Aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) is a kind of firefighting that aims to save the airplane passengers and on-board workers during accidents that happen in the air. The terminals with booked flights are obliged to have firemen and necessary fire extinguishing equipment prepared at any time. It is necessary to have ARFF stations at a proximate distance from the airport with a relatively open space.
There are big airplane incidents with many potential victims and large-scale fires which can pass to other nearby regions. It is critical to have extra open space to avoid such complications. For air terminals with more than one runway, it is suggested to have several stations. This way, the ARFF team will arrive on time at the crash area, and trucks’ response time will be shorter.
Airplane related studies show that a significant number of airplane incidents happen on or close to the runways (Federal Aviation Administration, 2008). Likewise, as indicated by the video, most passengers survive the crash itself but later have a risk of dying from the smoke or fire caused by the airplane’s fall (TYABBCFA, 2008). The rescuing team has a chance of saving these people if they respond immediately to the accident. Thus, it is logical to consider firefighter A’s assumption as a more practical one. If the firefighter B’s recommendation is followed, there is a higher risk that the saving team might not be on time for rescuing the passengers.
In conclusion, in order to minimize the lethal consequences of aircraft crashes, the speed with which the crisis reaction team responds is of principal significance. Their arrival time and availability of space increase the survival rate of the people on board. Thus, firefighter A’s approach, which involves the close and assigned ARFF station’s location near the airport and with a wide space, is more appropriate for effective work.
References
Federal Aviation Administration. (2008). Advisory Circular (AC) 150/5210-15A: Aircraft rescue and firefighting station building design. Body of Knowledge for Spaceport Operations. Web.
TYABBCFA. (2008). Arff. YouTube. Web.