Airport Fire and Rescue
Airport Fire and Rescue
Every licensed aerodrome in the UK — and every certified airport worldwide — must have its own dedicated fire and rescue service on site. This is not optional: it is a legal requirement. But why? And what do airport firefighters actually do day to day?
This lesson introduces the Rescue and Fire Fighting Service (RFFS), its role, and how it operates at Glasgow Prestwick Airport.
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Why Airports Have Their Own Fire Service
Aircraft carry large quantities of highly flammable fuel. A Boeing 737-800 — the most common aircraft at Prestwick — carries up to around 26,000 litres of Jet A-1 kerosene. In the event of an accident, this fuel can ignite instantly, producing an intense fire that can reach temperatures above 1,000 degrees Celsius.
The key difference between an aircraft fire and a building fire is time. In a building fire, the structure itself provides some protection and occupants may have many minutes to escape. In an aircraft accident fire, the aluminium fuselage can burn through in as little as 60-90 seconds. This means passengers and crew have an extremely short window to evacuate before conditions inside the cabin become unsurvivable.
This is why airports cannot rely on the local fire brigade to respond. By the time a municipal fire engine navigates through traffic and reaches the runway, it would be too late. Airport firefighters must be able to reach any point on the operational runway within two to three minutes of being called. At Prestwick, the fire station is positioned to achieve this.
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What is RFFS?
RFFS stands for Rescue and Fire Fighting Service. This is the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) term for the airport fire service. In the UK, it is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) under CAP 168 (Licensing of Aerodromes) and CAP 699 (RFFS requirements).
The RFFS has two primary roles, as its name suggests:
1. Rescue
The first priority is always to save lives. In an aircraft accident, the fire service's job is to create and maintain a survivable environment for passengers and crew to escape. This means:
- Controlling the fire to prevent it reaching the cabin
- Creating escape routes through the fuselage if doors are blocked
- Assisting passengers and crew away from the aircraft
- Providing first aid and triage
2. Fire Fighting
The second role is to control and extinguish the fire. This includes:
- Applying foam and water to suppress fuel fires
- Cooling the aircraft structure to prevent burn-through
- Preventing fire spread to other aircraft or buildings
- Managing spills and run-off
The rescue function always takes priority over fire fighting. A perfect fire extinguishment means nothing if the passengers did not get out.
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The RFFS at Prestwick
Prestwick's RFFS operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year — whenever the airport is open for operations. The fire station is located on the airfield with direct access to the runway and taxiways, ensuring rapid response.
The service maintains a fleet of specialist fire vehicles (covered in the next lesson) crewed by trained airport firefighters. These personnel are not regular council firefighters — they hold specialist aviation fire and rescue qualifications, including:
- Aircraft type familiarisation (knowing where the doors, emergency exits, fuel tanks, and batteries are on different aircraft types)
- Foam and specialist agent application
- Breathing apparatus operations
- Aircraft forcible entry techniques
- Casualty handling and triage
- Incident command
ICAO Crash Category
Every airport is assigned a Rescue and Fire Fighting category (often called a "crash category") based on the types of aircraft that use it. Prestwick holds RFFS Category A7 as its standard provision. This is based on the length and fuselage width of the largest aircraft using the airport regularly.
Category 7 covers aircraft from 39 metres to less than 49 metres in length with a maximum fuselage width of 5 metres — this includes the Boeing 737-800 (39.5 metres long), which is Ryanair's workhorse at Prestwick.
Critically, Prestwick can upgrade to Category 8 or 9 at short notice when larger aircraft are scheduled. Category 8 covers aircraft up to 61 metres (such as the Boeing 767 or Airbus A330), and Category 9 covers aircraft up to 76 metres (such as the Boeing 747 — Prestwick handles cargo 747s from time to time). This upgrade requires additional vehicles and crew to be available.
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Daily Operations
Contrary to what you might think, airport firefighters are not sitting around waiting for a disaster. Their daily routine includes:
- Equipment checks — every vehicle and piece of equipment is tested at the start of each shift
- Training — continuous training in fire fighting, rescue techniques, first aid, and incident management, including live fire exercises
- Runway inspections — RFFS staff often assist with or conduct routine airfield inspections
- Standby duties — certain operations (such as fuelling with passengers on board, or engine ground runs) may require a fire vehicle to be positioned nearby
- Emergency response — responding to any incident on the airfield, from a minor fuel spill to a full emergency
- Domestic fire cover — providing fire cover for airport buildings and facilities
- Wildlife management — in some airports, RFFS staff assist with bird dispersal activities
Response Categories
When an emergency is declared, it falls into one of three categories:
| Category | Meaning | Response |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft Accident | An aircraft has crashed on or near the airport | Full deployment, external services called |
| Full Emergency | An aircraft has a known serious problem (engine failure, landing gear malfunction, etc.) | Full deployment, vehicles positioned along the runway |
| Local Standby | An aircraft has a minor defect or the pilot is being cautious | Reduced deployment, vehicles ready but not necessarily positioned |
A full emergency is the most common type of declared emergency. The fire vehicles drive to predetermined positions along the runway, ready to respond instantly when the aircraft lands. You may sometimes see this at Prestwick — a line of fire vehicles alongside the runway with their lights flashing as an aircraft approaches. More often than not, the aircraft lands normally and the emergency is stood down.
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Coordination with External Services
Prestwick's RFFS is the first responder for any incident on the airfield. However, for a significant incident (particularly an aircraft accident), additional resources are needed. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) provides backup, along with the Scottish Ambulance Service, Police Scotland, and potentially military assets.
Pre-agreed plans define the rendezvous points where external services will be met and escorted onto the airfield. These plans are tested in regular full-scale emergency exercises, which all UK airports must conduct at defined intervals.
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Summary
The airport fire and rescue service is one of the most critical safety functions at any airport. At Prestwick, the RFFS stands ready around the clock, equipped with specialist vehicles and trained crews, prepared to respond within minutes to anything from a minor fuel spill to a major aircraft accident. Their presence is what makes it possible for aircraft to operate safely — because if the worst happens, every second counts.