[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 181 (Thursday, September 18, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54772-54774]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-23873]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

[Docket No. FAA-2003-16171]


Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) Mobile Live Fire 
Training Simulators

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

[[Page 54773]]


ACTION: Notice of proposed policy; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The FAA issues regulations and prescribes standards for the 
training of aircraft rescue and fire fighters (ARFF) on United States 
airports certificated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations part 139. 
One of the requirements of part 139 is for all ARFF personnel to 
participate in at least one live-fire drill every 12 months. As 
guidance for airport operators in providing this training, the FAA 
issued standards for different size fire training facilities based on 
the largest air carrier aircraft serving the airport. With the 
introduction of new technologies, ARFF personnel have the option to 
train on both mobile as well as fixed training facilities. At the 
larger airports, known as Index C, Index D, and Index E, FAA has found 
that the live fire drill requirement in part 139 can be satisfied by 
training on mobile facilities as often as every other year. Otherwise, 
the training for those size airports is conducted on the larger fixed 
facilities. We have been asked by the larger airports to find that 
training on the smaller mobile fire fighter trainers every year, rather 
than just every other year, would meet the requirements of part 139. To 
this end, we are seeking comments on the adequacy of mobile ARFF 
trainers for meeting the annual live fire drill requirement at index C, 
D, and E airports. Based on these comments, we will issue an opinion on 
the acceptability of mobile trainers for annual live-fire training for 
these airports.

DATES: Comments must be received by November 17, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Persons may mail their comments to: U.S. Department of 
Transportation Dockets, Docket No. FAA-XX-XXXX, 400 Seventh St., SW., 
Plaza Room 401, Washington, DC 20590. Comments may also be sent 
electronically to the Dockets Management System (DMS) at the following 
internet address: http://dms.dot.gov. at anytime. Commenters who wish 
to file comments electronically, should follow the instructions on the 
DMS web site. Comments may be filed and/or examined at the Department 
of Transportation Dockets, Plaza Room 401 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. 
weekdays except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ken Gilliam, Senior Fire Fighting 
Specialist, Airport Safety and Operations Division, AAS-300, Federal 
Aviation Administration 800 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 
20591, telephone (407) 812-6331, ext. 34.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA invites comments on the question, 
``Should the use of Mobile Aircraft Fire Trainers be considered to meet 
the requirements of Part 139 every year?''
    The 1988 revision of 14 Code of Federal Regulations part 139, 
Certification and Operations: Land Airports Serving Certain Air 
Carriers, section 139.319(j)(3) requires ``All rescue and fire fighting 
personnel participate in at least one live fire drill every 12 
months.'' 52 FR 44276 (Nov. 18, 1997) (effective Jan. 1, 1988). At the 
time this rule was promulgated, hydrocarbon fuels, such as diesel or 
jet-A, fueled the training facilities. In the early 1990s, Federal and 
State environmental protection agencies began banning such facilities 
because of ground contamination from the fuel. As a result, the FAA 
assisted in developing Liquid Propane Gas (LPG) fire facilities. The 
FAA funded these facilities throughout the country. The FAA refers to 
them as regional training facilities because mostly, they were intended 
to serve an area of more than one state. The aim is for a fire fighter 
to travel to the nearest training facility and receive both classroom 
and live fire training. FAA's position has been that all ARFF personnel 
should be exposed to live ground fuel fire fighting, either at their 
home airport or at a regional training facility. The size of the fire 
at a training facility was to be commensurate with the type of air 
carrier service that could be expected to service the airport of the 
ARFF personnel.
    Part 139 requirements for aircraft rescue and fire fighting 
generally are based on the length of air carrier aircraft serving a 
particular airport. Index A airports receive air carrier aircraft less 
than 90 feet long. Index B airports receive air carrier aircraft 90 
feet long but less than 126 feet. Index C airports receive air carrier 
aircraft 126 feet long to 158 feet. Index D airports receive air 
carrier aircraft 159 feet long to 199 feet. Index E airports receive 
air carrier aircraft 200 feet or longer. FAA has taken the position 
that fire fighters at large airports, such as Index C, D, and E, should 
be exposed to a larger fire than fire fighters at smaller airports. 
This, logically, is due to the fact that much larger air carrier 
aircraft operate at the larger airports, and in the event of an 
incident involving fire, a larger fire would likely result. The size of 
the Practical Critical Fire Area (PCA) specified by the FAA and the 
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) reflects this 
possibility of a larger fire at airports served by larger aircraft. 
Advisory Circular (AC) 150/5210-6C, Aircraft fire and Rescue Facilities 
and Extinguishing Agents, describes the PCA and its origin. AC 150/
5220-17A, Design Standards for an Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting 
Training Facility, describes the size of the fire training facility 
relative to the PCA. The AC recommends the larger index C, D, and E 
airport fire fighters train on much larger pool fires than the mobile 
units provide. When flammable liquid hydrocarbons (FLH) are burned in 
the training facility, the size of the burn pit should be roughly 
10,000 square feet for an Index C airport; roughly 14,500 square feet 
for Index D; and 18,000 square feet for Index E. The AC also contains 
procedures (Discharge Rate Method) for reducing the size of these fire 
pits under certain circumstances. When a training facility uses an LPG 
simulator, rather than FLH, FAA determined that a 12,200 square foot 
fire pit is suitable for training Index C through E airport fir 
fighters.
    In the mid-1990's, industry, with the assistance of FAA, developed 
a mobile fire training simulator that could be transported from airport 
to airport on trucks. The simulations allowed for engine fires, 
interior fires, wheel well fires, and cargo hold fires. However, one of 
the drawbacks of the first models of the mobile simulator was that they 
did not provide for a ground fire. In the late 1990's, industry was 
able to develop a grid system ancillary to the simulator that provided 
a ground fire of limited size.
    Some of the advantages and disadvantages of using Mobile Aircraft 
Fire Trainers for annual training by all airports are as follows.
    Advantages:
    [sbull] Mobile Trainers provide realistic and repeatable interior 
and exterior aircraft-related fire scenarios such as galley, cabin, 
wheel, engine, and cargo type fires.
    [sbull] These scenarios can be ordered with pan fires presented in 
different configurations totaling up to 2,600 square feet. (These same 
training scenarios can also be provided by the large fixed facilities 
since they can install the same props.)
    [sbull] Fire fighters can train with their own equipment.
    [sbull] The airport fire fighters can train with local mutual air 
responders.
    [sbull] There is more time to train with the equipment since there 
is no travel time to the training facility.
    [sbull] Training can be done over several days without incurring 
added expenses of travel and per diem.

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    Disadvantages:
    [sbull] Fixed facilities are usually able to afford better 
classroom training than is available at local sites.
    [sbull] As more mobile units come on line providing more economical 
training and greater mobility, the large fixed facilities may further 
decline in use.
    [sbull] A Mobile Aircraft Fire Trainer is limited to roughly 2600 
square feet in ground fire to remain mobile. (However, some of the 
large fixed LPG facilities only burn \1/4\ of the pit at a time during 
a training exercise. This is not true for hydrocarbon fuel pits since 
once the pit is lit, the entire pit has to burn. For example, the 
10,000 square foot requirement for the index C airport using propane 
would only use 2,500 square feet. This is considered adequate because, 
when the attack is made on a 10,000 square foot fire, the fire fighter 
will only see \1/4\ of the fire at any given time. The cost of fuel is 
another reason for this practice. Based on the above facts, a mobile 
unit with 2,600 square feet of fire burn area would be sufficient for a 
larger index airport for training each year if it were used properly.)
    Recognizing the Mobile Aircraft Fire Trainer technology, FAA issued 
Certalert No. 96-01, Annual Live Fire Drill Qualification, dated 
October 23, 1996. This certalert confirmed the appropriateness, under 
certain limitations for large size airports, to use interior/exterior 
fire training simulators, either stationary or mobile, as a means of 
meeting part 139 training requirements. The FAA is not proposing to 
mandate the use of the mobile simulator, but rather to interpret the 
annual use of mobile simulators as meeting the requirements of part 
139, if the airport operator wants to use that option. To this end, we 
seek comments on the advisability of such a proposal.

    Issued in Washington, DC on September 12, 2003.
David L. Bennett,
Director, Office of Airport Safety and Standards.
[FR Doc. 03-23873 Filed 9-17-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-M