The correct design and layout of this equipment are essential for infrastructure certification and operational authorisation at an airport.
On occasion, you will have seen them and perhaps wondered if airport firefighters operate in the same way as they do in a Fire Station From their city. If you're a regular traveller, you'll even have seen them practising how to extinguish a fire set in an old aircraft fuselage, which is used for this purpose.
You will surely also remember an image of water cannons creating an arch over an aircraft that has just landed, either to celebrate a sporting event or to inaugurate a particular air route.
You might, if you're very observant, when your plane is about to take off, see them doing intense physical exercise next to the building where their recognisable fire engines are kept.
Even if you're a regular at an airport where snow is often a feature, you'll see snow ploughs removing the white stuff from taxiways or the runway itself.
And of course, if you work in airport design, you will certainly have met with a fire officer at some point, as their input on how to lay out certain elements and how to simulate their operation in an emergency is essential to properly finalise that design.
Let's talk logically about the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS)also known as Rescue Station, Firefighting or simply Airport Fire Station.
But how is the design of these buildings approached? What are the elements that compose it? Why do they tend to look the same wherever you fly?
In this post, we offer our perspective on all of this, presenting the aspects that are regulated and those that, in some way, depend solely on the designer.
How is an SEI designed?
Regular the performance of the fire service In the event of an accident or potential emergency, it is obviously subject to precise and stringent regulations. The correct design and layout of this equipment are essential for the certification of the infrastructure and the authorisation of operations at an airport. This is why ICAO determines which elements a FIDS must contain depending on the airport's category. And this aspect – the category – is in turn determined mainly by the type of aircraft that can operate at the aerodrome.
The elements regulated by the category of an SEI are essentially four:
- The number of emergency vehicles that must be operational.
- The volume of extinguishing agent available for vehicles and its replenishment in emergency operations.
- The fire brigade for which the facilities must be sized and designed.
- And finally, the equipment that the said provision must have available in the building at all times.
So, these are essentially the elements that need to be considered when designing a building of this nature. Let's see how.
Locate the SEI
Firstly, it is crucial to accurately study the location of the SEI. From a regulatory standpoint, in case of emergency, Emergency vehicles must reach the furthest point of the airfield within 3 minutes.. Ideally, this period should not exceed 2 minutes. The furthest point is usually the end of the track, at both ends, so a midpoint between the two is usually sought.
Furthermore, direct road access between the vehicle parking area and the runway itself must be considered, via the most straightforward access road possible, avoiding unnecessary routes or turns.
In the section on the SEI's location as well Visibility must be considered. The entire flight field and most of the airport movement area must be visible. A high point is usually designed into the building where a COA is located, Airport Observation Centre, a place where a potential incident should be identified, if not already done.
Equip the SEI
The volume and general organisation of the SEI are largely determined by the number of vehicles it must accommodate and for its equipment.
The vehicles occupy the most significant space within the building, sheltered from the exterior. Typically, this area is the first to be “placed”, as its correct location largely determines the aforementioned aspects. This is due to its connection with the access road to the airfield, but also – if the operation involves refuelling the vehicle with extinguishing agent – because of the manoeuvre these vehicles must perform around the building to carry out the refuelling operation.
On the other hand, as is logical, the “vessel” that accommodates the emergency vehicles should be correctly sized to accommodate as many vehicles as regulations require based on their category. Additionally, best practices recommend having a few extra spaces or at least ensuring the warehouse can be easily expanded in the future. Furthermore, some of the parking bays should be equipped with a pit for potential vehicle maintenance work.
Emergency operations rely heavily on vehicles. The correct number, condition, availability, and manoeuvre of these vehicles are critical for this purpose.
The next point of concern, once the building has been located and the “garage” arranged, is usually to equip it correctly. This aspect, in turn, has a twofold dimension:
On the one hand, the firefighter equipment and on the other, that of vehicles in relation to your activity.
For the first of these, it is essential to store all items relating to a firefighter's duties correctly. To this end, they must be easily accessible, located in appropriately sized spaces, and provide shelter and proper conservation for all these items. We are referring to suits, cylinders, mechanical equipment, etc.
For the second, the fire extinguishing agent is the protagonist. Depending on the product, it must be stored in one way or another. In this section, both the volume and the layout are essential so that refuelling manoeuvres can be carried out agilely and safely. One of the most common ways to do this is to design an elevated tank next to the SEI, carefully studying the movement of vehicles during the aforementioned refuelling manoeuvres.
And finally, regarding equipment, naturally, the building must have the appropriate rooms for the fire service to carry out their duties, both emergency and daily, adequately. Essentially, there are 4: the operation management, training and coaching, rest and, of course, the emergency operation.
These are the rooms that support vehicle storage and SEI equipment. Offices, training rooms, fitness areas, changing rooms, and rest areas complete the design of this building.
Interestingly, these areas, the ones that are used the most and where firefighters spend hundreds of hours a year, they are the ones that present less regulation and a greater “local” component”. Therefore, we will elaborate on these at the end of this article.
Vehicles, equipment and people These are the ones that offer us the keys for the correct “functional” arrangement of all the rooms in the SEI. But there are other aspects that must be present in a “good project”.
Connect the SEI
Fortunately, emergencies at an aerodrome are very rare. But when this situation does arise, The rapid response of the emergency services is essential to avoid, or at least minimise, the impact this situation may have fundamentally on people (but also, logically, on aircraft and infrastructure). To this end, it is essential to have robust facilities that guarantee the perfect functioning of the entire process. And, above all else, communication.
As already mentioned, the COA plays a crucial role in raising the alarm in the event of an emergency. Conversely, any alarm signal issued by the airport operations centre or the control tower must reach the SEI unambiguously and directly. That is why The design of the communications system is one of the critical points of a project of this nature..
However, similarly, all other services must be guaranteed in the SEI. This is why having double electricity or water connections is a common measure in this type of project.
Under no circumstances can the system afford an electrical, water supply, or communication failure in this building. Therefore, considering alternative routes for these elements in case of any eventuality is imperative in the design of an EIS.
Humanising the SEI
The aspects described so far are, for the most part, regulated, meaning they are mandatory. If the designer complies with the regulations, as they clearly must, these are given to them. However, in our opinion, stopping there is a mistake, because the SEI is where a number of professionals spend a lot of time which, apart from swinging into action in an emergency, must train, live together, rest and, in some way, also get bored for very long periods of time.
The design of the SEI is governed almost 100% by a circumstance that rarely occurs in reality. Therefore, once all these aspects have been ensured, it is essential to consider the comfort of its users. And it is unacceptable to focus solely on the regulatory aspects governing operations in the event of an emergency, whilst neglecting the remaining 99.9% of the time that “our protectors” are required to spend there.
Too often we visit fire extinction buildings designed “solely” for vehicles and their important cargo, but very little for the firefighter. With very questionable living and resting conditions. With improvised spaces for their training. Or with null or deficient “non-essential” equipment.
Spacious, well-equipped, well-ventilated rest rooms with adequate lighting. Workspaces are also oriented towards good lighting, with areas for personal concentration and also for group work. Small gyms for proper training, not just indoors but also outdoors with suitable areas for that training.
Therefore, a suitable orientation of “non-critical” rooms, good acoustic and thermal conditions that allow for the activity of each space, and pleasant architecture are the greatest guarantee for having these professionals ready so that, hopefully, they never have to do their job.
