 7/7 Bombings suggested these vehicles were given blue lights to aid their passage in emergencies. This would have required a change in legislation, so this vehicle has been re-designated as a police vehicle and is driven by a police officer.



The same Mercedes Benz Atego truck is its previous livery, prior to February 2012. It is operated by Tubelines to provide an emergency response to incidents on the London Underground and is based at Camden.

Tunnel Patrol

YH11 LMU This Land Rover Discovery 4 is used at the Tyne Tunnel …



YH11 LMU This Land Rover Discovery 4 is used at the Tyne Tunnel as a Tunnel Patrol vehicle. It is operated by a company called TT2 who run the four tunnels under the River Tyne in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. In the background is the River Tyne and one of the North Portals into the tunnel.



The rear view. Notice the blue flashing light bar, with the option of red-only to the rear. The Discovery’s livery is designed to compliment the TT2 company logo.



Inside the rear are equipment including fire extinguishers and a skate. In years gone by, the team would be primarily focussed on fire fighting and carried a lot of firefighing equipment. The introduction of a tunnel misting system to put fires out removed the need for this today.



A closer look at the rear of the Discovery.



The South entrance to the tunnel from inside vehicle “Tunnel 4”.

Tunnel Patrol

LD08 OMJ This Land Rover Discovery 3 is “Tunnel 1” and is used to …



LD08 OMJ This Land Rover Discovery 3 is “Tunnel 1” and is used to patrol the Tyne Tunnels. On the front are two large black pads. These rubber pads are used to push broken-down vehicles out of the tunnel. The soft rubber avoids any damage. This system is preferred to towing vehicles a few hundred metres to get them out of the tunnel.



A look at the side livery of the Discovery.



The Discovery is parked up, observing vehicles using the North exit. Automated toll booths are used.



A close-up look at the light bar fitted. Eight panels of red LEDs can be seen on the lower layer, with blue lights on top.