‘It is a big deal’: Aircraft firefighting training operation at Appleton airport gaining foothold in Midwest and beyond – Post-Crescent

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GREENVILLE When it comes to aircraft firefighting and rescue operations, the stakes are enormous.That's why it's so vital to provide instructional programs to promote and ensure safety.

One of the most promising and comprehensive training centers in the Midwest and beyond is based in the Fox Cities.

The new Fox Valley Technical College Airport Rescue and Firefighting training facility, a partnership with the Appleton International Airport, began booking trainees in June. It is locatedjust north of the FVTC public safety training center.

"It is a big deal," said Abe Weber, director of the Appleton airport. "You can get a plethora of training in one environment to prepare for the worst-case scenario."

The operation, headed by FVTC instructor Ben Sokol, is a $10-plus million facility that was financed with federal and state grants. It's billed as the only one of its kind in the Midwest and it offers an exhaustive list of protocols that provide a wealth of specialized aircraft rescue and firefighting instruction.

The training, which is required by the FAA for live firefighting,also offers instruction for new airport firefighters, fire truck drivers and operators of airport firefighting apparatus, municipal firefighters who assist airport firefighters, and first responders.

The training field provides hands-on training scenarios on a Boeing 777 and aCessna Skyhawktraining prop.They areseton a spill-fire areaof 96 individually controlled fire zones.

The props are designed to provide realistic situations in which trainees learn proper techniques to approach and attack aircraft fires.

"There's a lot of different aspects to this," Sokol said. "There could be a fuel spill or there could bea large fire under fuselage, wheel well firesor small fires inside the aircraft.

"These things don't happen often, but we need to be prepared for it, Sokol said.

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Adjunct professor and Grand Chute firefighter Jeremy Hanson remotely lights an engine fire on a simulated Boeing 777 during a training session at the ATW ARFF Training Center located at Fox Valley Technical Colleges Public Safety Training Center on Thursday, July 16, 2020, in Greenville, Wis. The ATW ARFF Training Center is used for aircraft rescue and fire fighting (ARFF) training.Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin(Photo: USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)

If a problem develops on an aircraftwhen it's coming in to land, an emergency would be declared and the rescue crew would respond when it is safely on the ground, he said.

"It is high stress," Sokol said. "It's a specialized form of firefighting, learning how to drive on airfield."

There is one traditionalclassroom and one classroom in theapparatus bay. In addition, there is asecond-floor control room. Instructors operate the props from there.

From the control room, Sokol can simulate fires on the Boeing 777, along with otherpotential problems on the aircraft.

"We can remove doors, cockpit controls and go through the 777. (Trainees)need to know the aircraft inside and out," he said.

"There are noactual fires, but there ishands-on training. We can create small to massive fuel fires, and ... smaller fires outside."

There also is a class for drivers and operators of firefighting equipment and apparatus. "We do everything from learning how to drive on streets to settingup apparatus," Sokol said.

"If there is an aircraft emergency, (crews) must adhere to instructions onunderstanding an airfield, aircraft hazards, how many people on are board, and how they will get off."

Sokol said the training program has drawn considerable interest from departments in Wisconsin and Illinois, and he expects the numbers to expand. He also has heard from departments as far away as Arizona.

The program was developed after a similar trainingfacility in Duluth, Minnesota, was closed.We picked upthe ball, and were running with it. Sokol said.

Weber, the Appleton International Airport director, said the early results are promising.

It's pointing to a very successful operation, he said, adding that it has been an important addition to Appleton International.

"Were a smaller airport," Weber said. "When we have an emergency here, we rely on mutual aid from nearby communities. Now, we can introduce those who respond to structural fires to approaching airliners."

Andy Thompson can be reached at 920-996-7270 or by email at awthompson@postcrescent.com.

In a nutshell

Fox Valley Technical College Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting training facility

Classes include:

On the Web

https://www.fvtc.edu/Training-Services/Public-Safety-Training/Aircraft-Rescue-and-Fire-Fighting-ARFF

Andy Thompson can be reached at 920-996-7270 or by email at awthompson@postcrescent.com

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'It is a big deal': Aircraft firefighting training operation at Appleton airport gaining foothold in Midwest and beyond - Post-Crescent