Category - Emergency Operations

Traffic is changing at Juneau International (JNU), and so is the airport's emergency response program. As the airfield begins to receive an increasing number of larger-capacity aircraft, officials are enhancing its aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) capabilities accordingly. Last year, the Alaska airport purchased a $750,000 state-of-the-art ARFF vehicle that is so tall and wide, JNU needed a larger station to house it. The recent $2.6 million renovation project also brought its facility up to FAA specifications and added more room for gear and support functions.

Last fall, amid the final flurry of campaign activity before the U.S. presidential election, New York's LaGuardia Airport (LGA) experienced a runway incident that briefly closed the entire airfield and thrust its safety systems and response procedures onto center stage. When the dust settled, it also reaffirmed the airport's policy of putting safety first and proved that planning ahead can make all the difference.

Although the 2013 shooting incident at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) was resolved in just three minutes, six people were wounded and a TSA officer lost his life. The tragic event left permanent scars on the airport...and also prompted an extensive review of response operations at the facility that serves more than 70 million people annually.

As the Pentagon converts two Midwestern Air National Guard units from flight training to drone operation regiments, the airports that hosted the units lost their aircraft rescue and firefighting services (ARFF) in the process. Acting separately, both airports turned to the private sector to fill that gap. On Oct. 1, Iowa’s Des Moines International Airport (DSM) and Fort Smith Regional Airport (FSM) in Arkansas turned over their ARFF operations to Pro-Tec Fire Services, the largest private provider of ARFF services in the industry. While both DSM and FSM received advance notice that their ARFF services would be leaving with their respective guard units, the airport’s individual situations differed — and so did their reactions to the news.

In March, Orlando International Airport (MCO) hosted the largest full-scale emergency exercise in Florida history. The four-hour training event included more than 1,200 participants - 600 volunteer victims, each with a specific injury; 400 first responders from four different counties and multiple agencies; and staff from 16 hospitals throughout the region.

Approximately 150 people packed the new airport emergency operations center (AEOC) at the Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC) during an emergency exercise tabletop drill in June 2011. The more spacious facility was a vast improvement over the tiny multipurpose room in the main terminal that formerly served as the airport's emergency command post.

When Allegiant Air announced plans to expand service to Bellingham International Airport in Washington, it started the ball rolling on several facility upgrades, including construction of a $2.2 million aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) station.

Not being prepared is not an option at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, the world's busiest airport, serving more than 90 million passengers annually.