Tyco’s Traffic & Transportation group has won another tunnel contract worth over £100,000.
It follows tunnel radio and safety communications contracts for the Roherhithe and Blackwall tunnels. This latest contract is to equip the new Baldock Tunnel for Hertfordshire County Council with Emergency Services Radio Re-broadcast and Loudspeaker Public Address systems to provide safety and evacuation messaging in the event of an emergency. Tyco’s Traffic & Transportation Group was previously called Tyco Integrated Systems and has now been re-branded and re-named as part of Tyco Fire & Integrated Solutions.
About the tunnel
The Baldock tunnel is about 220m long, a cut and cover tunnel which will allow traffic to by-pass Baldock; and due to open in August 2006. The radio system includes re-broadcast of emergency services radio channels for the police, fire and ambulance to provide coverage throughout the tunnel, for routine communications and for emergency co-ordination. These include low band for Fire vehicles, UHF for local fire brigade communications in the tunnel and VHF high band for ambulances and police plus the latest BT Airwave radio system for the police.
Public address
Emergency PA messages can also be broadcast automatically or manually by loudspeaker public address throughout the tunnel to provide safety guidance and warnings to allow safer evacuation if required. According to TTS, this is one of the first tunnels to feature the use of Duran horn loudspeakers which provide sound coverage using fewer loudspeakers, the makers say. Pre-recorded voice messages can be triggered automatically by tunnel traffic sensors to warn drivers of incidents or emergencies.
The communications system is being designed, supervised and commissioned by Tyco for the main system contractor P Ducker Systems who are responsible for the overall tunnel electrical and control systems supply and integration, on behalf of the M&E contractor VVB Engineering Services. Main Contractor for the project is Norwest Holst.
What they say
“We have already developed sophisticated tunnel solutions for radio re-broadcast for both emergency services and private communications as well as public radio including the latest DAB radio broadcasts with radio break-in to car radios for emergency messages,” said Phill Ford, Regional General Manager of the Traffic & Transportation group. “With our expertise in public address and loudspeaker systems, this puts Tyco in a unique position to provide solutions to road tunnels, rail tunnels and metro systems."
