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Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Letter of Agreement Template

Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Letter of Agreement Between [Airport Name] and [Organization Name]

Effective: [Date]

Purpose

• This letter of agreement establishes definitions, responsibilities, and guidelines for handling aircraft emergencies at [Airport Name]. These procedures provide for the most anticipated situations; however, the best judgment of Airport Operations Staff and Air Traffic Controllers on duty dictate the appropriate response in any given situation.

Definitions

Accident: An aircraft mishap occurring before, during, or after any aircraft movement or maneuver, including takeoff or landing, in which the aircraft is damaged.

ARFF: Aircraft rescue and firefighting

CTAF: Common traffic advisory frequency [Frequency]

FIRE DEPARTMENT: [Fire Department Name]

FOD: Foreign object debris

FSS: Flight service station

INCIDENT: An occurrence other than an accident, associated with the operation of an aircraft. (Prop Strike) (runway excursion with no damage) (Gear up landing)

OPS ONE: Airport first-response vehicle

OPS TWO: Airport first-response vehicle

OPS THREE: Airport first-response vehicle

OPERATIONS: [Airport Name] operations

NTSB: National Transportation Safety Board

TOWER: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)–operated control tower

Emergency Categories and Definitions

ALERT ONE: An aircraft having a minor difficulty (e.g., feathered propeller, minor oil leak)

ALERT TWO: An aircraft having a major difficulty (e.g., rough running engine, engine fire, control problems, landing-gear problems)

ALERT THREE: An aircraft involved in an accident on airport

ALERT FOUR: Bomb threat aboard an aircraft

ALERT FIVE: Aircraft crash off airport

Responsibilities

Any of the following may declare an emergency:

• Pilot in command of aircraft
• TOWER
• OPERATIONS
• The aircraft owner/operator or representative

Tower Shall:

• Determine alert type and notify OPERATIONS when an emergency condition exists.
• Notify the FIRE DEPARTMENT when an emergency condition exists or when deemed appropriate.
• Cancel the FIRE DEPARTMENT notification when requested to do so by OPERATIONS or when deemed appropriate.
• Control nonessential air and ground traffic to avoid conflicts in emergency alert areas.
• Notify the appropriate FAA/NTSB authorities and, if possible, the aircraft operator.

Operations Shall:

• Notify the TOWER when an emergency exists.
• Close or partially close the airport as appropriate and notify the TOWER, except when closure is automatic.
• Respond to the emergency as follows:
  • ALERT ONE: Respond with OPS ONE–OPS THREE to staging area as soon as possible.
  • ALERT TWO: Respond with OPS ONE–OPS THREE to staging area within 3 minutes of notification [unless estimated time of arrival (ETA) of the aircraft allows additional time].
  • ALERT THREE: Proceed to crash scene with OPS ONE–OPS THREE within 3 minutes of notification. Assess situation, update tower, coordinate appropriate emergency and support equipment.
  • ALERT FOUR: Respond as needed.
  • ALERT FIVE: Respond as needed.
• Notify the TOWER when emergency no longer exists.
• Notify the TOWER when closed portions of the airport are reopened.
• Coordinate police assistance as needed for crowd and media control.

Fire Department Shall:

• Dispatch ARFF equipment and crew as appropriate to the emergency.
• Arrive at the airport as soon as practicable.
• Communicate with the TOWER [Frequency].

• Respond to the emergency as appropriate to the situation.
• Abort the response when the emergency condition no longer exists.
• If the TOWER is closed and OPERATIONS is not on duty, the FIRE DEPARTMENT shall make radio calls on CTAF [Frequency], advising local traffic of the emergency and applicable closures.
• Close or partially close the airport as appropriate (if OPERATIONS is not on duty) and notify the TOWER of the closure, except when closure is automatic.

Procedures

Tower Shall:

• Alert OPERATIONS using the direct line or ground-control frequency as appropriate and provide the available details, in order of priority.
  1. Type of alert: one, two, three, or four
  2. Type of aircraft
  3. Nature of difficulty
  4. Location of aircraft or ETA
  5. Runway of intended landing
  6. Fuel quantity remaining
  7. Number of souls onboard
• If on-duty OPERATIONS personnel cannot be contacted on either direct telephone line or radio, then call the airport manager’s cell phone.
• Notify the FIRE DEPARTMENT dispatch of emergency alert and direct the FIRE DEPARTMENT units to alert site on ground-control frequency [Frequency] or by light signals.
• Expedite the clearance of OPS ONE–OPS THREE and other emergency vehicles to staging area during ALERT ONE and ALERT TWO emergencies.

Operations Shall:

• Close or partially close the airport as appropriate to the situation and notify the TOWER about closures.
• Dispatch OPS ONE–OPS THREE.
• Provide first-response emergency service as appropriate to the nature of the emergency.
• Advise the TOWER of any additional FIRE DEPARTMENT or emergency equipment needed.
• Advise the FIRE DEPARTMENT of the status of the emergency and hand over command of the authority to the on-site fire chief on arrival.
• Upon termination of the emergency condition, arrange for the expeditious clearing and inspection of the aircraft operating areas affected by the emergency. Arrange for hazmat cleanup and removal if necessary.
• Reopen or partially reopen the airport as appropriate.

Fire Department Shall:

• Dispatch ARFF equipment.
• Close or partially close the airport (if OPERATIONS is not on duty).
• Provide emergency service appropriate to the nature of the situation.
• Communicate with the TOWER [Frequency]. If unable to communicate by radio, try calling by telephone [Telephone Number], or look for green light signal from the TOWER before proceeding on taxiways or runways in the movement area.
• For ALERT ONE and ALERT TWO, proceed to the staging area.
• For ALERT THREE, contact TOWER by VHF radio [Frequency] or telephone [Telephone Number]. Once clearance from the TOWER is obtained, proceed directly to crash site.

• Contact OPERATIONS for briefing and hand over command authority.
• Keep OPERATIONS informed of the status of the emergency and when it is terminated.
• Contact OPERATIONS for a debriefing and return of command authority on completion of emergency action.
• If OPERATIONS is not available:
  • Close or partially close the airport as necessary to respond to the alert and advise the TOWER.
  • If the TOWER is closed, notify approaching aircraft that the airport is closed by using CTAF [Frequency].
  • Inspect the affected runway/taxiways and remove any FOD before reopening the airport.
  • Maintain control of the airport and reopen or partially reopen the airport as conditions permit.

Appendix 1

Closure and Reopening of the Airport

• After an alert notification, OPERATIONS will partially or wholly close the airport as soon as possible to ensure rapid ARFF response and communicate these closures to the TOWER.
• The airport is automatically closed when an ALERT THREE exists.
• The runway is automatically closed when an aircraft is unable to clear the runway or when an ALERT TWO aircraft crosses the threshold on final approach.
• OPERATIONS will partially or wholly reopen the airport and advise the TOWER as soon as practical.
• When OPERATIONS is not available, the FIRE DEPARTMENT will partially or wholly reopen the airport by notifying the TOWER.

General

• The FIRE DEPARTMENT shall provide the TOWER with a written description of the ARFF equipment available to respond to incidents and accidents on airport, updated as needed to reflect the current status.
• The FIRE DEPARTMENT shall keep the TOWER informed when ARFF is not available (such as for maintenance or refueling) with an estimated time of return to service.

Signatures

X_____________________________

[Airport Manager]

X_____________________________

[Airport Leadership]

X_____________________________

[Organization Leadership]

X_____________________________

[Organization Leadership]