From www.seacoastonline.com
Wednesday, August 2, 2000 - Highest level of service - By Richard Fabrizio, Portsmouth Herald Staff Writer
A banner in the station of the New Hampshire Air National Guard Fire Department reads, "The desire to serve. The ability to perform. The courage to act." Check, check and check. Air National Guard firefighters at Pease International Tradeport got a chance to prove their motto last week during the successful emergency landing of a DC-10 at the airport. They will have another chance to strut their stuff a little during this Saturday's "Wings of Hope" air show to benefit the New Hampshire Brain Injury Association. "It's an opportunity for us to have a community presence," said Chief Bill Brown. "Hopefully, we won't have to use our skills." But if need arises, rest assured the department is ready to respond to anything, from heat exhaustion to fuel spills to mass casualties.
The Air Guard fire station has 36 full-time and 27 part-time firefighters with diverse training. Everyone from captains to the newest firefighter is cross-trained as an emergency medical technician (EMT). The staff is trained to fight structural, automobile and airplane fires, as well as deal with hazardous material spills. Seven of the full-time firefighters and each of the 27 part-timers serve in the Air National Guard. Twelve people from the unit depart Aug. 12 for a two-week support mission at Prince Saultan Air Force Base in Saudi Arabia.
The department is a holdover from Pease Air Force Base. In accordance with military requirements, it provides a higher level of protection to the airport than required by the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA requires a minimum of four firefighters per shift at the airport. The military requires a minimum of nine per shift. The Air Force also stocks the department with the most impressive equipment in the area. Included is the massive P-15 crash truck, one of the largest firefighting vehicles ever built. The P-15 hauls 6,900 gallons of water and 515 gallons of foam. The truck is so large it cannot travel on most roads and can cross very few bridges. But it can douse a fire with dual water cannons from more than 150 feet away. "The P-15 only rolls on large-scale emergencies," Brown said.
The huge truck is backed up by a fleet of smaller crash trucks. Two P-23 trucks carry 3,300 gallons of water, 500 gallons of foam and 500 gallons of dry extinguisher chemicals. A P-19 crash truck carries 1,000 gallons of water, 130 gallons of foam and 500 gallons of dry chemicals. A P-18 tanker carries 2,000 gallons. It assists area departments with mutual aid calls.
Firefighters can spray water from inside the cabs while the trucks are driving, something Brown said is rare among standard fire trucks. Brown said fires in planes burn significantly hotter than structural blazes because of the jet fuel and the planes' shells. Each of the large crash trucks features four-wheel drive and tires that deflate automatically to enhance off-road performance. Other equipment also includes a standard fire engine, ambulance and a mass casualty trailer that can treat up to 70 patients.
The Air National Guard fire department has five alerts specific to the airport. They range from small emergencies handled exclusively by airport firefighters to "3 Bravo" � a major incident, such as a plane crash, that requires every fire truck plus support from area towns. The fire station is linked to a control tower crash phone. Air traffic controllers are a phone call away from the fire dispatcher, station, Air National Guard command post and the Pease Development Authority. Brown said the station received the call to respond to last week's emergency landing when the DC-10 was on its approach about 13 miles from the runway.
The fire department trains on a daily basis, Brown said. The goal is to familiarize firefighters with all planes based at the airport, including commercial and cargo planes. "I think they're about the best in the business," said David Fink, owner of Pan Am, the airline that serves the Pease Tradeport terminal. "They're always practicing. It is quite comforting." Central to that training is the ability to respond quickly. "We have a requirement to be anywhere in the airport in three minutes," Brown said. "The last truck has to be there by four minutes. We're tested regularly on that. Every firefighter knows that, and they do it very well."