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26 April 2024
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Airport firefighting and emergency rescue: a day in the life, Reno, US
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For the firefighters covering commercial airports, life is very different from those experienced by their municipal fire and rescue service counterparts. You might not see the big fire truck barrelling down the street the same way, but aircraft rescue firefighters, like Cory Whitlock, work in the shadows to make travel possible. “We’re all risk so we respond to fires and we respond to EMS calls but we have a really unique subset that we serve,” Whitlock begins.
The FAA requires all airports to have these firefighters due to the potential of large-scale fatalities in an aviation emergency. Airport firefighters are required to cover all types of emergencies within the airport boundaries with many of the incidents unrelated to aircraft accidents or fires. Even though the call to action to fight fires may come infrequently, the special characteristics of fires caused by burning aviation fuel require special skills so training is a regular part of the firefighter’s working life.
“What’s unique with us is we have 12 different categories the FAA mandates us to keep up on. We get audited by the FAA every year to make sure we are keeping up on our training, and making sure it’s the highest level to serve our community,” said Whitlock.
This requires them to have a different discipline from standard firefighters. The differences range from the type of regime they experience to the types of emergencies they are called upon to deal with on a daily basis.
“We have unique target hazards like aircraft commercial or general aviation, as well as cargo and the fuel farm, so we have a lot of unique hazards that could lead to mass causality incidents of which, we are specially trained,” Whitlock said.
With separate hazards means separate equipment. These guys trade red for yellow with a specialized crash rig.
“These things have a high volume and velocity of water, foam and retardant. These things are also really fast and efficient. It’s the main thing that differentiates us,” said Whitlock.
In the event of an emergency, that rig, will get the firefighters to a plane within three minutes to be ready to safely evacuate a craft. So, the next time you fly, look out for these firefighters and know they’ll ensure your departures and arrivals are the safest possible.
“It’s a unique opportunity for us to dig into that community servant role and show them the best I think Reno has is right here at the airport,” said Whitlock.
Source: KOLO
The FAA requires all airports to have these firefighters due to the potential of large-scale fatalities in an aviation emergency. Airport firefighters are required to cover all types of emergencies within the airport boundaries with many of the incidents unrelated to aircraft accidents or fires. Even though the call to action to fight fires may come infrequently, the special characteristics of fires caused by burning aviation fuel require special skills so training is a regular part of the firefighter’s working life.
“What’s unique with us is we have 12 different categories the FAA mandates us to keep up on. We get audited by the FAA every year to make sure we are keeping up on our training, and making sure it’s the highest level to serve our community,” said Whitlock.
This requires them to have a different discipline from standard firefighters. The differences range from the type of regime they experience to the types of emergencies they are called upon to deal with on a daily basis.
“We have unique target hazards like aircraft commercial or general aviation, as well as cargo and the fuel farm, so we have a lot of unique hazards that could lead to mass causality incidents of which, we are specially trained,” Whitlock said.
With separate hazards means separate equipment. These guys trade red for yellow with a specialized crash rig.
“These things have a high volume and velocity of water, foam and retardant. These things are also really fast and efficient. It’s the main thing that differentiates us,” said Whitlock.
In the event of an emergency, that rig, will get the firefighters to a plane within three minutes to be ready to safely evacuate a craft. So, the next time you fly, look out for these firefighters and know they’ll ensure your departures and arrivals are the safest possible.
“It’s a unique opportunity for us to dig into that community servant role and show them the best I think Reno has is right here at the airport,” said Whitlock.
Source: KOLO