Aircraft fires can move quickly, so firefighters have been honing their skills by training this week.
“Research has shown that in commercial aircraft a fire inside can move through in about 90 seconds,” the Chief of Augusta Regional Airport Fire Department Richard Beal said. “Our response time on the property is the same – within that 90 seconds.”
Augusta Regional Airport is conducting live burn training exercises, simulating aircraft fires. The training began Tuesday and continues through Thursday.
Using a prop airplane, the Augusta Regional Airport Fire Department and other fire agencies have had the opportunity to practice various simulations involving different types of fires that might occur within aircrafts.
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“Engine fires can happen whether it is a bird strike or something gets into it,” he said. “Also, all of the interior areas where there is electronics, the galley where they would be cooking or heating stuff up. This just gives us an opportunity for each one of those scenarios and practice that. As well as larger if the aircraft happens to have some type of fuel spill on the ground.”
In his time at Augusta Regional Airport, he says they haven’t seen many aircraft fires.
“I have been a fire chief here for five years, and we have been very fortunate to see a limited number of aircraft fires. We have been very fortunate in that, we run a very, very strong fire prevention,” Beal said. “We are so efficient at being fire preventive, we don’t have that many fires we respond to. This training gives us that opportunity our apparatus and equipment on any types of fires we would run into on an aircraft.”
Despite aircraft fires not being very common, Beal said an incident happened Monday that could have caused an emergency aircraft fire.
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“We had an aircraft incident on Monday where the front landing gear collapsed on an aircraft,” Beal said. “That can start a fire, but in this incident it didn’t, but this gives us an opportunity to practice.”
Beal said being able to do these types of training with the aircraft prop is important if a real fire does happen.
“It is very beneficial to us. This is the first time we’ve had the prop out here. Also, if we have a big fire on one of our commercial aircrafts, we’re going to need assistance from the county,” Beal said.
Chris Rickerson is a staff reporter covering Columbia County government and general assignment topics for The Augusta Press. Reach him at chris@theaugustapress.com.
