Airport Dedicates New Fire Truck

What has six-wheel drive, sees through smoke, pushes over trees and fences, climbs 50 degree slopes, carries 3000 gallons of water, and can charge down a runway at 70 mph while shooting water? It’s the Oshkosh Striker 3000; a state-of-the-art aircraft rescue fire truck and the newest addition to the Springfield airport’s firefighting arsenal.

The truck’s dedication ceremony takes place on November 29, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., 2365 North FAA Avenue, Springfield, MO 65802.

A Firefighting Tradition: Wet-down and Push-In Ceremony

During the ceremony a retiring fire truck will shoot water on the new truck. Members of the airport community will then dry the new vehicle and push it into the fire house.

This christening ritual dates to the 19th century when fire engines were pulled by horses. After responding to a fire, firefighters would unharness the horses and wash them. Firefighters would then push the engine back into the fire house.

Background

Aircraft Rescue Firefighters (ARFF)

The airport has 17 full time ARFF members. Each has Firefighter 1 or Firefighter 2 certification and is a certified emergency medical technician. They provide the airport community with 24/7 protection.

Airport Fire Department Statistics
 

• Medical calls in 2022: 79.
• Average response time to medical calls: two minutes.
• Number of aircraft emergencies in 2022: 9

Aircraft Rescue Firefighting Trucks (ARFF trucks)

A key objective during an aircraft fire is to bring as much water to the fight as possible. The new truck carries 3000 gallons water, 420 gallons of firefighting foam, and 500 pounds of firefighting dry chemical. Compare this to a typical fire truck used for house fires: it carries 500 gallons of water.

The airport currently now has three ARFF trucks:
 

• 1994 Oshkosh T-1500. Carries 1,500 gallons of water, plus foam and dry chemical. This truck will be retired in a few months.
• 2009 Oshkosh Striker 3000. Carries 3,000 gallons of water, plus foam and dry chemical.
• 2023 Oshkosh Striker 3000. Carries 3,000 gallons of water, plus foam and dry chemical. This truck is armed with a Snozzle—a cone shaped nozzle, mounted on a boom, which can pierce an aircraft fuselage to put out a fire inside the aircraft.

Note
 

• The Airport Fire Department is not part of the Springfield Fire Department.
• The new fire truck cost $1.3 million and was paid for with airport funds.
• City funds do not pay for the airport. The airport is a self-supporting enterprise fund, meaning that it operates without local/state tax revenues or general city funds. Daily operations are funded by money generated from leases and contracts with the airlines and other businesses using airport facilities. Grants from the Federal Aviation Administration are received on a matching basis for the funding of qualifying improvement projects. Federal grants are funded mainly by federal taxes on airline tickets, aviation fuel and cargo shipments. Bottom line: the airport pays its own way.