BOSTON — Massport Fire and Rescue is assisting the Quincy Fire Department with training on how to handle fuel fires involving planes and also tanker rollovers that might occur in their town.
“Our job is to save people from an unfortunate aircraft incident,” said Massport Deputy Fire Chief Paul Smith
And when there is an emergency at Logan—-every second matters.
“We have to be to an unannounced aircraft incident in three minutes,” said Smith. “Doesn’t matter what time of day it is we’re here 24/7, 365 days a year.”
Smith is the Chief of Operations at Massport Fire and Rescue. He says the department does all types of training year-round with their mutual aid partners—and this time—they are assisting some new Quincy firefighters with putting out a fuel fire.
“Any impacted community around the airport or in the flight path an aircraft accident could happen there and we feel the onus is on us, the burden to supply as much information to these outside departments as we can so they keep their members safe in the event this unfortunately happens,” said Smith.
Smith says in this simulation—the firefighters work on their technique and use the water to push the fire away from the fuselage, creating a rescue path for passengers who would be trying to exit the plane.
As air traffic is already busy and is expected to heat up this summer, these firefighters understand their response is paramount to keeping everyone safe.
“We all fly with our families so I just have to say that the men and women of Massport Fire and Rescue are up to the task and are trained extremely well for it and we’re always trying to upgrade and enhance that,” said Smith.
The FAA requires Massport Fire and Rescue to do at least one fuel fire training a year, however the department does several a year because it helps train so many other mutual aid companies.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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