Section 3, Chapter 7 - Aerodrome Rescue & Fire Service Flashcards
What are the responsibilities of Air Traffic Control (ATC) in relation to the Aerodrome Rescue and Fire Service (RFFS) at Belfast International Airport?
ATC Responsibilities:
- Notifying RFFS: Inform the RFFS of any emergency situation as detailed in AA/MANUAL/004, including facilitating post-incident actions.
- Liaison with BIAL ADM: Communicate with the BIAL Airport Duty Manager on factors affecting licensing criteria and future operations.
- Advising on RFFS Cover: Notify aircraft captains and the parent ATCC if RFFS cover is depleted, as described in Section 3, paragraph 7.4.1.
What additional services are available to the Belfast International Airport Rescue and Fire Service (RFFS) during an emergency?
Additional Services Available:
- RAF Presence: The RAF maintains a presence on the airfield, which the Chief Fire Officer may call upon when necessary.
- Northern Ireland Fire Brigade (NIFB): The NIFB will send appliances as necessary depending on the emergency situation.
What is the radius of action for the Rescue and Firefighting Service (RFFS) at Belfast International Airport?
Radius of Action:
- Within Airport Boundary: The RFFS operates within the airport boundary.
- Up to 3 Nautical Miles: The Senior Fire Officer (SFO) may send vehicles to assist the Northern Ireland Fire Brigade (NIFB) up to 3 nautical miles from the airfield.
- Maintenance of RFFS Category: The SFO must maintain the RFFS category on the airport and liaise with ATC/ADO as appropriate.
What is the procedure for notifying the Belfast International Airport Rescue and Fire Service (RFFS) of unplanned movements involving Category 8 aircraft or above?
Procedure for Notification of Unplanned Movements:
- When ATC receives notification of the unexpected arrival of a Category 8 aircraft or above (e.g., diversion), they will advise the BIA RFFS as soon as possible with an estimated time of arrival (ETA).
- This procedure does not apply to planned military, scheduled, or charter flights.
What are the communication protocols between aircraft, ATC, and the Rescue and Firefighting Service (RFFS) at Belfast International Airport?
Communication Protocols:
- Frequency for Aircraft-RFFS Communication: 121.6 MHz.
- ATC-RFFS Vehicle Communication: Uses simplex/duplex on UHF 8/118.3.
In the Event of an Aircraft Accident, AGI, or Full Emergency:
* All RFFS vehicles will initially use the appropriate Tower UHF Channel.
* After coordination between ATC and RFFS, Channel 8 may be released to the Airport Authority.
* If agreed, ATC will use UHF1, cross-coupled with 118.3 or 121.755 as appropriate.
Bird Vehicles and RFFS Vehicles:
* During AGI, Full Emergency, Disaster, or Accident, they will be instructed to change to the tower frequency.
* Return to Normal Operations: By agreement between the ATC Watch Manager and the Senior RFFS Officer on duty.
What are the procedures for handling the reduction of airport fire cover during an emergency situation at Belfast International Airport?
Reduction of Airport Fire Cover Procedures:
Clarification of Fire Cover Status:
* ATC should seek clarification from BIAL ADM or the RFFS if they are advised or notice that RFFS is deploying foam/water to determine if fire cover has been depleted.
Notification of Aircraft:
* If the Aerodrome Authority advises ATC of the depletion of the RFFS and its impact on aircraft operations, ATC will notify all arriving and departing aircraft as per MATS 1.
* The message should be transmitted via RTF and broadcast on ATIS as appropriate.
NOTAM Action:
* The Aerodrome Authority is responsible for initiating NOTAM action.
Internal Communication:
* The ATCO on duty must inform the Watch Manager/Deputy Watch Manager as soon as possible.
* The Watch Manager/Deputy Watch Manager will notify the PC Ops Supervisor.
What are the procedures for priority runway crossing by Rescue and Firefighting Service (RFFS) vehicles during emergency situations at Belfast International Airport?
Domestic Turnout Notification:
* The RFFS watch tower will notify the VCR of the domestic turnout details, such as:
* First aid calls in the terminal building.
* Fire alarm activations in the terminal building.
* First response first aid calls for sick passengers or persons within the terminal building, with relevant callsigns for inbound flights.
* The number of appliances attending.
Controller Actions:
* The controller should observe the appliances leaving the station with blue lights and sirens and assign suitable priority for runway crossing.
RFFS Crew Instructions:
* Request runway crossing at any point on runway 25-07 when responding to first aid or domestic fire calls north of the runway.
* RFFS vehicles do not have priority over landing aircraft unless an urgent nature call is received via telephone or the vehicle reports an emergency response on first contact.
* Only with such clarification should aircraft be sent around to facilitate runway crossing.
Communication:
* RFFS Crews will call on Tower Frequency for runway crossing permission as they leave the station.
* When Ground Movement Control (GMC) is open, Delta and Juliet taxiways and Echo Apron are delegated to Aerodrome control to reduce frequency changes. Initial contact with ATC is made on Tower frequency if these locations are the first point of entry.
* When the Aerodrome Controller assumes GMC responsibilities and 121.755 MHz is switched off, vehicles must be cross-coupled to 118.3 MHz for operations on any part of the manoeuvring area.
What is the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Rescue & Fire Fighting Service (RFFS) response during a full emergency or aircraft accident at Belfast International Airport?
MOD RFFS Response Procedures:
- Deployment: In the event of a full emergency or aircraft accident, MOD RFFS will deploy two appliances with a minimum of five men (maximum of seven).
- Positioning: The appliances will position at the front of BIA RFFS Fire Station.
Route:
* With ATC clearance, proceed to J2 holding point.
* Cross RW35 and position at the fire station forecourt.
* Contact the Duty Station Commander via R/T (Fire Channel 2) while en route, stating they are mobile.
Call Sign: The MOD RFFS call sign is FIRE 10.
Communication Backup:
* If unable to contact the Duty Station Commander on Channel 2, the MOD RFFS Officer in Charge (FIRE 10) will contact ATC on Channel 8 to request permission to proceed to the incident site.
What are the training procedures for emergency response at Belfast International Airport?
Training Procedures:
- Annual Emergency Training Exercise: Conducted as directed by the Airport Authority, involving all internal and external emergency services.
- Coordination: BIAL coordinates with ATC for each exercise, providing details of the required ATC actions.
What is the procedure for closing the RFFS watch-room for training at Belfast International Airport?
Closure Procedure for RFFS Watch Room:
Preparation:
* Ensure there is a sufficient break in flying to facilitate training.
Notification:
* Inform ATC and the Control Centre of the watch-room closure.
Regular Checks:
* Conduct R/T checks with ATC approximately every 10 minutes.
Emergency Notification:
* If notified of an emergency, the controller will broadcast the emergency message on the frequency.
Lost Contact Protocol:
* If contact is lost, the aerodrome controller should:
* Attempt to contact RFFS using mobile numbers.
* If unsuccessful, contact the Control Centre to:
* Dispatch a vehicle to the fire training ground.
* Decide whether the airfield should remain open without RFFS contact.
Reopening Notification:
* RFFS will advise when the watch room is re-opened.
Contingency Radios:
* During ECM or cross-coupling failure, when contingency VHF radios are in use, the watch room will not be closed.
Approach Notification:
* If an estimate is received while the watch room is closed, ATC must notify RFFS before the aircraft commences an approach.
What are the procedures for the closure of the RFFS watch-room and relocation to a temporary facility at Belfast International Airport?
Closure and Relocation Procedures:
- Relocation to Watch Commanders Office: If the watch-room becomes unusable, the attendant will relocate to the Watch Commanders Office.
- Pre-Closure Notification: The Watch Attendant will contact ATC to inform them of the process of closing the watch-room.
- Operational Methods During Relocation:
- AFS to ATC Communication: AFS will call outside extension 4281, which will not appear as a labeled call.
- Non-Urgent ATC to Watch-Room Communication: Use the conventional telephone number (028) 94 484 186.
- Emergency Situations: The AFS crash line and contingency crash line contact facility will not be available. Tower controller should make a general broadcast on RT (118.3 or 133.125 during RiT) to alert AFS.
- Example Broadcast: “AFS from Tower, local standby/full emergency/ground incident for [XXXX].”
- Equipment in Watch Commanders Office: Equipped with UHF radios monitoring both tower and fire frequencies. All AFS members carry handheld radios to monitor operational activity.
- Duty Station Commander Contact: Once alerted, the duty Station Commander will contact the aerodrome controller to confirm full details of the event per normal operational practice.
- Reopening Notification: The Watch Attendant will notify ATC once the watch-room is operational again.
