Regional airports have different requirements for aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) protection of their facilities when compared with the large metropolitan and international airports. Many regional airports use various types of smaller ARFF vehicles to keep their facilities safe and meet Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations.
The FAA designates airports as Index A through E, which reflects the type and size of aircraft that can be accommodated, and ARFF vehicles as Class 1 through Class 5. Class 1 through 3 ARFF vehicles are smaller rigs carrying a mix of water, foam, and dry chemical or halogenated agent that protect small to midsize airports, while the larger Class 4 and Class 5 ARFF rigs are typically used at larger airports.
The FAA also determines the minimum levels of firefighting agents by type and quantity on an ARFF vehicle to support a specific airport index. Class 1 vehicle requirements are 100 gallons of water/ aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) and 500 pounds of dry chemical (sodium or 450 potassium based) or 460 pounds of halogenated agent. A Class 2 ARFF rig must carry 300 gallons of water/AFFF and 500 pounds of dry chemical or 460 pounds of halogenated agent.
Class 3 ARFF vehicle requirements are 500 gallons of water/AFFF and 500 pounds of dry chemical or 460 pounds of halogenated agent, Class 4 ARFF rigs must carry 1,500 gallons of water/AFFF, and Class 5 ARFF trucks are required to carry 3,000 to 4,000 gallons of water/ AFFF.
Wes Schamle, fire apparatus salesman for Unruh Fire Inc., says Unruh builds Class 1, 2, and 3 rapid intervention vehicles (RIVs) for ARFF responses, typically for Index 1, 2, and 3 airports. Schamle notes Unruh built a Class 2 RIV ARFF truck for San Luis Valley (CO) Regional Airport on a Ford F-550 Super Duty® XL 4×4 chassis and cab with seating for four firefighters and powered by a 6.7-liter Powerstroke V-8 diesel engine.
He says the San Luis Valley rig has a Darley 2-1/2AGE pump poweredby a 44-horsepower (hp) Kubota diesel engine, a 300-gallon polypropylene water tank, a 40-gallon foam cell, a FoamPro foam injection system, a FoamPro foam transfer pump, and a 500-pound dry chemical tank with dual 400-cubic-foot nitrogen bottles. The ARFF truck also has FRC TankVision level gauges for foam and water, two 1%-inch hose crosslays, an Akron FireFox bumper turret with a forward looking infrared (FLIR) camera and LED spotlights, a Hydro-Chem dual-agent handline nozzle, a Hydro-Chem bumper dual-agent turret nozzle, and a Hannay dual-agent electric rewind hose reel with 1-inch hose.
Travis Ownby, director of Global ARFF Services, a division of Siddons- Martin Emergency Group, says Global ARFF is building Class 1 and 2 Attackmaster ARFF trucks on Ford F-550 chassis and Class 3 ARFF rigs on International CV chassis, all with severe service Super Single wheels and tires. “Some smaller regional airports at Level A and B don’t want the expense of a large ARFF truck, so they are migrating to smaller vehicles that can operate in parking garages, as well as fulfilling the ARFF role,” Ownby points out.
He says that Global ARFF has been putting Darley 1-1/2-AGE and 2-1/2AGE pumps on its Class 1 and 2 ARFF trucks, although it will also use Hale or Waterous pumps if requested. “Typically, the Class 1 and 2 trucks will have a 40-gallon foam tank, while the Class 3 is a 60-gallon foam tank, and carry up to 450 pounds of dry chemical suppression agent,” Ownby notes. “We’ll use either FoamPro or Trident foam systems because they both work with the new fluorine-free foam (F3). For monitors, we use an electric dual-agent Elkhart monitor with a Williams Hydro-Chem dualagent nozzle.”
Zach Schultz, international and government sales manager for REV Fire Group, says that Louise M. Thaden Field in Bentonville, Arkansas, recently got an E-ONE Titan 4×4 AT. “The Titan 4×4 AT has a Darley PSP single-stage pump rated up to 1,500 gallons per minute (gpm), a 1,000-gallon polypropylene water tank, a 140-gallon polypropylene foam tank, and 450 pounds of dry chemical,” he says.
He adds that the Titan 4×4 AT has an extruded aluminum roll cage cab with seating for four firefighters, four compartments on each side that provide more than 150 cubic feet of storage capacity, and an air ride suspension with a kneel feature.
Jack Bermingham, business unit director of airport products for Oshkosh Airport Products, LLC, says some smaller airports are turning to Class 4 ARFF trucks like the Oshkosh Striker 4×4 because of their much faster acceleration than RIV ARFF trucks. “The Striker 4×4 has a shorter wheelbase, is more agile, and has a tighter turning radius than a RIV,” Bermingham says, “and it will accelerate from a standstill to 60 miles per hour in under 25 seconds.”
Bermingham says the typical Striker 4×4 ARFF truck carries 1,500 gallons of water, 210 gallons of foam, and either 550 pounds of dry chemical powder or 460 pounds of Halotron (haloge- nated agent). “We can configure a roof or a bumper turret, or a Snozzle if one is requested, to allow a dry chemical stream in the water stream to provide dual-agent capability in a single stream,” he notes.
Duane Kann, regional ARFF manager for Rosenbauer, says some Index A airports are choosing Rosenbauer’s Panther 4×4 ARFF truck in place of Class 2 or 3 RIV rigs. “Naples (FL) Airport is one of the busiest Index A airports in the country, and they got a Panther 4×4 from Rosenbauer,” Kann points out. He says the rig has greater off-road capabilities than Class 1, 2, or 3 RIVs; has a Rosenbauer panorama view cab; and is powered by a 700-hp Volvo D16 Euro 5 diesel engine and a twin disc six-speed automatic transmission.
Kann adds that the Panther 4×4 has a Rosenbauer N65 pump, a Rosenbauer FIXMIX 2.0A foam proportioning system, a 1,500-gallon water tank, a 200-gallon foam tank, 450 pounds of dry chemical, a Rosenbauer RM35 dualagent roof turret, a Rosenbauer RM15 C dual-agent bumper turret, and a dualagent hose reel.
ALAN M. PETRILLO is a Tucson, Arizona- based journalist, the author of three novels and five nonfiction books, and a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Editorial Advisory Board. He served 22 years with the Verdoy (NY) Fire Department, including in the position of chief.
