Technology and ARFF: Saving Lives Through Innovation · Technology and ARFF: Saving Lives Through Innovation BY JEFF GIRAUD Continuing Education Course To earn continuing education

Technology and ARFF: Saving Lives Through InnovationBY JEFF GIRAUD

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TRAINING THE FIRE SERVICE FOR 134 YEARS

www.FireEngineeringUniversity.com

BY J E F F G I RAUD

H ISToRIAnS beLIeve ThAT oRgAnIzed firefighting may well date back to the days of ancient egypt when hand-operated pumps were

used to bring water from the nile to fight fire. From bucket brigades in ancient Rome to the invention of suc-tion pumps and fire hose in europe in the 16th and 17th centuries, history is rife with man’s never-ending battle against conflagration. As civilizations have grown in num-bers and density, so, too, has the complexity of the fire-fighters’ tasks. Stone and masonry gave way to wood and synthetic materials. Simple, relatively earthbound struc-tures have given way to skyscrapers and tightly packed city landscapes. horse-drawn carriages gave way to steam, internal combustion, jet engines, and rocket fuel. each new advancement in technology has led to changes in service delivery while the fundamental principles of firefighting remained constant—life safety, incident sta-bilization, and property preservation. Fire protection and rescue for those who take to the sky create a unique set of challenges and has led to an entire industry devoted to aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF).

EVOLUTION OF ARFFon december 17, 1903, orville Wright unknowingly

ushered in the era of crash fire rescue (CFR)—the pre-cursor to ARFF. With all due respect for those who came before the Wright brothers, most historians regard that fateful day at Kitty hawk, north Carolina, as the first controlled, sustained, powered heavier-than-air flight

by a manned aircraft. The brothers flew their aircraft four times that day and crashed on the fourth flight—no fire and no injuries; unfortunately, the future would not be as kind to many others. The first recorded powered airplane crash in U.S. history came on September 17, 1908, in an exhibition flight at Ft. Meyer, virginia; orville Wright was at the controls, and Lt. Thomas e. Selfridge was a passenger. Wright survived the crash, but Selfridge did not. between 1908 and 1924, the odds of surviv-ing a flight were one in eight. The advent of the airmail service in 1918 saw the highest fatality rate, as the brave men in that industry lost one pilot a month for almost three years. Fortunately, technology led to advances in airframe, navigation, and rescue systems, which contrib-uted to an ever decreasing fatality rate among pilots and passengers.

The Texas Commission on Fire Protection defines ARFF personnel as follows: “… employees of a local govern-mental entity who are appointed to aircraft rescue fire fighting duties. These duties may include fighting aircraft fires at airports, standing by for potential crash landings, and performing aircraft rescue and other fire fighting du-ties.” Chapter 423.201 (a)

THE FOUR ESSENTIAL A’s OF ARFFThe definition of the basic service delivery doesn’t

vary much throughout the ARFF industry regardless of size or location of the jurisdiction. by contrast, there is a significant difference from location to location in training, equipment, and how that service is delivered. This article focuses on the impact of recent technology on ARFF

Educational ObjectivesOn completion of this course, students will

1. Identify and know the current status of the four essen-tial elements of ARFF—Agents, Applications, Appli-ances, and Apparatus.

2. Understand the timeline of ARFF’s operations: where the general strategies and tactics came from and where they are headed.

3. Know some basic concepts with which all ARFF fire-fighters should be familiar, including the melting point of aluminum, the toxicity of the environment, and the priorities of operation.

4. Recognize how current and future technologies may enhance ARFF, including thermal imaging cameras, pen-etrating nozzles, and advanced agents.

Technology and ARFF:Saving Lives

Through Innovation


TEcHNOLOGY AND ARFF ●

operations. Chief bruce Tenniswood made reference in an article in december to the humorous quip about the fire service, “200 years of tradition unimpeded by progress,” and how he believes that the fire service has shed that reputation.1 A brief trip around the ARFF training and operations centers of the world clearly demonstrates that we have come a long way from the initial strategy of surround and drown. In the next four paragraphs, we’ll examine what I’ll refer to as the four essential A’s of ARFF—Agents, Applications, Appliances, and Apparatus.

AgentsThe earliest response units had little more than water

and handheld foam extinguishers to deal with an aircraft fire. As aviation fuels became more volatile and the quantities kept increasing, water simply wasn’t enough. In the 1940s, a process was developed for making foam out of soy or animal by-products and then mixing with water and air to create a thick cream-like foam blanket. This product could be mixed in mass quantities in large trucks and then delivered to the scene of a crash by way of a turret nozzle; thus was born the method of surround and drown. Several trucks with the foam agent would surround the downed aircraft and drown the fire, provid-ing a safe evacuation route for the surviving passengers. Through much of the next 30 years, the crash rescue mentality changed very little while the agent had to adapt to the changing fuels. The introduction of alcohol-based fuels presented a new set of challenges in that the alcohol dissolved the foam blanket and made protein and other synthetic foams useless against that type of fire. Alcohol-resistant foam was developed as the new weapon of choice for this type of fuel.

Flammable liquids are not the only unique problem in the aircraft firefighting industry. Weight is one of several factors that a designer takes into consideration to make

any airplane commercially viable. Modern aircraft are made of a variety of materials including but not limited to plastic, aluminum, carbon fiber, magnesium, titanium, and steel. each has flammability characteristics that present unique challenges to ARFF crews. Aluminum melts at ap-proximately 1,200°F, and just prior to the melting point, the skin of the aircraft will turn white and take on a pa-per-like quality, making it very easy to penetrate. Magne-sium, on the other hand, ignites at 1,166°F and then heats up to continue burning at 3,100°F. Almost every agent applied to a magnesium fire will convert immediately to steam in a violent reaction. Specially developed liquid agents like FeM-12 SC® allow ARFF crews to extinguish magnesium fires in minutes instead of hours.

Applicationson June 2, 1983, an Air Canada dC-9 had an in-flight

fire that resulted in the loss of 21 passengers. The CFR response at the incident airport worked exactly as de-signed—the crews surrounded the aircraft and doused the exterior of the fuselage, providing a safe escape route for the passengers. The debate in the CFR industry that followed this incident resulted in fundamental tactical changes that will forever impact the industry. Surround and drown was no longer enough, and the industry evolved from crash fire rescue to aircraft rescue firefight-ing. The difference may appear to be slight, but placing “rescue” ahead of “fire” refocused the deployment of resources.

Interior attack strategies are not new to the fire service by any stretch of the imagination, yet the ARFF industry was not designed for these tactics. ARFF trucks are typi-cally staffed with a single driver who discharges mass quantities of agent through roof, bumper, or under-truck nozzles. Adding to the problem is the rapid burn-through time on the typical airframe—60 seconds to three min-

1

(1) There is no substitute for practical handline firefighting that simulates an aircraft crash with a large-scale fuel fire. DFW Airport’s training center uses 98-percent environ-mentally friendly propane. (Photos courtesy of DFW Airport Fire Training.)


● TEcHNOLOGY AND ARFF

utes—and it appears to be somewhat difficult to imagine the usefulness of a handline application.

The Air Canada flight is a perfect example of why the tactic will work. When this particular aircraft landed, the airframe was intact, and a significant fire was burning in the rear lavatory. Passengers were evacuating through the forward entry doors. In later tests, it was discovered that exterior application of agent actually may have worsened the conditions on the inside by not allowing the fire to burn through and self-ventilate. The result was a massive buildup of toxic smoke, which was the cause of all fatali-ties on the flight. The fire crews at the time had no reason to believe that their tactic would not work. It was the standard protocol for an onboard fire: provide an escape corridor, provide assistance to evacuating passengers and crew, and do nothing to hinder an evacuation in progress. Although there is no way to change the outcome of a

past event, tests and changes in tactics since then reveal that an aggressive interior attack through the over-wing hatches might have significantly changed the outcome of the incident.

Appliances The X-ray vision of Superman has long been one of the most sought after of all fictional superhuman pow-ers. While actual X-ray vision may not be possible, some of the most useful tools in the fire service—robots, infra-red thermography, and thermal imaging cameras—have given humans the ability to see around corners, through solid objects, and into hazardous areas to make the job safer, more efficient, and more effective. Firefighters with handheld units now have the ability to locate hot spots through the sides of aircraft and go directly to the location of the problem. Truck operators with higher

power units can remain in their trucks and monitor conditions from a safe distance or potentially locate a problem area inside the fuselage before the aircraft lands on the run-way. Some of the units are powerful enough to see the passengers and crew inside the

2

3

(2) The 4,500-gallon Oshkosh Striker® is DFW Airport’s frontline ARFF response vehicle. (3) The Striker® with 65-foot Snozzle® Penetrat-ing Nozzle and Camera Package is a primary weapon for fighting cargo aircraft fires.



aircraft and determine movement by the location of heat signatures.

Penetrating nozzles have been in the firefighting arsenal since the mid-1800s. Modern adaptations of the principles for use in ARFF applications are still being developed to maximize their effectiveness. one highly specialized apparatus developed by Crash Rescue™ is the Snozzle® hydra Sword. It combines a 65-foot aerial water tower with dual high-flow nozzles; a piercing tip capable of penetrating 18 inches into the fuselage of an aircraft to discharge 250 gallons per minute (gpm) of foam, water, or dry powder; and a thermal/color im-age camera package—all controlled by a single opera-tor with a joystick/computer from the cab of the truck. This device allows the ARFF operator to penetrate the skin of an aircraft to battle an interior fire, peer inside a cargo hold or a passenger compartment for hazardous materials and transmit the image to a remote location, or articulate the boom above the aircraft and shower the fuselage with agent, without entering the hazardous environment.

A leap forward from the penetrating nozzle is a device called the PyroLance®. This device uses an ultra high-pres-sure, focused jet of water combined with fine aggregate to penetrate the skin of the aircraft. once the penetra-tion has been made, the aggregate flow automatically shuts off, and the water flow spreads out to form a mist that converts the thermal layer from more than 1,500°F to 200°F in seconds. The safety advantage to the fire-fighter is the same as that for the traditional penetrating nozzle: the ability to conduct an interior fire attack from a defensive position. The advantage to the occupants is an increase in speed of application of agent to the interior, which will increase survivability in the atmosphere.

Apparatus“Fast acceleration. extreme mobility. Triple agent

firepower.” That is the headline billing of the oshkosh®

Corporation for its Striker® ARFF vehicles. A number of manufacturers compete in the ARFF marketplace with a wide range of sizes, op-tions, and price tags. These mass-application vehicles represent the latest evolution of ARFF technology and brute force designed to maxi-mize effectiveness at a crash scene. Whether the apparatus are used for mass application or handline interior firefighting operations, they provide a rapid and stable response platform in almost all terrain types.

According to the national hurricane Center, data on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane Wind Strength Scale, a Category one hurricane has sustained winds from 74 to 95 miles per hour (mph). “very dangerous winds will produce some damage. People, livestock, and pets that are struck by flying or falling debris could be injured or killed. older (mainly pre-1994 construction) mobile homes could be destroyed, especially if they are not anchored properly, as they tend to shift or roll off their foundations.”

Tempest™ Technology developed a tool for the fire service that harnesses that level of wind power for mass ventilation and places it on the back of a diesel truck. The MvU-60 is a 60-inch fan that moves 118,000 cubic feet of air each minute at up to 78 mph—the equivalent air mass of six 2,500-square-foot homes every minute. obviously, the speed has to be carefully controlled, or the contents and occupants—including firefighters—in-side the structure may also be moved! The advantage of the tool for the ARFF response is tremendous—cool-ing, smoke removal, toxic gas removal, and increasing visibility; it is also an incredible tool for other types of emergency responses.

Mobile air stairs are commonly located everywhere on an air terminal ramp (photo 4). They make passenger loading and unloading quick and easy. In recent years, these vehicles have had a seemingly one-dimensional purpose—until some creative thinkers got to work and found another tool for the ARFF firefighter. during an emergency response at remote locations, passenger egress is normally accomplished by the inflatable slides and onboard stairs. Firefighter access has most often been accomplished by way of a ground ladder placed against the leading edge of the wing and through the over-wing exits. The mobile air stair unit provides a secondary means of access through one of the full-sized passenger doors that isn’t being used for egress. The working platform at the top of the stairs also provides the following: a safe location for initial patient packag-

4

(4) Mobile air stairs provide easy access for response teams during a simulated hazmat/WMD exercise.



ing during rescue operations, a staging location for tools and equipment, a built-in standpipe connection from which to deploy hoselines for interior attack, and a cab-in-level working platform for any other necessary task.

•••each tool in the ARFF tool kit has its limitations.

nothing is perfect for every circumstance. And, those tools are only as good as the people whose hands are properly trained and then entrusted with using them. Paul Saffo, consulting professor at Stanford’s School of engineering and renowned technology forecaster, says, “Technology does not drive change—it enables change. It’s our collective cultural response to the options and opportunities presented by technology that drives change.” In the ARFF industry, the culture is driven by an ever-increasing desire to improve the safety of the flying public and the responders who protect them. experts throughout the ARFF industry agree that innova-tion has led to improvements in technology, training, and preparation for managing almost any category of aviation emergency. Modern technology in the hands of the exceptionally motivated and properly trained ARFF firefighter may well be the difference between a surviv-able crash and something much less fortunate. ●

EndnotE1.”Have We Made Progress?” december 7, 2009, http://www.fireen-gineering.com/fireengineering/en-us/index/articles/generic-article-tools-template.articles.fire-engineering.health-__safety.fireground-safety.2009.11.have-we_made_progress.html/.

● JEFF GIRAUD, MS, EFO, a curriculum develop-ment specialist, creates programs in aircraft rescue firefighting, incident management, leadership, and company officer development for the Dallas/Ft.Worth Airport Fire Services. He has 23 years of public safety service as a firefighter, a police officer, and an emergency medical technician. He served on the line as an engineer, a training officer, a battalion chief, and the department training coordinator. As a National Fire Protection Association instructor III and a Federal Emergency Management Agency ICS in-structor, Giraud has taught basic and advanced ARFF, aircraft incident command, and ICS 100–800. He is an adjunct professor at Texas Christian University and teaches courses in interpersonal communication, public speaking, group dynamics, and intercultural communication. He retired in 1999 after 20 years as a U.S. Army engineer officer.

Notes



Notes



Notes


Continuing Education

Technology and ARFF: Saving Lives Through Innovation

1. The first recorded powered airplane crash in U.S. history involved

a. Woodrow Wilsonb. Lt. Thomas e. Selfridgec. virginia Meyerd. dean Wright

2. AFFF foam is an effective tool for use in ARFF operations because

a. It looks good on television.b. It is nonconductive with electrical equipment on aircraft.c. It creates breathing oxygen around the aircraft for survivors. d. There are large quantities of flammable liquids on aircraft.

3. An interior attack on an intact aircraft with a cabin fire is inappropriate in all circumstances.

a. Trueb. False

4. Which of the following situations would dictate extreme cau-tion when attempting an interior attack on an intact aircraft with a confirmed cabin fire?

a. Military aircraft carrying munitionsb. Cargo aircraft with unknown hazardous materialsc. It is always safe to attempt an interior attack on an intact

aircraft with a confirmed cabin fire.d. a and b

5. Infrared thermal imaging technology has little or no use on aircraft because the device cannot see through aluminum.

a. Falseb. True

6. According to FAA tests, typical aircraft aluminum airframes will burn through in

a. 3 to 5 minutesb. 60 seconds to 3 minutesc. 7 to 10 minutesd. Aircraft aluminum will not burn through

7. According to the article, many in the ARFF industry consider the 1983 Air Canada Fire as follows:

a. A turning point in ARFF strategy and tacticsb. of little impact on the industryc. A refocus from strictly “surround and drown” to mass appli-

cation with an aggressive interior attack when appropriate d. a and c

8. The three priorities, in order of importance, for responding ARFF crews on any incident are

a. extinguish the fire, assist the evacuation, secure the sceneb. ventilate, secure the black box, extinguish the firec. Provide a safe escape corridor, assist the evacuation in

progress, don’t hinder evacuation in progressd. establish command and control, extinguish the fire, rescue

the passengers

9. Magnesium and titanium fires do not present any special challenges to ARFF crews.

a. Trueb. False

10. Alcohol-based fuels require

a. Adding some type of soft drink to the water to mix with the alcohol and put out the fire

b. Specific alcohol-resistant foam (AR-AFFF)c. a and bd. none of the above

11. Interior fires on aircraft do not produce toxic smoke, eliminating the need for self-contained breathing apparatus.

a. Falseb. True

12. Infrared thermography and thermal imaging cameras

a. Provide an additional layer of safety for responding ARFF personnel

b. Provide the ability to view a hazardous environment from a remote location

c. May provide the ARFF crew with the ability to view heat sources before the aircraft lands on the runway

d. All of the above

COURSE EXAMINATION INFORMATIONTo receive credit and your certificate of completion for participation in this educational activity, you must complete the program post examination and receive a score of 70% or better. You have the following options for completion.

Option One: Online CompletionUse this page to review the questions and mark your answers. Return to www.FireEngineeringUniversity.com and sign in. If you have not previously purchased the program, select it from the “Online Courses” listing and complete the online purchase process. Once purchased, the program will be added to your User History page where a Take Exam link will be provided. Click on the “Take Exam” link, complete all the program questions, and submit your answers. An immediate grade report will be provided; on receiving a passing grade, your “Certificate of Completion” will be provided immediately for viewing and/or printing. Certificates may be viewed and/or printed anytime in the future by returning to the site and signing in.

Option Two: Traditional CompletionYou may fax or mail your answers with payment to PennWell (see Traditional Completion Information on following page). All informa-tion requested must be provided to process the program for certification and credit. Be sure to complete ALL “Payment,” “Personal Certification Information,” “Answers,” and “Evaluation” forms. Your exam will be graded within 72 hours of receipt. On successful completion of the posttest (70% or higher), a “Certificate of Completion” will be mailed to the address provided.

COURSE EXAMINATION


13. every piece of equipment in the firefighter’s arsenal is appropriate for every incident.

a. Trueb. False

14. The primary purpose of studying past incidents in training is to

a. embarrass the firefighters involvedb. Learn from past mistakes and successesc. b and dd. Create contingency plans for responding to future incidents

with similar characteristics

15. There is no such thing as a survivable airplane crash.

a. Falseb. True

16. Technological advances in ARFF response may provide a greater level of

a. Laziness and apathyb. Survivability and safetyc. Useless weight and extra trainingd. none of the above

17. The mobile stair unit is useful for ARFF operations in the following capacities:

a. Firefighter access to aircraftb. Rescue platform for getting passengers out of aircraftc. Staging of equipmentd. All of the above

18. In the situation of an intact cargo aircraft with an interior fire, a useful tool for knockdown and fire suppression may be

a. Mass quantities of water: Surround and drown is still the best tactic

b. ventilation: open all doors and ventilate so the fire can self-extinguish

c. The standpipe and sprinkler system, found on all aircraft d. A penetrating nozzle, which can pierce the skin and provide

initial agent application

19. Aluminum melts at

a. 550 Kb. 1,200°Fc. 3,200°Cd. 1,800°F

20. ventilation in ARFF operations

a. operates on the same basic principles as in structural firefighting

b. has no impact on cooling the interior of an aircraft.c. Is ineffective in ARFF operationsd. none of the above


Technology and ARFF: Saving Lives Through Innovation

Notes


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Technology and ARFF: Saving Lives Through Innovation · Technology and ARFF: Saving Lives Through Innovation BY JEFF GIRAUD Continuing Education Course To earn continuing education