Airport Crash Tender
Encyclopedia
Fire apparatus
A fire apparatus, fire engine, fire truck, or fire appliance is a vehicle designed to assist in fighting fires by transporting firefighters to the scene and providing them with access to the fire, along with water or other equipment...
designed for use at aerodromes and airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
s in aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
accidents.
Airport Crash Tenders are extremely powerful machines. They offer relatively good acceleration (for such large, heavy vehicles), are able to negotiate rough terrain outside the runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
and airport area, carry large capacities of water, and fire fighting foam, are fitted with powerful high-capacity pumps, and water/foam cannons
Water cannon
A water cannon is a device that shoots a high-pressure stream of water. Typically, a water cannon can deliver a large volume of water, often over dozens of metres / hundreds of feet. They are used in firefighting and riot control. Most water cannon fall under the category of a fire...
and capable of delivering firefighting media over long distances.
Newer ARFF
Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting
Aircraft rescue and firefighting is a special category of firefighting that involves the response, hazard mitigation, evacuation and possible rescue of passengers and crew of an aircraft involved in an airport ground emergency....
vehicles also incorporate Twin Agent
Twin agent fire extinguishing system
A twin-agent fire extinguishing system incorporates the benefits of dry chemical and foam . Most commonly used for AR-FF operations and in industrial areas with high class B hazards....
nozzle
Nozzle
A nozzle is a device designed to control the direction or characteristics of a fluid flow as it exits an enclosed chamber or pipe via an orifice....
s/injection systems to inject a stream of Purple-K
Purple-K
Purple-K is a dry-chemical fire suppression agent used in some dry powder fire extinguishers. It is the most effective dry chemical in fighting class B fires, and can be used against some energized electrical equipment fires...
dry chemical into the AFFF foam stream "knocking-down" the fire faster. Some also have Halotron tanks with handlines for situations that require a clean agent to be utilized. These features give the airport crash tenders a capability to reach an airplane rapidly, and rapidly put out large fires with jet fuel
Jet fuel
Jet fuel is a type of aviation fuel designed for use in aircraft powered by gas-turbine engines. It is clear to straw-colored in appearance. The most commonly used fuels for commercial aviation are Jet A and Jet A-1 which are produced to a standardized international specification...
involved.
Some tenders have an elevated extended extinguishing arm, giving a possibility to raise a water/foam cannon into the height of approx. 10 – 20 meters. that can puncture through superficial structures of an aeroplane to fight a fire inside the fuselage.
Some arms have reinforced nozzle
Nozzle
A nozzle is a device designed to control the direction or characteristics of a fluid flow as it exits an enclosed chamber or pipe via an orifice....
s, called a Snozzle, that, according to the US National Transportation Safety Board
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
is a "piercing nozzle on the fire truck that is used to penetrate an airplane
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
's fuselage
Fuselage
The fuselage is an aircraft's main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. In single-engine aircraft it will usually contain an engine, although in some amphibious aircraft the single engine is mounted on a pylon attached to the fuselage which in turn is used as a floating hull...
and dispense AFFF to extinguish fire inside the cabin
Aircraft cabin
An aircraft cabin is the section of an aircraft in which passengers travel. At cruising altitudes of modern commercial aircraft the surrounding atmosphere is too thin to breathe without an oxygen mask, so cabins are pressurized at a higher pressure than ambient pressure at altitude.In commercial...
or cargo
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
area.
Standards
International Civil Aviation Organization
The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...
(ICAO) has given standards and recommended practices on rescue fire fighting categories of civil aerodrome
Aerodrome
An aerodrome, airdrome or airfield is a term for any location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve cargo, passengers or neither...
s. 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 based on a statistical analysis of movements (take-offs and landings) on the airport. The aerodrome category is based on the size of the biggest aircraft taking a movement on the aerodrome. In addition, the number of movements of the critical aircraft is calculated, and the category can be decreased by one if the number of movements is lower than the standard describes. There are also minimum category levels based on e.g. the number of seats in the critical aircraft.
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 achieved in a response time of two minutes, and any part of the movement area has to be achieved in a response time not exceeding three minutes.
Range of airport firefighting vehicles
Airport rescue and firefighting services operate many specialist vehicles to provide emergency cover at airports. They include:-1) Crash tenders (as described above)
2) "Domestic" type fire appliances. Domestic appliances are similar in function and appearance to fire appliances operated by county fire services / departments. They are not as large or as heavy as airport crash tenders. The units are ordinarily used to respond to fire incidents in airport terminal buildings but also respond to aircraft incidents. The appliances carry Breathing Apparatus, rescue equipment, firefighting media, ladders, cutting equipment.
3) "First attack" or "rapid intervention vehicles"(RIV). RIVs are normally smaller, nimble fire appliances capable of quick acceleration and high speed. They carry less equipment than Domestic and Crash Tenders but arrive first on scene at aircraft incidents to begin rescue and firefighting operations whilst heavier / larger units approach.
4) General purpose vehicles (such as a fire chief's car or general purpose or incident support vehicles).
Examples
- Alvis SalamanderAlvis SalamanderThe Alvis Salamander is a 6X6 Airport Crash Tender with off-road capabilities, developed in 1956.It shares the same common six-wheel-drive chassis and other components with the FV 601 Saladin armoured car and FV 603 Saracen armoured personnel carrier...
military, 1950s - Colet Jaguar series , commercial, current (K/R 40 Jaguar is "the most powerful crash truck in the world", 3 turbo motors, 2000 HP retarders, 10x8 drive)
- Oshkosh StrikerOshkosh StrikerThe Oshkosh Striker is a specialized Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting vehicle built by Oshkosh Corporation at the Pierce Mfg. facilities Appleton, Wisconsin. There are three models of the Striker: 1500, 3000, 4500...
, commercial, current- Oshkosh Corporation T3000 , commercial
- Oshkosh Corporation T1500 , commercial
- RosenbauerRosenbauerThe Rosenbauer Group is one of the world’s three largest manufacturers of fire-service vehicles, based in Leonding, Austria.Rosenbauer supplies the fire fighting sector in over 100 countries with a wide range of custom fire and rescue apparatus and services...
Panther, Austria, commercial, current - KronenburgKronenburg B.V.The Kronenburg B.V. company is fire-service vehicles manufacturer, based in Wanroij, Netherlands. The company was founded by the Kronenburg family in 1823....
, Netherlands, commercial, current - Scammell 6X6 Airport Crash Tender
- VolvoVolvoAB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
F12 - Ayaxx Crash Tender
- Morita MAF125A Crash Tender
- Douglas Protector II
- American-LaFrance O-11A aircraft firefighting truck
- Iveco 380 HP Airport Crash Tender
- Simba 6x6 airport tender
- Simba 8x8 airport tender
- MANSK 8x8 airport tender
- Ziegler Z8 airport tender
- Bachert-Ziegler FLF 3500 airport tender
- Kamaz 6x6 airport tender
- Timoney 6x6 Airport Crash Tender
- MAN 8x8 airport crash tender
- Iveco Magirus Dragon airport tender
- Iveco Magirus SuperDragon airport tender
- Iveco Magirus Impact airport tender
- Amertek RIV (Rescue Intervention Vehicle)
- Waltek C5500-P fire response vehicle
- Waltek RIV 2000
- E-One Titan 6x6
See also
- FirefighterFirefighterFirefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
- Glossary of firefighting termsGlossary of firefighting termsFirefighting jargon includes a diverse lexicon of both common and idiosyncratic terms. One problem that exists in trying to create a list such as this is that much of the terminology used by a particular department is specifically defined in their particular standing operating procedures, such that...
- Heavy rescue vehicleHeavy rescue vehicleA heavy rescue vehicle is a type of specialty firefighting or EMS apparatus. They are primarily designed to provide the specialized equipment necessary for technical rescue situations such as auto accidents requiring vehicle extrication, building collapses, confined space rescue, rope rescues and...
- Water tenderWater tenderA water tender, also known as a tanker in some regions, is a specialized firefighting apparatus designed for transporting water from a water source to a fire scene...
- Water saluteWater saluteA water salute occurs for ceremonial purposes when a vehicle travels under plumes of water expelled by two or more fire fighting vehicles....
- Aircraft rescue and firefightingAircraft Rescue and FirefightingAircraft rescue and firefighting is a special category of firefighting that involves the response, hazard mitigation, evacuation and possible rescue of passengers and crew of an aircraft involved in an airport ground emergency....