An airport crash tender (known in some countries as an airport fire appliance) is a specialised fire engine designed for use in aircraft firefighting at aerodromes, airports, and military air bases.
An airport crash tender (known in some countries as an airport fire appliance) is a specialised fire engine designed for use in aircraft firefighting at aerodromes, airports, and military air bases.
Airport crash tenders offer relatively good acceleration for their size and weight, are able to negotiate rough terrain outside the airport area, carry large capacities of water and fire fighting foam, are fitted with powerful high-capacity pumps and water/foam cannons, and are capable of delivering firefighting media over long distances. They can be mounted on 4x4, 6x6, or even 8x8 wheeled chassis. In order to decrease their turning radius, all four of the 8x8 wheeled unit's front wheels may be steerable.
Newer airport crash tenders also incorporate twin-agent nozzles/injection systems to inject a stream of Purple-K dry chemical into the AFFF firefighting foam stream, helping to extinguish the fire faster. [1] Some also have Halotron tanks with handlines for situations that require a clean agent to be utilized. These features allow airport crash tenders to reach an aircraft quickly, and rapidly put out large fires with jet fuel involved.
Some tenders have an elevated extended extinguishing arm capable of raising a water/foam cannon up to about 10–20 m (33–66 ft). Some can then puncture superficial structures of an aeroplane to fight a fire inside the fuselage. [2] Such a reinforced nozzle (snozzle) is, according to the United States National Transportation Safety Board, a "piercing nozzle on the fire truck that is used to penetrate an airplane's fuselage and dispense AFFF to extinguish fire inside the cabin or cargo area." [3]
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has given standards and recommended practices on rescue fire fighting categories of civil aerodromes. [4] [5] [6] National aviation authorities may have given even further requirements on aerodrome rescue and fire services.
The rescue fire services are based on a critical aircraft size based on a statistical analysis of movements (take-offs and landings) on the airport. The aerodrome category is based on the size of the largest aircraft which will operate at the aerodrome; however, if the frequency of movements of aircraft in the critical size category is below a certain threshold (specified in the standard), the aerodrome category can be reduced compared to what would otherwise have been required (for example, at an airport regularly handling Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft with a single Boeing 777 service per week, the airport fire service has to cater up to the ICAO category 7 of the 737 and A320, as a single 777 movement per week does not justify a full ICAO category 9 fire service). There are also minimum category levels based on e.g. the number of seats in the critical aircraft. [7]
Depending on the airport category, the standards determine the minimum number of rescue fire-fighting vehicles. In addition, requirements are given on the water and foam capacities, discharge rates for foam solutions, and minimum dry chemical powder (complementary agent) amounts, reserve stocks of fire fighting agents, ability to operate on rough terrain, and acceleration of the air crash tenders. The end of each runway has to be reached in a response time of two minutes or less, and any part of the movement area has to be achieved in a response time not exceeding three minutes.
Airport rescue and firefighting services operate many specialist vehicles to provide emergency cover at airports. They include:
A fire engine or fire truck is a vehicle, usually a specially-designed or modified truck, that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to an incident as well as carrying equipment for firefighting operations in a fire drill. Some fire engines have specialized functions, such as wildfire suppression and aircraft rescue and firefighting, and may also carry equipment for technical rescue.
A water tender, sometimes known as a water tanker, is a type of firefighting apparatus that specializes in the transport of water from a water source to a fire scene. Water tenders are capable of drafting water from a stream, lake or hydrant.
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This is a glossary of firefighting equipment.
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Aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) is a type of firefighting that involves the emergency response, mitigation, evacuation, and rescue of passengers and crew of aircraft involved in aviation accidents and incidents.
The New Zealand Fire Service was New Zealand's main firefighting body from 1 April 1976 until 1 July 2017 – at which point it was dissolved and incorporated into the new Fire and Emergency New Zealand.
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Palm Beach County Fire Rescue (PBCFR) is one of the largest fire departments in the state of Florida. With 52 stations, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue provides fire protection, Advanced Life Support, emergency medical services, technical rescue, hazardous materials' mitigation, aircraft rescue/firefighting, fire investigation, and 911 dispatching for unincorporated parts of Palm Beach County, Florida as well as 19 cities under contract.
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A twin-agent fire extinguishing system (TAFES), also commonly referred to as a twin-agent unit (TAU), incorporates the benefits of dry chemical and foam fire extinguishing agents. It is most commonly used for AR-FF operations and in industrial areas with high class B hazards.
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Firefighting is the act of extinguishing destructive fires. A firefighter fights these fires with the intent to prevent destruction of life, property and the environment. Firefighting is a highly technical profession, which requires years of training and education in order to become proficient. A fire can rapidly spread and endanger many lives; however, with modern firefighting techniques, catastrophe can usually be avoided. To help prevent fires from starting, a firefighter's duties include public education and conducting fire inspections. Because firefighters are often the first responders to victims in critical conditions, firefighters often also provide basic life support as emergency medical technicians or advanced life support as licensed paramedics. Firefighters make up one of the major emergency services, along with the emergency medical service, the police, and many others.
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