Airports and airport emergencies
require concise communication procedures.
There are two types of airports; controlled and uncontrolled.
A controlled airport has a staffed
and operating Air Traffic Control tower.
An uncontrolled airport is one
without an operating control tower.
Some airport staff and operate their control towers
only during specified times,
such as daylight hours,
and are uncontrolled at other times.
When operational, the control tower
is in charge of airport movement
and communications for both aircraft and ground vehicles.
In addition, aircraft approaching
and leaving the airport will contact the control tower
for guidance and clearance.
A primary means of communication on an airport
is aircraft or aeronautical radio.
ARFF vehicles should have appropriate radios on board.
They should be capable of transmitting 5 miles
on any 25 kHz channel,
between 118.0 and 136.975 MHz.
Air Traffic Control and Air Carrier Aircraft
typically use the VHF band.
Aircraft approaching, landing, or taking off,
will use the runway or tower frequencies.
Air Traffic Control may also assign
a Discrete Emergency Frequency
to allow the ARFF Incident Commander
to speak directly with an aircraft's flight crew.
Uncontrolled airports use the unicorn frequency
or Common Traffic Advisory Frequency,
also known as a CTAF.
At some airports, these two frequencies are the same.
There is also an internationally recognized
Civil Emergency Frequency,
121.5 MHz, which is constantly monitored by pilots
and Air Traffic Control facilities.
ARFF vehicles should have radio equipment
that allows the monitoring of various frequencies;
at a minimum, the ground control and tower frequencies.
ARFF personnel may also need to monitor
multiple fire department,
police, and airport operations frequencies.
Listening to multiple frequencies can be confusing.
The vehicle's driver is responsible for safe movement
and should focus on the ground control frequency.
ARFF personnel must have all required
communications equipment to safely
and efficiently satisfy their mission.
Some airports have dead spots
where radio transmissions cannot be received.
Cell phones may be used in areas where communications are limited
or when radio traffic is heavy.
Air Traffic Control can also use light guns to signal aircraft
or ground vehicles with radio problems.
In cases of radio failure,
signal the control tower by pointing your vehicle
toward the tower, turning on all emergency lights
and flashing the headlights.
The Air Traffic Control tower will often have a
direct phone line to the airport fire department.
ARFF personnel may also receive emergency notifications
from flight service stations,
air carriers, 911 calls, or airport staff.
Clacks and horns, rotating beacons,
and other alarm devices may activate automatically
when triggered by emergency alerts.
Alarm systems should be tested daily
and should have a backup power source.
The Automated Terminal Information System,
know as ATIS, is a continuous repeating
broadcast of airport weather conditions,
notices to airmen, and other information.
Airport personnel should provide the fire department
with important airport information.
The FAA may review your awareness
of this information during inspections.
Airport communications must be clear and concise.
Standard protocols help minimize the risk of confusion
or misdirection.
The most important guideline is to listen; listen to the ground
and tower frequencies when moving around the airport.
Listen before speaking to make sure
no one else is transmitting at the same time.
Overlapping transmissions are useless.
If you don't understand a transmission,
ask the center to repeat it.
Misinterpretations and mistakes can and will occur.
When you do speak, be clear and concise.
Know what you are going to say before you say it.
Speak distinctly and calmly, at moderate speed.
Hold the microphone close to your mouth,
at a 45 degree angle.
Use standard aviation terms and phrases
and avoid jargon and codes.
Because many numbers and letters sound alike,
airports use the International Phonetic Alphabet
to communicate letter designations over the radio.
For numbers, speak one digit at a time
and pronounce the number 9 as niner.
For example, to refer to Runway 29, say Runway 2-Niner.
All vehicles and aircraft need clearance
from Air Traffic Control
to drive on taxiways and runways
or enter the movement areas.
Entering a movement area without clearance
can lead to collisions, injuries, and deaths,
legal liability, property damage,
and investigation by the FAA.
Firefighters are cautioned that entering a movement area
without permission is considered an incursion
by the FAA and must be reported to the appropriate officials.
You do not need clearance to enter non-movement areas.
When requesting clearance or stating your intentions,
always provide the following information
in the following format,
the name of the facility you're, calling
such as Washington Ground,
your call sign or vehicle identification,
such as ARFF2,
your position, such as on Taxiway Charlie,
holding short of Runway 31,
your request, such as request permission to cross Runway 31.
You may also specify your route, if appropriate.
If Air Traffic Control approves your request and route,
they will reply with, proceed as requested.
The controller may also provide specific instructions
to change the requested route.
Air Traffic Control may issue a hold short command
to ARFF vehicles moving in airport areas.
ARFF vehicles may also receive instructions permitting them
to move only after allowing an aircraft
to move in front of them.
Acknowledge clearance by repeating the instructions
and your call sign.
If the frequency is busy during peak traffic periods,
you may not be able to repeat the entire message.
Read back enough to convey that you understood the message.
Regardless of radio traffic,
never hesitate to ask for clarification if you need it.
Always hold your position until you have
clearly understood the instructions issued.
ARFF personnel should be familiar with
standard emergency hand signals for evacuation recommended,
recommended stop,
and emergency contained.
Use signals from the aircraft's left front side
as seen by the flight crew, and use wands at night.
In an emergency, Air Traffic Control will often restrict
ground movement and radio traffic on the ground frequency.
Air Traffic Control personnel can often inform
ARFF personnel of the type of aircraft,
the type of alert, or emergency situation,
the number of people, and amount of fuel on board,
and other useful information.
Based on this information,
ARFF personnel should have the discretion to upgrade
or downgrade the alert level.
If necessary, repeat the information over fire
frequencies and the PA system to alert other ARFF personnel.
In some cases, ARFF personnel may need to speak
to the pilot in flight to discuss the emergency,
observe the aircraft's condition during a flyby,
or develop an emergency action plan.
Use the Discrete Emergency Frequency in this situation.
ARFF personnel may also speak to pilots
after landing to ask about the situation of the aircraft
and its occupants, provide information
on exterior conditions, request engine shutdown,
or recommend an evacuation decision.
The final decision to evacuate or not rests with the pilots.
Always keep cockpit crews informed regarding
what is going on, what you intend to do,
and what you recommend they do.
If an emergency is too large or complex
for the airport fire department to handle,
request mutual aid fire resources.
Mutual aid procedures are listed in the AEP.
Don't wait until you need them to call mutual aid resources.
Anticipate and request adequate resources
for the worst case scenario.
This is especially true with significant problems
on large frame commercial passenger aircraft,
such as smoke odor or visible smoke inside the aircraft,
confirmed fire, blown tires,
and other flight or control problems
that could affect the aircraft's ability
to land or slow down after landing.
ARFF personnel may also need to notify
other resources identified in the AEP,
SOPs, and checklists, including airport management,
medical services, security,
and air carrier representatives.