CHECkING OUT
Running to the
runway
By Tania Moffat 2:13 a.m.
The crash horn sounds; a plane has been diverted to the airport after the pilot declares an emer- gency. Smoke continues to fill the cabin as the plane lands safely. The firefighters are ready and waiting.
B
eing a firefighter at the airport is much more than just working with uber cool trucks and super neat devices, like the snozzle, which can puncture the belly of an
airplane. When the crash horn sounds they don’t know what they could be responding to and their preparedness is crucial. Leah Kosolofski, the only female firefighter on the crew
and acting captain confides that this is why she loves her work. “Tat’s what makes the job interesting right? I always said if I had to sit behind a desk Monday to Friday I couldn’t do it. In a fire hall, you could be eating your breakfast and then the crash horn goes and you’re off.” Te crash horn is the siren that summons the team to the airfield to respond to an incident. Te crew acts as the airport’s emergency response service and responds to both fire and medical incidents; with medical accounting for 75 per cent of their call-outs. When disaster strikes
Te hall has an automatic response zone that they will enter without permission if an airplane goes down outside airport territory. While the crew will respond to an aircraft down outside their jurisdiction, sometimes they can be just as helpful assisting from their own hall. “A couple of years ago, a Cessna went down in Osborne
Village,” remembers fire captain Jim Abram. “We realized it was too far away, and by the time we would get to the scene there wouldn’t be much for us to do. But we were still able to help. With a manifest of the plane’s cargo we were able to re- lay to Osborne command that there were hazardous materi- als on board, allowing their crew to respond accordingly. Tis incident proved we can assist even if we are not on scene, due to the specific information we have access to,” explains Jim. How the crew responds to these types of emergencies has
66 • Fall 2014
Captain Jim Abram and acting captain Leah Kosolofski of the Winnipeg
a ripple effect, as they are still responsible for an operat- ing airport. If a major crisis occurred, like if a 737 went down outside the airport grounds, the department would likely commit all their resources, but they would have to issue a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) that there was no fire response at the airport. Tis call would impact both the airport and passengers as some airlines will refuse to land without fire protection. Our airport’s crew
Passengers can rest assured that not only are our airport
fire crew highly skilled and trained but that the hall staffs to a higher level than required by Canadian Aviation Reg- ulation Standards (CARS). Classified as a category 7 air- port, CARS requires Winnipeg Richardson International Airport’s fire department to staff a minimum of two fire
The Hub
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