VIDEO: Firefighters from across the state battled flames in a training exercise Wednesday afternoon, preparing for an aviation emergency.
Miami Dade International Airport firefighters trained to fight an airplane engine fire, fuel fire, or wheel fire at the Charlotte County Fire and EMS Training Facility.
Flames were burning at all angles, simulating the unpredictable nature of an aviation emergency. Firefighters felt the heat during the training exercise.
“It gives them a nice practice, something different on top of all the training they do, and it’s also an FAA requirement that all firefighters at airports train once a year on a facility or a mobile trainer,” Battalion Chief Larry Lipple said.
He added they try to simulate as real a fire as possible, teaching hose management, applying water to the fuselage, and an engine fire, a wheel fire, or a fuel fire.
The simulator is a full-size plane, with a 64-foot wingspan, an 11-foot-high passenger compartment, and a 55 square foot cockpit.
It’s an elite training opportunity for the firefighters, including simulated cockpit fires, fuel spills, and attempting search and rescue for passengers.
The training helps keep firefighters at the top of their game when it comes to airport safety.
“We always say that we train like we are going to perform. So, we are always training for different types of scenarios that could occur with the hopes that we never actually have to respond to them,” Lieutenant Paramedic Jennifer Truman said.
Lieutenant Truman added that they make sure during training they are completing the steps the proper way, so in the event they do it in real life, they’re ready for it.
While the training wasn’t scheduled as a result of the deadly crash in Louisville earlier this month, Battalion Chief Lipple says it’s an important reminder of why they run these trainings.
“When we talk about Louisville, that is a disaster that is just extreme. What we feel here is the airport trains on its items, the mutual aid departments, the city departments, they all come together with the training, and they all come together with their own training that they put into one big puzzle, so it’s a piece that adds to the success of the bad disaster to make it not get worse.”
The Charlotte County Fire and EMS Training Facility will continue to welcome area fire departments for ARFF training for the rest of this week.
