[Federal Register: September 18, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 181)]
[Notices]
[Page 54772-54774]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18se03-97]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
[Docket No. FAA-2003-16171]
Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) Mobile Live Fire
Training Simulators
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
[[Page 54773]]
ACTION: Notice of proposed policy; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The FAA issues regulations and prescribes standards for the
training of aircraft rescue and fire fighters (ARFF) on United States
airports certificated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations part 139.
One of the requirements of part 139 is for all ARFF personnel to
participate in at least one live-fire drill every 12 months. As
guidance for airport operators in providing this training, the FAA
issued standards for different size fire training facilities based on
the largest air carrier aircraft serving the airport. With the
introduction of new technologies, ARFF personnel have the option to
train on both mobile as well as fixed training facilities. At the
larger airports, known as Index C, Index D, and Index E, FAA has found
that the live fire drill requirement in part 139 can be satisfied by
training on mobile facilities as often as every other year. Otherwise,
the training for those size airports is conducted on the larger fixed
facilities. We have been asked by the larger airports to find that
training on the smaller mobile fire fighter trainers every year, rather
than just every other year, would meet the requirements of part 139. To
this end, we are seeking comments on the adequacy of mobile ARFF
trainers for meeting the annual live fire drill requirement at index C,
D, and E airports. Based on these comments, we will issue an opinion on
the acceptability of mobile trainers for annual live-fire training for
these airports.
DATES: Comments must be received by November 17, 2003.
ADDRESSES: Persons may mail their comments to: U.S. Department of
Transportation Dockets, Docket No. FAA-XX-XXXX, 400 Seventh St., SW.,
Plaza Room 401, Washington, DC 20590. Comments may also be sent
electronically to the Dockets Management System (DMS) at the following
internet address: http://dms.dot.gov. at anytime. Commenters who wish
to file comments electronically, should follow the instructions on the
DMS web site. Comments may be filed and/or examined at the Department
of Transportation Dockets, Plaza Room 401 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
weekdays except Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ken Gilliam, Senior Fire Fighting
Specialist, Airport Safety and Operations Division, AAS-300, Federal
Aviation Administration 800 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC
20591, telephone (407) 812-6331, ext. 34.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA invites comments on the question,
``Should the use of Mobile Aircraft Fire Trainers be considered to meet
the requirements of Part 139 every year?''
The 1988 revision of 14 Code of Federal Regulations part 139,
Certification and Operations: Land Airports Serving Certain Air
Carriers, section 139.319(j)(3) requires ``All rescue and fire fighting
personnel participate in at least one live fire drill every 12
months.'' 52 FR 44276 (Nov. 18, 1997) (effective Jan. 1, 1988). At the
time this rule was promulgated, hydrocarbon fuels, such as diesel or
jet-A, fueled the training facilities. In the early 1990s, Federal and
State environmental protection agencies began banning such facilities
because of ground contamination from the fuel. As a result, the FAA
assisted in developing Liquid Propane Gas (LPG) fire facilities. The
FAA funded these facilities throughout the country. The FAA refers to
them as regional training facilities because mostly, they were intended
to serve an area of more than one state. The aim is for a fire fighter
to travel to the nearest training facility and receive both classroom
and live fire training. FAA's position has been that all ARFF personnel
should be exposed to live ground fuel fire fighting, either at their
home airport or at a regional training facility. The size of the fire
at a training facility was to be commensurate with the type of air
carrier service that could be expected to service the airport of the
ARFF personnel.
Part 139 requirements for aircraft rescue and fire fighting
generally are based on the length of air carrier aircraft serving a
particular airport. Index A airports receive air carrier aircraft less
than 90 feet long. Index B airports receive air carrier aircraft 90
feet long but less than 126 feet. Index C airports receive air carrier
aircraft 126 feet long to 158 feet. Index D airports receive air
carrier aircraft 159 feet long to 199 feet. Index E airports receive
air carrier aircraft 200 feet or longer. FAA has taken the position
that fire fighters at large airports, such as Index C, D, and E, should
be exposed to a larger fire than fire fighters at smaller airports.
This, logically, is due to the fact that much larger air carrier
aircraft operate at the larger airports, and in the event of an
incident involving fire, a larger fire would likely result. The size of
the Practical Critical Fire Area (PCA) specified by the FAA and the
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) reflects this
possibility of a larger fire at airports served by larger aircraft.
Advisory Circular (AC) 150/5210-6C, Aircraft fire and Rescue Facilities
and Extinguishing Agents, describes the PCA and its origin. AC 150/
5220-17A, Design Standards for an Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting
Training Facility, describes the size of the fire training facility
relative to the PCA. The AC recommends the larger index C, D, and E
airport fire fighters train on much larger pool fires than the mobile
units provide. When flammable liquid hydrocarbons (FLH) are burned in
the training facility, the size of the burn pit should be roughly
10,000 square feet for an Index C airport; roughly 14,500 square feet
for Index D; and 18,000 square feet for Index E. The AC also contains
procedures (Discharge Rate Method) for reducing the size of these fire
pits under certain circumstances. When a training facility uses an LPG
simulator, rather than FLH, FAA determined that a 12,200 square foot
fire pit is suitable for training Index C through E airport fir
fighters.
In the mid-1990's, industry, with the assistance of FAA, developed
a mobile fire training simulator that could be transported from airport
to airport on trucks. The simulations allowed for engine fires,
interior fires, wheel well fires, and cargo hold fires. However, one of
the drawbacks of the first models of the mobile simulator was that they
did not provide for a ground fire. In the late 1990's, industry was
able to develop a grid system ancillary to the simulator that provided
a ground fire of limited size.
Some of the advantages and disadvantages of using Mobile Aircraft
Fire Trainers for annual training by all airports are as follows.
Advantages:
[sbull] Mobile Trainers provide realistic and repeatable interior
and exterior aircraft-related fire scenarios such as galley, cabin,
wheel, engine, and cargo type fires.
[sbull] These scenarios can be ordered with pan fires presented in
different configurations totaling up to 2,600 square feet. (These same
training scenarios can also be provided by the large fixed facilities
since they can install the same props.)
[sbull] Fire fighters can train with their own equipment.
[sbull] The airport fire fighters can train with local mutual air
responders.
[sbull] There is more time to train with the equipment since there
is no travel time to the training facility.
[sbull] Training can be done over several days without incurring
added expenses of travel and per diem.
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Disadvantages:
[sbull] Fixed facilities are usually able to afford better
classroom training than is available at local sites.
[sbull] As more mobile units come on line providing more economical
training and greater mobility, the large fixed facilities may further
decline in use.
[sbull] A Mobile Aircraft Fire Trainer is limited to roughly 2600
square feet in ground fire to remain mobile. (However, some of the
large fixed LPG facilities only burn \1/4\ of the pit at a time during
a training exercise. This is not true for hydrocarbon fuel pits since
once the pit is lit, the entire pit has to burn. For example, the
10,000 square foot requirement for the index C airport using propane
would only use 2,500 square feet. This is considered adequate because,
when the attack is made on a 10,000 square foot fire, the fire fighter
will only see \1/4\ of the fire at any given time. The cost of fuel is
another reason for this practice. Based on the above facts, a mobile
unit with 2,600 square feet of fire burn area would be sufficient for a
larger index airport for training each year if it were used properly.)
Recognizing the Mobile Aircraft Fire Trainer technology, FAA issued
Certalert No. 96-01, Annual Live Fire Drill Qualification, dated
October 23, 1996. This certalert confirmed the appropriateness, under
certain limitations for large size airports, to use interior/exterior
fire training simulators, either stationary or mobile, as a means of
meeting part 139 training requirements. The FAA is not proposing to
mandate the use of the mobile simulator, but rather to interpret the
annual use of mobile simulators as meeting the requirements of part
139, if the airport operator wants to use that option. To this end, we
seek comments on the advisability of such a proposal.
Issued in Washington, DC on September 12, 2003.
David L. Bennett,
Director, Office of Airport Safety and Standards.
[FR Doc. 03-23873 Filed 9-17-03; 8:45 am]
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