London Air Ambulance and Suffolk Ambulance Station

Client: Emergency Service Providers
Type of works: supply and installation of Ronadeck and RonaFloor coatings to provide anti-slip surfaces.

The emergency services have twice put an urgent call in to Ronacrete to assist them with flooring safety problems.

If it is not quick and easy to move a patient by road then London’s Air Ambulance will airlift patients to The Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel landing on a specially designed steel deck on the roof.

The paramedics often have to run across this steel deck, sometimes wet from rain or snow, so it is essential it is slip proof and hazardous areas clearly marked.

When the existing coating became worn it needed to be replaced safely and quickly so that service was relatively uninterrupted. Ronadeck HB100 Rapid was applied to the deck to refurbish and replace the existing coating. The unique four-hour cure formulation provided a coating which was quick to apply and fast curing but without harmful, dangerous or flammable solvents.

After cleaning down the surface and removing any loose, flaking or peeling paint, two coats of Ronadeck HB100 Rapid were applied by roller; this has an intercoat and foot traffic waiting time of four hours, so the landing pad was out of service for minimal time.

A similar problem was faced by a Sussex ambulance station, the new floor needed to look good, stand up to petrol and diesel drippage but most importantly needed to provide a safe anti-slip surface for emergency services staff - again Ronacrete could provide the necessary specialist products.

First the existing coating was removed from the concrete by professional operators using recoverable grit blast machinery. After preparation the concrete was cleaned and left to dry. Patch repairs were then carried out using RonaFloor Repair 1 Hour 6-50mm. This is supplied pre-packed as a dry powder together with a bottle of liquid, the two are mixed and the mortar is trowel-applied to the surface which had been prepared with Ronacrete Rapid Primer.

Just one hour later, once the repairs had cured and hardened, the first coat of RonaFloor HB100 Rapid was mixed with a drill and paddle and roller-applied. Ronacrete’s anti-slip aggregate was cast into the first coat to provide the required degree of slip resistance for wet and or greasy floors. After only four hours the second coat was mixed and applied. This rapid grade allowed speedy installation so that floors can be open to traffic after 12-24 hours, essential in situations like the emergency services where access is vital.