لعناية الطيران المدني Airport Firefighting

Airport Firefighting is unlike any other form of fire fighting. Firefighters train their entire careers for an event that may never happen.

However, if a crash does occur, it is likely to be perhaps the most intense situation a firefighter can face, with the possibility of over 400 passengers being trapped inside an aircraft that may be up to 90m long and 5m wide.

Airport Categories
Airports are categorised on a scale of 1-10, based on the largest size of aircraft they regularly cater for. The largest airports in the world at the moment are Cat 9, but the new double-decker aircraft soon to be produced shall require Cat 10 facilities.

Certain standards are laid out for the emergency services for each Category, including the number of fire appliances, minimum performance levels for appliances, crewing numbers, training for firefighters, amount of water, foam, and other extinguishing agents, Rescue equipment to be carried, emergency access routes, and extra water supplies.

It is up to the Airport Fire Service to ensure that the standard is met at all times, and if the standard cannot be reached or maintained for some reason, then it may be necessary to divert the larger aircraft to airports that can provide the required facilities. In the case of an emergency, an aircraft may be forced to land at an airport not matching its category size.

Airport Crash Fire Appliances
The speed with which a fire can engulf an aircraft demands a quick response from the Airport Fire Service. Investigations following the Manchester Air Disaster in 1985 showed that the fire on the British Airways aircraft spread from the wing, through the aluminium skin and into the interior within 1 minute, causing the death of 55 passengers. The response time, as defined by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), must be 2 minutes, but not exceeding 3 minutes to any part of the aircraft movement area in optimum visibility and surface conditions, and if required, to produce foam at a rate of 50% of maximum discharge rate.

What this means is that the Airport Fire Service must be at the scene of the crash and pumping foam within 2 minutes from receiving the call. This may seem like a difficult task to achieve, and this is why high powered fire appliances are required. Modern day appliances can have in excess of 1,000hp, and can weigh up to 38 tonnes. 0-50mph can be reached in around 29 seconds, which for a vehicle of this size is exceptional.

Tactics and Techniques
The main goal of the airport fire service is to protect life, and the secondary goal is the protection of the aircraft and surrounding vehicles and buildings.

At a crash scene, the first task of the airport fire service is to protect the fuselage of the aircraft from fire, in order to protect the passengers still inside the aircraft. This is done initially by spraying a protective foam blanket onto the fuselage with the monitor. Once hand lines have been laid out, the monitor is switched off and protection of the fuselage is passed to the firefighters manning the hand lines. This is done so as to conserve water and foam (the monitor may deplete these supplies within 1-2 minutes), and to apply these extinguishing agents more effectively.

Once the fuselage is adequately protected, it is important to maintain the safety of the evacuation points for passengers. This is done by topping up the foam blanket that has already been placed on the fuselage, by laying down a foam blanket on any fuel spills that may be present, and by extinguishing any fire that may exist.

Before entry into the aircraft can be made by firefighters, the external fire must be extinguished, and all passengers that are able to evacuate under their own power must be out of the aircraft. Firefighters may then enter using breathing apparatus, in order to extinguish any internal fires and to rescue any passengers that may be trapped or that may have been overcome by smoke and toxic fumes. It is important for the firefighters to remember the point from where they have recovered a casualty, as well as any objects they may have moved, so as to aid in the air accident investigation.

While firefighting operations are going on, all evacuees must be brought away from the aircraft to a place of safety, where they can receive medical attention if necessary. Around this time, ambulances, doctors, nurses and police officers should be arriving, and they can assist in this process. Any airport staff with first aid training may also be utilised. The Local Authority Fire Service will assist by providing extra water supplies and manpower for the fire and rescue operation.

Facilities must be made available for a temporary mortuary, the storage of recovered personal effects, and a reception area for grieving and shocked relatives. Cargo buildings or hangars may be used for these purposes.

Routine Duties of an Airport Firefighter
The airport firefighter has many essential duties that are carried out every day.

All equipment and vehicles must be tested in order to maintain a constant state of readiness, this is usually performed at the start of every shift.

The firefighter on watch room duty must keep the station crew aware of what is happening by announcing aircraft movements over the station PA system. He is also responsible for looking for any signs of an aircraft being in trouble, alerting the fire crew should an incident occur, ensuring that actions requested by Air Traffic Control (ATC) are carried out by the required crewmembers and also for informing them of anything else that may seem pertinent. It is a job of great responsibility, as it is the nerve centre of the Airport Fire Service.

Station training involves familiarisation with equipment that may not be used regularly, as well as updating the crew on any changes to standard operating procedures or legislation regarding airport emergency services. Fire training takes place at regular intervals to maintain a high standard of training, and this may also involve the use of Breathing Apparatus to perform the rescue of simulated casualties.

Airports are a stressful place for passengers, and many medical emergencies occur, both in the terminal buildings and on aircrafts. The Airport Fire Service may be required to respond to these incidents, and provide care until an ambulance arrives. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has declared that an airport must provide an ambulance of its own if there is not one within 15 mins of the airport. Many larger airports have 999 emergency ambulances situated on the airport grounds.

The Airport Fire Service may be required to turn out to fire alarms that actuate in the terminal buildings, to Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs) that occur on the airport grounds, and to any other incident that may require their skills. The primary job of the Airport Fire Service is the protection of aircraft, however, so these duties may not interfere with the level of cover provided. Often, the Airport Fire Service will respond to an incident, and shall then return to the station once the Local Authority Fire Service has arrived.

As you can see, the job of an airport firefighter is anything but dull, and with air travel becoming an increasingly popular method of transportation, the range and number of incidents are likely to become even more interesting.



Written by James Flynn, Airport Police / Firefighter, Cork Airport Fire Service.