NCJ Number
194544
Journal
National Fire & Rescue Volume: 26 Issue: 2 Dated: March/April 2002 Pages: 33-39
Date Published
2002
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article discusses aircraft rescue for non-airport fire departments.
Abstract
What to do if a commercial aircraft crash occurs in the first-due area, the first thing to remember is to be calm and request maximum response to the scene. A high-impact crash is one that cannot be survived. In that case, all responding units should be told to slow down their response so as not to further endanger responding apparatus, crews, and the public. This is only if the smoking-hole scenario involves an aircraft that has crashed in the middle of a sparsely populated area. A high-impact crash in a nonpopulated area can be handled much like a hazardous materials (HazMat) incident response. Seven important things that need to be known about high-impact aircraft crashes are that the area should be treated like a crime scene; the use of composite materials in the aircraft; an area sweep must be conducted; contact should be made with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board; assess the resources needed; a re-supply operation may be needed; and resource management skills. With a low-impact crash, survivors with a wide-range of injuries are expected. Regional healthcare providers should be alerted and a mass casualty plan should be activated. The most important aspects of a low-impact aircraft crash are that care should be exercised while driving over debris; jet fuel; the use of aqueous film forming foam is advised; and jagged edges of fuselage are dangerous. Other areas to consider are the hydraulic fluid; pressure blasts from the hydraulic system; wire and tubing ID; aircraft oxygen system tubing; electrical wiring; electrical generators; aircraft batteries and magnetos; aircraft extrication; cabin seating; care while opening the cabin doors; escape hatches; vehicle staging and medic unit/ambulance transport; a rapid triage program; and the retrieval of the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder.