Emergency Services
Traffic cones have been with us since 1940, and have come a long way since the original wooden pyramid shapes. Modern traffic cones are made of plastic or rubber with reflective strips for night time visibility.
Also called traffic pylons, road cones, highway cones, safety cones, witch’s hat, or construction cones they are used for temporary traffic management in the event of road works, traffic accidents or major public gatherings.
Cones can also be used to temporarily alert us to other dangers, such as slippery paths or other hazards, and can often be found indoors to mark off areas that have been temporarily closed.
Traffic cones are notoriously linked to student capers, and the most famous example is The Duke of Wellington statue in Edinburgh, which has the Duke regularly wearing a traffic cone as a hat. This statue is featured in “Lonely Planet” as a “most bizarre monument” because of the regular cone wearing and in honour of Scotland’s success at the 2012 Olympics the Duke was even given a gold traffic cone.
Cone Lights
Like the actual traffic cone, cone lighting has come a long way from the gas lanterns that were used originally.
White Knight Conelight
White Knight have introduced a cone light that is perfect for Emergency Services. The CONELIGHT uses the latest technology to achieve a brilliant flash – visible even in daylight.
The conelight uses its battery pack to create an extremely low centre of gravity, offering improved stability against wind and passing traffic.
The Conelight is compact and lightweight, making it quick and easy to set up at emergency scenes and incidents. It uses standard alkaline batteries and fits most standard traffic cones. Tough and durable, the conelight will last for 72 hours and out performs most other road lamps. It is available with blue, red, yellow or green lights.
For more informationcall White Knight on +44 (0)23 9266 8624
White Knight professional halogen rechargeable handlamps are powerful, rugged and versatile, giving years of reliable and trouble free service, making them more than capable of withstanding the demands of the real world.
EXPERT TRIO
Available in 6, 10, 20, 30 and 50 watt halogen outputs providing between 55 minutes and 14 hours of continuous illumination.
Standard features on all models include:
- High/Low and Flashing Beam Setting
- Low Battery Indicator
- Charge State Indicator
- Vehicle Battery Monitor
- Usage Monitor
- Auto Maintenance Charging
- Electronic Bulb Protection
Mains Failure and Restore Monitor allows Expert WK-5 Trio to be used as an Emergency Portable Light Source.
Special versions using High Output LED Arrays are available for signalling purposes.
A full range of plug-in accessories is available including floodlighting, fingerprint, ultra-violet and other lamps for forensic and close inspection use.
All Expert Trio lamps have environmentally friendly, fully protected Ni-MH Battery Pack, and are supplied complete with Mains Charger, Vehicle Charging Cord and Shoulder Strap.
Expert Trio is approved for use by the MOD and NATO forces.
RIVAL
Rival provides a reliable, lightweight, highly competitive handlamp, ideally suited to the security and ambulance services and for use in other situations such as railways, boats and caravans.
Powered by a halogen bulb it offers a choice of batteries providing 3 or 7.5 hours constant illumination.
The 7.5 hour models come with a 12-24V DC charging lead, 230V mains 3 hour model is mains charging only and excludes shoulder strap
LA Range
The LA combines the 10W halogen power with the economy of a sealed gel lead acid battery giving 2½ hours continuous illumination (or giving 4 hours with 6W bulb).
The model WK-4DC includes an inbuilt 12/24V vehicle charger while the AC/DC version adds a mains 230V charger to provide full charging flexibility.
The WK-4 S comes with a mains charger and storage tray providing 4 hours standby lighting on mains failure.
ULTIMO
The brilliant Ultimo is the ultimate in long range illumination, supplying a blinding white light that could be an effective tool for use during civil disturbances and for ambush lighting.
This 100 watt handlamp provides 35 minutes of continuous light, which can be extended with the use of external battery packs SL-501 (12V 7.2Ah); in addition it can be powered from any 12 volt supply.
EXPERT WK ‘SCENES OF CRIME LAMP’ ATTACHMENTS FINGERPRINT ILLUMINATION LAMP WKA-13
The WKA-13 fingerprint illumination lamp emits a very bright even light designed specifically for Scenes of Crime Officers and Fire Investigators.
Using the Expert WK-5 as a power source, this lamp can be held freely or used attached directly to the handlamp via a mounting adapter, giving hands free operation with the ability to rotate and adjust the angle of illumination.
ULTRA-VIOLET LAMP WKA-16
The WKA-16 can be supplied with either long wave or short wave ultra-violet fluorescent tubes, used to read security marking, forgery detection, forensic work, to identify ‘Smart Water’ Indsol tracer and Index Solutions.
SPECIALIST LAMPS EXPLORER SL-41
Popular with surveyors and engineers this lightweight compact lamp with its battery pack gives 7½ hours continuous light. The lamp is stored in a pouch attached to a black canvas battery case, which is worn around the waist with a canvas belt.
100W FLOOD SL-50
The SL-50 contains a powerful 12 volt 100 watt halogen bulb, which is lightweight and capable of floodlighting a large room for investigation, photography, and emergency rescue situations in tunnels or any difficult access sites. Illustrated with a SL-501 (12V 7.2Ah) battery pack, which gives 25 minutes continuous light. Also powered from any 12 volt supply.
30W FLOOD WKA-24 WITH MONOPOD
The WKA-25 bracket & monopod kit is clipped simply and easily to an Expert handlamp and the WKA-24 30-Watt Flood/Work Lamp Flood/Work lamp plugged into the accessory socket. The fully adjustable
monopod may be extended to a working height of up to 1.5 metres.
White Knight Lamps and Torches are manufactured in the UK
For further information or to discuss the design of bespoke hand held lighting products, please call us on +44 (0) 23 9266 8624 or email info@furneauxriddall.com
Viewranger – The App for Adventurers.
We’ve only just discovered the Viewranger App, and we just had to share it with you.
Viewranger is a gps app that is used by over 85% of Mountain Rescue teams in England and Wales.
It provides complete Outdoors GPS by using your phone’s internal GPS the viewranger tracking, navigation and location sharing tools can be used even without a mobile signal.
Here is what it can do:
- View maps – view maps from around the world. Free global maps such as like OpenStreetMap & OpenCycleMap are included as standard.
- Record Routes – ViewRanger can create a mapped trace of all your adventures. It allows you to record your route, view trip summaries, share your adventures, and even include Flickr photos and Twitter messages to share.
- Sports Performance Stats – a range of features to track performance stats for training, competition, or just for fun.
- Search and Locate -View real-time on-screen map coordinates, find locations using map coordinates and mark important locations. Search for places on the map by place name or postcode.
- Share real time location – a free location tracker service called BuddyBeacon allows you to share your location with others and to view the location of others on your smartphone.
- Active Navigation – the app can guide you to a map coordinate or along a route with on-screen guidance and alerts if you veer off-course.
- Route Planning – plan trips, calculate distances and create your own routes.
So if you haven’t downloaded it yet, then do it now at www.viewranger.com.
Remember White Knight are suppliers of:
- Rechargeable Flashlights
- Torches, Handlamps and Lanterns
- Worklamps and Signalling Lamps.
Call us on +44 (0) 23 9266 8624
What little child doesn’t dream of growing up to become Fireman Sam and rescue cats from tall trees?
Becoming a firefighter entails so much more than the ability to wear a jacket with shiny buttons – in fact, the shiny buttons have disappeared.
Recruitment for firefighters only happens once in a while, and a number of excellent serving firefighters have spent months, even years of applying before being recruited.
The Fire Services website details the criteria needed to become a successful firefighter. These include:
Personal Qualities and Attributes
- Commitment to Diversity and Integrity – understands and respects diversity and adopts a fair and ethical approach in all situations.
- Openness to Change – is open to change and actively seeks to support it.
- Confidence and Resilience – maintains a confident and resilient attitude in highly challenging situations.
- Working with Others – works effectively with others both within the Fire and Rescue Service and in the community.
- Effective Communication – communicates effectively both orally and in writing.
- Commitment to Development – committed to and able to develop self and others.
- Problem Solving – understands, recalls, applies and adapts relevant information in an organised, safe and systematic way.
- Situational Awareness – maintains an active awareness of the environment to promote safe and effective working.
- Commitment to Excellence – Adopts a conscientious and proactive approach to work to achieve and maintain excellent standards.
Physical Tests
- Ladder Climb
- Casualty Evacuation
- Ladder Lift / Lower Simulation
- Enclosed Spaces
- Equipment Assembly
- Equipment Carry
Psychological Tests
The tests are split in to the following two categories:
- National Firefighter Psychological Tests
- Working with Numbers
- Understanding Information
- Situational Awareness and Problem Solving
- National Firefighter Questionnaire
- Working with Others – works effectively with others both within the Fire Service and the community.
- Commitment to Diversity and Integrity – understand and respects diversity and adopts a fair and ethical approach to others.
- Confidence and Resilience – maintains a confident and resilient attitude in highly challenging situations.
- Commitment to Excellence – adopts a conscientious and proactive approach to work to achieve and maintain excellent standards.
- Commitment to Development – committed to and able to develop self and others.
- Situational Awareness – maintains an active awareness of the environment to promote safe and effective working.
- Openness to Change – is open to change and actively seeks to support it within the Fire Service and in the community.
Medical Tests
- Medical Records and Questionnaires – your medical records will be requested, and a medical screening form will need to be completed before further tests are permitted
- Hearing Test – you will sit in a sound proof booth wearing headphones and will be asked to press a button when you hear a range of sounds.
- Step Test – you will be asked to step up and down on a box whilst your heart rate is monitored and the rate of step is gradually increased. (May vary in different FRS’s)
- Lung Function – you will be asked to blow hard and long down a hollow tube until all your lung capacity is fully exhaled – a reading is taken and assessed accordingly.
- Physical Stamina – you will be asked to squat on a machine designed to test your back and thigh strength and then pull a specified measurement.
- General Tests – you will finally see the doctor who will test your reflexes and discuss your medical questionnaire with you.
- Chest X-Ray – some FRS’s will send you to the local hospital for a chest x-ray.
- Eyesight Tests – various vision and colour tests will be carried out.
If you still think becoming a firefighter is for you, then visit the UK Fire Services website where you’ll find a wealth of information for firefighters.
Christmas – a time of big meals and big gatherings –and sometimes the need to get away from both!
There is something romantic about going for a bracing walk after a lazy day of over-indulging, especially if it includes all the family – the kids, the dogs and grandma too!
If you are lucky enough to be in the countryside with beautiful then it is an opportunity not to be missed!
A lovely long walk that ends back in a warm, cosy home with a hot chocolate or a glass of something equally warming is as wonderful as it sounds.
However a lot of people with little experience of walking in the hills and mountains, swept along in a flurry of enthusiasm can find themselves with a very different ending to their walk!
If you are planning a walk in the great outdoors, and you are not an experienced walker the please head over to the Mountain Rescue England and Wales for some advice BEFORE you set off.
Their page on Mountain Advice offers some practical, useful tips that will keep you and their heroic volunteers home and safe at Christmas.
Enjoy the walk!
The White Knight EEZYVIEW SOCO lamp uses high intensity white light emitting diodes to provide improved lighting for scenes of crime.
The EEZYVIEW uses InGaN chips coated with YAG inorganic phosphor and operate at a colour temperature of approximately 6500K (which is considered pure white) and has an output of 4,000 millicandelas.
White Knight EEZYVIEW includes the following features:
- Low battery drain
- High reliability and a lifetime of 40,000 hours.
- Long-lasting colour (The colour of emitted light will not deteriorate)
- Tolerates wide temperature fluctuations
- Resistant to UV degradation.
- Even light pattern for clear legibility without light rings and black spots.
- Standard 9V Duracell MN1604 alkaline battery
- Small and lightweight – 6×10.5×3 cm and 10g – fits easily in most pockets
“It’s the best lamp I’ve ever used for finding footprints in dust – saves a fortune on Esla Lifters”
Visit our White Knight page or call us on 023 9266 8624 to find out more about this useful little SOCO assistant
Our 100 Watt Portable Flood Lamp Kit has been developed in conjunction with major police forces across the UK.
The SL-50 hand-held floodlight contains a powerful 12 volt 100 watt halogen bulb in a hand held, diffused reflector unit that is lightweight and easy to carry.
It is capable of thoroughly floodlighting a large room for investigation, photography, emergency rescue situations or other sites where larger floodlighting equipment would be difficult to locate.
It is the ideal lamp for:
- SOCO
- Photography
- Search and accident investigation
The SL-501 Lightweight Battery Pack provides the power source for the SL-50.
This is a deep cycle 12 volt 7.2 Ah Gel Lead Acid Battery. Housed in a tough canvas case with a sturdy shoulder strap, the SL-501 battery pack is connected to the SL-50 hand-held lamp with screw locking military style connectors.
Additional Battery Packs are always available and we also stock a mains charger unit – the SL-503 – for use with this kit.
Call us on +44 (0)23 92 668624 to order your SL-50.
Rescue Services are there to help us when things go wrong – we all know that. But how many of us know how they started, how they operate and who pays for them?
I found this fascinating page on the Mountain Rescue England and Wales website.
It is well worth a read, and shares some fascinating information on the risks and tenacity of the people involved.
Walking the hills for pleasure was once a pastime only for the wealthy; for others like farmers and shepherds it was a necessity and being rescued in the event of an accident was a vain hope. Walking the hills for pleasure is now a national pastime and we have the rescue services to thank for making it a safe environment for us.
Mountain Rescue services are continuously working toward improving equipment and efficiency, and for those of us who have grown up with satellite and mobile phone it is hard to imagine that once there was rarely even a phone line at the foot of a mountain or in the local hotel.
Mountain Rescue England and Wales is now a highly organized and efficient organization with HRH Prince William of Wales is their patron.
Moountain Rescue England and Wales include a full history as well some useful advice on staying safe in their book: ‘Call Out Mountain Rescue. A Pocket Guide to Safety on the Hills’ which is only £9.99, and supports a good cause.
It is available from editor@mountain.rescue.org.uk
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
This quote by Fred Rogers, an American educator, Presbyterian minister, songwriter, author, and television host, is one of my favourites and so apt for this story!
Sadly, we all know of the tragedy of April Jones. What a lot of us don’t know is the dedication and skill of the volunteer organizations that took part in the huge search to find April – the “helpers” that Fred Rogers speaks of.
One of these was Western Beacons Mountain Rescue. The risks taken by these incredible volunteers was not lost on the family of April Jones, and her sister, Hazel, wanted to give something back – helping the helpers! She organized a sponsored skydive to raise funds for Western Beacons to put towards a new control vehicle. Over £5000.00 has been raised, although it is still possible to make donations via Just Giving.
The new vehicle will be known as “Bravo April”, a fitting tribute to the little girl, her family and the brave and selfless volunteers of Western Beacons.
Read the full story here: www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2013/06/11/rescuers-new-vehicle-will-bear-april-joness-name-after-sisters-fundraising
The use of particular colours for emergency lighting is part practicality and part culture, and varies from country to country.
Colours and uses of emergency lighting in the UK
Blue – Emergency vehicles
Blue is the predominant colour for emergency vehicles in the UK and Europe. Blue is easy to see from a distance, especially in the dark.
- Flashing Blue
- Fire Engines
- Ambulances
- Police vehicles
- Emergency vehicles including HM Coastguard, Forestry Commission and even HM Revenue and Customs in certain cases
- Static Blue
- Police vehicles
Amber – Warning Lights
Amber is traditionally associated with danger, and is therefore used as warning lights on vehicles and also on the roadside. Unlike blue lights, amber lights offer no priority in traffic, and are simply used to create awareness of the vehicle’s presence.
- Flashing Amber
- Road clearance vehicles
- Rubbish collection vehicles
- Breakdown vehicles and tow trucks
- Vehicles with a maximum speed of 25 mph
- Abnormal load vehicles
- Escort vehicles for abnormal load vehicles
- Static Amber
- Road clearance vehicles
- Vehicles transporting hazardous substances
White – Flashing headlights are permitted on emergency vehicles
Flashing lights on emergency vehicles can only flash between 1 and 4 times per second and must spend an equal amount of time on and off.
Green – Doctors vehicles
Like amber lights, green lights afford the vehicle no special priority, and the driver is expected to adhere to all current traffic rules such as speed limits and traffic lights.
Red is associated with danger. It is not used by emergency services in the UK or Europe, but is widely used by emergency services in the US and some other countries.
White Knight are suppliers of emergency portable lighting to police, ambulance, fire and search and rescue services throughout the world. Visit our main site for further information
