PCL prepares response to calls for safe, fast & accurate tyre inflation
at The Emergency Services Show, NEC, Birmingham 19th-20th September
Professionals wanting to keep their blue light drivers safe on the road whilst providing a fast and efficient response should pay an urgent visit to PCL in Hall 5, Stand R144 at the Emergency Services Show.
Sheffield-based pneumatics expert PCL will be showcasing its innovative, world-leading tyre inflation solutions, all of which place a vital focus on safety.
With 85 years of developing ground-breaking designs for the automotive market, PCL has a proven track record in developing bespoke tyre inflation products for the police and fire and rescue services.
In fact, PCL’s award-winning D72SS Fire Cart was developed in partnership with Essex County Fire & Rescue Service and is now used at multiple sites across UK County Fire Services.
Capable of safely and accurately inflating a fire appliance tyre from flat to 109 psi in around 8 minutes, and achieving top-ups in seconds, the pre-set, automatic unit features an auto shut off. Using a single standard 9L Air Cylinder, no compressor is required, ensuring the compact Fire Cart is fully mobile to be moved around sites and in-between vehicles with ease. In short, this unit provides optimum safety with no time wasted.
This excellence in manufacture and design, coupled with PCL’s ability to create bespoke solutions, led to a commission from Essex County Fire & Rescue Service (ECFRS). ECFRS needed its fleet operators to inflate fire engine tyres up to the required psi, often 130psi or above, quickly, safely and efficiently, without having to return to a fixed installation at a single operating centre. It was cost-prohibitive to invest in multiple systems and garage forecourt units could not provide the high pressure inflation required. Other custom-made, mobile options had not proved viable either.
PCL and ECFRS worked together to design and develop a prototype device, featuring a fully charged BA cylinder connected to a pre-set digital gauge and inflation hose on a mobile unit for maximum manoeuvrability around the appliance bay. Exactly what ECFRS required.
PCL's Mobile Inflation Device for Fire Appliance Tyres
Meanwhile, PCL products can also help blue light fleets comply with regulations. For example, PCL’s D10 digital wall-mounted unit helps keep Hampshire Police’s vehicles in peak condition, with safety of paramount importance, in line with the government’s Driving at Work document. Produced by the Health & Safety Executive in conjunction with the Department of Transport, the document lays down the best practice relating to motor vehicles, which means that fleet managers must play close attention to every area of maintenance. Hampshire Police chose PCL’s D10 wall-mounted gauge as the best, self-calibrating and user-friendly option to achieve this. Highly accurate, the D10 offers increased safety and fuel economy with reduced maintenance and lifecycle costs.
PCL's ACCURA D10 Tyre Inflator
These are just two examples of success stories to date. PCL’s Business Development Manager Claire Tonks is looking forward to greeting visitors at the show, where she can guide professionals through the many options in PCL’s comprehensive portfolio of tyre inflation, pressure and tread depth equipment, and make recommendations based on individual requirements.
Claire said: “We continually carry out in-depth research and development to design and manufacture the world’s best tyre inflation equipment for maximum safety and fast, accurate and reliable tyre inflation. This allows us to produce products meeting emergency service requirements such as the D10, which provides superior vehicle performance and greater safety and comfort. In addition, we can also provide training to enable users to maintain safety at higher levels whilst also making operational savings, as with Hampshire Police.
“With ECFRS, we received excellent feedback for their bespoke units, which were developed at our state-of-the-art facility in Sheffield. This success led to further orders from Gloucestershire and Northern Ireland Fire Services and interest from others.
“Please come and see us at the show and find out how we can work closely with your service to develop innovative, robust, reliable and accurate tyre inflation systems that ensure you respond safely to emergencies.”
