Firefighters at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) are thrilled with the new aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) station they moved into last November. At 24,000 square feet, the facility is triple the size of the previous station, and also includes updated features and comforts for crews and equipment.
Central Nebraska Regional Airport (GRI) was ready to retire its old 1982 Oshkosh fire truck. But when airport officials considered replacing it with a new Oshkosh Striker 4x4, they realized they had a 'big' problem: The existing aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) facility would be too small for the new equipment. Their solution' Build a bigger new station.
Lexington Blue Grass Airport (LEX) is on pace to open a new three-story aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) facility in August. Completion of the $15 million ARFF station moves the Kentucky airport one important step closer to finishing its five-phase program to enhance taxiway safety.
There's a new Midwestern location for aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) training, and it's the only site in the U.S. where personnel can practice on and in a full-size Boeing 777. The new training center is located at Appleton International Airport (ATW) in northeast Wisconsin.
One year after a man went on a shooting rampage near the baggage claim area at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), the Broward County Commission passed an ordinance requiring all aviation employees to receive emergency response training. Before the 2018 resolution, airport workers received security training, but many tenant employees did not.
In September 2018, Hurricane Florence dumped 35 inches of rain on the Carolinas, with winds gusting up to 130 mph. The Category 4 storm created widespread flooding that closed major freeways and other roads for days after landfall, completely cutting off access for 120,000 people in Wilmington, NC, and many more in surrounding communities.
Until recently, the western Virginia airport contracted an outside company for on-call fire protection and employed seven conservators of the peace to work standard rotating shifts. In September 2016, ROA's department was officially designated a police department by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, and all officers were sworn in as police officers. Now, an in-house team of 14 public safety officers provides police, fire and emergency medical services 24/7, and one police officer remains on staff.
When the time came for Valley International (HRL) to upgrade its aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) facility, officials at the Harlingen, TX, airport joined forces with their design team to create a building uniquely designed for firefighters. The new $3.8 million, 10,000-square-foot station officially opened in May with a host of features to enhance safety and efficiency.
Shortly before 11:00 p.m. on April 16, emergency 911 operators received a call about smoke and flames emanating from the roof of the terminal at Colorado Springs Airport (COS). Within minutes, the airport had a three-alarm fire on its hands.
Early last year, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) in Broward County, FL, experienced the deadliest airport shooting in U.S. history when a passenger killed five people and sent six others to the hospital with injuries. More than 50 others were hospitalized for chest pains, low blood sugar, broken bones, etc. incurred while fleeing the scene and during a subsequent stampede triggered by false reports of another shooting.
"Be prepared' isn't only the motto for Boy Scouts. The Houston Airport System follows the same philosophy for providing emergency services at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) and Ellington Field (EFD). The timeless wisdom of its approach was demonstrated last June, when an F-16 crashed at EFD' a three-runway airport that serves a variety of military, NASA and general aviation operations.
Faced with the prospect of heavy FAA sanctions, Martha's Vineyard Airport (MVY) was under the gun to replace its aging, non-compliant aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) building. When its new $10.4 million facility opens in November, officials will officially close the book on a difficult chapter for the county-owned airport.
