Handling the heat

Copenhagen Airport was opened on 20 April 1925 as one of the world’s first airports exclusively for civil traffic. Today the airport is one of the most modern in the world and has been awarded numerous awards for efficiency and customer satisfaction. Copenhagen is Scandinavia’s largest airport and is also one of the major hubs in Northern Europe.

ARFF (Aviation Rescue and Fire Fighting) is a highly specialised component of the fire fighting service. An aircraft accident presents itself with various hazards that can threaten aircraft occupants, the environment, local community and emergency responders. ARFF crews must respond quickly and with precision to minimise loss of life and injuries. Fortunately, serious accidents are rare but that means that skills can only be built through training and learning from others rather than from actual accident experience.

Copenhagen Fire and Rescue Department (CPH ARFF) responds to everything inside the airport perimeter – aircraft accidents, structural fires, hazmat, technical rescue and are first to respond to medical calls. Off-site we also respond to airplane incidents that take place at land and at sea that are in close proximity to the airport.

We are also active within airport safety and therefore play a key role within airport operations. We are responsible for runway inspections, snow removal and the salvaging of disabled aircrafts on the airport maneuver aerial area.

Outside the airport, the municipal Fire Brigade from the city of Tårnby is no more than 10 minutes away. We also have a strong link with the local Ambulance service and Copenhagen City Fire Brigade. Due to the airport’s size and to meet our response time, we have two fire stations, with a minimum of seven firefighters located at each station.

The ARFF personnel at Copenhagen Airport are some of Denmark’s best trained and best educated firefighters. We are an active member of many ARFF organisations including the ARFFWG (Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting Working Group) and IAFPA (International Aviation Fire Protection Association). Our mission statement is to always improve on crisis management to seek new and better ways to perform. We believe that education and training are the two main objectives that will lead to a consistent level of performance.

‘Fire Station East’ is Copenhagen Airport’s main Fire Station, placed close to the threshold of runway 30. The Administration and Incident Commanders also have their offices at this station. Copenhagen Airport is located close to the strait between Denmark and Sweden and therefore we also have a Maritime Search and Rescue Unit. This includes two rescue boats, equipped with all that is required by ICAO and Danish national law. ‘Airport Rescue’ is the main vessel and it is always ready for immediate action with a crew of four seaman/firefighters.

We have five small rescue and service vehicles on this station which includes two VW Transporters (one incident command vehicle), two VW Tourans, one VW Tiguan and two Rosenbauer Panther CA-5 Airport Crash Tenders. One of which is equipped with CAFS (compressed air foam system) the other incorporates a HRET (high reach extended turret).

The airport’s other ARFF facility, ‘Fire Station West’ is located at Runway 04L/22R on the far side of the airport. It has seven firefighters that are always on duty and an Assistant Fire Chief. Here there are two small rescue vehicles; a VW Tiguan and a VW Transporter which is the first responder vehicle, two Volvo FM 12 crash tenders, one Rosenbauer Panther CA-5 with HRET, one Mercedes Axor 1833 Multi-Purpose Rescue Vehicle, a Mercedes Triage truck and a Ford 550F Rescue Stair vehicle. We have trailers with generator and flood-light equipment and a trailer with Hazmat equipment also.

Post 1995

In August 1995, a DC-8 cargo aircraft landed at Copenhagen. On touchdown the aircraft suffered a hydraulic failure that resulted in a loss of steering causing the plane to veer off the main taxiway and becoming stranded within the grass. This was in no way a dramatic incident, but the position of the aircraft had an impact on airport operations and other traffic.

At this time, Copenhagen Airport did not have any real emergency plan to deal with such an incident. According to Danish law and IATA and ICAO recommendations, the airport expected the owner of an aircraft to be able to recover or remove any disabled aircraft from the manoeuver aerial, SAS (Scandinavian Airline System) had a small aircraft recovery kit at the airport and a few maintenance employees trained in basic aircraft recovery. However, this was clearly not sufficient.

SAS managed to retrieve the aircraft with assistance from the CPH ARFF and CPH ASP (airside support) and removed it to a hangar for repair. This incident was the catalyst for a constructive partnership and alliance between SAS Technical Services and CPH. After this accident, a taskforce formed to secure better crisis management at the airport. A memorandum of understanding and agreement was created that would encourage better handling of future aircraft recovery operations through more efficient planned procedures, sufficient aircraft recovery equipment and more highly trained staff. A disabled aircraft release and work authorisation document was then drafted. This important document sped up the recovery process and gives SAS Technical Services approval to be the main contractor. CPH is ultimately a subcontractor in these situations and will mainly work under the supervision of the BARC (Base Aircraft Recovery Co-ordinator).

It took one year before the CPH emergency plan for aircraft recovery could be implemented. CPH has invested in new recovery equipment including a 30 tonne ALB (Aircraft Recovery Lifting Bags) with all equipment being stored at ‘Fire Station East’. Pre-contracts with off airport companies are in place with annual training of the aircraft recovery personnel set to include at least one full scale exercise.

Aircraft recovery at Copenhagen today is extremely well organised and we are confident that we can recover most incidents with the equipment and skills that we have however, we see lots of high wing aircrafts such as the Airbus 330 and 340 that offer challenges with lifting heights and future aircrafts that are not yet ‘recovery friendly’. We have moved all recovery equipment into a building in the south part of the airport and we plan to create an actual Aircraft Recovery Centre, with space to carry out maintenance and train personnel.

The CPH Aircraft Recovery Team has performed many recovery operations since 1995. I am convinced that there will be more focus on efficient systems to keep airport operations optimised in the future.

About the Author

Kim Olsen served for five years in the Danish Army before returning to the Copenhagen Airports Fire and Rescue Department in 1989. Kim Olsen is a member of both IAFPA and the ARFFWG, holding a position as a Director for section 11 on the Board of Directors in the ARFFWG. He is also the Chief Instructor at the Copenhagen Airport ARFF School. He is an instructor in ARFF on all Danish incident command courses at DEMA the Danish Emergency Services College.