| |
 Objective
THE
principle objective of an Airport Fire and Rescue Service is to save
lives in the event of an aircraft accident or incident. This objective
must assume the possibility of, and need for, extinguishing a fire
that may occur immediately following an aircraft accident or incident,
or at any time during rescue operations, including the suppression
of cabin fires and rescue of aircraft occupants. London City Airport
Fire and Rescue Service provides the initial response to an incident,
pending the arrival of the London Fire Brigade. TOP
Staff
The Service is located at the end of
the arrivals and departures pier in the converted Dock Ledger building.
It has a complement of 3 watches each with 12 staff. The staff are
trained fire figh ters
and have received additional training on the particular risks and
likely scenarios associated with emergencies at airports. Each has
completed basic training and achieved CAA qualifications. Some
are trained as coxswains for duties involving the rescue boat.
TOP
Equipment
The Service has the following appliances:
-
2 x Simon Glostor Saro C2 Protector Foam Tenders
carrying 6,000 litres of water and 720 litres of foam.
-
1 x Kronenburg MAC 8 Foam Tender carrying 6,000litres
of water and 720 litres of foam
-
1x Sides VMA 112 carrying 10,000 litres of
water and 1,200 litres of foam, 75kg of dry powder and 75kg of
BCF gas.
(All of these appliances have the ability to pump water from the
dock, ensuring constant replenishment of water supplies.)
 The
Sides VMA 112 is the latest addition to the fleet. Acquired in 2003
it is larger than the other appliances weighing 30 tonnes. Built on
a 6x6 wheeled chassis (the other appliances are 4x4) it has an exceptional
monitor with the ability to discharge water/foam for a distance well
in excess of 70m (it actually demonstrated to nearly 90m during testing!).
The appliance is equipped with the latest rescue and recovery equipment
- the most noticeable being the hydraulic cutting and spreading gear.
In spite of its size, it is able to accelerate to 50mph in 32 seconds
fully loaded, and can reach a top speed of 70mph. This means it can
attend an incident at the most remote point of the airfield within
90 seconds. It is able to drive on airport runways or over rough,
soft or sandy terrain.
TOP
Training
Training is in 2 stages. The first stage is at Teeside
International Fire Training College, where firefighters acquire the
basic competency framework of skills and are tested at the end of
a 6 week course. Once back at the Airport, they complete their training
in other skills such as driving (LGV licence), breathing apparatus,
first aid, water rescue and familiarisation with the topography of
the Airport, buildings and the surrounding area. This second stage
training includes ultimately a Coxswain certificate which allows the
trainee to operate the water rescue boats and become a full part of
team.
But training never stops! The Airport have
developed a new system of ongoing maintenance of competency training
in line with the CAA's guidelines in CAP699.
This includes a complex matrix of exercises designed
to test firefighters in the whole framework of knowledge and skills
over a fixed period of time to ensure that they remain fully up to
date and competent. Apart from this training and emergency exercises
are run to ensure that staff are prepared for any eventuality and
a regular bi-annual emergency test is arranged with the local authority,
police, fire brigade and ambulance services to ensure that any major
incident will be dealt with in a coordinated manner.
TOP
Simulator
In 2002 the Airport acquired a �450,000 state of
the art training simulator, thus ensuring that staff are trained in
the most realistic environment. The simulator includes features
representative of two of the aircraft using the Airport:
-
the fuselage, port wing, engine, undercarriage,
doorsill height and interior are representative of a BAe 146 jet
aircraft.
-
the starboard wing, engine, and undercarriage
are representative of those found on a Dornier 328 turbo-prop
aircraft. These are very similar to the Fokker 50 and Bombardier
Dash 8 which are also in common use at the Airport).
With this new advanced simulator the Airport Fire
Service has introduced a training programme, which ensures that every
fire fighter participates in either a Practical Pressure Fed Fire
or a Heat and Humidity training exercise once a month, thus maximising
the skills of fire personnel and ensuring practical competency.
As part of the Airport's policy of avoiding pollution
the Fire and Rescue Service have been experimenting with a new, more
environmentally friendly, type of foam - see our Environment
Page for details.
TOP |
|
