Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 59 total)
  • Emergency vehicles. Winter prep?
  • benz
    Free Member

    Was wondering….

    Given a large number of folks on here (location dependent), fit winter tyres at this time of year, I wondered whether the emergency services did the same thing?

    Drac
    Full Member

    Yup, plus tow ropes, shovels and things are kitted out. We also have the inbuilt snow chains reattached.

    Stoner
    Free Member

    We also have the inbuilt snow chains reattached

    what are they?

    hot_fiat
    Full Member

    Drac do NAS still have those 4×4 Rams?

    Drac
    Full Member

    what are they?

    They drop down from in front of the rear wheels, they hang from a bar rather clever and from what I gather they work well.

    Drac do NAS still have those 4×4 Rams?

    Nope, there is a few Discoverys in out lying stations and HART have Issuzus but that’s about it 4×4 wise.

    Stoner
    Free Member

    smart.

    *ponders modding the landy…*

    makecoldplayhistory
    Free Member

    Fire engines (my brother in law used to drive them) have snow chains fitted. Nothing more.

    Not sure how confident I’d be driving a RWD truck full of water on slippery roads.

    I imagine that they have the necessary kit (shovels, sand, winches etc) all year round.

    br
    Free Member

    Not sure how confident I’d be driving a RWD truck full of water on slippery roads.

    If this is the case can I ask that for the safety of others that you don’t try it in your little car either 🙂

    Drac
    Full Member

    *ponders modding the landy…*

    You should ponder selling it if you need to use snow chains on it. 😀

    I’m trying to remember the name of them to show you a pic.

    Bit like these.

    [video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPd3O5_SJEs[/video]

    firestarter
    Free Member

    We have chains onboard the fire engine but ive never needed to fit them rear double axle and the weight of the water seems to help it stick to the road

    gwaelod
    Free Member

    At least on police force I know of runs winter tyres on most of its cars. Snow socks are carried by some Ambos

    Stoner
    Free Member

    never seen anything like those chains before. Inspired.

    thegreatape
    Free Member

    We get our tyres from the local tyre place because we’re a long way from HQ, so I just got 4 winter tyres for our unmarked car. Waiting to see if I get told off but I shall simply shrug my shoulders and sorry as always. I don’t think we have any other special equipment in it, although there is probably some chocolate buttons and the like in the door pockets. Someone got the marked Defender stuck in mud this week. Yes, you read that right. A Defender. Stuck. In mud. That is special.

    Drac
    Full Member

    Clever aren’t they. Some staff say they’re great others aren’t impressed, I’ve only been stuck once and that was on solid ice with no chains. We were only stuck for about 30 minutes then got going again, was bit hairy as the 30′ drop I ended up being a few feet from might have made a mess of the ambulance.

    piedidiformaggio
    Free Member

    never seen anything like those chains before. Inspired.

    So’s the Bear Mountain ‘instructional’ video on how to fit snow chains if you are wearing a skimpy bikini that links at the end of the video Drac posted! 😀

    Bucko
    Full Member

    Down in the south west our ambulance cars run winter tyres all year round. On every vehicle we just carry snow socks and some tubes of grit at this time of year. When it actually snows we just hire 4×4 vehicles.

    As for me getting to work in the snow this winter, I’m hoping my fatty will come to the rescue

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    “You should ponder selling it if you need to use snow chains on it”

    Snow chains grip on ice(of the just rained then frozen kind) where rubber just doesnt.

    Ive had occasion to use chains on a 4×4 in the past – defenders are far from unstoppable. a good driver can make them go well but they are still technically only 2 wheel drive – its just 1 wheel on each axle that will turn – the wheel without the grip normally – bit of jiggery pokery with the left foot and your brake can get you some traction at times.

    MTQG has mil surplus spikes on his land rover.

    thegreatape
    Free Member

    See those snow chain things Drac, the ambulance folk up here reckon they’re shite

    Drac
    Full Member

    Depends who you talk to greatape, some staff say they worked well others say they didn’t. They only meant as a rescue aid not a permanent feature like fitted chains.

    Drac
    Full Member

    Snow chains grip on ice(of the just rained then frozen kind) where rubber just doesnt.

    I wasn’t being serious. Even Stoner spotted that. 🙄

    thegreatape
    Free Member

    Ah, not a direct replacement for proper chains. That was the impression they and consequently I were under.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    it was a direct quote of you – but it was also directed at greatape when his colleagues got the defender stuck in the mud 😀

    Id imagine you guys in the ambulance service would not be allowed to fit full on chains to your ambulances for H&S reasons – so the self deployers although not as good as hand fits would be better than the rubber.

    Drac
    Full Member

    it was a direct quote of you – but it was also directed at greatape when his colleagues got the defender stuck in the mud

    Mind melt.

    Id imagine you guys in the ambulance service would not be allowed to fit full on chains to your ambulances for H&S reasons – so the self deployers although not as good as hand fits would be better than the rubber.

    Nah! It’s a ball ache to fit and once we got on clear roads and wanted to pick up speed we’d have to stop again to remove them. These provide a compromise.

    thegreatape
    Free Member

    Sorry trail rat, I missed it. Were you defending him (NPI)? Not that it matters either way, he’ll be known as Captain Compass for the rest of his days. Embarrassing for an ex-army chap!

    P20
    Full Member

    Bucko – Member
    Down in the south west our ambulance cars run winter tyres all year round. On every vehicle we just carry snow socks and some tubes of grit at this time of year. When it actually snows we just hire 4×4 vehicles.

    On RRVs?? Our focus estates were awful on winters when it got too hot. They would slide and braking was awful. They were fantastic on winter tyres in cold conditions however. Our BMW X1s are less phased by the winters in warmer conditions due to the 4×4 system

    munrobiker
    Free Member

    I bought the winter tyres and wheels for my car from a bloke who worked at a West Yorkshire Police service depot. He said they now fit winter tyres and had a dramatic fall in the number of accidents they had since they started.

    Drac
    Full Member

    Our BMW X1s are less phased by the winters in warmer conditions due to the 4×4 system

    I think it’s more they’re just awful to drive anyway so you can’t notice the difference.

    P20
    Full Member

    I wasn’t defending the X1! I would rather have the Octavia Scout

    scaled
    Free Member

    I’m pretty sure that HART team have still got a couple if those polaris things in the garage somewhere in south Manchester

    notmyrealname
    Free Member

    We run winter tyres on ambulances and cars during winter and they usually stay in until summer.
    They also seem to have a habit of making sure the heating doesn’t work in time for winter as well!

    peterfile
    Free Member

    I bought the winter tyres and wheels for my car from a bloke who worked at a West Yorkshire Police service depot. He said they now fit winter tyres and had a dramatic fall in the number of accidents they had since they started.

    This is completely untrue. I’ve learned from a number of posters on STW that winter tyres don’t make any difference at all and all that’s needed to defy physics is a bit of driving skill.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    “This is completely untrue. I’ve learned from a number of posters on STW that winter tyres don’t make any difference at all and all that’s needed to defy physics is a bit of driving skill.”

    I believe also according to STW logic winter tires make you more likely to have an accident over winter……..so police statistics must lie.

    thegreatape
    Free Member

    Police will lie about anything. Untrustworthy bastards, every single one of them.

    peterfile
    Free Member

    I believe also according to STW logic winter tires make you more likely to have an accident over winter

    Completely agree. If someone with winter tyres brakes on a stretch of road in adverse conditions, it’s likely that they will come to a stop quicker than someone behind them with summer tyres on….therefore they’re responsible if that person crashed into the back of them.

    Insurers should inflate the premiums of cars with winter tyres to cover this.

    Police will lie about anything. Untrustworthy bastards, every single one of them.

    You weren’t lying about the likely outcome of my rapid overtaking manoeuvre on the A82 a couple of years ago 🙂

    Edukator
    Free Member

    *bookmarks thread for greatape’s quote*. 😉

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    Completely agree. If someone with winter tyres brakes on a stretch of road in adverse conditions, it’s likely that they will come to a stop quicker than someone behind them with summer tyres on….therefore they’re responsible if that person crashed into the back of them.

    Insurers should inflate the premiums of cars with winter tyres to cover this.

    😀 😀

    SprocketJockey
    Free Member

    Winter rated tyres all around here. The main pump has snow chains but they’re only fitted if is really bad. Have snow socks for the co-responder van but we also have the venerable beast below which can take over from the van in really dodgy weather.

    easygirl
    Full Member

    Great ape
    You are a lying cheating , waste of space

    thegreatape
    Free Member

    Edukator – Troll

    *bookmarks thread for greatape’s quote

    *bookmarks thread for evidence of Edukator’s deviousness

    thegreatape
    Free Member

    Great ape
    You are a lying cheating , waste of space

    Unless floodwater is breaching peoples garage doors, when I’m quite a good use of space. Otherwise I agree.

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 59 total)

The topic ‘Emergency vehicles. Winter prep?’ is closed to new replies.