The Board of Directors of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) approved the acquisition of 41 brand new units of industrial type airport rescue fire-fighting vehicles.
The new Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting vehicle (ARFF) are expected to improve the fire-fighting capability of major commercial airports in the country. They were certified by an independent international 3rd party which confirmed that the product meets and exceeds all National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), FAA and ICAO international standards for aircraft and rescue fighting.
CAAP operates 81 airports, including 41 that handle commercial flights. The commercial airports had an inventory of 97 firetrucks. Around 17 units were already out of commission due to the lack of supply of spare parts.
The 80 working units on the CAAP inventory had an average year acquisition of 20 years. It was only in 2013 that 3 new ARFF vehicles were added with 6,000 to 13,000 litre capacity.
Upgrading equipment and facilities in CAAP-run airports is part of the Government’s plan to meet global aviation standards. CAAP Director General, William Hotchkiss III, said the deployment of the newly acquired ARFF vehicles is part of the plan to upgrade the Emergency Services Unit of CAAP on all major airports in the Philippines.
