Firefighters from Ocala Fire Rescue are completing a week-long training session to learn how to operate the newly acquired Aircraft Rescue Firefighting (ARFF) truck.
All members of the department’s ARFF team – certified annually by the Federal Aviation Administration – are rotating through the sessions, learning to utilize the apparatus’ operation system to deploy firefighting agents. By the end of the week, firefighters will be qualified to operate the apparatus, including efficient use of the vehicle’s pumping capabilities to deploy the 200 gallons of foam, 500 pounds of dry chemical agent and 1,500 gallons of water it holds.
“The acquisition of this apparatus allows Ocala Fire Rescue to provide cutting-edge services to the Ocala International Airport,” Chief Shane Alexander said. “It is with tools and training like these that OFR continues to foster the relationship both departments already have.”
The apparatus, officially known as ARFF1, is the first vehicle of its kind manufactured by E-One in Ocala. In addition to fire-combatting chemicals, ARFF1 will be replacing the department’s current airport firefighting apparatus, which has been in service since 1997.
The new state-of-the-art piece of equipment is equipped with:
- Ground nozzles – a watering system under the truck used to keep the apparatus cool;
- Ground sweeps – a watering system used to extinguish a ground fire in the path of the apparatus;
- One roof turret – top front nozzle that sprays water or foam only;
- One bumper turret – front nozzle that can deploy all three firefighting agents (water, foam or dry chemical);
- One 200-foot hose – a pre-connected hose used to deploy dry chemical only;
- Two 200-foot hoses – inch-and-three-quarter hoses used to deploy water and foam only;
- One 200-foot compressed air line – used to run power tools as needed; and
- One infrared camera – a built-in system to help in identifying hot spots, locating people, etc.